5 Reasons to Try a Local San Diego Walking Tour
When it comes to exploring the Finest City in the United States, you can’t get much more up-close-and-personal than a San Diego walking tour. You get boots-on-the-ground knowledge of the neighborhood through the eyes of expert local guides, some steps in, and the chance to get a holistic view of the town in a few quick hours.
The Benefits of Walking Tours
#1 Get to know the neighborhood by foot
With a San Diego walking tour, you get immersed in the sights, history, street art, and architecture, as well as the local businesses that make San Diego the amazing city it is. From Little Italy, the Gaslamp District, Old Town, and La Jolla, a walking tour in San Diego gives you the best of each neighborhood by foot. Plus, you get some steps in between the stops to local restaurants and viewpoints.
#2 San Diego like a local
Another key advantage of a guided walking tour is that you don’t just rely on your own internet searches to tour the town, you get to do San Diego like a local when you go on San Diego walking tours. Many San Diego food tours are run by small local companies that start these tours out of the passion for sharing their city. So Diego is a local, women-owned and operated company with a passion for hosting guests throughout our city. This includes taking you to some of our favorite hidden gem restaurants and bars. One such example is our Old Town Tequilas, Tacos, and Tombstones tour — where we go to the SD local fave — Elote — for some Mexican Street Corn!
#3 Meet other explorers
A San Diego walking tour is the perfect chance to meet other people interested in exploring the city and its food and culture from a different perspective than most people. You already have that in common, so you may find yourself befriending people and making plans to hang out with them after the tour — whether for your visit to San Diego or to further take the town together as locals to SD. We’ve even had a few love connections on our walking tours — several guests have met and later were married!
Polite Provisions in North Park via thisistheplaceiwastellingyouabout.com
#4 Tips to further explore San Diego
Online articles can help you navigate a new city, but they pale in comparison to tips from someone who knows the ins and outs of San Diego to give you first-hand tips on where to make sure you go while you’re in town — think Little Italy, Gaslamp, La Jolla — but can also suggest to you smaller known places in the North Park and South Park neighborhoods that us locals love as well!
Explore + Experience
Daily Tours
A walking history tour of San Diego’s thriving “New Town”
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Enjoy haunted tales, mariachi music, lots of food, and fun!
Explore little italy, while sampling premium wines and Italian food.
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Join our Little Italy walking tour full of food, fun, and Italian culture.
Indulge your senses and taste original flavors from restaurants.
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#5 Explore more in less time
You’ll learn the history, taste a variety of food, and go into a number of local establishments in less than 3 hours on a San Diego walking tour. After one of our tours, for example, you will have an in depth knowledge of the Gaslamp Quarter’s scandalous origins, try out a few of the best restaurants, and walk by many places you’ll want to return to check out as well! If you’re planning on getting to know a neighborhood anyway, it’s better to do so on a guided tour, and if you like it, you come back for more!
The Different Types of Walking Tours
San Diego has many places to explore, and as a result, there are many walking tours out there to meet your needs. Our Daily Tours:
Gaslamp Quarter: Brothels, Bites, and Booze
Learn the secrets behind the district’s historic buildings, and scandalous brothels, and explore some of the best eats and drinks in the modern Gaslamp Quarter.
Go on out La Jolla walking tour. Experience swanky city streets, sweeping ocean views of the Pacific and the La Jolla Cove, and taste our carefully-curated selection of beachside bites.
Little Italy: Pizza, Pasta, and Piazzas
Join our Little Italy guided walking tour full of food, fun, and Italian culture. Known for its various restaurants and a great place for a scavenger hunt, America’s biggest Little Italy has become a food lover’s bucket list destination, and we’re here to show it off!
Learn about Little Italy’s rich history and, of course, sample the food and award winning wine that makes Little Italy one of the best dining locations in all of San Diego.
Old Town: Tequila, Tacos, and Tombstones
Go back in time to Old Town San Diego—also known as the Birthplace of California. You’ll discover the events and learn about the individuals that led to Old Town’s current popularity as a cultural hotspot, and get authentic food tastings, elevated cocktail sampling, and a haunted location or two for an unforgettable historic Old Town, San Diego experience.
Want something different? We also have private tours, including: San Diego Breweries, Carlsbad Food and Drink Tour, and a Coronado Island Tour.
Popular Walking Tour Areas in San Diego
If you’re looking to explore San Diego on a walking tour, some of the best places to pick are Little Italy, Gaslamp Quarter, La Jolla, Coronado, and Old Town.
If there’s another area you’d like to explore, SoDiego also offers private tours for 10+ people to give you a fully curated experience.
How to Choose the Right Tour for You
There are many factors to consider when choosing the right San Diego tour for you. For the most part, walking tour companies make all of them have similar amounts of walking so you can choose more so by area preference. Do you love pizza? Are you interested in Spanish-American history? These are the types of things you think about and latch onto to find the tour that resonates most with you.
And, you can also go by which part of town you want to have your exploration itinerary taken care of, or you’re dying to visit. If you don’t know where to begin regarding Gaslamp, our team of local San Diego tour guides can give you a full taste of any neighborhood in three hours.
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No matter the walking tour you choose, we cannot wait for you to experience all that San Diego has to offer through the eyes of locals!
Written by: Melissa
Melissa hails from San Jose, CA, and has been a San Diego local for five years now after a 10-year long pit stop in Los Angeles. In L.A., she began her writing career crafting digital content for a wide range of clients, including The Real Talk Show, Sharon Osbourne, Hank Azaria, Time Life, and Cardinal Financial. She’s excited to be able to use her passion for writing to introduce people to some of the best spots in San Diego, many of which she has already frequented or has on her ever-expanding list of things to do … In her spare time, she enjoys taking her puppy Milo to all of the best dog beaches in SD, grabbing a glass of wine or a cup of joe at new places, and hosting watch parties for The Bachelor/ette TV show.
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The historic Gaslamp Quarter is famous for its entertainment, shopping, and nightlife, but most people don’t realize the historic district was once home to one of the most anticipated red light districts in the West. On this guided Gaslamp tour full of cuisine, culture, and curiosities, we’ll take you through the scandalous post-Gold Rush history of the heart of downtown San Diego.
On our Tequila, Tacos and Tombstones guided tour, we take you back in time to Old Town San Diego—also known as the Birthplace of California. Together with one of our expert tour guides, you’ll discover the events and learn about the individuals that led to Old Town’s current popularity as a cultural hotspot.
But don’t worry, we don’t believe in following the usual tourist paths when it comes to exploring a town so rich in history and culture. On our Old Town food tour, you’ll get authentic food tastings, elevated cocktail sampling, and a haunted location or two for an unforgettable historic Old Town experience.
No San Diego Little Italy walking tour would be complete without exploring this culinary hotspot’s best places to eat. Known for its variety of restaurants, America’s biggest Little Italy has become a food lover’s bucket list destination, and we’re here to show it off!
Join our Little Italy walking tour full of food, fun, and Italian culture.
Planning a romantic date or your next friend’s night out? Our Little Italy wine tasting tour is the perfect way to elevate your outing and get to know one of San Diego’s most unique downtown neighborhoods.
As we stroll through this historic fishing town, you’ll learn all about the area’s rich history and, of course, sample the food and wine that makes Little Italy one of the best dining locations in all of San Diego and, dare we say, Southern California.
