Top Charleston Walking Tours

Historic Charleston Guided Sightseeing Walking Tour

Travel back in time to discover one of America’s most historic cities—Charleston, South Carolina—on this guided small-group walking tour. Explore some of the city’s most enchanting alleys and hidden passages. Visit the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, a colonial building with a 300-year history; Rainbow Row, the longest cluster of Georgian row houses in the United States; plus historic Philadelphia Alley, and many more.

Hidden Alleyways and Historic Sites Small-Group Walking Tour

Without a guided walking tour, you might miss some of the eclectic history and hidden nooks and crannies around Charleston that make this city such a gem. This walking tour takes you through the French Quarter and South of Broad neighborhoods to top sights such as the Rainbow Row, the Old Slave Mart Museum, and the Old Exchange, all while your guide shares stories from Charleston history and lore.

Highlights of Charleston Guided Walking Tour

Your guide brings history to life during this Charleston walking tour of the city's historical downtown. See notable buildings including the Nathaniel Russell House, the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, and the Old Slave Mart Museum. As you walk over the flat and easy terrain with your guide, discover the history that occurred right under your feet and around every corner from Rainbow Row to the Battery.

Charleston’s Best Highlights: History, Culture & Architecture

Charleston history walking tour with a Citadel history professor

3 hoursFree Cancellation

Charleston History, Homes, and Highlights Guided Walking Tour

Charleston History Tour - Small Groups Only - History & Alleyways

Special Offer

See Charleston's most celebrated streets on your own schedule, without waiting for a group or keeping pace with a guide. This smartphone GPS walking tour leads you through the heart of historic downtown—past the grand antebellum homes of the Battery, the pastel facades of Rainbow Row, and along the waterfront—with location-triggered audio commentary that plays automatically as you walk.

Charleston Self Guided Walking Tour

1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutesFree Cancellation

Skip the tourist traps and lose yourself in the flavors of true Charleston cuisine. Taste local delicacies like classic Carolina-style BBQ, historic She-Crab soup, and famous fried green tomatoes and, as with all of our tours, you'll also indulge in our decadent Secret Dish, which just might make you leave singing a happy song! Your local guide will steer you toward the very best spots to enjoy these classic Southern dishes.

Charleston French Quarter or Brunch Food Tour with 7+ Tastings

3 hoursFree Cancellation

Price varies by group size

Fort Sumter Access and Self-Guided Tour with Roundtrip Ferry

Visit the site where the first shots of the American Civil War began without the hassle of arranging transportation or waiting in line for tickets. This Fort Sumter package includes admission skip-the-line tickets as well as a round-trip, narrated ferry ride from Charleston. Enjoy time to explore the historic fort and museum, watch a battle reenactment, and browse for souvenirs before the return ferry ride.

Fort Sumter Access and Self-Guided Tour with Roundtrip Ferry

2 hours 15 minutesFree Cancellation

4.6

(4,004)

from $46

Charleston's historic district packs centuries of American history into a few walkable blocks, and this historian-lead tour covers the landmarks worth your time. Walk from Washington Square to Rainbow Row and The Battery, then through the French Quarter's cobblestone lanes past St. Philip's Church and the Dock Street Theatre. Hear how the Revolution and the Civil War shaped the city around you.

See St. Michael's Church, "God's Law" at the Four Corners of Law

Historic Charleston Walking Tour: History & Landmarks

Undiscovered Charleston: Half Day Food, Wine & History Tour with Cooking Class

4 hoursFree Cancellation

Experience the charm and beauty of Charleston on a morning or afternoon walking tour. With an entertaining guide, take a leisurely stroll through the city’s Historic District, passing antebellum mansions, hidden gardens, historic churches and graveyards, as well as famous sites like Fort Sumter, Rainbow Row, and the Waterfront Battery. Along the way, learn about Charleston’s rich history and contemporary culture.

