With so much to see and do everywhere you look in San Diego, many visitors decide that the best way to try and see it all is by going on a guided tour. From the educational to the entertaining and everything in between, San Diego is full of enlightening guided tours sure to appeal to a diverse array of audiences. Want to learn about San Diego’s history? Consider an informative walking tour of its oldest neighborhoods. Want to see the entire city while for the most part staying off your feet? A bus or trolley tour might be just the thing. Want to observe San Diego’s waterfront from a distinctive perspective? A kayaking tour will make for an afternoon you’ll never forget. Throw any number of boat tours, harbor cruises, and whale-watching adventures into the mix, and you name it, you’ll find it here in San Diego.
Popular San Diego Tour Types
While there are plenty of popular bus, trolley, walking, and kayaking tours out there, many visitors to San Diego choose to take a boat tour of the beautiful seaside city. If this sounds like fun to you, you’ll be spoiled for options. One especially well-regarded boat tour is the San Diego Seal Tour, which spends part of its time on land and the rest of it in the water. It’s a terrific opportunity for those who want to experience San Diego’s coastline, but don’t really need to spend too much time too far ashore.
Another popular type of tour available in the San Diego area involves whale watching. These unique experiences offer guests the opportunity to cruise out to sea on a large yacht in search of spectacular views of San Diego’s diverse marine wildlife. Along the way you’ll be able to enjoy an illuminating, real-time narration by a trained professional guide as you catch glimpses of everything from dolphins to sea lions to—fingers crossed—the largest mammal found anywhere on Earth, the majestic blue whale. As you keep your head on a swivel, you can take your pick of indoor or outdoor seating and dine on treats from the on-board snack bar and souvenir stand.
The harbor cruise is a terrific choice for those folks who want to experience San Diego from the water but don’t necessarily desire to travel too far from the shore or learn as much about marine life native to the area—though the subject of San Diego’s natural beauty and its animal inhabitants will certainly still be covered. One of these popular harbor cruises usually lasts around 90 minutes or so, and takes you past all the most famous landmarks of the city. It’s a fun way to see San Diego from a different vantagepoint.
San Diego Bus Tours
San Diego Kayak Tours
San Diego Harbor Cruises
San Diego Whale Watches
San Diego Boat Tours
There’s a San Diego Tour Company for Everyone
It’s difficult to go wrong with any one of the popular tours described above. However, depending on what exactly what you want from your San Diego tour experience—and depending on who exactly you’re visiting San Diego with—some tours might prove a better fit for your needs and desires than others.
If you’re completely new to the city, you can’t go wrong starting your visit with a guided bus or trolley tour of San Diego. These classic excursions are a great way to get your bearings while seeing all the major attractions in one comfortable outing. Plus, you can use this type of tour as a means for getting around—or, if you’re traveling with kids, you can hop on and hop off at various stops whenever suits your crew.
If you’re the outdoorsy type looking to get in some fresh air, sun, and exercise while taking in the scenery, you’ll probably want to look into one of the fine walking, biking, or kayaking tours available to you. These engaging tours come in a variety of lengths and difficulties—designed for participants of all ages, skills, and experiences—but are ultimately best enjoyed by those guests who don’t mind working up a bit of a sweat during their sightseeing.
Of course, this being San Diego, there’s also exciting tours out there that involve snorkeling and even fishing. As a result, if there’s one thing to take away from this discussion of all your different San Diego tour options, it’s this simple fact: there’s a San Diego tour out there that’s perfect for you.