Half Day Private Tour throughout Charleston Historic Locations
Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Charleston, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover Charleston, South Carolina with the help of a local to guide you around town and share fun facts about the city’s storied past and vibrant present on this private tour. See popular attractions as well as hidden gems you might have missed without your guide to show you. Get around Charleston in a comfortable, air-conditioned car with hotel pickup included, and save your energy for sightseeing.
- Explore one of the oldest cities in the US with help from a guide
- See Historic Downtown Charleston, Rainbow Row, and more
- Let your guide handle navigating and driving while you relax
- Enjoy convenient hotel pickup for a seamless start to your tour
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Bottled water
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Historic Downtown Charleston
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
Rainbow Row
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Charleston Waterfront Park
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Mount Pleasant Historic Distric
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 40 reviews
Jasen_G, Apr 2026
Dave was right on time, filled with vast historical information and fun facts! His car was very comfortable and clean. I highly recommend taking this tour!
RICHARD_A, Apr 2026
Mark was an excellent tour guide, knowledgeable and personable. I would suggest that you request him.
Mary_H, Apr 2026
Dave was wonderful, fun and really knows history details. We saw areas we would never have on our own.
Dennis_G, Apr 2026
David is very knowledgeable about local history & events. Provided interesting details & took us to see various sights not on most tours.
James_H, Apr 2026
Great tour! Dave was an excellent guide with both super knowledge of the low country and Charleston but also a great way of telling it.
Would definitely go with him again.
Andrew_G, Mar 2026
Dave is a wonderful and caring guide. A truly wonderful experience.
Bonus - the pick up and drop off at our hotel was a huge success.
Dave - our guide was off the charts with knowledge and civility.
Edward_L, Sep 2025
Glad we chose this Private Tour vs group options. When a tour starts with “What are you most interested in seeing?” the experience immediately climbs in value and enjoyment! We were on The Citadel campus to start and then immersed in the history, architecture and culture of the entire city, region and South! A half day well spent from the rear seat of an expertly driven and comfortable crossover type SUV with cordial and deeply knowledgeable guide!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you for touring with us, we are glad you enjoyed your time
Erica_R, Jun 2025
Had a great experience with our driver and tour guide. Mom had taken a fall the day before so we were definitely mobility challenged and our tour guide made sure that mom was comfortable the entire time. Definitely knowledgeable about history as well as architecture.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
We hope your Mom is on the mend. Thank you for your review and for choosing DTours!
Karen_S, Mar 2025
This was a wonderful opportunity to not only tour downtown Charleston but the surrounding area giving us a better understanding of this beautiful city. Mark was very informative and relaxed with a good sense of humor. I’d definitely recommend this tour as a comfortable way to see a wide variety of sites and learn about the history of the area.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your review and for choosing DTours!
Sara_T, Jan 2025
Great way to see the area. Excellent information provided about historical places and even included dining options. Our escort was friendly and very accommodating.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
We will make sure your guide is aware of your wonderful review. Thank you for choosing DTours!
George_M, Nov 2024
Dave was excellemt. Very knowlegable. Would highly recommend this tour. Saw many things we never would have seen otherwise, and learned alot.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you so much for your review and for choosing DTours!
Heather_E, Oct 2024
We were rather disappointed. The guide did not take us to half the places in the description. We did not see Waterfront Park or the Historic District.
Those were the two main things we really wanted to see. Instead he took us to the Citadel, where he himself attended and was more of a reminiscing tour for him we felt. We spent the entire first half of the tour at the Citadel. We were not super interested in that and it was not even listed in the description. The guide texted me the night before and asked if there was anything special we wanted to see. I responded we had never been here and just wanted to see the must sees so we would leave that up to him. But I mistakenly made the assumption he would at least stick to the description of the tour we chose and paid &175/person for. 😳
We felt that we just drove around in his car for 3 hours without really seeing and experiencing the city. Our hotel gave us a better tour on a paper map that we ended up walking ourselves later that day.
It was very disappointing and we felt ripped off.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Hi Heather, we too are disappointed you felt this way. Jon is an excellent guide and because the tour is private, would have been happy to stay in the Historic District. You were picked up in the Historic District and spent half of your tour in the Historic District. Jon was even willing to make this a walking and driving tour so to see your review is really confusing to us. We wish you safe travels.
prich, Oct 2024
Great overview of the highlights of Charleston with wonderful narration. Enjoyed viewing the Citadel as well as a historic cemetery. Wonderful explanation of the different architectural house styles in the Charleston downtown area .
