San Diego Walking Tour: Downtown History & Sights

Discover the rich history of downtown San Diego on a group walking tour. Explore the city’s founding in 1542, iconic landmarks, and modern-day industry. Don’t miss out!

Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Gaslamp Quarter - Josh will meet you in the lobby of the historic San Diego Trust and Savings Bank Building (now a Courtyard Marriott) to share information on how San Diego became the birthplace of California. You will learn about Spanish explorers, the first settlement of Old Town, the Mexican-American War, and becoming the 31st state in the U.S….
What's Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

This is a collective pedestrian tour to explore the attractions of San Diego’s city center. The excursion covers the comprehensive chronicles of San Diego, starting from its establishment in 1542 up to its contemporary industrialism. The trip includes data on San Diego’s pioneers and futurists, the Gaslamp Quarter, Horton Plaza Park, Santa Fe Depot, and the USS Midway Marine Museum.

Location
530 Broadway
Broadway
Josh will be wearing a tour guide name tag and will meet you in the lobby of the Courtyard Marriott San Diego Downtown. Please plan to arrive 10 minutes early to ensure the tour starts on time.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(38 Ratings)
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Alanrz3694mo
Sep 21, 2025
Enjoyable Tour with Josh - We enjoyed our walking tour of downtown San Diego with Josh very much. The tour was educational and Josh was very knowledgable. We would highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariarj9582jt
Sep 16, 2025
Great Walking Tour - I enjoyed the walking tour with Josh. He provided a good overview of the history of San Diego. He was very friendly and informative. He also provided recommendations and insights that I found useful. Thanks!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C2609mrisraelc
Sep 16, 2025
Great walking tour. - Josh was very professional and I was here with my first walking tour with my friend. We learned quite a bit about the establishment and infrastructure of San diego. I recommend this tour for anybody looking for a history lesson of this fabulous city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patrickld1393vi
Sep 16, 2025
Great Tour - Josh was a great tour guide, providing a lot of historical and interesting information about San Diego. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of this beautiful city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rodolfolv2859jj
Sep 16, 2025
A one of a kind tour in San Diego! - The knowledge Joshua has of this beautiful city is inspiring and nothing short of amazing. A must do when visiting San Diego!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
105crystale
Sep 6, 2025
Worth the walk - Joshua did so awesome showing us around down town and historical San Diego. Filled with so much knowledge. About hour and a half walk but way worth it
Review provided by Tripadvisor
725haleyv
Sep 6, 2025
Courteous, Competent, Chill - Joshua is so genial and courteous. We appreciate his knowledge of the downtown San Diego area. We also appreciate how he adapted his tour to our group's unique circumstances quickly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ralph_p
Sep 4, 2025
San Diego walking tour a great history lesson - Josh our tour guide was very knowledgeable we were so impressed that we have to revisit San Diego again to visit and see some of the places. We are leaving with a history lesson and learned so much we didn’t know. This should be on everyone’s bucket list. Thanks Josh for the great experience.
Review provided by Viator
C4763ggsilviap
Aug 25, 2025
Great story telling at Broadway Blv. Downtown San Diego - The tour was short an full of interesting spots and informations about the first steps of San Diego becoming a prospering city. Josh was great and always at the point. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
363josephb
Aug 23, 2025
A unique tour full of interesting historic insights - While in San Diego for work purposes, we had a free morning my wife and I decided to go on the Historical Walking Tour of San Diego. The tour was about 75 minutes and started in the Gaslamp District concluding by the Midway. Josh, the owner and tour guide really made the experience special. Josh's passion for history and effective story telling made for an informative and fun tour of San Diego. He shared stories about San Diego’s past, some of which were random good luck, while pointing out little details in the architecture and buildings that were easy to miss. History can sometimes feel a little dry, but not on this tour. Josh mixed in fun facts, interesting anecdotes, and even a few surprising bits of local trivia that kept everyone smiling and curious. He also did a great job making sure the group stayed comfortable, moving at a good pace and always being available for questions. The small group size allowed for maximum interactions with him and that tailored the tour to our specific interests. By the end of the tour, I had learned much more about the history of San Diego and how it came to be the vibrant city it is today. Whether you’re visiting from out of town or you’ve lived here for years, I’d highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $10
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).