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Photo by Tuxyso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Best time to visit Big Sur
United States · North America
All twelve months scored on daily temperature, rainfall, humidity and holiday crowding.
The year in Big Sur
Tap a month for its page
- JanJBig Sur in January: ok
- FebFBig Sur in February: good
- MarMBig Sur in March: good
- AprABig Sur in April: sweet spot
- MayMBig Sur in May: good, busy
- JunJBig Sur in June: good, busy
- JulJBig Sur in July: good, busy
- AugABig Sur in August: sweet spot
- SepSBig Sur in September: sweet spot
- OctOBig Sur in October: sweet spot
- NovNBig Sur in November: good
- DecDBig Sur in December: ok
- Sweet spot
- Good
- OK
- Avoid
- Busy
Plan this trip
Each site opens on its own search: choose your dates there. A few open on their home page, where you type the place too.
Links marked Ad pay us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you; most pay nothing, and what a site pays never decides whether it is listed or where. How we rank
Flights from
Flights
Your city is a guess from your time zone. Choose your city
Where are you flying from? Choose your city for its flights and fares.
Book with the airline
Where to stay
Book direct
Luxury
Things to do
Car hire
Rent direct
Travel insurance
Check whether your bank card or home insurance already covers this trip.
If the trip needs a visa, the travel agent or visa centre usually sells the cover it asks for.
Mobile data (eSIM)
Your own plan's EU roaming may already cover this.
Renting a pocket Wi-Fi is the other common way to stay connected.
These are sites people in book with. Each opens in a new tab, on the site's own pages.
Things to do in Big Sur
- Bixby Bridge Iconic bridge built in 1933.
- Point Lobos State Reserve Well managed and developed recreation area offering many hikes, beaches, coves and points.
- Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park The 3,762-acre park was established in 1962 and is home to McWay Falls…
- New Camaldoli Hermitage Monastery offering guided retreats; also sells gifts and food items.
- Pfeiffer Beach Pfeiffer Beach is known for its purple sand and the huge rock towers that emerge from…
- Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park There are hiking trails through redwood groves.
- Point Sur Lighthouse Point Sur is a dominant feature along Highway 1.
Tours and tickets in Big Sur
Each site opens on its own search: choose your dates there. A few open on their home page, where you type the place too. Links marked Ad pay us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you; most pay nothing, and what a site pays never decides whether it is listed or where. How we rank
Sights and their lines from Wikivoyage (Big Sur), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; in order of how often each one's Wikipedia article was read on phones in the last 12 months.
Month by month
No fare history for this route yet, so this ranking is climate and crowds only — the price column will fill in as the scanner collects.
| Month | Max °C | Rain days | Humidity | Sun h/day | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15° | 8d | 70% | 7.4h | ok | 15C max, 8 rainy days |
| Feb | 15° | 8d | 70% | 8.6h | good | 15C max, 8 rainy days |
| Mar | 15° | 10d | 75% | 9.3h | good | 15C max, 10 rainy days |
| Apr | 16° | 5d | 76% | 11.2h | sweet spot | 16C max, 5 rainy days |
| May | 17° | 2d | 77% | 12.5h | goodbusy | busier than usual |
| Jun | 19° | 0d | 73% | 13.3h | goodbusy | busier than usual |
| Jul | 20° | 0d | 71% | 13.4h | goodbusy | busier than usual |
| Aug | 21° | 0d | 71% | 12.5h | sweet spot | 21C max, 0 rainy days |
| Sep | 22° | 1d | 69% | 11.6h | sweet spot | 22C max, 1 rainy day |
| Oct | 21° | 1d | 60% | 10.2h | sweet spot | 21C max, 1 rainy day |
| Nov | 18° | 5d | 64% | 8.8h | good | 18C max, 5 rainy days |
| Dec | 16° | 8d | 69% | 7.3h | ok | 16C max, 8 rainy days |
Rain days are the days with at least 1 mm of rain, as a weather station counts them.
Weather read at Big Sur Village: ten years of ERA5 and ERA5-Land reanalysis, through Open-Meteo's open data.
A busy month is a crowded one, not a bad one — usually it is crowded because the weather is good. It is flagged rather than scored down, and crowds alone never make a month “avoid”: that is reserved for weather worth skipping.
