Take some of the most spectacular coastal landscape in California.

Add whimsical architecture.

Toss in quirks that would give modern urban planners massive heart attacks.

Mix in a massive dose of wealth and Bohemian roots.

And what you come up with is Carmel-by-the-Sea.

It packs more enchantment in the city’s one square mile — more like a village — than any other urban square mile in California.

McMansions — tract or otherwise — are banned.

Houses in excess of 1,600 square feet and lots larger than 4,000 square feet are frowned upon.

Yet, Carmel-by-the-Sea pulls down what is one of the highest per square foot home costs in California coming in at a median of $2,015 per square foot.

Just one visit and you realize why people are willing to pay a price to live in a town where no neighborhoods have sidewalks, the are no street lights or traffic lights, and glorious gardens and not lawns dominate the residential landscape.

This town of 3,200 is where Clint Eastwood served as mayor from 1986 to 1988 as well as where he owned and operated the Boar’s Head restaurant.

There are a lot of other names you can drop of those who have called Carmel-by-the Sea home.

It’s an eclectic mix if there ever was one.

Doris Day. Upton Sinclair. Hank Ketchum. Betty White. Ansel Adams. Brad Pitt. Robinson Jeffers. Lincoln Steffens. Dick Sargent. Joann Fontaine. Saul Alinsky. Sinclair Lewis. Jack London. Robert Louis Stevenson.

Walking around town soaking in the scenery and architecture is a treat in itself.

You may want to do that to work off indulging in one of 60 restaurants without a restaurant chain or fast food place in sight.

Tuck’s Box is an example of the unique offerings.

The English tea room, breakfast spot, and late lunch concern on Delores Street is open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. “ish.”

The architecture is just as enjoyable as the food that include $4.50 scones that are worth every penny.

There are 40 hotels, 20 wine tasting rooms, and almost 100 art galleries and antique stores.

The charm is the village center, besides being extremely walkable, also has an enchanting old English village feel.

There is a lot to do in Carmel-by-the-Sea that is low key.

Carmel Beach is impressive.

So are the marine and coastal sanctuaries including Point Lobos State Marine Reserve that has been aptly described as the greatest meeting of ocean and earth.

You can also take a drive to nearby Pebble Beach and take in the lone cypress on its rocky perch surrounded by the ocean.

To do so, you’ll need to take in the 17-mile drive that requires an $11.25 per vehicle entry fee that comes with the road map.

You get to see breathtaking scenery, opt for a picnic spot, take a gander at the world-famous Pebble Beach Golf Course, see otters and sea lions, dine at restaurants or simply take in the often dramatic and stunning architecture of the homes.

Be warned. It can be 80 degrees up the road in Monterey and be 15 degrees cooler on Spanish Bay off of the 17-mile drive.

A bit of history: Carmel-by-the-Sea got its start in 1797 when Father Junipero Serra opted to relocate the mission founded in Monterey 27 years earlier.

The Carmel mission became the headquarters of the California missions until 1833.

California’s first library was located in the Carmel mission.

Santiago Duckworth was credited with laying out the original 200-lot townsite in 1888.

San Francisco’s misfortune is the pivotal event that helped establish Carmel-by-the-Sea’s Bohemian reputation.

After the 1906 earthquake, that city’s artists, writers, and musicians flocked to Carmel.

They joined a large contingent of scientists who colonized the area after being drawn there when the Carnegie Institute opened a marine lab.

Carmel-by-the-Sea is just to the south of Monterey on California 1.

Once the highway passes by Carmel it heads down the rugged coast to Big Sur.

It is a three- to four-hour drive from the 209.

You can do a day trip or make it a weekend — or better yet — a midweek stayover.