The San Diego Highlights Tour
Recommended by 97% of travelers
San Diego, USA
- 7 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Experience San Diego’s scenic highlights and historic landmarks all in one day on this hassle-free, time-saving tour. Skirt the bay to Coronado Island, explore the Embarcadero, and then follow lush roads into Balboa Park’s elegant gardens and museums. Pause to find lunch in a Gaslamp Quarter restaurant, take in La Jolla’s world-class shopping district and sweeping coastline, and more, and while learning insider facts and stories along the way.
- This San Diego tour is a great pick for first-time or time-pressed visitors
- Check off top sights including Balboa Park, Coronado, and more
- Discover sights and stories along the way you might otherwise miss
- Round-trip transit via luxury Mercedes makes exploring the city hassle-free
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Longer than other city tours, this trip offers a full look at top sights and free time in the Gaslamp.
What's Included
- Narration by a professional guide
- Transport by Mercedes Tour Van
- Bottled Water and Small Snacks
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Another Side Of San Diego Tours300 G St, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
Our office is inside the brick-lined courtyard next to the Horton Plaza parking garage, look for the Another Side Tours sign and the blue door. Please see 'Additional Information' for information on where to park or call us at 1-619-239-2111
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.9:00 am
Itinerary
Another Side Of San Diego Tours (Pass By)
Coronado Bridge (Pass By)
1
Coronado Island
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
The Coronado Ferry Landing
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Coronado Beach (Pass By)
Hotel del Coronado (Pass By)
3
Embarcadero
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Gaslamp Quarter
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
5
Balboa Park
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Spanish Village Art Center (Pass By)
Botanical Building and Lily Pond (Pass By)
7
La Jolla Cove
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
El Prado (Pass By)
8
Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Please arrive at 8:45am to check-in, this is a semi-private tour so there will be other guests! If you are late the tour may depart without you. Please be courteous to other guests by arriving early and on time for the tour.
- Lyft & Uber: We are listed on the ride share apps as 'Another Side Of San Diego Tours'. Ride-shares are the preferred and best way for our guests to come to us.
- Parking Option 1: The LAZ Parking lot is located at 8th Ave. and G Street. The address is: 665 8th Ave San Diego, CA 92101
- Parking Option 2: The Park-It-On-Market lot is located at 7th Ave. and Market Street. The address is: 614 Market St. San Diego, CA 92101
- Parking Option 3: The next closest all day lot is at the corner of 2nd Ave. and Island. The lot is directly across from 100 Harbor Club Dr. San Diego, CA 92101 **Not available from 7/1 thru 7/31 due to Comic Con***
- A minimum of 4 people are required for this tour to go. Solo travelers welcome.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 999 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 73 reviews
Martha_C, Oct 2025
The overview of San Diego was one of our best-ever VIATOR tours
Julia is an excellent guide. She is friendly, helpful, and obviously loves the city. She has an in-depth knowledge of its history, as well as the old and the new parts of San Diego. She had fun behind the scene stories to share. We shopped, ate great food and saw absolutely beautiful spots in and around the city. Our seven hour tour was priceless. We will recommend this tour to friends who plan to visit San Diego.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Dear Martha,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a wonderful review. We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your San Diego Highlights Tour and that Julia made the experience so special. She truly loves sharing the beauty and history of our city, and your kind words mean the world to her and our entire team.
Your message truly made our year. If you have a moment, we would be so grateful if you could share your experience across the web on sites like Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor. Your words help other guests discover us and support our small, family-run company.
We are so glad that your day was filled with great food, fun stories, and beautiful sights. We would be honored to welcome you back again, whether in San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, or Maui, for more priceless memories with Another Side Of Los Angeles Tours.
All The Best,
Kenneth
wendy_E, Sep 2025
We throughly enjoyed our day with Julia. She showed us so many of the highlights. We found her enthusiasm for San Diego contagious. It was a great tour
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Dear Wendy,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review of The San Diego Highlights Tour. I am thrilled to hear that you had such an enjoyable day with Julia. She has an incredible passion for our city, and I am delighted that her enthusiasm and knowledge helped make your experience both memorable and fun.
