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

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

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

Charleston history walking tour with a Citadel history professor

3 hoursFree Cancellation

Charleston History, Homes, and Highlights Guided Walking Tour

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.

Charleston History and Hops Tour: Bar and History Walk

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

Charleston History Tour - Small Groups Only - History & Alleyways

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

Downtown Charleston Food Tour

2 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

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

4 hoursFree Cancellation

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

(4,008)

from $46

Charleston Dark History & Ghost Tour with Adam

1 hour 20 minutesFree 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

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

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

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

Discover the spookier side of Charleston’s history on this haunted tour of the Old City Jail. With an expert guide, learn about some of Charleston’s most notorious criminals, pirates and despicable characters like Lavinia and John Fisher, 19th-century hoteliers who allegedly poisoned their guests. Visit eerie spaces such as prisoner cells, hallways and locations where criminals died. Brace yourself for a possible ghostly apparition!

Charleston Haunted Jail Night-Time Walking Tour with Admission to Old City Jail

45 minutesFree Cancellation

Charleston Haunted Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour

2 hours 30 minutesFree Cancellation

Scenes of Shem Creek History and Shrimp 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

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Must-Dos in Charleston

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What are people saying about Charleston

Charleston’s Best Highlights: History, Culture & Architecture

Suranjan_R, Nov 2026

Throughly enjoyed the walking tour

Brian gave us one of the best walking tour experiences we had in many places we have done walking tours. He’s extremely knowledgeable, articulate, moderates his voice per background and street noise, his enthusiasm was intact from the first minute till the end of the 2 1/2 hour tour. If you book this doing with Brian will give you a great experience.

Fort Sumter Access and Self-Guided Tour with Roundtrip Ferry

Donna_B, Nov 2026

Great experience

Since we bought this ticket, we were able to just go right to the ferry waiting area rather than walk upstairs to buy a ticket. Our tour guide Kelly did an excellent job both on the ferry ride over and at the island. Be sure and look for dolphins as there was a whole pod right off the island.

Historic Charleston Guided Sightseeing Walking Tour

Michelle_D, Nov 2026

We had a wonderful time...

We had a wonderful time on our waking tour of Charleston! Our tour guide, Al, was funny, entertaining, and incredibly knowledgeable about Charleston’s rich history. The tour was engaging, informative, and full of interesting stories that brought the city’s past to life. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Charleston.

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.

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

Katherine_M, Oct 2026

Fantastic experience!

This tour was so informative and interesting! We loved learning about the history of the places we walked through, and our guide had an incredible wealth of knowledge and anecdotes to share. Highly recommend taking this tour early in your visit to Charleston so you can better appreciate all the city has to offer!

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'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 History Tour - Small Groups Only - History & Alleyways

Terry_Z, Sep 2026

Historical walking tour

Adam made the walking tour enjoyable, interjecting little known interesting stories. His knowledge of the history of Charleston was impressive. My daughter and I wished we had more time to explore further, after our too short introduction to this beautiful city and it's history.

Charleston Horse-Drawn Carriage Tour: Explore Historic Charleston

Brenda_E, Jul 2026

So much fun!

We booked this tour on July 4th for the history aspect and getting to see some areas in Charleston we knew we wouldn't want to miss seeing. The trip did not disappoint! Our guide was a hoot! He had a fantastic personality and was very humorous and knowledgeable about the history of Charleston. Unfortunately, a guy along the route starting taunting and yelling about the horse and abusive use of the carriage. Our guide was extremely professional and polite and addressed the man in a positive manner. The horses here are so loved and cared for and it shows. Our guide also informed us of just how much care and attention goes into these amazing gentle giants everyday. Charlie was our horse and everyone could tell he was very well loved and taken care of. I would absolutely recommend this trip in Charleston!

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.