Santa Cruz is more of a beachy town with lots of wide, sandy beaches, the Boardwalk amusement park, an eclectic downtown, strong surfing culture. Monterey is more coastal and less beachy. There are beaches, but the coastline is more rocky, which is beautiful and means that you have more opportunity to see sea animals.
Full Answer
Is Santa Cruz worth visiting?
Santa Cruz is good to visit year round. The Californian climate means that even in the winter months the temperatures are pleasant (and there are less tourists in town). But we think you'll enjoy visiting Santa Cruz at any time of year.
Is Monterey worth visiting?
Whether it's your first or 10th time visiting the area, the stunning scenery along the 17-Mile Drive never disappoints. The beaches and coastal terrain — best found in Point Lobos State Natural Reserve — are also worth exploring. Follow one of the reserve's hiking trails and you're sure to encounter memorable views.
Is Santa Cruz or Monterey more expensive?
Monterey is 8.8% less expensive than Santa Cruz.
Why is Monterey so popular?
Facing wide Monterey Bay, it's famed around the globe for its abundance of marine wildlife and uber-fresh seafood. Dinners of shrimp, oysters, and clam chowder can cap off days of sailing the Pacific in search of killer whales and dolphin pods.
How many days should I spend in Monterey?
I would recommend taking a 4-7 day trip to visit Monterey and the surrounding area. We spent our first day in Monterey exploring the shore, eating as restaurants, and window shopping.
What is the best time of year to go to Monterey?
The best time to visit Monterey is between April and May. Spring offers warmer temperatures, fewer crowds and food festivals dishing out delectable eats, including Pebble Beach Food & Wine and the Artichoke Festival in Castroville.
What is Santa Cruz known for?
While Santa Cruz is widely known for its spectacular beaches, nice weather, surf culture, and vibrant arts and culture community, the city is also known for many other things. Visitors can participate in an abundance of outdoor activities, including bird-watching, biking, hiking, and rock climbing.
Is Santa Cruz a nice place?
Santa Cruz, CA is one of those rare places, and its unique amenities helped land it once again on our list of 100 Best Places to Live in 2016. This city of 62,000 people on the Pacific coast of northern California, enjoys 250 days of sunshine annually in which to enjoy one of the world's great surfing beaches.
Is Santa Cruz an expensive city?
The Salinas and Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro have been listed as some of the least affordable places to live in the United States, according to a report put out by porch.com. Data analysis by Porch compared cities based on Consumer Price Index. The CPI measures prices paid for food, housing, transportation, and more.
Is Monterey a rich town?
There is the actual city of Monterey, a surprisingly small (30,000 souls) city that's more middle-class than wealthy, with a definite working-class legacy left behind by the fishermen and cannery workers you may have met through John Steinbeck.
Is Monterey Bay pretty?
This is some of the most gorgeous coastline in the States — possibly the world — with the culture to match. Vineyards, artist communities, lighthouses, a world-renowned aquarium — it's all in Monterey County. Here are 11 spots that prove it.
What is special about Monterey Bay?
It is no wonder that the biological richness and unique habitats of Monterey Bay are teeming with wildlife and is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. It is an underwater treasure full of the tiniest nudibranches to the world's largest mammal the blue whale.
Where are the beach flats in Santa Cruz?
It is a small area between the Boardwalk and the river - on a map of SC, you will see that the San Lorenzo river makes a curve just before it reaches the ocean - that neighborhood right in the curve is the Beach Flats.
Is Monterey CA a good place to visit?
Monterey is a beautiful area of the CA coast. The Monerey Bay Aquarium is not to miss there. You could also visit nearby Carmel which is one of our favorite towns on the CA coast. Have a fun trip! :)
How far apart are Santa Cruz and Monterey?
The good news: Santa Cruz and the Monterey Peninsula are only 45 minutes apart, so you can stay in one and easily visit the other.
What are the two beaches in Santa Cruz?
Two of the most popular beach (es) in Santa Cruz itself are Seabright and Twin Lakes. They are adjacent. However, just to confuse things I believe that they have merged the two into "Twin Lakes State Beach". If you have a map, start at the San Lorenzo River and go south the the Yacht Harbor.
Is it safe to swim in Monterey?
I don't know Santa Cruz beaches well enough to speak with authority, but Monterey Peninsula area beaches aren't especially safe for swimming. Carmel has two beaches, Carmel city beach and Carmel River Beach. Both are stunningly beautiful, but the city beach is safer than the River beach. During the summer the surf on Carmel city beach is relatively tame, and people do play in the water, but not without some risk. And yes, the water is cold. To find warm water beaches in California you have to be south of Point Conception, which is just north of Santa Barbara.
Which is better, Santa Cruz or Monterey?
Both are good choices. Santa Cruz is more of a classic CA beach town with a surf culture and an eclectic downtown. Its kind of a funky sort of place, a bit off-beat. You also have the Boardwalk, which is a seaside amusement park - rides, including an historic wooden roller coaster, games, waffle cones. Monterey is more coastal than beachy, if that makes sense. The coastline is rockier and generally more scenic, and although there are some beaches, Monterey isn't really a beach town - its focus is more on sailing/boating, fishing, and marine life. You can usually see plenty of marine wildlife from shore, especially if you go along the coastal recreation trail, which runs for miles. Downtown is quite historic - Monterey was the first capitol of CA and there are several buildings from that time in the Monterey Historic Park and through downtown. Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf are touristy, but downtown isn't really - they are all close together though.
How far apart are Monterey and Santa Cruz?
Since Monterey and Santa Cruz are only 45 minutes apart, you can easily stay in one and visit the other, if you wish. Here is a traveler article on Santa Cruz to help describe it.