We are grateful that you chose to spend your time with us and that we could share some of San Diego’s most special places with you. As a small, family run company, hearing that our tours leave a lasting impression truly means the world to us.
We hope to welcome you again in the future, whether it be back here in San Diego or on one of our tours in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, or Maui.
All The Best,
Kenneth
Ernie_W, Jul 2025
Awesome tour of the San Diego area. Julia is extremely knowledgeable, entertaining and flexible to adjust the tour to our desires.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Dear Ernie,
Thank you so much for your kind review. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed The San Diego Highlights Tour and that Julia made the experience so memorable for you. Her knowledge, flexibility, and fun personality truly make her a wonderful guide, and we will be sure to share your kind words with her.
If you ever find yourself visiting Las Vegas, Los Angeles, or Maui, please look us up. We have more incredible experiences we would love to share with you.
Thank you again for choosing us and for taking the time to share your feedback. We hope to host you on another adventure soon.
All The Best,
Kenneth
Masud_H, Jul 2025
Excellent experience with tour guide Julia. She was very knowledgeable, and knew about people and places. A solid 5 stars for her customer service.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear Masud,
Thank you so much for your wonderful review of The San Diego Highlights Tour! We’re thrilled to hear that you had an excellent experience and that Julia made such a great impression with her knowledge and hospitality. She truly is one of our best, and we’re proud to have her on our team.
We’d be honored to welcome you back on another adventure—perhaps next time in Las Vegas or Los Angeles, where we also offer the same level of exceptional service and memorable experiences.
With gratitude,
Kenneth
President & CEO
Another Side Tours, Inc.
Stephen_L, Jul 2025
Great way to see an overview of San Diego in a day to get a good sense of the city or even to plan where you wanna go back and go into more detail exploring later on in your trip. She had lots of enthusiasm.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Dear Stephen_L,
Thank you for joining us on our San Diego Highlights Tour, and for taking the time to share your experience! We're so glad to hear you enjoyed the overview of the city—it’s exactly what we aim for: a fun, engaging way to discover San Diego while helping you plan your deeper adventures during your visit.
We’re especially pleased that your guide’s enthusiasm stood out—it’s our mission to make each tour not just informative, but truly memorable.
We’d love the opportunity to welcome you back on another tour soon—maybe next time with us in Los Angeles or Las Vegas! Each city has its own magic, and we'd be honored to show you around with the same energy and care.
Warm regards,
Kenneth
President & CEO
Another Side Tours, Inc.
Judy_Z, Aug 2023
Really appreciated having Jeff as our tour guide! So much interesting and fun information all along the tour. The tour more than met our expectations! THANK YOU JEFF!!
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Thank you immensely for sharing your glowing review of "The San Diego Highlights Tour" with us on Viator! We're thrilled to hear that you had such a wonderful experience, and it brings us immense joy to know that Jeff made your tour truly memorable with his interesting and fun commentary.
Jeff is indeed a fantastic guide who takes pride in providing informative and enjoyable tours, and we're delighted to hear that he exceeded your expectations. Your appreciation means the world to us, and we'll be sure to pass on your gratitude to Jeff.
We would love to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for another adventure with us in the future. Whether it's exploring more highlights of San Diego or discovering new exciting destinations, we're here to ensure you have an unforgettable time. Until then, safe travels and keep the exploration spirit alive!
Sandra_O, Apr 2023
Judy was very knowledgeable and entertaining. It was a wonderful way to tour the beautiful city of San Diego. It was exactly what we were looking for.
Response from Host, Apr 2023
Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with Judy's tour of San Diego! We are thrilled to hear that you found her to be knowledgeable and entertaining. We take pride in providing our guests with the best possible experience, and it's always gratifying to know that our efforts have paid off.
Judy is indeed an expert in her field and she has a passion for sharing her knowledge of the city with others. She is one of the best tour guides we have, and we are glad that you found her tour to be exactly what you were looking for. San Diego is a beautiful city, and we are delighted that you were able to enjoy it through Judy's tour.
Thank you again for your kind words. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back soon for another amazing tour experience!
