Monterey Regional. Twenty minutes from the first tee.
San Francisco is two hours and a bad afternoon away. Monterey puts you on the peninsula itself, with Pebble Beach, Carmel and the start of the Big Sur coast all within a short drive of the ramp.
The airport
Monterey at a glance
- CodesMRY / KMRYAbout three miles south east of downtown Monterey, on Highway 68.
- Main runway10R/28L, 7,175 feetAbout 2,187 metres of asphalt, on a plateau above the bay.
- Second runway10L/28R, 3,503 feetA short parallel strip for light aircraft.
- OwnerMonterey Peninsula Airport DistrictA public district airport with scheduled services alongside heavy general aviation traffic.
- Private terminalsTwo FBOs on the fieldMonterey Jet Center and Del Monte Aviation both handle corporate movements, with their own ramps and lounges.
- To Pebble BeachWithin about ten milesCarmel by the Sea and Pacific Grove are a similar distance.
- WeatherA coastal marine layerSummer mornings on this coast are often grey and low. It usually clears by the middle of the day, and it is worth a contingency rather than a worry.
- The alternativeSan Jose, about 70 miles northUsed when the peninsula is full or the day also includes Silicon Valley.
Two weeks a year change everything here: Car Week in August and, in 2027, the US Open at Pebble Beach. Ramp space, hotel cars and chauffeurs all go early for both. Ask us in good time rather than in the month itself.
Journey times
From Monterey by road
| To | Quiet roads | Busy periods |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Monterey and Cannery Row | 10 to 20 minutes | 20 to 35 minutes |
| Pebble Beach and The Lodge | 20 to 30 minutes | 35 to 70 minutes |
| Carmel by the Sea | 15 to 25 minutes | 30 to 50 minutes |
| Carmel Valley | 25 to 40 minutes | 35 to 55 minutes |
| Laguna Seca | 15 to 25 minutes | Considerably longer on race and auction days |
| Big Sur, Post Ranch and Ventana | 50 to 70 minutes | 70 to 110 minutes |
| San Jose and Silicon Valley | 90 to 120 minutes | 120 to 180 minutes |
| San Francisco | 130 to 165 minutes | 165 to 240 minutes |
Realistic ranges, not promises. Highway 1 and Highway 68 carry almost everything, and there is no alternative route when they are full. Pebble Beach is reached through the gates of a private toll road, which adds minutes at every entrance during busy weeks. Big Sur is a beautiful, slow, two lane road with no short cut and occasional closures after winter storms.
Why clients choose it
The peninsula rather than the Bay Area
The Monterey Peninsula is a two hour drive from San Francisco and that drive is the single most common mistake in planning a trip here. Flying into Monterey instead turns a lost half day into twenty minutes, and it puts the aircraft where the return leg is: the Lodge, the golf, the auction tents and the coast road all sit within a few miles of the field.
Three kinds of trip dominate. Golf, in every season, with Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Cypress Point on one small headland. Cars, in August, when Monterey Car Week fills the peninsula and the auction houses take over the hotels. And in June 2027 the US Open at Pebble Beach, which brings a championship crowd to roads built for a fishing town. Outside those weeks it is one of the quietest, easiest arrivals in California.
On the day
Where the car waits and how we meet you
Private arrivals use one of the two private terminals on the field, each with its own ramp, lounge and gate. We contact the handling agent for your movement, agree where the car should stand and at what time, and have it in place before the aircraft is down. Where the airport permits it for that flight, the car can be brought to the aircraft. Permission is the airport's to give, so we confirm what has been approved rather than promise it in advance.
For a scheduled arrival your chauffeur meets you in the terminal with a name board. We track the inbound flight throughout. On this coast we also watch the morning marine layer, because a low ceiling can hold a departure or send an arrival to another field, and a car that is already repositioning is worth far more than an apology.
What we handle
Details that make a peninsula week work
Gates, grids, one road in and one road out.
- Flight tracking on both legs, with a plan for a diversion to another Bay Area field if the weather closes in
- Coordination with the private terminals and handling agents, including ramp access where it is permitted
- Gate and access arrangements for Pebble Beach, where entry is through a private road with its own procedures
- Car Week and championship weeks planned around road closures and event traffic rather than normal journey times
- Multi car parties kept together, with one contact for the whole group rather than a driver each
Coverage
Our cars, and cars we arrange
Odyssey owns its cars and employs its chauffeurs in London and Manchester. In California we work with operators we know and have used before, to our brief and under our booking, so you keep one contact and one number even when the car is eight hours behind your office. Be prepared for the vehicle to look American: on this coast a large SUV or an executive van is usually the sensible choice rather than a European saloon, particularly with golf bags or a family, and we will explain what we are proposing before you agree it. If you need the aircraft as well, we arrange that: see private jet charter and on demand charter.
Onward
Where Monterey passengers go next
Other airports
Events on the peninsula
Services and places
Request a quote
Tell us the dates
Flight details, passengers, luggage including golf bags, where you are staying, and whether the trip falls in Car Week or a championship week. The earlier we know, the more we can arrange. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Monterey transfers
Can the car come to the aircraft?
Where the airport and the handling agent permit it for your movement. Otherwise the car waits at the private terminal door. We confirm before you land.
Monterey or San Francisco?
Monterey, almost always, if the peninsula is where you are going. San Francisco or San Jose only makes sense if the trip genuinely includes the Bay Area, or if ramp space here is gone in a peak week.
How bad is Car Week traffic?
Bad, and specifically bad on the roads into Pebble Beach and Carmel around the main days. We plan movements away from the worst of it, allow properly for the gates, and where it helps we will suggest walking the last part rather than sitting in a queue.
When is the US Open at Pebble Beach?
The championship is played from 17 to 20 June 2027. Practice days and corporate hospitality run before it, so the week as a whole is busy. Ask early.
Will the car be a Mercedes?
Not necessarily. Our own cars are in London and Manchester. In California we arrange vehicles through operators we know, and the right vehicle for this coast is often a large SUV. We will tell you what is being provided before you confirm.
Can you arrange the aircraft as well?
Yes. See private jet charter.
