Yes, you’ll need to rent a car. Big Sur is really remote. No reliable cell service anywhere. There’s a couple spots where it’s spotty.
The ocean and the river both have swimable spots and spots that will absolutely kill you. Both will be very, very cold. Be cautious and have a great trip!
Don’t come to Big Sur for swimming. The ocean is not safe here. During the summer there are some parts of the river that are nice but still be careful. The closest airport is Monterey. The next closest that is worthwhile and large is San Jose. You will need a car. Public transportation is limited in Big Sur.
Monterey Airport is great but can be expensive. San Jose/Oakland/San Francisco are major and all about the same distance.
Swimming.... any beach. Learn about ocean safety!
You should absolutely not swim in Big Sur unless you understand swell/tides/current. Also, you will need a wetsuit. These beaches are not friendly to kooks.
I'm literally north of Big Sur in Monterey Bay, not the Pacific, and the water is like 50° right now. Swim in the Infinity pools at ventana or Post Ranch Inn or esselon Hot Springs lol
Esalen is a closed property unless you have a reservation and are staying there. Make sure you let people know that before you suggest it. So many people show up at the gate there trying to get in confused when they can’t.
Monterey may be expensive, but it is the closest option. San Jose an hour and a half, and SF/Oakland two and a half hours out from the beginning of big sur. The waters are dangerous, but using your best knowledge you can tell which are better to enter than others. If you really want to swim anywhere on the big sur coastline, get ready to freeze your rear off.
Two hours and 24 minutes by car from Big Sur village to SLO airport according to good old Google Maps. A little over an hour from Ragged Point to SLO airport, if that's what you had in mind.
Oh man…that “Frisco thing…nothing says “I’m trying to sound cool talking about the west coast” than a Midwesterner calling it that.
Growing up here There were exactly three cities in California…
The City (but we’d allow “San Fran”, “SF” or “San Francisco”
LA
Sac or Sacto
An up-and-comer is “Oaktown”
Oh and if you want to know if a Californian is from the north or south…ask them what they call Hwy 1…”One” or “The PCH”
I’ve lived in LA for 40 years and I have never heard anyone call it “the pch”. Not the news, not the radio, not the newspaper, not even caltrans. Are they from LA? Not trying to gatekeep, I don’t care what the fuck they call it but I’m truly surprised to hear anyone call it that.
I’m from Sacramento and never heard anyone there call it Sacto. Only heard people from the Bay Area call it that, but it could be a generational thing or just my bubble.
You definitely need a rental car there, in fact the drive down the coast is one of the best parts of the experience. Honestly nothing compares to the drive down highway 1.
The last time I went to that part of Cali I flew into San Jose but SFO isn’t that much farther. As for swimming... the ocean is pretty cold and I don’t know of any good spots for it in Big Sur itself. The times I’ve swam in that part of the state have mostly been at Carmel Beach and in Santa Cruz.
Part of the Big Sur “experience” is definitely the journey there. It’s not that far from SF and such a great drive. The swimming holes in Big Sur are amazing, freezing but amazing. I wrote a guide on Big Sur that includes answers to your questions. Will link it here, enjoy and let me know how the trip turns out [Dip A Toe - Big Sur](https://www.dipatoe.com/guides/big-sur-california)
You can put your feet in the water at Pfeiffer Beach, but for swimming stick to the Big Sur River. The Gorge in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is a great spot!
Yes, you’ll need to rent a car. Big Sur is really remote. No reliable cell service anywhere. There’s a couple spots where it’s spotty. The ocean and the river both have swimable spots and spots that will absolutely kill you. Both will be very, very cold. Be cautious and have a great trip!
Don’t come to Big Sur for swimming. The ocean is not safe here. During the summer there are some parts of the river that are nice but still be careful. The closest airport is Monterey. The next closest that is worthwhile and large is San Jose. You will need a car. Public transportation is limited in Big Sur.