How busy it gets
Then and now
No month in Big Sur is clearly warmer than in 1981–1990: the differences are inside the ordinary spread between one year and the next.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–90 | 14.8° | 15.0° | 15.3° | 17.0° | 18.2° | 20.8° | 22.7° | 22.8° | 22.3° | 20.4° | 16.8° | 14.7° |
| 2017–26 | 15.3° | 14.9° | 15.0° | 15.6° | 16.6° | 18.9° | 20.2° | 21.4° | 21.6° | 20.9° | 17.8° | 15.9° |
| Change | +0.6° | -0.1° | -0.4° | -1.5° | -1.6° | -1.9° | -2.5° | -1.4° | -0.7° | +0.5° | +1.0° | +1.2° |
The average daily high, month by month, for the nearest ERA5 grid cell. Bold is a clear change; grey is within the ordinary spread between years. Every destination, ranked.
Getting there
Fly into Monterey (MRY), then drive. The flights under Where to book are to Monterey.
| Monterey (MRY) | the drive is not measured yet |
|---|---|
| San Jose (SJC) | the drive is not measured yet |
| San Francisco (SFO) | the drive is not measured yet |
The drive from each airport is the road's, from openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT: typical, not a schedule.
How far Big Sur is, and what it costs, depends on where you set off from — the months above do not.
- from Los Angeles
- from Seattle
- from Vancouver
- from Mexico City
- from Chicago
- from Toronto
- from Miami
- from New York
Open in Rome2rio for every way from to Big Sur, flying or not.
Before you go
Type A and B plugs at 120 V. Drives on the right. The currency is the United states dollar. No UK Foreign Office advice against travel. Global Affairs Canada: Exercise normal security precautions. Everything for United States: cost of living, languages, emergency numbers and health.
Being there
On arrival
- Paying — Cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay work almost everywhere, though a few small places take cash only. Keep some $1 and $5 notes for tips; Venmo and PayPal are for locals.
- UPI, for visitors from India — Not accepted for paying here; bring a card that works abroad.
- Tipping — Expected: 15–20% in sit-down restaurants (18–20% is standard in New York) and 10–20% for taxi, Uber and Lyft drivers. Large groups may find it already on the bill.
Getting around Big Sur
- Apps — Rides: Lyft, Uber. Maps: Google Maps, Apple Maps. Messages: Text messages (SMS), WhatsApp. In San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and some other cities you can also book a driverless Waymo in its own app.
Highway 1 through Big Sur is a long, narrow, winding road, so those prone to car sickness may want to take medication prior to setting out. There is only one lane in each direction. More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Big Sur, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Help
- Emergency — 911 (any emergency).
TravelCharika is not an emergency service: we cannot call for help or send anyone. Numbers can change; if one fails, ask someone local or your hotel.
Your embassy — : how to reach your embassy or consulate abroad. A guess from your city, : a city is not a passport.
Put together by hand from the sources listed, checked 7 October 2026. Apps, cards and rules change, so check before you rely on one.