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you for taking the time to leave a great review and for choosing DTours!
Kris_K, Oct 2024
Knowledgeable driver brought historic Charleston to life during our tour. David asked if we had any must-see places at the start of our tour. He answered our questions during the tour and graciously accommodated our spontaneous requests.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you so much for your wonderful review and for choosing DTours!
Quang_H, Oct 2024
Jon was wondering as our tour guide. He was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging throughout our tour.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
We are so pleased you enjoyed your tour and your guide, Jon. Thank you for choosing DTours!
Linda_M, Jul 2024
Our guide, Dave, was simply extraordinary! We enjoyed ourselves immensely! His knowledge of the Charleston history, as well as the little fun details, made the time just fly by. I was a bit hesitant to hire a personal guide simply for the cost but it was the best vacation bang for the buck EVER! Worth every penny. We only had a few days in Charleston and this was, by far, the best way to get a phenomenal knowledge base and learn our way around quickly.
We would like to give the biggest kudos to his kindness and caring. I am disabled, which is why we opted to do this type of personal tour. And while I am able to get in/out of vehicles with assistance from my husband & son, my getting around in an historic area was a concern. Dave made certain we were comfortable and, in a week of extreme temperatures, he customized our tour to make the best out of the trip for me.
We had an absolute blast with all Dave's little details and knowledge from pre-colonial times to where Elvis liked to hang out. HIGHLY RECOMMED!!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
We are so pleased you enjoyed your tour and your guide, Dave. Thank you for choosing DTours!
Patricia_D, Jun 2024
Dave’s knowledge about historic Charleston was amazing
His stories about the area and his diverse knowledge of history regarding the years of building, and direct architectural years were a bonus.
It was the perfect tour!
Response from Host, Jun 2024
Thank you so much for your review and for choosing DTours!
Martha_L, May 2024
The enthusiasm and historical knowledge of Eric Lager, Ph.D. were remarkable. His love for his adopted city of Charleston was contagious. Dr. Lager chose historical events, architectural features and stories from the past that captivated our diverse group. The 3-hour tour included a notable breadth of information that also was in-depth. I can't wait for my next visit to Charleston to repeat the experience and would highly recommend this tour.
Response from Host, May 2024
Thank you for your review!
Daniel_A, Apr 2024
Mark is both an amazing human being as well as a tour guide...his company was most pleasurable and we felt our tour was complete and lacked nothing!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you so much for your review and for choosing DTours!
Dennis_B, Apr 2024
The advertisement shows a picture of a horse drawn carriage. Based on that, we booked this tour in particular. What you get is a Subaru SUV and a driver. The visitor center on Meeting St. never heard of the tour company and called them for us. Very disappointing since I promised my wife a carriage ride for this birthday trip to Charleston. The ad is deceptive. Period.
The redeeming part was that Jon Batten, our driver was excellent and informative.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
It is true that we do not provide carriage tours. We will pick guests up at their hotel, you chose to meet us at the Visitors Center. Jon is an excellent guide and we will be sure to tell him you spoke highly of him.
David_K, Apr 2024
Jon had wonderful insight and stories to tell throughout our tour. The viewing of the beautiful homes and the Citadel campus were enlightening . I would recommend this tour to anyone interested in the history that lines the streets of Charleston.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
We are so pleased you enjoyed your tour and your guide, Jon. Thank you for choosing DTours!
Nikki_R, Dec 2023
Our guide was super hospitable and knowledgeable. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and time together! We were able to see a lot being driven.
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Thank you so much for your review and for choosing DTours!
judysyring, Nov 2023
Driver, Mark, was very knowledgeable about the area. His vehicle was clean and comfortable. He was also very pleasant and accommodating. We took his recommendation for lunch and was very satisfied!
Response from Host, Nov 2023
We're so glad you had a good experience, thanks for choosing Dtours!
Siobhan_S, Aug 2023
Enjoyed the battery and the citadel, especially with the tour guides personal history. Friendly and unassuming guide - enjoyed the experience!
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a 5 star review!
From $175.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Half Day Private Tour throughout Charleston Historic Locations
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