Historic Charleston Walking Tour: Rainbow Row, Churches, and More

Sip your way through historical Charleston on this walking tour and bar crawl. Start the tour at a pub where you will receive a snack and the opportunity to purchase beer and mixed drinks as you learn about the history of the city. Travel through the alleyways and along the cobblestone streets of Charleston in order to reach cultural sites including the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon and the Dock Street Theater.

Special Offer

Charleston History and Hops Tour: Bar and History Walk

Explore the darker side of Charleston and experience some of the city’s most eerie sites with this nighttime walking tour with exclusive entry to Provost Dungeon. Wind through the Historic District’s dark corridors and graveyards, and hear spooky tales of ghosts, local superstition, and famous haunted spaces from your local guide. Cap off the tour with a chilling visit to the Provost Dungeon, a pre-Revolutionary dungeon steeped in grisly history.

Charleston Ghost & Dungeon Night-Time Walking Tour with Entry to Provost Dungeon

Downtown Charleston Food Tour

2 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

Lost Stories of Black Charleston Walking Tour

Explore Charleston through its food—and visit places you might miss while exploring alone. Stroll the streets of the Upper King Design District with your local guide in the lead, stopping for Southern and Lowcountry bites like shrimp and grits, biscuits, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, fried chicken with honey, and more. You’ll get to see landmarks like the Aiken-Rhett House, Charleston Music Hall, and Marion Square along the way.

Charleston Brunch Food Tour: Biscuits, Shrimps, Grits and More

3 hoursFree Cancellation

Price varies by group size

Trade the typical tours and peek into Charleston’s shadowy history with a chilling nighttime walking tour of the city’s eeriest sites. Wind through the dark corridors of the Historic District and hear spooky tales of graveyard hauntings, medical patients accidentally buried alive, and botched burials from your guide. Pass by infamous locations with grisly histories and wander through Charleston’s oldest cemetery after hours.

Charleston Ghost & Graveyard Night-Time Guided Walking Tour

As one of America’s oldest cities, Charleston is considered one of its most haunted. During this hair-raising walking tour, visit the city’s famous paranormal hotspots including Poogan’s Porch, one of America’s top 10 haunted restaurants, and St Philip’s Church graveyard, the location of a famous haunting. From stories of pirates, gangsters and serial killers to tragic lovers, you choose the narrative to suit your interests during this unique ghost tour.

City of the Dead The Dark Hauntings of Charleston

Charleston's Pleasing Terrors Night-Time Walking Ghost Tour

Savor the Flavors of Charleston Walking Food Tour

2 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

Charleston Haunted Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour

2 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

Special Offer

See a new side of Charleston when you set off after dark—and learn all about the spooky side of the city’s history, thanks to your guide's stories—on this ghost tour. See major historical landmarks, as well as graveyards, alleyways, hotels, bars, and other lesser-known, supposedly haunted corners. As you go, hear creepy tales about ghostly brides, pirates, unexplained murders, and more.

Real Hauntings of Charleston! (Small Group Ghost Tour)

Charleston’s Best Highlights: History, Culture & Architecture

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Must-Dos in Charleston

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What are people saying about Charleston

Carol_B, Nov 2026

Charleston’s Best Highlights: History, Culture & Architecture

Our guide, Finn, was wonderful! He was extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and perfectly suited to his role as a tour guide. The stops along the tour were thoughtfully selected and provided a fascinating glimpse into life in Charleston during the 1800s. Finn's knowledge and enthusiasm truly brought the city's rich history to life. A wonderful experience that I would highly recommend!

Historic Charleston Guided Sightseeing Walking Tour

stephanie_h, Oct 2026

Wonderful Tour and Guide

Al was a fantastic tour guide. He was engaging, interesting and had a wealth of knowledge about Charleston. The entire tour was great but especially getting to see some sites which were off the main tourist sites was very interesting. Highly recommend the tour and if you can get Al as your guide even better!

Charleston history walking tour with a Citadel history professor

Joseph_D, Oct 2026

Walking and learning with the Professor.

This is a well scripted historical tour of Charleston provided truly by a historian, teacher and Professor of History, Eric. He did a great job and kept us captivated for over 3 hours. The details he proved were spot on and validated true during further historical museums that we read since our tour along with other tours we attended. We would consider this tour a must if you want a well rounded tour of Charleston SC.

