San Diego in a Day: Private Full-Day Highlights Driving Tour in San Diego, CA

Explore the best of San Diego in a day, with its spectacular Spanish colonial architecture, rich Mexican heritage, and seventy miles of coastline with a private guide on this full-day driving tour where you will have the opportunity to see its most popular highlights and stop at your favorite spots.

On your private tour, you will:

• Enjoy hotel pick-up to start your tour with your professional driver guide;
• Cruise through some of the city's most iconic landmarks and natural wonders;
• Visit stunning La Jolla Cove, marvel at the crystal-clear waters and stunning coastal cliffs, and appreciate marine life and the bay;
• Snap a memorable photo at Soledad Mountain with breathtaking views of downtown San Diego, Tijuana, Mexico and Mission Bay;
• Walk around San Diego Old Town, a historic neighborhood that gives a glimpse into San Diego's rich past including the Spanish Mission;
• Explore Balboa Park, San Diego’s World Fair location, and visit the Botanic Garden and see the several great museums and Rose Gardens;
• See Cabrillo National Monument, stand at the westernmost point of the continental United States and enjoy stunning views of Downtown San Diego, Coronado Island and Tijuana Beach;
• Enjoy a walk around the waterfront, with a photo stop at the famous USS Midway, an iconic aircraft carrier that now serves as a museum;
• Discover the Gaslamp Quarter and soak up the energy of this vibrant neighborhood.

On this fascinating in-depth Private Full-Day San Diego Highlights tour, you will discover much about California’s second-largest city, from its ‘discovery’ by Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542, to the indigenous Kumeyaay peoples who occupied the area 12,000 years prior to European arrival.

Learn about the settlement of San Dieguito and the cultural, socio-political and historical developments that powered it to a city of a population of 1.4 million. With a deeply embedded Mexican heritage, the legacy of San Diego’s place in the Mexican Empire from 1821 is a fascinating story.

An Italian community, established in Waterfront Park in the early 19th century, has also shaped the culture of the city. See for yourself why San Diego - or Sandie as the locals call it - is dubbed America’s Finest City.

On the San Diego Private Half-Day Highlights tour, you will visit several of the city’s major historical sites –including Cabrillo National Monument and Balboa Park, quaint neighborhoods, and Coronado Island - a picturesque peninsula blessed by gorgeous beaches, tidal pools, and coves.

Soak up the buzz of the Gaslamp Quarter, the architecture of Old Town, and the sprawling green space of Balboa Park. San Diego offers plenty of mouth-watering options for lunch, from delicious fish tacos to homemade pasta, and your guide will happily direct you to their favorites in Old Town.

Visit a local beach, enjoy a laid-back hippy vibe and browse artisan trinkets before returning to explore the Gaslamp Quarter. At the end of the tour, your guide will drop you off back at your hotel or somewhere central of your choosing.

Please note that the Botanical Garden in Balboa Park is closed for major renovation until the end of 2024.