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Beyond San Diego

San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter Historic True Crime Tour

Badge of Excellence
San Diego, USA
Popular pick
Booked 10+ times last week!
  • 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.6
·
· Margaret_H ·
May 2026
Was a truly amazing experience! Leila explained so much about the city. Was not expecting such a great experience. The history of San Diego is fascinating and more than we ever expected.
· Kara_S ·
May 2026
Marlene was a great story teller- informative and fun as she led us around Gasworks and showed us the places where history (and crime) happened. Super fun!

Overview

Fans of true crime won't want to miss this tour of San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. Your guide will take you through the area formerly known as Stingaree, telling you the back stories of some gruesome crimes that have taken place over the years, with a stop to visit a haunted hotel along the way.
  • Learn about the Gaslamp Quarter’s dark past
  • A local guide will show you around
  • Visit a historic haunted hotel
  • Group sizes capped at 25 travelers

What's Included

  • Guided Tour
  • Gratuities
  • Parking Fees

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • 614 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101, USA

    Look for the detective outside the door marked 614, next to Henry's Pub. Please do not enter Henry's Pub unless you are dining there.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Horton Grand Hotel (Pass By)

San Diego Chinese Historical Museum (Pass By)

The Old Spaghetti Factory (Pass By)

Henry's Pub (Pass By)

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.6
based on 258 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Sort by: Most insightful

Time well spent

Gabe_E, Jul 2026
It’s fun to learn new history about a city you think you know. Marlene was an excellent Guide. She was both knowledgeable and entertaining. The tour was a good mix of San Diego history and true crime. I highly recommend this for both tourists and locals.

Quirky

Bernadette_S, Jul 2026
I thought murders would be from earlier times. Listening to recent murders didn’t line up with the historical narrative.

Fun tour!

Alissa_S, Jul 2026
This was a very fun tour - informative and interesting without being boring or an overload on historical details. Marlene was a Great tour guide!

Disappointed

Alicja_P, Jul 2026
I was very disappointed with this tour. Our guide was 20 minutes late but that would be fine if the rest of the tour was ok. She was trying to be funny and it truly was inappropriate at times. For example when she was talking about the girl that was sexually assaulted and murdered. In addition Luna was loosing her train of thoughts and saying constantly; don't quote me on that etc. She mentioned she had ADHD and it sounded exactly like that :( I had very high hopes for this tour based on the other reviews. Extremely disappointed. Just bad luck with the wrong guide I quess.

Marlene was great! She...

Robin_M, Jun 2026
Marlene was great! She was engaging and made sure we were comfortable with the stories since we had an 11 year old. She is a great storyteller and had us captivated.

Layla was the best she...

Eric_P, Jun 2026
Layla was the best she made the evening fun and was vary knowledgable. Nice to learn a little about the history of the Gas Lamp area.

Layla was awesome and...

Kariemah_G, Jun 2026
Layla was awesome and knowledgeable about everything San Diego! It was beautiful weather and we had a great time!

Marlene was a great story...

Kara_S, May 2026
Marlene was a great story teller- informative and fun as she led us around Gasworks and showed us the places where history (and crime) happened. Super fun!

Wouldn’t Recommend it!!!

Andrew_E, May 2026
I expected a lot more stories of the true crime story. Was told about two only so felt that the website was very misleading.

Layla shared history...

Carlene_O, May 2026
Layla shared history pertaining to the Gas Light district. She demonstrated her love of the area and was animated in telling stories.

Leila was so fun. She...

Julie_T, May 2026
Leila was so fun. She kept us entertained and on our toes. Thanks for a great tour and all the interesting facts.

Murders in the gas light district

Margaret_H, May 2026
Was a truly amazing experience! Leila explained so much about the city. Was not expecting such a great experience. The history of San Diego is fascinating and more than we ever expected.

Marley was very...

Tricia_D, Apr 2026
Marley was very knowledgeable, nothing was scripted. I was impressed with all the facts and details of events.

Leila, the tour guide,...

John_H, Apr 2026
Leila, the tour guide, was wonderful. She was so personable and answered all of our questions and gave us a unique perspective on the Gaslamp area

Whiskey shots but no pictures

Steve_B, Apr 2026
We had a great time with our guide but we forgot to get the picture We went to the whiskey bar and took pictures with our guide and forgot to exchange!

Excellent tour. We...

John_C, Mar 2026
Excellent tour. We learned so much about the history of the gaslamp quarter. It's definitely worth it!

Leila was very kind,...

Delaney_S, Mar 2026
Leila was very kind, silly and informative! I would recommend this to anyone going to San Diego, especially if you’re into murder mystery.

Informative fun

Marilyn_H, Feb 2026
Very informative and fun the guide was very interesting and so fun to listen too. We plan on staying in touch. The tour helped me learn a lot about the Gaslamp Quarter

It was a wonderful...

Ayalen_P, Feb 2026
It was a wonderful experience and while my aunt was a tourist, I was a local and learned so much during the tour that I would have never imagined. I highly recommend this tour and especially with Leila, one of the best tour guides I've ever seen. She was kind and energetic with the explanations while remaining respectful with the cases she talked about. Please please give this tour a chance because you won't regret it and you'll be hooked the entire time.

Leila was great!

Jaymie_F, Nov 2025
Very informative and interesting to know more history about the buildings we just walk past daily. So fun!

Worth it!

Kimberley_D, Oct 2025
We love going on ghost tours and hearing the stories of the city. This had historic touch with mystery and mayhem. All my favorite things. Would definitely do this tour again.

Luna did amazing!

Loghan_K, Oct 2025
It was very fun and the perfect amount of time! The stories were chilling and interesting! Loved learning about this city!

awesome

michael_a, Sep 2025
great experience overall would do it again the guide was full of knowledge and entertaining thank you

Great experience

Jeaniffer_M, Jul 2025
Informative, lots of history, not overwhelming walking wise.. Tour guide was very knowledgeable, pleasant and fun 🤗

Awesome tour!!!

Damaris_S, Jul 2025
Wow! This was a super awesome tour. RT was our guide and he was just so knowledgeable and friendly. Not only did he go over murder mysteries, but he also made sure we knew about the history of San Diego. He showed us historical buildings and the tales behind them as well. I would totally take this tour again and highly recommend it.

Fascinating walking tour...

Jeffrey_S, Jun 2025
Fascinating walking tour through the Gaslamp district with hidden gems of historical and notorious locations. Our tour guide Leila was entertaining, friendly and a wealth of knowledge.

Enjoyable

Renee_R, Dec 2024
Our guide Layla was wonderful and informative. Lots of fun. We had a wonderful time. I would recommend this tour.

Great time!

Annette_K, Oct 2024
Leila was an amazing tour guide. Really great time! Would definitely recommend for an entertaining evening experience.

Informative and fun!

Connie_B, Sep 2024
Great fun to learn some of the history of San Diego as well as some of the things that had happened in the Red Light District. Our guide was knowledgeable and a good story teller. I appreciate that they ran the tour for our small group

Fun Walking Tour

Melanie_W, Sep 2024
Absolute blast walking through gaslamp quarter and hearing about murders that took place there! Great story telling, not too much walking but a good distance. Highly recommend - not too long, not too short.
Likely to Sell Out

From $29.99

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 13 days in advance.

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