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Discover San Diego's Beaches: Private Driving Tour

Discover San Diego's Beaches: Private Driving Tour Gallery Image 1
Discover San Diego's Beaches: Private Driving Tour Gallery Image 2

With 266 days of golden sunshine a year, San Diego has bright skies and a mild climate benefit with gentle ocean breezes mitigating the heat.

On your private driving tour of San Diego’s beaches, you will:

Enjoy hotel pick-up and drop-off from your private driver-guide at any centrally located San Diego hotel;

Begin your day at La Jolla Cove, where you will see active marine life;

Enjoy spectacular views from Soledad Mountain, from which you can see Mission Bay, downtown, and Tijuana Beach;

Visit Pacific and Ocean beaches, where you will begin to see how each beach town has its own communal vibe;

Enjoy breathtaking scenery at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park;

Venture to Coronado Island, where you will take a stroll, and even see the famed and haunted Hotel Del;

Enjoy a lunch stop at any number of local places recommended by your guide (price not included in the tour);

Finish your tour with a stroll around scenic Seaport Village, where you will be able to see the US Navy hard at work and see how large an aircraft carrier is from the port. 

Stretching from Oceanside to the Mexican border and from the beach east into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Cleveland National Forest, San Diego’s 70 miles of picturesque coastline boasts 33 gorgeous sandy beaches. Rugged bays and tide pools teem with barnacles, crabs and sea urchins and are home to seals and sea lions, while dolphins, whales and turtles can be spotted in open water.

Each beach has its own distinct Southern California beach culture, from skaters on boardwalks to palm-hemmed secluded sands and laid-back hang-outs where surfers rule the waves. Your Private Tour of the San Diego Coast and Beaches takes you straight to the finest coastal stretches to discover the heart and soul of the city where, literally, life's a beach.

Your tour visits Ocean Beach, with its laid-back rhythm. It has a vintage SoCal hippy vibe with surf shops, taco stands, microbreweries and dog-friendly sands. Here, you can enjoy a pit stop at one of the many beachside eateries, or wait until you hit the crashing waves of the Pacific Beach. Serious surfers head to Pacific Beach - or “PB” as the locals call it - for an electric party atmosphere, glowing bonfires and excellent swells.

Your final stop is La Jolla, a scenic stretch dubbed ‘Paradise by the Sea’ sheltered by a 300-ft rocky bluff that is home to seals, sea lions, numerous seabirds, lush beach flora and a wide sweep of soft honey-coloured sand.

Along the Point Loma Peninsula’s western shoreline, the 68-acre Sunset Cliffs Natural Park encompasses native coastal scrub, dramatic cliff formations, craggy caves, intertidal lagoons and mesmerizing panoramic ocean views.

The alabaster-white sands of Coronado Island, home to the haunted Hotel Del Coronado, boasts quintessential San Diego seaside allure, running along Ocean Boulevard and evoking the era of Marilyn Monroe, who famously filmed Some Like It Hot here in 1958. Next Seaport Village where a picturesque century-old harbourside boasts numerous seafood bistros and waterfront cafés.

Please note: Your guide will be happy to drop you off at one of the last beaches on the tour, so feel free to bring your swimsuits and towels to soak up the glorious San Diego sun!

