Private Customizable Iconic City Highlights Tour - Cultural, Historic, Shuttled
Private Customizable Iconic City Highlights Tour - Cultural, Historic, Shuttled
Journey with award winning tour guide Julie Kremen around San Diego’s cultural and historic sites—on a private tour of fun and informative must-see sightseeing hotspots.On this private tour, you will experience and thoroughly understand how San Diego came to be the world-class modern city that it is. We’ll travel through the rich history of San Diego from its discovery by Spanish conquistadores, to the lively and festive Mexican period, to the days when it was the Wild Wild West’s new American frontier. And, of course, you’ll learn about its present-day standing as the 8th largest city in the US and what makes it the epitome of Southern California lifestyle.
Discover why we are “America’s Finest City” and watch out… many who come to visit end up moving here!Note: This 4 hour private tour is fully customizable; contact Julie to book as described above or to discuss how to change to suit your needs.
Book This ExperienceA glimpse of the journey
Your Itinerary
A curated journey through the experience
Balboa Park
TOUR TIDBITS: One of San Diego's biggest tourist destinations contains a tranquil garden purposely landscaped to attract countless beautiful butterflies. But this garden was not always so tranquil! Over the years it has served as a dance hall, a mining camp, and stagecoach station. And, at one point, it was surrounded by a big redwood fence with a few strategically placed holes that visitors could peek through to spy on… a nudist colony!
1 hour 30 minutesGaslamp Quarter
TOUR TIDBITS: In the 1980s, when the city of San Diego was reinventing its downtown area—now known as "The Gaslamp Quarter"—they made plans and even produced signs with the original name for this soon-to-be resurrected historic district. (The original name was actually not "The Gaslamp Quarter.”) The original name caused a huge public outcry, and the city ended up renaming it "The Gaslamp Quarter." On the tour, you'll find out what the original name was, why they changed it, and you'll see the beautifully renovated architectural details from the Victorian era when gas lamps lit this historic district.
15 minutesSan Diego
DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO: Explore these San Diego Downtown essentials: scenic San Diego Bay’s Embarcadero waterfront, the famous and vibrant Gaslamp Quarter, hip and historic Little Italy, and Petco Park.
45 minutesOld Town San Diego
TOUR TIDBITS: For entertainment, early settlers in San Diego would tie the leg of a bull to the leg of a grizzly bear (which they would hunt down in our local mountains) and then let them fight. Find out where these brawls took place, and see the beautiful buildings surrounding this historic landmark. And if we’re lucky, you’ll feel like you were there in the early days if we happen to catch some artisans in period dress, folkloric dancers or Mariachis!
45 minutesIncluded
- Bottled water
- Private transportation
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Your expert guide Julie will take as many photos of you as you want
Not Included
- Gratuities
- Child car seat not provided
Good to Know
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- If you have a child in your party under 8 years old, you must bring your own child car seat or booster seat, depending on their age. It is NOT okay for the child to sit on your lap.
- You will be shuttled in a midsize car. If there are 4 adults in your party this might be uncomfortable since 3 sit in the back.
- On this tour we do mini walking tours around Balboa Park and Old Town which total approx. 1-2 miles. We can limit the walking if you have any mobility issues - just let us know and we will adjust the itinerary.
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Face masks required for travelers in public areas
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Face masks required for all travelers in the vehicle at all times. When we are outside of the vehicle walking around, face coverings are optional, however, we must stay at least 6 feet away from each other. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Tickets & Cancellation
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.