ChienNeng_C, Oct 2017
If you have only one day to stay in the San Diego area this is the tour you should take. Of course if you have several days to spend there you should also consider taking this tour as our tour guide Adam is very knowledgeable and will recommend you many interesting places you could go after the tour. Had a great time!
James F, Oct 2017
A very enjoyable day of course great weather and the tour maximized our visit to San Diego.
brian b, Sep 2017
We only had a day in San Diego, so we took the full day tour with Adam as our guide.The morning tour was of the downtown San Diego area and included all the high lights as noted. Adam gave good background and historical information about everything. His friendly and fun attitude combined with the local knowledge of the area made the tour enjoyable. In the afternoon we tour moved north to La Jolla and the beaches was filled with great views of the shoreline. A great day well spent.
Candace C, Aug 2017
The four of us had a wonderful tour of San Diego and the surrounding area led by Adam in a comfortable van. Adam was extremely knowledgeable and tailored the tour to our wishes and needs. Well worth the cost!
Tammy I, Jun 2017
We enjoyed a great day with our tour guide Adam. He took us to many spots around the city, including many beaches. He also offered recommendations on places to eat. Highly recommend!
Dana C, Mar 2017
We took a city tour that was divided into morning and afternoon parts. In the morning half we had the two young tour guides one was learning the ropes all to ourselves in a black Mercedes Benz Sprinter van. This portion was devoted to the downtown San Diego area and we would give this portion 5 stars. At the completion of this morning tour, the guides recommended a good place to eat lunch downtown which was less than two blocks from their office. As it has been a year since we took this tour I can't remember the name of the place but it was indeed very good! The afternoon portion went up the road north a bit and visited a beach, La Jolla, and a World War II Veteran's monument. All of these were nice but maybe not quite as entertaining as the morning session had been. Maybe we were getting just a bit tired towards the end of the tour and then the afternoon traffic picked up quite a bit which made getting out of La Jolla a bit of a drag. This tour provided a reasonable amount of stops and adequate time was give to explore during these breaks. All in all we would recommend taking this tour as a good way to familiarize yourself with the area before going out on your own.
Alycia_K, Jan 2017
I highly recommend this tour if you're visiting San Diego for the first time. Adam was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of restaurant recommendations as well as some buildings that have great views as we drove by. The tour itself was amazing, a great way to see all of San Diego and take pictures
Sheilla_S, Nov 2016
Great way of spending the day in the city and getting to know almost every corner of it. Highly recommended!
Laurine C, Sep 2016
Great way to see a lot in a day. Adam was an excellent tour host. We are an older couple so we saw and learn a lot in a short period of time with less physical stress. The highlight for us was Mt, Soledad with the veterans memorial and great view,Many stops for photos.A good value.
Timothy O, Jun 2016
We enjoyed our tour immensely! Chris was very personable and knowledgeable. We really liked the small group experience, it made the whole tour much more special.
James P, Mar 2016
An excellent way to see this beautiful city and know what you want to see again. Called from our rental car and were directed on where to park, had an excellent guide and thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
Paul Z, Feb 2016
Very pleasant, educational and fun. Would easily would recommend to everyone. Tour guide was great.
ijessvip, Jan 2016
The tour guide was incompetent. Had no knowledge about the city and was just driving us around. We didn't receive any information or learned anything about San Diego.
Reimer_H, Dec 2025
Highly recommended. 8 hours of great experience. Were in the small group of five on the road in Mercedes. Great tour with Julia.
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Response from Host, Dec 2025
Dear Reimer_H,
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your review. We truly appreciate your kind recommendation and are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your San Diego Highlights Tour.
An eight hour day exploring the city in a small group is a wonderful way to experience San Diego, and we are so glad the Mercedes transport and intimate group size added to the comfort and overall experience. Julia is an exceptional guide, and we are thrilled to hear that her hosting, knowledge, and enthusiasm helped make the day so memorable for you. We will be sure to share your kind words with her.
Thank you again for choosing to tour with us. Reviews like yours mean a great deal to our team and to our small business. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you again in San Diego, or on one of our tours in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, or Maui in the future.
Kenneth
Owner, Another Side Tours, Inc.
From $229.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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