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San Diego Walking tours

Our most recommended San Diego Walking tours

San Diego: Brothels, Bites and Booze Gaslamp Quarter Tour

1. San Diego: Brothels, Bites and Booze Gaslamp Quarter Tour

Join us on a tour of the Gaslamp Quarter and we’ll tell you about the infamous Stingaree District, once a center of scandal and debauchery. We’ll walk along streets that featured 120 brothels at one point, and served as one of Southern California’s major red light districts. On our Brothels, Bites, and Booze Tour you’ll hear tales from the past that are funny and some that are hard to believe! During our 2.5-hour excursion you’ll see how this area has been restored and is now home to San Diego’s main nightlife and dining destinations. The Gaslamp Quarter now features more than 100 restaurants and bars. We’ll take you to some of the best restaurants in the area so you can taste a variety of popular ethnic cuisines and some alcoholic beverages as well! Most guests find that the samples on the tour are quite filling and are at least as much food as a full meal. You might want to eat no more than a very light snack before the tour – or nothing at all!

San Diego: Ghosts & Gravestones Trolley Tour

2. San Diego: Ghosts & Gravestones Trolley Tour

While San Diego is known worldwide for its beautiful beaches, mild climate, and abundance of points of interest, not many people know about the city's darker side. Discover San Diego's long history of unnerving deaths, mysterious occurrences, and ominous sides on a fun and informative guided tour. Travel back in time and hear about the spirits of the notorious characters who lived and died in San Diego. First, venture into the sleepy streets of the Mission Hills neighborhood, where Pioneer Park is transformed at night. Continue to Old Town, walking through El Campo Santo Cemetery and learning about the notorious past of this city full of gunslingers, gamblers, ladies of the night, and many more unsavory characters. Finally, the tour includes a tour of the grounds and exterior of the Whaley House, where many reported paranormal occurrences have taken place.

San Diego: Brewery Tour with Tastings and Food Pairings

3. San Diego: Brewery Tour with Tastings and Food Pairings

Discover America's beer mecca, San Diego's North Park neighborhood. Dive deep into the city's beer world and taste your way through multiple breweries. Learn about the different methods and ingredients of each brew, and revel in a tour filled with beers, art, and culture. Get educated with a brewery tour of North Park Neighborhood in San Diego. Meet your beer-enthusiast guide and walk around the streets, visiting 3-4 different craft breweries in the area. Discover the brewing process, food and beer pairing, and what it takes to start a successful brewery. At each stop, learn how to pair beer with food, while munching on delicious snacks. Test your newly acquired beer-ucation and taste the subtle flavors and different blends in each tasting. Learn about the neighborhood's history in between your visits and how it turned from a streetcar area to the hipster-ridden and trendy spot that it is today. Don't worry if you're not a beer nerd, there are other options available.

San Diego Ghosts: Gaslamp Haunted Tour

4. San Diego Ghosts: Gaslamp Haunted Tour

Walk around San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter and get acquainted with the spookier side of town on this history-packed tour by US Ghost Adventures. This walking tour shows you around some of the best-known haunted locations on the West Coast. You’ll meet your guide by the Balboa Theatre, which has been a downtown fixture since the 1920s. You’ll head to eight spooky, haunted sites, including the infamous Davis-Horton House. Investigate a 50-year-old unsolved murder at Old City Hall. Find out what lies behind the front door of Eddie O’Hare's Law Office. Also, search for the eyeless ghost of a little boy at the Carriage Works. If you're up for it, end your tour with an optional sweet treat at the Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop. This is much more than an ice cream shop. You can hear a former movie theater employee screaming for something other than ice cream.

San Diego: Tequila, Tacos and Tombstones Walking Tour

5. San Diego: Tequila, Tacos and Tombstones Walking Tour

Travel back to a world of colorful customs and ruthless pride, as you walk the streets of San Diego’s Old Town, a neighborhood known as the first town of California. The 2.5-hour walking tour explains how the area has been restored to represent what the neighborhood looked like during the 1820-1870s, and includes stops at local restaurants to savor the great cuisine and sample a few drinks. As you check out the original buildings, built with the only natural resources the land had to offer, you will learn how and why the natives thrived in their dry and warm environment. Hear about bull fights, horse races, pistol shooting matches, dances, and political events, all carried out in the town plaza during the Mexican period, and then later during the great American Gold Rush. Discover the difference between the two, and the marriage between the cultures. As one of the nation’s most haunted neighborhoods, the ghost stories of the tour will have you checking over your shoulder for lingering spirits. Visit the second oldest cemetery in San Diego, and learn the stories of some of the notorious people who still haunt the streets of the eerie neighborhood. Visit the Whaley House, considered the most haunted house in America and see why the past still haunts the present. 

San Diego: Gaslamp Quarter Historic True Crime Walking Tour

6. San Diego: Gaslamp Quarter Historic True Crime Walking Tour

Explore the Gaslamp Quarter and discover the true crime past of San Diego on a guided walking tour. Hear about the Stingaree era, horrible crimes, and serial killers, and see the infamous side of San Diego on a tour with a difference. As you walk the streets of San Diego, learn how downtown San Diego first came to be and about the era of the Stingaree. The Stingaree was an area in San Diego famous as the home to the city's undesirables. Petty thieves, drug dealers, gamblers, and sex workers used the area to turn a dodgy profit, making the neighborhood infamous for criminal activity. At a historic hotel, hear about the death of a man whose ghost is said to still haunt his room. Continue back in time to the roaring 1920s, a time of murder, revenge, and slavery. Fast forward a decade and hear the unfortunate story of the 3rd victim of a San Diego serial killer. Lastly, your entertaining guide will share details of one of the most horrific crimes to take place in downtown San Diego. This San Diego crime tour includes discussion of assault and murder, along with gruesome details that some may find offensive.

