San Diego Scenic Tour
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
San Diego, USA
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
In just four hours, experience the scenic highlights of San Diego and its neighboring areas. Watch sea lions and pelicans on the beaches of La Jolla and capture fantastic views from the top of Mt Soledad. Soak up the Old World elegance of the mansions and Hotel Del on Coronado Island, and find peace in the urban oasis of Balboa Park. Wind through downtown and Old Town San Diego, learning about the city’s history along the way. Enjoy personalized attention on this small-group tour limited to just 14 people.
- See San Diego’s Little Italy, Gaslamp Quarter, Balboa Park and the Midway aircraft carrier
- Learn about Old Town San Diego, considered the birthplace of California
- Admire the beautiful beaches of La Jolla
- Gaze at the historic Hotel del Coronado
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Driver/guide
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 500 W Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
9.30AM: In front of The Guild Hotel (500 W. Broadway, 92101) . It's at the corner of Broadway & India street. There is a US Bank right next to it
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.9:30 am
Itinerary
Your tour starts and ends on W Broadway at an easy-to-find meeting spot. From here you’ll be on your way to see some of the best spots in San Diego, hear about the city’s history, and learn some insider tips, too.
You’ll pass through Little Italy and hear about its history, and maybe a few culinary hotspots, too. Next you’ll visit the sea lions and pelicans who call La Jolla Cove their home. After around 20 minutes here, you’ll head out to see some awesome views at Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial.
You’ll also stop in Old Town to hear about Hispanic culture in the area, and then head to Balboa Park to check out the architecture. Each of these stops is around 25 minutes. Following this, you’ll head to the quaint Coronado Island to walk the beach. On the way back to your meeting spot, you’ll pass through the Gaslamp Quarter- a lively part of the city.
You’ll pass through Little Italy and hear about its history, and maybe a few culinary hotspots, too. Next you’ll visit the sea lions and pelicans who call La Jolla Cove their home. After around 20 minutes here, you’ll head out to see some awesome views at Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial.
You’ll also stop in Old Town to hear about Hispanic culture in the area, and then head to Balboa Park to check out the architecture. Each of these stops is around 25 minutes. Following this, you’ll head to the quaint Coronado Island to walk the beach. On the way back to your meeting spot, you’ll pass through the Gaslamp Quarter- a lively part of the city.
Little Italy (Pass By)
1
La Jolla Cove
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Balboa Park
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Coronado Island
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Gaslamp Quarter (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Infant meals not included
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 601 reviews
David_F, Jul 2026
Our tour guide, Jim H., was amazing, hilarious, and taught us so much about the history of the locations we visited and city sites as we drove around. Parking tip, you can have a valet park your car at the Guild hotel for $25 (at the same spot where you get picked up for the tour).
Dion_S, Jun 2026
This tour touches on some of the highlight spots when visiting San Diego. I found it informative and worthwhile for brief stops at locations where one may want to come back later and spend more time.
Renata_S, Jun 2026
Jim was a fantastic tour guide! He is very knowledgeable and clearly has a passion for history and facts. He was very entertaining and funny the whole time and he knew the answers to any questions thrown at him and a bunch of random facts about places we were passing by. He was very punctual at all our stops and honorable mention he is also fluent in Spanish and he kept switching languages to make jokes to amuse all members in the car. Very great guy, super nice tour!
Rodelyn_B, Jun 2026
Our guide, Jim, was super informative. The only problem we had was the aircon in the van. We felt hot inside the van. The time on the stops was not enough. It was very hurried. I would not mind paying a little bit more for extra time especially at Balboa Park and Coronado. So I just look at this tour as preview for the best spots to go to. I’m just happy about all the good stories and info Jim told us.
David_S, Jun 2026
Really didn’t have time to see much. Ten to 20 minutes per stop and many other things very far away. Guide was Great though
Chris_T, Jun 2026
Jim was a great guide. Very knowledgeable. Fun way to see San Diego to see many of the highlights of San Diego!
Barb_K, Jun 2026
Jim was very entertaining and knowledgeable. Would recommend this tour!!!!! Was a great way see San Diego.
ElfiSwales, May 2026
We had Jim as our tour guide. The most knowledgeable person and extremely pleasant. We would highly recommend him.
Gloria_J, May 2026
Tour guide Jim was very informative and made the tour fun.
Would recommend to anyone coming to the area.
Gfatnani123, May 2026
The experience was very good, the guide Jim was very friendly & highy knowledgeable
I had a bad experience with the charge, I was charged in 2 separate cards my Chase Visa & my Apple Card, originally booked on my Chase Visa which had not gone through & was not confirmed, hence booked again in my Apple Card which was confirmed, Viator has still not given credit for one of the charges for $178, would have a difficulty in going in another tour with them with this kind of service
Jim_B, May 2026
Our guide Jim was extremely knowledgeable about the greater San Diego area. Touched on multiple iconic venues. Great tour!
Rebecca_W, May 2026
Fun tour with excellent tour guide! Good way to see lots of places and then go back another time if desired.
