Whenever I visit a new city, I always try to take a walking ghost tour. It's the perfect way to…read moreexplore a city--history, atmosphere, entertainment, and get your steps in. Brian, the owner of this company, went above and beyond to make sure my friends and I had a great experience. I was in town for a conference with coworkers, and he made everything seamless. Communication was easy through phone and text, and he quickly set us up with a tour guide the very same day. He even sent us a promo code to make things easier--super accommodating. The tour itself was excellent. The weather was perfect, but what really made it memorable was our guide, Vivian. She wasn't just reciting a script--she fully embodied the stories and the vibe of the city. Without spoiling too much, I'll just say she knew exactly how to tailor the tour for us. Since our group didn't have kids, she leaned into a more mature version of the stories, which we really appreciated. The route gave us a great look at the Gaslamp District, and we even had special after-hours access to a museum. One of our group members caught a photo of an orb there--it was deliciously creepy to explore the place at night (in the best way!). Normally, you'd have to pay for admission during regular hours, so this added even more value to the experience. Vivian also took us into historic bars with fascinating backstories. We got to pause for a drink while she shared ghost tales and history, and after the tour, we could return to those same bars and skip the cover charge--another great perk built into the ticket price. Overall, it was a fun, well-rounded, and memorable ghost tour that combined history, storytelling, and a little nightlife. I recommend! YouTube video was helpful. There is no lack on information to prepare you for this tour.

Pretty cool tour. I got to be shown around by Cowboy Pete. Very informative. Very interesting…read morehistoric actual events. Not a cheesy jump scare activity, this is real true events that caused lots of unfortunate grusome deaths by greed, medical conditions and rage. Definitely would recommend

These are fantastic walking tours of San Diego…read more The fact of the matter is, San Diego DOES have history ... you just have to look for it. And there are few people better than Patty (Ms. Urban Safari herself) to show it to you. Urban Safaris offers guided walking tours of different San Diego neighborhoods, ranging from urban centers like the Gaslamp Quarter and La Jolla to Balboa Park and the open canyons around town. Patty, a long-time San Diego resident, teacher and historian, knows more about the city than anyone I know. And she has a knack for noticing fascinating things that most of us pass every day without even a second's notice. Usually, there's a tour every weekend, leaving on Saturday at 10am and lasting about two hours. The specific location depends upon the neighborhood of the week, but you can find out by making a reservation with Patty on the website, by sending her an email, or even by calling the number. Space is usually limited to about 15, so it's good to make your reservations early. On the other hand, San Diegans are notorious un-curious about their city, and so the tours often (and unfortunately) have plenty of space. The best way to find out about the tours is through the website, although they are occasionally advertised in the San Diego Reader (under 'Local Events') and Patty can give you a paper schedule when you go on your first tour. They don't happen every weekend (because Patty travels and spends a lot of her time researching new tours); but there are 'seasons', and when a new schedule comes out it will usually list tours for weeks and even months in advance. Really, I can't say enough about these tours. I've learned a ton. Most of all, I've found a great, new way to appreciate the wonderful city we share. PS - The tours don't necessarily leave from Horton Plaza. I just put that there because Yelp required that I put a specific location. Really, this isn't the kind of thing that has a specific location -- it changes each week with the particular tour. Just go to the website to find out where the next tour is leaving from.

Think you know San Diego?…read more If you don't, definitely come on one of these walking tours. And even if you think you do, still come, because there may be a thing or three that you may very well learn and give you a greater appreciation for the community. Like Ethan said, these tours take you to various neighborhoods in San Diego: North Park, Hillcrest, Gaslamp, South Park, East Village, Mission Hills, etc. Each last between 1.5-2 hours. Along the way, Patty points you to various landmarks and oddities in each neighborhood and provides the history and background of each. In addition, she also shows some historical pictures in context to today's landscape. In addition to researching herself, many people have donated their knowledge and information that have gone on the walks themselves, adding even more rich history from people who actually have grown up and seen the changes in San Diego. Go!

I enjoyed our time with Leila going around learning about DTSD and the murders that happened. She…read morewas engaging and fun. I definitely recommend doing this tour!

my group and I had an absolutely delightful time on this tour, and Leila had an amazing sense of…read morehumor!!! I highly recommend! It is a walking tour and you do have to figure things out yourself, so I recommend not being TOO tipsy to start!

Omar was great ! Easy to find and his English is awesome. Took us to Playa Nuevo and picked us up…read moreonce we were ready.

I took this tour because of the high rating and I'm glad I did. My guide was Miguel and he did a…read moregreat job helping me get the full Tijuana experience. Tijuana is very beautiful and full of culture and great food. Miguel went out of his way to make it a great experience.

I had such a fantastic time on Isabella's tour of the San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, downtown…read moresightseeings, and the embarcadero village! She guided us through the different district's highlights with incredible energy, charm, and passion for her city. Every step of the way, she kept us hooked with fun facts and unique details that brought the history and culture of the area to life. From the splurgy origin of the term "sugar daddy" to the hidden party basements under pubs (once used for disco clubbing and even underground food truck pop-ups), Isabella made sure the tour was full of surprises. I loved learning about the Emerald Building and its jewel connection, the Horton Hotel's Austrian-inspired design, and the San Diego Convention Center's architecture inspired by a wave breaking over a cruise ship. Her storytelling was so engaging that the city felt like a living, breathing character itself. Isabella's enthusiasm is contagious, and she truly makes you fall in love with San Diego all over again. Highly recommended for anyone visiting the city (or even locals wanting to see it with new eyes). I can't wait to read her book when it's published, if it's anything like her tours, it'll be the "finest" book from the "finest" city!

