We’ll walk in the footsteps of John Steinbeck on historic Cannery Row in beautiful Monterey, California as we discover together the real-life people that inspired him to create his vivid characters.

We’ll learn about marine biologist Ed Ricketts, the man who had the greatest influence on Steinbeck’s life, and the basis for one of the main characters in the novel Cannery Row. You will also get to visit locations Steinbeck used as backdrops for his stories.

While walking, you’ll learn about the fascinating events that caused Cannery Row to go from quaint fishing village, to a booming commercial sardine industry, then to economic collapse, only to be reborn as the popular tourism destination that it is today.

On this roughly 2-mile walking tour, you will see these popular landmarks: Steinbeck Plaza, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey Plaza Hotel, Monterey InterContinental Hotel and San Carlos Beach.

The tour makes a loop and ends near where it started at the Steinbeck Plaza located at the intersection of Cannery Row and Prescott Avenue in Monterey.

Departure

The starting point is diagonally across the street from the Sardine Factory restaurant (701 Wave Street) at the corner of Prescott Avenue and Wave Street.

Duration

At a leisurely pace, the tour will take about 90 minutes. If you decide to do any shopping, wine tasting or dining (which we encourage!) the tour will take longer. If you decide to add the Monterey Bay Aquarium to your day, plan on about 2-3 hours - there is a lot to see!

Know before you go

This is a self-guided audio tour. Entrance fees to all attractions mentioned on the tour are excluded from the price.

Remember your headphones and charge your phone's battery. The way the app uses GPS to play audio automatically can be battery intensive.