Learning more about the history of the town I’ve essentially lived my whole life. Jennifer is so knowledgeable and made the tour really enjoyable. Highly recommend for both tourists and locals.
Birthplace of California
Old Town Hidden Secrets
Local Delicacies
Work Up an Appetite Exploring Old Town!
As the birthplace of California, Old Town has seen its fair share of history. Today, it’s widely regarded for its numerous restaurants, unique shops, and Mexican heritage. You will sample the best of Old Town on this cultural tour of San Diego’s oldest neighborhood, a fundamental part of California history.
Tour Highlights
See all Old Town has to offer: Adobe Chapel, Victorian Architecture, Presidio Hill, & more
Enjoy learning about California’s origins
Tour the original European settlement on the West Coast of the US
Reward yourself with a sip and taste of San Diego
Click the tabs to find out more
Trip Details
Walk This Way
Price
- $75 Adult (16+)
- $65 Children (6-15)
- $55-120 per person for private tours (prices vary by group size)
Departure times
- 10:00am
- 1:00pm
Meeting point
In front of the Adobe Chapel, 3963 Conde St, San Diego, CA 92110
Ending point
El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria, 2304 San Diego Ave., San Diego, CA 92110
Availability
Tuesday – Saturday, year-round
Duration
2.5 hours
Group size
Maximum of 15 people
Participation requirements
- Minimum age of 6 years
- Due to the three steps at the El Campo Cemetery, this tour is not wheelchair accessible.
- Let us know in advance if you would like an audio system
Included
- Professional and fun tour guide
- One handmade tortilla
- One shot of tequila (or a margarita, beer, or soda of your choice)
- Three gourmet street tacos
- Chips and salsa
Not included
- Additional food and beverages
- Additional purchases such as souvenirs and items of a personal nature
- Tips/gratuities for your guide
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen and/or a hat
- Light jacket or layers, depending on the weather
- Water in a reusable container
- Money for tips/gratuities/souvenirs
- Cash for payment and gratuities is welcome, but if you’d prefer to provide your guide with a “thank you” that isn’t in cash form, they will give you their PayPal or Venmo information
About your guide
Your guide has a passion for sharing knowledge. If you have a particular area of interest, please let us know and we can try to accommodate with additional information.
What You'll Experience
After a quick introduction, we’ll embark on our journey through Old Town. We begin our exploration at the Adobe Chapel, which served as both a home and church in the 19th century.
We’ll continue the tour and view one of the oldest brick buildings in Southern California, best known for the ghosts who haunt it. We’ll also see some wonderful examples of Victorian architecture, including San Diego’s first synagogue. Here you’ll be treated to handmade tortillas, a world-famous staple that dates back to before Columbus landed in North America.
The nourishment from the tortillas will be handy as we continue past Presidio Hill, the original European settlement on the West Coast of the U.S., and learn about their experience, and the experience of the indigenous people living at the time of their arrival. After we view the oldest building in the region, we’ll visit to an area that specializes in Mexican handcrafts.
After a quick break, we’ll visit a hundred-year-old Catholic church, followed by a stroll through a landmark cemetery with graves dating back to the 1850s.
By now you might be thirsty, so we will take a brief walk to a local tequileria, El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria, boasting a collection of thousands of bottles. Here you will learn about the different types of tequilas and taste one of the best tequilas in the world. (This sample is included as part of your tour price, but you may instead choose a margarita, beer, or another beverage of your choice. Also, upgrades to a tequila flight are available for an additional charge).
We’ll bid adios here, but feel free to linger over another drink or dig into some great Mexican food. If you want to keep moving, your guide can direct you to local shops and other areas to explore this great San Diego neighborhood.
Why Our Guests Love This Tour
Such an amazing time with Jennifer. Was great to see and hear more about San Diego’s old town and sample some great food and Tequila. Opened my eyes to the ‘real San Diego’. Highly recommend.
I loved meeting Jennifer and the fellow foodies/history buffs on this walking tour of Old Town. Jennifer did a great job of making the local history interesting, understandable and relatable. We had a nice stroll through town and really enjoyed the hot sauce shop and chocolate stop (yum!). Ending with delicious tacos and tequila was perfection!
I highly enjoyed my tour around Old Town San Diego with Jennifer at San Diego Walks. I had never explored this part of San Diego before so just getting to know it was quite lovely. With her warm personality, Jennifer shared a lot of history and really interesting facts about the area. Also, I really appreciated the format in which she provided the food. Unlike the typical food tour, especially pre-COVID, I appreciated having a couple of less food stops, enjoying absolutely delicious house-made tortillas in a park and then sitting down to eat really delicious tacos, a flight of tequila and an extra margarita (that I paid extra for) at El Agave. Overall, a wonderful experience!