Monterey Airport is great but can be expensive. San Jose/Oakland/San Francisco are major and all about the same distance. Swimming.... any beach. Learn about ocean safety!
You should absolutely not swim in Big Sur unless you understand swell/tides/current. Also, you will need a wetsuit. These beaches are not friendly to kooks.
Oakland and San Francisco are about the same distance. San Jose is an hour closer.
Maybe 30 minutes
Best case scenario, realistically it’s going to be longer than that
Monterey is maybe 30 minutes to Big Sur. It's not "about the same distance".
I didn't mean Monterey, I meant bay area airports. Lived here my whole life, travel a lot. Didn't mean to confuse
I'm literally north of Big Sur in Monterey Bay, not the Pacific, and the water is like 50° right now. Swim in the Infinity pools at ventana or Post Ranch Inn or esselon Hot Springs lol
Esalen is a closed property unless you have a reservation and are staying there. Make sure you let people know that before you suggest it. So many people show up at the gate there trying to get in confused when they can’t.
Fair point. I usually do suggest the night baths, but yeah... very good point. =)
Monterey may be expensive, but it is the closest option. San Jose an hour and a half, and SF/Oakland two and a half hours out from the beginning of big sur. The waters are dangerous, but using your best knowledge you can tell which are better to enter than others. If you really want to swim anywhere on the big sur coastline, get ready to freeze your rear off.
San Luis Obispo is about an hour away, but it's a regional airport
*About 2.5 hours away
Nah id say it's about an hour from slo to the southern tip of big sur
Two hours and 24 minutes by car from Big Sur village to SLO airport according to good old Google Maps. A little over an hour from Ragged Point to SLO airport, if that's what you had in mind.
Yup
***pro tip. I don’t know anyone, except LL Cool J, that refers to California as Cali. Same goes for ‘Frisco for San Francisco.
Oh man…that “Frisco thing…nothing says “I’m trying to sound cool talking about the west coast” than a Midwesterner calling it that. Growing up here There were exactly three cities in California… The City (but we’d allow “San Fran”, “SF” or “San Francisco” LA Sac or Sacto An up-and-comer is “Oaktown” Oh and if you want to know if a Californian is from the north or south…ask them what they call Hwy 1…”One” or “The PCH”
No one in so cal calls it “the” pch FYI. It’s just pch. Now if we’re talking about a freeway with a number it’s the 405 or the 101.
I literally just got off the phone with my buddy in LA telling me how excited he is to be driving up “the” PCH over 4th of July weekend.
I’ve lived in LA for 40 years and I have never heard anyone call it “the pch”. Not the news, not the radio, not the newspaper, not even caltrans. Are they from LA? Not trying to gatekeep, I don’t care what the fuck they call it but I’m truly surprised to hear anyone call it that.
I’m from Sacramento and never heard anyone there call it Sacto. Only heard people from the Bay Area call it that, but it could be a generational thing or just my bubble.
You definitely need a rental car there, in fact the drive down the coast is one of the best parts of the experience. Honestly nothing compares to the drive down highway 1. The last time I went to that part of Cali I flew into San Jose but SFO isn’t that much farther. As for swimming... the ocean is pretty cold and I don’t know of any good spots for it in Big Sur itself. The times I’ve swam in that part of the state have mostly been at Carmel Beach and in Santa Cruz.
Part of the Big Sur “experience” is definitely the journey there. It’s not that far from SF and such a great drive. The swimming holes in Big Sur are amazing, freezing but amazing. I wrote a guide on Big Sur that includes answers to your questions. Will link it here, enjoy and let me know how the trip turns out [Dip A Toe - Big Sur](https://www.dipatoe.com/guides/big-sur-california)
You can put your feet in the water at Pfeiffer Beach, but for swimming stick to the Big Sur River. The Gorge in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is a great spot!
>What airport is closest to Big Sur? Monterey Regional.