Not always sunny, Carmel Beach is a gorgeous blanket of white sand, where pampered pups excitedly run off-leash. South of 10th Ave, bonfires crackle after sunset (until 10pm Monday through Thursday only).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Tor House

0.55 MILES

Even if you’ve never heard of 20th-century poet Robinson Jeffers, a pilgrimage to this house built with his own hands offers fascinating insights into…

3. Carmel River State Beach

0.79 MILES

Migratory birds are attracted to this mile-long stretch of sand bordered by a lagoon formed by the Carmel River.

4. Lone Cypress

2.25 MILES

Central California's most famous and photographed tree has been perched precariously on a seaward rock for possibly more than 250 years.

5. Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

2.36 MILES

They bark, they laze and bathe and they’re fun to watch – sea lions are the stars in this state park some 4 miles south of Carmel, along with the…

6. Old Monterey Jail

3.73 MILES

Featured in John Steinbeck’s novel Tortilla Flat, this small granite prison was built in 1856. Over a century of use, not one prisoner ever escaped.

8. Colton Hall

3.79 MILES

Peek inside brick Colton Hall, where California’s first constitutional convention took place in 1849. Once the capitol of Alta (Upper) California, today…