Condé Nast TravelerJul 9, 2026
The Best Airbnbs Near California's Majestic Big Sur
With towering redwoods and stirring ocean vistas, these properties embody the magic of Big Sur.
26 things in this story
- Garrapata State ParkSightThe 2,939-acre (1,189 ha) park was established in 1979.
- Bixby BridgeSightIt is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge.
- Point Lobos State Natural ReserveSightjust five minutes away
- Point Sur State Historic ParkSightThe 1889 Point Sur Lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Esalen InstitutePlaceEsalen is a not-for-profit holistic educational center offering wild comfort and space for emergent transformation and…
- Pfeiffer Big Sur State ParkNature reservehiking trails
- Julia Pfeiffer Burns State ParkSightA main feature of the park is McWay Falls, which drops over a cliff of 80 feet (24 m) into the Pacific Ocean.
- Nepenthe RestaurantRestaurantedge-of-the-world sunset views
- Andrew Molera State ParkNature reserveSituated at the mouth of the Big Sur River, the property was part of the Rancho El…
- Sand Dollar BeachSightIt is within the Los Padres National Forest.
- Santa Lucia MountainsPlace800-foot-high coastal bluffs
- Monterey Bay National Marine SanctuarySightone of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet
- Big Sur RiverSightto explore
- California coastal redwoodsSightmassive, often thousand-year-old trees
- Henry Miller Memorial LibrarySightEmil White built the house for himself in the mid-1960s.
- McWay FallsSightDuring high tide, it is a tidefall, a waterfall that empties…
- Hearst CastleSight15-minute drive south
- Ragged PointNeighborhoodtiny town less than a mile away
- Salmon Creek FallsSightThe falls are located along California State Route 1 about 2.9 mi (4.7 km) northwest of Ragged Point and lies within…
- Carmel BeachSight10-minute stroll down main drag
- Carmel-by-the-Sea VillageNeighborhood
- Partington CoveSight
- Sierra Mar restaurantRestaurant
- San Carpoforo Creek BeachSight
- Elephant Seal Vista PointSight
- 17-Mile DriveSight