Sources (50)
- gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/getting-help
- omny.info
- omny.info/fares
- clippercard.com/contactless-payments
- clippercard.com/pay-with-phone
- mtc.ca.gov/news/starting-wednesday-bart-riders-can-tap-bank-cards
- sfcta.org/blogs/next-generation-clipper-tap-pay-here
- metro.net/fares/how-to-pay
- transitchicago.com/howto/pay-for-your-fare
- info.myorca.com/contactless
- miamidade.gov/global/service.page?Mduid_service=ser1565197498854306
- mbta.com/fares/charlie/tap-ride
- holocard.net/for-visitors
- holocard.net/help
- sdmts.com/fares/pronto-ways-pay
- ridepronto.com
- norta.com/ride-with-us/how-to-pay
- norta.com/ride-with-us/how-to-pay/fares
- norta.com/ride-with-us/how-to-pay/lepass
- capmetro.org/fares
- wmata.com/fares
- wmata.com/pay/tap-ride-go.html
- muni.org/Departments/transit/PeopleMover/Pages/FaresandPasses.aspx
- uber.com/global/en/cities/new-york
- lyft.com/rider/cities/new-york-ny
- waymo.com/faq
- visittheusa.com/travel-trade/faq
- nyctourism.com/tipping-sales-tax
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/United_States
- infobip.com/blog/most-popular-messaging-apps-by-country
- developers.google.com/maps/coverage
- apple.com/ios/feature-availability
- visitphilly.com/things-to-do/attractions/septa
- lvmonorail.com/ticket-information
- lvmonorail.com/frequently-asked-questions
- apps.apple.com/us/app/ridertc/id909691507
- lasvegasnevada.gov/News/Blog/Detail/your-guide-to-exploring-las-vegas-bus-it-bike-it-or-share-it
- visitlasvegas.com/plan/getting-here-and-around/maps
- visitlasvegas.com/experience/post/getting-around-vegas
- visitlasvegas.com/experience/post/vegas-on-budget
- wegotransit.com/buy/fare-information
- wegotransit.com/wego-now-accepts-credit-card-mobile-wallet-contactless-payment
- wegotransit.com/ride/transit-services/airport
- trimet.org/fares
- trimet.org/schedules/maxredline.htm
- rtd-denver.com/fares-passes/fares
- rtd-denver.com/fares-passes/tap-n-ride
- app.rtd-denver.com/en-US/route/A/schedule
- pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2286608
- rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/AnnualReport/PDFs/09PAYMENT290526C6588B796E664822A2BD0DEB6452CAD4.PDF
Big Sur in pictures
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King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Shalom Jacobovitz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Lianguanlun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What Big Sur is like
Big Sur is a region on the Central Coast of California. It contains vast wildernesses and breathtaking views as it stretches 72 miles along the rugged Pacific Ocean. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth seeing
- Sights are listed from north-to-south along Highway 1: Garrapata State Park (18 miles north of Big Sur Village). Trails lead from the ocean into dense redwood groves. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth doing
- The most common activity in Big Sur is driving through to enjoy the scenery. The next most common activity are walks, hikes, and backpacking in the many open natural spaces. More on Wikivoyage
- Getting in
- Big Sur is a remote area accessible only via Highway 1 (also known as the Pacific Coast Highway) or via the winding, narrow 25 mile long Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, accessible from Highway 101 and Jolon, California. More on Wikivoyage
- Staying safe
- Highway 1 through Big Sur is a narrow, winding two-lane road which in many places was carved out of steep cliff faces. A sign on the highway south of Carmel depicts a curvy road with the text "Next 72 miles"! More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Big Sur, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the full article has far more. The numbers above are measured; this is experience.
Around Big Sur
Also in United States
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- Lake Tahoe best Mar, May, Oct
- Las Vegas best Jan, Feb, Apr
- Los Angeles best Jan, Apr, Oct
- Martha's Vineyard best May, Aug, Oct
- Maui best May, Sep, Oct
- Miami best Jan, Feb, Mar
- Nashville best May, Sep, Oct
- New Orleans best Mar, Apr, May
- New York best May, Jul, Oct
- Oahu best May, Sep, Oct
- Orlando best Mar, Apr, Oct
- Palm Springs best Apr, Oct, Nov
- Park City best Feb, Mar, Jun
- Philadelphia best Apr, May, Sep
- Portland best May, Aug, Sep
- Portland best May, Jul, Aug
- San Antonio best Mar, Apr, Oct
- San Diego best Apr, May, Sep
- San Francisco best May, Oct, Nov
- Santa Fe best Apr, Sep, Oct
- Savannah best Feb, Apr, Oct
- Scottsdale best Jan, Mar, Oct
- Seattle best Apr, May, Jul
- St. Augustine best Apr, May, Oct
- Tampa best Mar, Apr, Oct
- The Grand Canyon best May, Sep, Oct
- Washington DC best Apr, May, Oct
- Yellowstone best Jul, Aug, Sep
- Yosemite best Aug, Sep, Oct
- Zion best Apr, May, Sep
Nearby
- Victoria Canada · 1,357 km
- Vancouver Canada · 1,441 km
- Calgary Canada · 1,755 km
- Guadalajara Mexico · 2,494 km
Kind of place
Big Sur is in United States, North America. Distances are great-circle, so a short one can still be a long way round.
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