Most Beautiful Fairytale Photo Spots in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Last Updated on August 1, 2024
Hidden Passageways
Carmel’s main streets weave into all sorts of hidden trails and passages to different gardens or courtyards. It gives the town even more of a fictional charm and makes exploring all the more thrilling! You can check out all of the passageways on the town’s tourist blog, but these are some of the most photogenic ones:
The Secret Garden Passageway & The Pilgrim’s Bookstore
In between Dolores and San Carlos Street is this lovely red portal of vines and iron-wrought gates. It’s a gorgeous garden corridor with a small flowing fountain and small sculptures along the path.Â
The little path here is actually a part of the Pilgrim’s Way bookstore, a quaint business stationed in a very European part of town. As a whole, the Secret Garden Passageway has lovely leading lines to frame any passerby–perfect for a small photoshoot in the gardens.
The Xocolatl Garden
While much of Carmel is inspired by European fairytales, the Xocolatl Garden provides a unique South American twist to it. This chocolatier establishment shows off a more rustic pathway along Ocean Avenue, complete with whimsical fairy lights and cobblestone paths. Â
There’s a nice little archway with a vineyard grid above along the corridor too. It’s great for framing and gives a cozy, down-to-earth element to pictures. Beyond being one of the cozier photo spots in Carmel-by-the-Sea, the chocolate here is also very good. Check out their offerings on Insta!
Downtown Carmel
Carmel’s Downtown area is where the town’s charms truly shine. If you think of Disney movies set in medieval Europe, you wouldn’t be far off from the experience here. When Carmel architect Hugh Comstock first designed these stores, he envisioned a town by the shores filled with childish wonder. You can definitely see that in the thatched roofs, asymmetrical shapes and colorful decals of Downtown’s stores and residences.
There are so many great places to choose from here, but I’ve listed out a few of my favorites for you:
Cottage of Sweets
Very little in the world is more childlike and joyful than candy. Fitting this wondrous theme, Carmel’s Cottage of Sweets provides a pleasant and whimsical twist to the old candy shop. The straw roof, medieval structure and colorful displays all make a fantastic setpiece for pictures.
You can find this cottage on Ocean Avenue between Lincoln & Monte Verde Street. The candies themselves are succulent and delicious, with a huge, mouthwatering variety of fudges and chocolates.Â
The Tuck Box is one of downtown’s first buildings, servicing the community with food and treats for nearly a century now. It’s an eccentrically shaped building with an hourglass-like chimney, rounded-out blue supports, and a lovely hooded roof. On the side, you can find an outdoor dining area with a beautiful view of the street.Â
Unlike the Cottage of Sweets, the Tuck Box mostly sells refined drinks like tea and wine. It also has a variety of English meals and snacks, like eggs benedict and scones. It’s a nice place to settle down and have lunch after some vigorous picture taking.Â
Body Frenzy
Body Frenzy
A little-known skincare store next to the Cottage of Sweets, this glowing pink building has unique turret-like roofs and beautiful hedges on the sides. The door leading in rests under a circular rooftop, making it a good frame for pictures along the street. You can also find other fixtures nearby, like the iron lampposts or flowerbeds at the side. Â
Harrison Memorial Library
You can find this historic library at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Street. Books and fairytales are the center of this community, so you’ll find a healthy crowd coming to and fro this classic institution. While the library itself doesn’t follow the storybook conventions of the town, the architecture is still distinctly European with cobblestone steps and arched windows.
Perhaps one of the oldest structures in California, the Mission Basilica is one of California’s most preserved Catholic churches. Unlike a lot of Carmel, it has a distinctly South American or Spanish look to it, with its dome steeple holding a classic church bell and its open, star-shaped window letting in cool air from outside.Â
Carmel Mission Basillica
You can find the Basillica south of the main city, near the Carmel River. It’s one of over 20 mission institutions built in California, but unlike others, it has retained the historical shape and structure from over two hundred years ago. The community has gone out of its way to maintain the Basilica’s authentic architecture, making it a warm photo spot in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
If you’re looking through the inside of the church, they list their mass times on their website. The interior is equally majestic, occupied by gorgeous sculptures of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.Â
Carmel Beach
Carmel Beach
The ‘By-the-Sea’ part of Carmel’s nickname comes straight from this iconic beach, a breathtaking coastline with white sands and melting trees. Carmel Beach stretches all the way from the southern Carmel Point to the north town, overlooking the vast bay area. In the summer, a thick fog wash over the waters and cloud the beaches, while the autumn breeze blows warmly here in the fall.
Views of Carmel Beach
As one of the more popular photo spots in Carmel-by-the-Sea, it can get a little crowded, but you can arrive earlier in the morning to find it serene and quiet.
There’s also a nice passageway called the Scenic Path near Martin Way. This pathway looms over the entire beach, covered with thriving cypress trees and other natural growth. It’s a great place to jog and take pictures while getting a lay of the coast.
Special Note: Storybook Cottages
Storybook Cottages
The final one of the photo spots in Carmel-by-the-Sea comes with a special note. These storybook cottages are some of the most famous buildings in town, but many of them are private homes. Please make sure to only enjoy the views from the streets and respect the residents’ privacy.
That being said, no visit to Carmel would be complete without a quick look around the storybook cottages. These are a few of the most popularly visited ones:
Hansel & Gretel Cottage: Found along the 5th and 6th Avenues of Torres Street, these old houses have cobblestone chimneys and pleasantly quaint front halves. The roads lead back to a lush garden with plenty of flowers in the spring. Small, but very cozy.
Obers, or the Comstock House: The original house Carmel’s mastermind architect Hugh Comstock lived in. Along with its historical significance, the house also has Comstock’s signature charm, with sloping, childlike roofs, arched doors and windows, and green gardens.Â
The WO Swain Cottages: These are a collection of cottages built for one of the town’s older investors, W.O. Swain. The complex holds many more of Comstock’s signature fairytale designs, with more rounded tower-like structures like the one in Fables and Doll’s House. Keep in mind that these houses rest within a thick foliage of trees, so it may not be visible from the streets on 6th Ocean Avenue.Â
