Smartphone Driving Tour between Santa Maria & Monterey 'Big Sur'

Connect your smartphone to your vehicle's stereo and listen to a tour guide while you drive Big Sur!

Follow the suggested route along the Pacific Coast Highway, one of the most scenic drives in the world! Start anywhere along the route between Santa Maria & Monterey. Tour experience is the same in either direction.

Pass over the incredible Bixby Bridge, visit San Luis Obiso's Bubblegum Alley, check out Morro Rock & the famous Hearst Castle. We'll point out must-see sights, state parks, tourist attractions and recreation areas and give a historical overview of the area and its original inhabitants.

With no time constraints, enjoy the freedom to stop anywhere and explore. Tour guide commentary will play automatically as you drive. No data is used during the tour.

This audio guide will keep your group entertained and engaged! Most points of interest also have a fun multiple-choice trivia question about the sights.

Trust the platform with over 75 tours & 10, 000+ happy customers.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Santa Maria, Santa Maria, California

The city we’re just to the north of now, Santa Maria, was actually called ‘Central City’ originally. In 1885, it adopted the name Santa Maria.

Pass By: Oceano Dunes Natural Preserve, 100 Pier Ave, Oceano, CA 93445

Oceano Dunes, one of the most expansive coastal dunes remaining in California offers visitors countless activities, from camping right on the sand and horse-back riding, to more hair raising adventurous options.


Pass By: Santa Barbara Wine Region, 597 Avenue of the Flags Suite 102, Buellton, CA 93427-9759

This region has a rich wine-making history dating back to 1782 when Father Junipero Serra, a Spanish Roman Catholic missionary, brought grape vines from Mexico to California and planted them here.


Pass By: Arroyo Grande, Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, California

We'll tell you about the Spanish settlers who were determined to make Arroyo Grande a prosperous ranch and farm community as the land features a rich environmental ecosystem.


Pass By: Grover Beach, Grover Beach, San Luis Obispo County, California

The name was not always Grover Beach. D.W. Grover first gave the town the name ‘The Town of Grover.’ The rather peculiar name lasted until 1959, when the town residents finally voted to change it… to something even more peculiar....

Pass By: Pismo Beach, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo County, California

The name ‘Pismo’ comes from the Chumash language and translates to tar.. And guess what, there are tar-springs nearby!

Pass By: Monarch Butterfly Grove, 400 S Dolliver St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449, USA

Now if you’re into Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach is the place to be!


Pass By: Montana de Oro State Park, 3550 Pecho Valley Rd, Los Osos, CA 93402-4103

The oceanside park, Montana De Oro, a State Park that features seven miles of shoreline, streams, canyons and hills, providing nature-lovers with plenty of activities in a pristine setting.


Pass By: San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California

If you like bubblegum... this is the perfect place for you.. ok, well it’s actually uhh.. previously chewed bubblegum, but still. We'll give you the story.


Pass By: San Luis Obispo botanical garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd El Chorro Regional Park, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405-7606

If you are looking to visit some beautiful Mediterranean gardens or just take a relaxing stroll, this is the perfect spot.

Pass By: Morro Bay, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo County, California

Visitors can drive right up to the base of Morro Rock, thanks to a causeway that connects it to the shore. It’s quite close to the highway and a wonderful place to stop and stretch your legs… and snap some great pictures.

Pass By: Cayucos Pier, Ocean Avenue, Cayucos, CA

So if you've always wanted to walk on one of those long piers you see in the movies, here is your chance.

Pass By: The Whale Trail, Highway 1, San Luis Obispo, CA

There are over 100 Whale trail sites, which mark the best locations for spotting whales, on the west coast. California has 19 of them.

Pass By: Kenneth Norris Rancho Marino Reserve, Cambria, CA 93428, USA

In this habitat, you can find over two dozen mammal species, including mountain lions and badgers, over 100 bird species and hundreds of terrestrial plant-life.


Pass By: Cambria, Cambria, San Luis Obispo County, California

So we're coming up to a small town that, if you are a history buff, may be a place you want to check out! Cambria’s history has been painstakingly preserved by a dedicated band of volunteers at the Historical Society.