Roger_P, May 2026
A quick view of the main areas with short stops for a snapshot of the area. Very little time in Balboa park. La Jolla area it would have been nice to see the top area instead of just the pool area at the bottom. Would have been good if Tuna harbour /seaport village was included as we had to ask to be dropped there. A bit rushed at Coronado island as had very little time after walking there to look around the hotel Overall an overview but not enough time in most areas. A longer tour would have been better but it was my choice I suppose !
Ruth_K, May 2026
Excellent stops ! Very scenic ride. Our tour guide Jim Houliston was awesome! Super friendly and extremely knowledgeable. He spoke about each stop with lots of info. Very enjoyable guide !!
Janet_B, May 2026
Good overall tour of San Diego. Not much time is spent at each stop, which is fine, if you were like us, looking for ideas of where we might want to spend more time. Our tour guide, Jim was great: knowledgeable, interesting and fun!
The three stars comes from the mode of transportation. We were in a van, crammed together, taking all the seats (12). I was in the back corner the whole time, couldn’t see what he was pointing out often, and getting in and out at several stops was cumbersome. A shuttle type van would be much better.
Garnette_S, Apr 2026
Our guide Jim was very knowledgeable, kind and interesting. He guided us to many highlights of what San Diego has to offer. A great way to get a taste of the city.
onofre_c, Apr 2026
Excellent tour guide. Hit all the highlights of San Diego. Comfortable van and would recommend taking the t our.
Shilpa_S, Apr 2026
It was a great trip. Everything was according to schedule. Everyone should go on this tour on the first day in San Diego
Pier_M, Apr 2026
Great overview of San Diego made totally amazing by our tour guide, Jim. Not only was he welcoming, friendly, funny, but he’s a very intelligent, well-traveled and knowledgeable historian and storyteller about San Diego, from its inception to today. Though Old Town and Balboa Park felt a little rushed, you see enough that if you have the time to go back you can. Great tour! Thank you so much, Jim!
Debby_S, Apr 2026
Great tour! Jim was very informative,friendly and knew a lot about San Diego and several other cities too. Perfectly timed out. The bus was clean. A lot of info jammed into 4 hours. I highly recommend this tour.
Yevgeniya_B, Apr 2026
Great tour!!! Jim (from Scranton 😁) was our guide and he absolutely blew us away with his knowledge and different fun facts!!! We visited many different spots throughout San Diego such as La Jolla, Coronado Island, Balboa Park, Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, Old Town, etc. Would definitely recommend!
Sharon_P, Feb 2026
We enjoyed our tour very much. Jim ,our guide was very informative and knowledgeable. We stopped for approximately 30 minutes at 4 sites. Highly recommend.
Cheryl_P, Feb 2026
Very disappointing. dropped off at five places with 30 minutes to go look at it. Not what we expected at all. there were some expectation of some nice San Diego history but not what we really got
Amanda_R, Feb 2026
This tour hits a bunch of the major landmarks and gives you a taste for different neighborhoods. I’m surprised by how much we were able to see! Jim was an awesome tour guide- very knowledgeable, personable, and funny! Highly recommend this- especially as a first day activity on vacation so you know where you’d like to spend more time.
Paul_C, Feb 2026
An excellent way to spend 4hrs, visiting the key sights and sites of San Diego in a large, comfortable minibus. Our driver and tour guide, Jim, was an absolute mine of information - historical, cultural, geographical, demographical...you name it. His attention to detail even included a free bottle of water and a snack for everyone. We can thoroughly recommend doing this tour.
wayne_g, Feb 2026
Roxane was a fun tour guide. Her enthusiasm toward her adopted town of San Diego was on proud display as she took us around the selected city sights. Balboa Park, ocean-side to enjoy the sea lions, a Veterans' War Memorial, Coronado Island, Old Town were all stops along the way. It was a good way to help us decide how to spend our remaining, limited time in the city. One thing that impressed me was Roxane's comfort in driving around the city with ease. No nervousness, no trepidation with merging.
The smallest drawback might have been out of Roxane's control. The vehicle's air conditioning didn't keep the interior comfortable for many of us in the van. Maybe it was the fact that the weather that day was unseasonably warm, or the AC needed service, but it certainly should be fixable and not be an issue in the future. We would definitely use Viator again.
Jennifer_S, Feb 2026
Beautiful views, lots of great information to plan my week. Roxanne was wonderful, with tons of history, restaurant recommendations and more.
This is a great way to get an overview of the area, so you can spend your time where you really want.
Thomas_C, Jan 2026
Jim was a great tour guide. Knowledgable energetic enjoys his work. Interesting stops. I wish we had more time for museums at Balboa park.
Madlyn_D, Jan 2026
We had a fun day with enough time to explore the highlights of the city with a knowledgeable and awesome guide!
Amy_S, Dec 2025
This was such a great tour to introduce you to the city and beautiful surrounding places. Jim was engaging, knowledgeable, and thoughtful. Spend the money on day one of your trip, and you’ll have 1) the lay of the land, 2) lots of recommendations and places to circle back to, and 3) awesome pictures to capture your experience in SD. Highly recommended!
From $92.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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