Fort Sumter Access and Self-Guided Tour with Roundtrip Ferry

Brian_M, Oct 2026

Fort Sumpter tour in Charleston

30 Minute boat ride each way was scenic and smooth. History facts shared on the way out were excellent. We were on the last trip of the day so we were able to be a part of the flag lowering, very cool. Rangers shared a ton of interesting info about the fort and charleston. Look for the finger prints in the bricks...it was humbling for me.

Charleston History, Homes, and Highlights Guided Walking Tour

Stacey_N, Oct 2026

Al was our guide for this...

Al was our guide for this tour. His passion for his city, its history, and architecture was evident throughout the walk. And his humor helped engage us along the way — he brought smiles to our faces. We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and highly recommend this tour, and Al specifically, for anyone looking for a non-cookie cutter experience in Charleston.

Charleston French Quarter or Brunch Food Tour with 7+ Tastings

Philip_I, Oct 2026

This was a very nice...

This was a very nice tour, and well organized with notes on where to meet. Our guide Perry, took us around to five stops for seven tastings, which were all great, loved the tacos! He was easy to talk to, knowledgeable, and he discussed the history of the area with lots of stories. After the tour we all got texted a list of the locations and tastings. We both felt very lucky with this choice, loved it!

Hidden Alleyways and Historic Sites Small-Group Walking Tour

Caren_E, Oct 2026

A Winning Tour

Oct 2026 Our guide Duggar was like a modern day “trail blazer “ leading his 2026 colonists to both picturesque and historic highlights of the “Holy City”. His charming personality and his keen insights of the history of the city enhanced our fondness for this very special city Duggar was a total pleasure and anyone would be lucky to be one of his colonists

Charleston Harbor Live Narrated History Day or Sunset Boat Cruise

Jay_E, Oct 2026

John,LaTanya& Tarhonda 1st boat ride together

The guy who was taken our picture once he was done he came around to me First I said ok before I can say I would like to pay for them he done snatch the picture of my hand. He’s real rude he come off as a racist. Real short and nasty for no reason. And when I confronted him, that’s when he tried to apologize. But other than that experience, I had was really great.

Charleston Haunted Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour

Daniel_M, Oct 2026

A great time

Jo was great! Her stories were fun and spooky, plus she had a lot of additional info about areas we were passing on the tour. Great sense of humor, too! Plus, my wife ended up being the “Booty Boss” (Jo asks random trivia questions throughout the walk, you win, you get a pirate coin. Most coins wins!). Highly recommend.

Charleston's Pleasing Terrors Night-Time Walking Ghost Tour

Kimberly_W, Sep 2026

Think twice about this one .........

5 stars if you want History 101 rather than Ghost or Terrors which is in the title. It is understandable that historical and family friendly information is given when discussing the buildings that have been reported to be haunted. However, when the information is presented as a self walking tour and less terror was disappointing. The guide stated he had been doing the tour 30 years and it showed. He did not engage with us and seemed irritated when anyone asked questions. I would suggest 60 min tour and 30 min q & a if he prefers a lecture type setting. There were so many possibilities where this tour could go and even the adolescents were disappointed and bored.

Charleston Horse-Drawn Carriage Tour: Explore Historic Charleston

Macario_Z, Aug 2026

My wife and I stumbled...

My wife and I stumbled upon this tour in Charleston while checking online for something to do there on the way to Virginia. We were so glad we did. Kevin, our Guide, was great! He was very knowledgeable of the history of Charleston and has the patience and understanding for tourists. Now we know where to go to have the best jambalaya in Charleston, SC.

Highlights of Charleston Guided Walking Tour

James_B, Jun 2026

Bill was filled with...

Bill was filled with knowledge of the history of Charleston as well as a love of Charleston. The walk was not too strenuous and he attempted to keep us in the shade as much as possible, thankfully. We enjoyed his tour and would recommend it for those who would like to hear a portion of Charleston’s past.