Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Part church, part museum, the Carmel Mission is a US National Historic Landmark in the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It draws visitors who are interested in Spanish colonial history and architecture, religious pilgrims who come to worship, and those those who simply stop by while passing through Carmel.

Monterey, California is a gorgeous coastal city, renowned for being home to a vast amount of history and beauty. This city is a fantastic place to vacation for those who yearn to learn more about the state of California while taking in the awe-striking landscape of the Pacific coastline. There are plenty of places to go and sites to see, but the first of these to visit should be the Carmel Mission Basilica.

About the Carmel Mission Basilica

The Carmel Mission Basilica is a collection of museums, which have on display a plethora of artifacts preserving the history of California prior to its statehood. Established in 1771, this museum is formally known as Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo. One of these museums, the Basilica Church, is even a National Historic Landmark, creating the focal point of the site. The other museums are as follows, the Harry Downie Museum, the Munrás Family Heritage Museum, the Jo Mora Chapel Gallery, and the Convento Museum. The Carmel Mission Basilica, with all of these museums in combination, stands to preserve the historical and cultural effect the mission had on the city of Monterey and the future statehood of California, while also preserving the gorgeous design of the structure of the buildings.

With so many museums to peruse, it’s no wonder that there are plenty of things to do while exploring the attraction. There is even a Mission Store on the grounds, and events are frequently hosted in the area. Tours of the grounds are offered to adults and students alike, and self-guided tours are also made available to those who prefer them. For more information on these tours, search here.

The Carmel Mission Basilica is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. The cost of admission for adults is $9.50, and $7 for senior citizens. Children ages 7 and up can be admitted for $5, and all children under the age of 6 may enter for free.

Located nearby the Carmel Mission Basilica is the Stargazer Inn and Suites, making this hotel the perfect place to stay while enjoying your vacation in Monterey, California. The Stargazer Inn and Suites offers impressive guest amenities and friendly staffing, ensuring that your stay in this wonderful city will be as comfortable and pleasant as possible.

Stay at Stargazer Inn and Suites

While exploring the Carmel Mission Basilica, enjoy your stay at the Stargazer Inn and Suites. Located conveniently within 4.3-miles of the hotel, the Stargazer Inn and Suites offers the best rates when you book directly at: www.stargazerinnandsuitesmonterey.com.

Carmel Mission is located in the Central Coast’s crazy charming Carmel-by-the-Sea and stands as a stunning testament to the ambitious and harrowing early days of European settlement in Alta (Upper) California.

We’re excited to take in the beautiful, historic, and contemplative structures and grounds with few other visitors just before sunset.

Carmel Mission can get pretty crowded in the summer months. But here in February, it’s perfect.

There may be no better month to visit central and southern California in that respect!


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Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Why Visit Carmel Mission + What to Expect

Neglected for decades, yet intricately restored to a near-original state, Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo (or Carmel Mission for short) was the second of 21 Catholic missions founded by Franciscan Spanish missionaries.

Most notably, Carmel Mission served as the headquarters of Alta California’s missions and is the final resting place for Father Junipero Serra who led the establishment of the missions in California in the late 18th century.

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

We happen to arrive at the start of a wedding, just as the bride is about to enter the sanctuary. Consequently, the sanctuary will be off limits to us during this visit, but there’s plenty else to see around the mission grounds.

To say that Carmel Mission is a popular wedding venue would be a gross understatement. The waiting list and criteria are insane.

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Carmel Mission was founded on Italian Saint Carlo Borromeo de Carmelo’s saints day in 1770. And it is for this saint that the city of Carmel (Carmel-by-the-Sea) is named.

In fact, many of California’s cities owe their names to the various saints days on which their namesake mission was founded (e.g. Mission San Diego de Alcalá, Mission San José, Mission Santa Barbara, etc.)

Carmel mission’s prominent status also led to nearby Monterey becoming California’s first capital from 1777 to 1854, largely under Spanish and Mexican rule, until California was annexed by the United States following the Mexican-American war, in which Mexico lost half of its territory to its northern neighbor.

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

We had planned to stop at Mission San Juan Bautista near Hollister (one of the better known missions along the Camino Real (Royal Road)), but didn’t make it before closing on our way down.

One summer when I was a kid, my family did a tour of California Missions of sorts, hitting both San Juan Bautista and Mission Carmel. I remember enjoying exploring the old missions, but didn’t fully appreciate them at the time.

It was fun to take Lori on her first foray into the fascinating world of California Missions, many rivaling some of the best sights we have visited in Latin America and Europe.

All told, we visited five missions on this trip — Carmel Mission, La Purisima Mission, Mission Santa Barbara, Mission San Juan Capistrano, and Mission San Diego de Alcalá.

Five turned out to be a good number for a ten day road trip.

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Perhaps inspired by the surroundings and wedding photography happening all around, we decide to stage our own “Babymoon” photoshoot in the main plaza. 21 weeks!

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

I told Lori that I wanted to live in a place like this some day. She humored me as usual, though she would love to live in Mexico one of these days, so you never know…

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

And what visit to Carmel would be complete without a stroll down Ocean Avenue and along Carmel’s wide strand of beach?

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Detour: 17-Mile Drive + Pebble Beach

After visiting Carmel Mission, we pay the $10 to take the long road back to Pacific Grove — Pebble Beach’s scenic and exclusive 17-Mile Drive.

We hadn’t realized that the Drive is actually a loop, and ended up driving several miles through winding wooded hillsides with zero view of the sea before realizing just shy of reaching Pacific Grove that we had gone the wrong way!

Well, the wrong way if you actually want to drive past Pebble Beach and along the coastline, which I suspect is most visitors’ objective.

So, we turn around and drive the entire loop back around (with the exception of a small shortcut).

We had been commenting on the lack of traffic…until we turned around.

Then we hit the Pebble Beach Golf Course stretch, which seems to be gearing up for the AT&T Pro-Am in the coming week.

We find most of the viewpoints to be fairly crowded, but traffic eventually thins out and which makes for an enjoyable remainder of our drive.

Can you visit the Carmel Mission?

Along the way, we encounter the famed Lone Cypress (above), estimated at some 250 years old.

It has survived fire, erosion and earthquakes.

It has also been trademarked since 1919, apparently. I was not aware that a tree could be trademarked, but this one is.

Pebble Beach Co. owns the rights to the tree and it’s image. Go figure.

So you can take a snapshot of the tree, but if you plan to try to sell the imagine, you may find yourself being hunted down by the Pebble Beach Co. trademark police, or at least Bill Murray.

What is Carmel Mission like today?

Today the Mission is an active Catholic Parish, museum, and school, and it is at the center of one of the most historic and beautiful Pacific coast communities in State.

What is special about Mission Carmel?

Mission Carmel has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. It is an active parish church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Monterey. In addition to its activity as a place of worship, Mission Carmel also hosts concerts, art exhibits, lectures, and numerous other community events.

How old is the Carmel Mission?

The church was four years in construction and was dedicated in 1797.

What is the name of the mission in Monterey?

General Information. Also Called: Mission Carmel - During the mission era the mission's official name was San Carlos Borroméo de Monterey (after its original location).