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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Seaside
Seaside, California
Use Seaside as a cheaper Monterey Bay base: 2 nights, car needed, $150–250/day for two. Skip it as a sightseeing stop on its own.
Seaside sits on Monterey Bay just north of Monterey, on the former Fort Ord army land. Rooms cost less than Monterey or Carmel and Route 1 puts the whole peninsula within 15–20 minutes by car. The town itself is a residential strip with a beach, two golf courses and a small gallery district in Sand City next door; the reason to sleep here is price and parking, not the town.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Seaside, California
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (rain), Jul–Aug (fog and peak prices)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $90–140 excl. bed · Mid $150–250 excl. bed · High $300+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Seaside Police (non-emergency) 831-394-6811 · Poison Control 1-800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $4–6 |
| Diner breakfast | $12–20 |
| Casual lunch or burrito | $12–20 |
| Sit-down dinner, main | $18–35 |
| Draught beer at a taproom | $7–9 |
| Golf, Bayonet or Black Horse | $40–135 |
| Rideshare, Seaside to Monterey | $12–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MRY · Monterey Regional Airport
- About 10–15 min by car; small, few nonstops, mostly via Los Angeles, Denver or Dallas.
- SFO · San Francisco International
- About 2–2.5 h by car via Route 101 and Route 156; the usual arrival for cheaper flights.
- SJC · San Jose Mineta International
- About 1.5–2 h by car; often the best mix of price and drive time.
Typical fares
- Rideshare Seaside → Monterey
- $12–20, about 10–15 min
- MST bus, single ride
- about $2–3, exact change
- Monterey Bay Aquarium adult ticket
- about $60, dated entry
Get around
A car is the practical choice: Route 1 links Seaside to Monterey in about 10 min and to Carmel in about 20. Monterey-Salinas Transit buses run to Monterey, Pacific Grove and the Edgewater Transit Exchange in Sand City, but service is thin in the evening. Parking is easy and mostly free, unlike Monterey. Bikes can be rented near the Monterey waterfront.
See and do
Known for
- Monterey Bay location next to Monterey and Carmel
- Bayonet and Black Horse golf courses on former Fort Ord land
- Sand City galleries and the August Westend Celebration
- Fort Ord National Monument trails
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monterey | Route 1 south by car, or MST bus from the Edgewater Transit Exchange | 10–20 min |
| Carmel | Route 1 south then Ocean Ave, about 15 kmRoute 1 south then Ocean Ave, about 9.3 mi | 20–25 min |
| Pacific Grove | Route 68 or Route 1 to Lighthouse Ave | 15–20 min |
| Moss Landing | Route 1 north, about 25 kmRoute 1 north, about 16 mi | 25–30 min |
| Salinas | Route 68 east to Route 101 south | 30–35 min |
| Big Sur | Route 1 south past Carmel, about 45 min to the first stops | 45 min–1 h |
Sleep
- Fremont Blvd / Del Monte Blvd strip
- The main motel and chain-hotel row; walkable to nothing much, but 5–10 min by car to Monterey and the beach.
- Seaside Beach and Sand City side
- Closest to the sand and the Sand City galleries; quieter at night, still needs a car for food.
- Monterey or Pacific Grove (alternative)
- Pay more to walk to Cannery Row, the aquarium and restaurants; Seaside saves roughly $50–100 a night.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the beach access? | Where is the beach access? |
| Is parking free here? | Is parking free here? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| The check, please | The check, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer fog can sit over the bay all day: pack a layer even in July.
- Coastal Route 1 south of Carmel (Big Sur) closes in winter storms: check Caltrans QuickMap before driving.
- Motels on Fremont Blvd vary a lot block by block: read recent reviews, not the photos.
- Sales tax is added at the till and is not in posted prices.
Seaside is a normal working town, not a resort: daytime is fine, but avoid walking the Fremont Blvd strip late at night and keep car doors locked and nothing visible inside. The bigger risks are summer fog, cold ocean water and rip currents on the beach.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Seaside yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Monterey Bay location next to Monterey and Carmel
- Bayonet and Black Horse golf courses on former Fort Ord land
- Sand City galleries and the August Westend Celebration
- Fort Ord National Monument trails
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Seaside: www.ci.seaside.ca.us/
- Monterey-Salinas Transit: mst.org/
- Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District — Frog Pond Wetland Preserve: www.mprpd.org/frog-pond-wetland-preserve/
- Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Course: www.bayonetblackhorse.com/
- Wikivoyage: Seaside (California), revision 5121860 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5121860
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
SeasideSeaside, California
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Seaside Police (non-emergency)831-394-6811
- Poison Control1-800-222-1222
No embassies here; consulates are in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Check your country's list before you travel.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/seaside-california). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.