San Diego Walking Tour: Balboa Park with a Local Guide

7. San Diego Walking Tour: Balboa Park with a Local Guide

Balboa Park is home to gorgeous gardens, lovely walking paths, and plenty of cultural gems, from theaters to museums featuring the arts, the sciences, and more. You’ll get a full overview of the park and its rich history on this San Diego walking tour that explores how the park has become a symbol of the city. We’ll kick things off at the Founder’s Statue on the west side of the park. We think you’ll agree San Diegans were visionaries when they set aside 1400 acres of land for the park all the way back in 1868. Then we’ll stop at the California Tower, built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, has since become a city landmark. The face of the tower depicts the early history of the city. Next up, we’ll head to Alcazar Garden, which was inspired by the same-named gardens in Spain. Used for both the 1915 and 1935 expositions, the garden offered fair-goers a respite from the hustle and bustle of the exposition, and provides a picturesque foreground to photos of the California Tower. Snag the perfect Instagram shot while you’re here. Following after, we’ll head to the Old Globe Theater which is a Tony Award-winning, world-renowned professional theater group modeled after The Globe Theater London. From there, we’ll walk through the heart of the Prado, where you’ll get to spy unique building façades and roof supports that most visitors don’t notice. We’ll also check out Zoro Gardens, a sunken garden that was once a nudist colony (seriously) during the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Today, it’s a butterfly garden that contains everything butterflies need for their full life cycle. We’ll then continue past the Bea Evenson fountain, the Natural History Museum and we’ll pop into the Spanish Village Art Center to observe artists at work in their studios. By now you will have worked up a thirst so we’ll grab a drink at a local coffee cart before continuing on past one of the largest Morton Bay fig trees in California and the San Diego Junior Theater. But we’re not done yet! We’ll then head to the Botanical Building and the adjacent lily pond full of koi makes more than just a pretty picture — you’ll learn how the pond was an important part of the war effort during WWI and how it helped injured sailors and soldiers during WWII. Our tour will end at the Plaza de Panama, but before we say goodbye, your guide will give you directions to the nearby Visitor Center (for snacks, maps, souvenirs, and museum passes), suggestions for places to eat, and tips on what else to see and do within the park.

San Diego: Little Italy Wine Tasting Walking Tour

8. San Diego: Little Italy Wine Tasting Walking Tour

Indulge in a delicious food and wine-tasting experience and enjoy a relaxing afternoon as you stroll through the streets of San Diego's Little Italy. Join an insightful tour and learn about wine styles and pairing tips by visiting some of the most popular restaurants in the area. Meet your guide at your first venue and dive right into your gastronomical journey. Visit three establishments to sample a variety of wines from California, Italy, and other parts of the world. Meet local wine enthusiasts who will share with you small-production wines and Italian favorites. Enjoy traditional Italian food along the way, with pairings including regional cheeses and pasta. As you walk from stop to stop, take in the many boutiques, historic buildings, and luxury high-rises of this chic San Diego neighborhood.

San Diego: Old Town Ghost-Themed Walking Tour

9. San Diego: Old Town Ghost-Themed Walking Tour

Explore the haunted side of Old Town San Diego, California, on this ghost-themed walking tour that’s entertaining for all ages. Learn about the history and hauntings of Old Town San Diego alongside a local guide. Begin your spooky adventure with an introduction to San Diego's haunted past from a guide who is an expert in San Diego’s history, hauntings, and ghosts. Then, head off to visit the Whaley House Museum and more of the most haunted locations in San Diego. By the end of the tour, you will have plenty of things to talk about with friends and family after learning all the scary insider stories of the city.

San Diego: Club Crawl

10. San Diego: Club Crawl

We party at 3 to 4 of San Diego's top nightclubs and bars every Friday and Saturday night. Our party guides will organize no line, VIP entry at each venue for you and your friends. This is the best, and only, way to experience San Diego’s highly rated nightlife venues without any hassle at the door. Come explore meeting and partying with other locals and tourists for a fun-filled, stress free and memorable night out! The club crawl starts at 9:00 pm check-in at American Junkie - 628 5th Ave. Here you will meet your hosts and the rest of the group before we head out to the best bars and nightclubs in downtown San Diego. Join us every Friday and Saturday night! Our general weekly Club Crawl lineup includes: AMERICAN JUNKIE - Free welcome shot, dj and dancing DOUBLE DEUCE - First drink free, two rooms, bull riding BLOOM - Newest nightclub in SD PARQ - End the night at San Diego's largest nightclub!

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Frequently asked questions about San Diego Walking tours

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What people are saying about San Diego

Overall rating

4.8 / 5

based on 70 reviews

Merritt was an excellent tour guide. Super friendly and informative. Tour included a lot of food, a few margaritas and a delish churro. We were stuffed! My only suggestion would be less waiting time for food. That was zero fault of Merritt as he had called ahead to let them know we were coming. Guessing just staffing shortages.

The walking tour of Balboa Park was well worth it. It provided us with the history of the area and buildings. It helped that it was a beautiful day. The guide was knowledgeable and could answer all our questions including information about the trees, a particular interest of mine. The pace was perfect.

Wonderful experience! Our tour guide, Christie, was amazing and very knowledgeable. The birria taco and mango margarita at Tuetano Taqueria was delicious. 10/10 recommend!

This is a great tour. A look behind the scenes of one of the most unique ballparks in the country. Very informative, casual and fun, and very affordable.

Super great host and knowledgeable. Definitely an experience to remember