Pass By: Hearst San Simeon State Park, 500 San Simeon-Monterey Creek Rd, Cambria, CA 93428, USA

As with most areas set aside for conservation, this park includes many different habitats including conserving things that date back thousands of years. Inside Hearst San Simeon State Park’s 3, 400 acres sits the Pa-nu cultural reserve.


Pass By: Friends of the Elephant Seal Visitor Center, Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Viewing Area: 7.8 miles north on Hwy 1 or 4 miles North of Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA 93452

We’ve got a pretty awesome point of interest you may be interested in.... but only if you like watching incredibly huge and adorable sea creatures in their natural habitat of course.


Pass By: 750 Hearst Castle Road, San Simeon, CA 93452-9740

If you are looking for a museum unlike any other, you're in luck! The San Simeon area is home to the famous hilltop mansion known as Hearst Castle. If you have the time, we highly recommend you check it out

Pass By: Piedras Blancas Light Station, 15950 Cabrillo Highway, San Simeon, CA 93452

This lighthouse was built in the 1800s and originally stood over 100 feet tall.

Pass By: Los Padres National Forest, CA

As you drive this amazing coastline, keep an eye out for the critically endangered California Condor. You never know, you might just get lucky and spot one of these majestic, and incredibly-rare birds.


Pass By: Fort Hunter Ligget, 238 California Avenue, Jolon, CA 93928

Fort Hunter Liggett is the largest reserve command-post in the country with over 165, 000 acres of land. It's about 15 miles to the northeast of us, on the other side of those mountains.

Pass By: Jade Cove, Highway 1, San Simeon, CA 93920

Monterey Jade is an extremely hard stone that ranges in colors from deep greens, to turquoise, silvered greens, to black. The most common color is a grayish green.


Pass By: Lucia, CA 93920, USA

We'll tell you about a super small hamlet.. And well… as the old saying goes "don't blink or you'll miss it". The most identifiable feature is the Lucia Lodge, which you'll soon see on the oceanside.


Pass By: Big Creek State Marine Reserve, Big Sur, CA 93920, USA

One of the 29 Marine Life Protection Areas you can find and explore in this region is the 22 square mile region you'll be driving through.


Pass By: The Esalen Institute, 55000 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920-9546

Founded in the early 60’s by two Stanford grads, the Esalen Institute is a non-profit retreat meant to help people explore alternative forms of consciousness.

Pass By: Slates Hot Springs, CA 93920, USA

The settlement became known as Slates Hot Springs due to a set of hot springs that the owner proclaimed cured his arthritis and other ailments.

Pass By: McWay Falls, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, CA 93920

If you're looking for a spot to take a break and stretch those legs, look for the Julia Pfeiffer-Burns State Park. You’ll find one of Big Sur’s shortest trails leading to the incredibly picturesque McWay Falls waterfall.


Pass By: Santa Lucia Range, California 93920, USA

Never straying more than 11 miles from the coast, the mountain range forms the steepest coastal slope in the contiguous United States.

Pass By: Big Sur, Big Sur, California

Big Sur is a rugged and mountainous section of the central coast of California, between Carmel and San Simeon. It is frequently, and deservedly, praised for its dramatic scenery.


Pass By: Bixby Bridge, Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920

Get ready to drive across one of the most photographed bridges in all of California, the Bixby Creek Bridge! If you want to take pictures, or just take in the incredible views, you're in luck as there are many pullovers that you can stop at.


Pass By: Garrapata State Park, 34500 CA-1, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA

This is a great spot to take in the wonderful vistas and take a walk along the beach. You can explore some caves, nooks and coves along the shore.


Pass By: Point Lobos, 62 Ca-1, Carmel, CA 93923

Known as “the greatest meeting of land and water in the world” by famed landscape architect Francis McComas, the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve covers over 8 square miles of land and sea.


Pass By: Whalers Cove, Point Lobos, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA

Here you'll find the Whaler's Cabin, constructed in the 1850's, which is now a cultural history museum, where visitors can learn more about the cultural history of Point Lobos.

Pass By: Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921, USA

A small European style village known as Carmel-By-The Sea, this village has been consistently rated as a top 10 must see destination in the United States and we highly recommend a visit!

Pass By: Monterey, Monterey, Monterey County, California

The city was founded in 1770 and it's history can be spotted throughout the 8.5 square mile city, from the famed Fisherman’s Wharf to Cannery Row.

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.