San Jose to Carmel Day Tour

Question

Is there a day trip tour bus company that goes from San Jose to Carmel?

Answer

Good question. I couldn’t find any regular scheduled tour-bus companies that run a *public day-trip from San Jose specifically to Carmel-by-the-Sea*. Most of the coach tour providers operate out of San Francisco, not San Jose, for Monterey / Carmel tours. Here’s a breakdown of what I found — plus some alternative suggestions if you’re starting in or near SJ.

What I found for Monterey / Carmel bus tours:

Extranomical Tours — They run an 11-hour Monterey + Carmel day trip from San Francisco. Includes scenic coastal drive, 17-Mile Drive, and time in Carmel.
SFTours (Small-group Monterey & Carmel Tour) — Departs from the Ferry Building in SF. Luxury shuttle / “cruiser” bus with big windows, guide commentary, and a stop for Carmel-by-the-Sea.
California Tours / USA Vacation — This day trip includes Monterey, the aquarium (optional), 17-Mile Drive, and Carmel.
Tripster / Extranomical “Monterey & Carmel Explorer” — 11-hour excursion with coastal views and plenty of time in Carmel.

Charter or Private Options (closer to San Jose):

If you’re staying in or near San Jose, your best bet may be to book a private or semi-private charter rather than a public tour, since I found no major operators running fixed “tour-bus” routes from SJ to Carmel. For example:

Angel Worldwide / Angel Limo — Offers “Monterey & Carmel Day Trip” charters from Silicon Valley (Sunnyvale, Santa Clara) which could potentially be arranged from San Jose.
Travel Time Tours — They run coastal tours (Monterey / Carmel) but their regular scheduled tours depart from other cities, and their “via Amtrak” options are multi-day.

Conclusion & Recommendation:

So — no reliable public day-tours exclusively from San Jose to Carmel that I found. Most coach tours for Carmel run out of San Francisco. Given this, you have a couple of good options:

Drive from San Jose to San Francisco early, then join one of the SF-based Monterey / Carmel buses (if that works with your schedule).
Arrange a private or small-group charter from San Jose (or nearby) with a company like Angel Limo / Angel Worldwide — this gives you flexibility on pick-up and drop-off.