Overview

With 266 days of golden sunshine a year, San Diego has bright skies and a mild climate benefit with gentle ocean breezes mitigating the heat. On your private driving tour of San Diego’s beaches, you will: Enjoy hotel pick-up and drop-off from your private driver-guide at any centrally located San Diego hotel; Begin your day at La Jolla Cove, where you will see active marine life; Enjoy spectacular views from Soledad Mountain, from which you can see Mission Bay, downtown, and Tijuana Beach; Visit Pacific and Ocean beaches, where you will begin to see how each beach town has its own communal vibe; Enjoy breathtaking scenery at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park; Venture to Coronado Island, where you will take a stroll, and even see the famed and haunted Hotel Del; Enjoy a lunch stop at any number of local places recommended by your guide (price not included in the tour); Finish your tour with a stroll around scenic Seaport Village, where you will be able to see the US Navy hard at work and see how large an aircraft carrier is from the port.  Stretching from Oceanside to the Mexican border and from the beach east into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and the Cleveland National Forest, San Diego’s 70 miles of picturesque coastline boasts 33 gorgeous sandy beaches. Rugged bays and tide pools teem with barnacles, crabs and sea urchins and are home to seals and sea lions, while dolphins, whales and turtles can be spotted in open water. Each beach has its own distinct Southern California beach culture, from skaters on boardwalks to palm-hemmed secluded sands and laid-back hang-outs where surfers rule the waves. Your Private Tour of the San Diego Coast and Beaches takes you straight to the finest coastal stretches to discover the heart and soul of the city where, literally, life's a beach. Your tour visits Ocean Beach, with its laid-back rhythm. It has a vintage SoCal hippy vibe with surf shops, taco stands, microbreweries and dog-friendly sands. Here, you can enjoy a pit stop at one of the many beachside eateries, or wait until you hit the crashing waves of the Pacific Beach. Serious surfers head to Pacific Beach - or “PB” as the locals call it - for an electric party atmosphere, glowing bonfires and excellent swells. Your final stop is La Jolla, a scenic stretch dubbed ‘Paradise by the Sea’ sheltered by a 300-ft rocky bluff that is home to seals, sea lions, numerous seabirds, lush beach flora and a wide sweep of soft honey-coloured sand. Along the Point Loma Peninsula’s western shoreline, the 68-acre Sunset Cliffs Natural Park encompasses native coastal scrub, dramatic cliff formations, craggy caves, intertidal lagoons and mesmerizing panoramic ocean views. The alabaster-white sands of Coronado Island, home to the haunted Hotel Del Coronado, boasts quintessential San Diego seaside allure, running along Ocean Boulevard and evoking the era of Marilyn Monroe, who famously filmed Some Like It Hot here in 1958. Next Seaport Village where a picturesque century-old harbourside boasts numerous seafood bistros and waterfront cafés. Please note: Your guide will be happy to drop you off at one of the last beaches on the tour, so feel free to bring your swimsuits and towels to soak up the glorious San Diego sun!

Location

Meeting Point Map

Hotel pickup is available upon request. Please note that if you don't provide the details the guide will meet you at Tony Gwynn's Statue in 'Park at the Park' outside Petco Park.

Duration

5 hours

Start Times

10:00, 13:00

Address

840 K St, San Diego, CA 92101, USA

Open Google Map

Inclusions

  • A friendly, professional English-speaking driver guide for your own private group
  • Plenty of time to take photos of your favourite places
  • Private transportation including hotel pick-up and drop-off

Exclusions

  • Food and drink
  • Gratuities

Venues

  • Seaport Village

    Seaport Village was built on landfill over Punta de los Muertos (Spanish for Point of the Dead), where the Spanish expedition of 1782 buried those who had died of scurvy. In later years it was a railroad yard where goods and other materials used to come through the area. The famous USS Midway turned into a museum is located few yards away.

  • Coronado Island

    Coronado was incorporated as a town on December 11, 1890. The land was purchased by Elisha Spurr Babcock, along with Hampton L. Story, and Jacob Gruendike. Their intention was to create a resort community, and in 1886, the Coronado Beach Company was organized. By 1888, they had built the Hotel del Coronado, and the city became a major resort destination.

  • La Jolla

    Along the dramatic coastline lies Scripps Park, where families can picnic throughout the summer, while enjoying Fourth of July fireworks and concerts under the stars. Just south of the park is the Children’s Pool, where a seawall was originally built to protect kids from incoming waves, but has been long taken over by a local seal colony. People are no longer permitted to swim here, but you can walk out along the seawall for a close-up view of the wildlife.

  • Ocean Beach

    One of San Diego's bohemian neighborhoods, Ocean Beach is an idyllic beach for passing a day in the sand and wandering the pier for a bite.

  • Hotel Del Coronado

    One of the only surviving Victorian resorts, The Del was the world's largest resort when it opened in 1888. It is now one of America's most famously haunted buildings.

  • Sunset Cliffs

    Appropriately named, these cliffs stretch for two miles of San Diego coastline and lead to tiny, secluded beaches where travelers can find their own, private oases for a perfect Southern California sunset.

  • Pacific Beach

    The favorite haunt of local surfers, a trip to Pacific Beach is like a snapshot from a 1950's California postcard.

Cancellation Policy

No refund is possible if you cancel.

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