Unprofessional, lack of communication. I signed up for the 10:30AM free walking tour in Spanish and…read morereceived a confirmation email on the day before the tour. I showed up at 222 Fifth St. location around 10:25AM and there was nobody from SD Free Walking Tours, nor any walking tour guests there. I did not receive any notification communications about any changes (email, SMS, or phone call). When I tried to contact info@sdfreewakkingtour.com, the email bounced. Calling their phone number goes to voicemail. Overall not a pleasant experience, maybe they are having a bad day? A bit more organization (eg: more specificity regarding the meeting point, some kind of hat or umbrella to help identify the tour operator) or communication regarding unexpected tour cancellation would result in a better customer experience. Sorry for the poor review, I may update it once I receive clarification and an explanation regarding what happened.

Chris, our guild was outstanding. He gave a detailed history of San Diego which helped with the…read morehistory of balboa park. I would highly recommend. What made this walk interesting to me was the before pictures of the buildings that he was discussing . The tour was about 2 hrs.

Kris is fantastic! We had a great time walking around La Jolla and getting to know some of the…read morehistory of the area! Highlight was all the seals and sea lions! Lots of photo opps along the way! Absolutely a must do and highly recommend!

What a great experience. My wife and I try to complete an electric bike tour in every city we…read morevisit. We've visited San Diego several times, but our visits were limited to the particular attraction we were visiting. This bike tour is a wonderful way to see so much of San Diego via bike. The location is easy to find, and parking is easy to find ( there is a huge parking structure next door). We were met by Kevin who was our guide for the tour. Awesome personality with a friendly demeanor. His knowledge of the San Diego area is impressive. He was full of fun facts about the city. The course was delightful and the bikes were easy to ride. I highly recommend this city tour and hope you get Kevin as your guide, you won't be disappointed.

Julia was a fantastic tour guide. She had so many nuggets interesting information about history…read moreCoronado Island, Balboa Park, and downtown San Diego. We loved her enthusiam and love of San Diego. She went out of her way to accommodate mobility issues. We appreciated her patience and thoughtfulness. We'd request her again!

The La Jolla Cave is accessed through the interior of the eponymous "Cave Store." The store itself…read moreoffers an eclectic assortment of nautical-themed souvenirs and curios at quite reasonable prices. The cave tour is a brief affair, lasting no more than 15-20 minutes, and is priced at $13 -- a justifiable cost for the experience it offers. Approximately 150 steps descend into a narrow tunnel that eventually opens up into the cave. A word of caution: the steps can be rather slippery, and those of taller stature would do well to mind their head.

The cave itself is absolutely amazing and worth seeing, but unfortunately the customer service from…read moreWill was so bad that it completely overshadowed the experience. Will was rude, dismissive, and made me feel extremely uncomfortable, as though simply being there was an inconvenience to him. And it wasn't just my interaction with him that bothered me. I personally witnessed a couple come back into the store after climbing up from the cave, obviously hot and sweaty from the climb. Will actually told them, "We understand you're hot after coming up from the cave, but we're trying to air out the room and you're airing it with your sweaty bodies." I couldn't believe someone working in customer service would speak to paying customers that way. On top of that, Will was FaceTiming while working at the register. Between the personal FaceTime call, the rude comments to other guests, and the way he made me feel like an inconvenience, his behavior came across as incredibly unprofessional and unwelcoming. It's a shame because the cave itself is fantastic and such a unique La Jolla experience. The attraction deserves five stars, but the customer service we experienced from Will was honestly terrible. Management really needs to address how guests are being treated.

Albert was Awesome!! We had a Delicious meal and Fantastic conversations. I would recommend to…read moreAnyone that likes Dim Sum/ Dumplings because this is so much more than just a meal, it's an Experience in Culture, Cuisine and History. I'd give 10 stars if I could. Thanks for such a personalized and unique experience!

Fun tour in Tijuana led by Albert! He was prompt at meeting us at the border. He came across…read moreenthusiastic, friendly, knowledgeable and a foodie which was the perfect combo for the tour. Albert led us to several places less traveled by tourists and sampled many different foods. The fresh mango with lime and chile at the open-air market was refreshing along with the coconut water we purchased that was cut right in front of you. We sampled various flavored nuts and chili gummies at one stop. We also had fish ceviche tostadas, grilled marlin tacos, carne asada tacos with handmade tortillas that were amazing. Finishing up the tour we had agua frescas, authentic Baja-style fried fish tacos, and freshly-made churros. Walking to our next stop always helped with our full bellies. Come hungry to this tour because the portions are not skimpy. Wear good walking shoes as the sidewalks are often uneven. I felt this was a fast paced walking tour but he did ensure everyone kept up and would slow or stop for those behind. Overall this was a fun and delicious tour. Albert kept us engaged in wanting us to taste the local flavors that Tijuana had to offer. We were able to explore neighborhoods we most likely not have traveled thru on our own. Albert also accompanied us back to the border at the conclusion of the tour. He's so accommodating and was patient with all our questions. Take a tour with Albert!

My wife and I really enjoyed this tour. We got to see historical, behind-the-scenes of the ballpark…read morewhile learning about the history of Petco Park and the San Diego Padres. The stops included: Field Warning Track Cutwater Coronado Club Padres Hall of Fame Press Box Private Luxury Suite Breitbard Hall of Fame Awesome how the stadium incorporated the 2 historical buildings, local eateries/breweries, and different price points for all fans to enjoy the game. This was one of our favorite stops in San Diego. If you are a baseball fan you would love this tour. The tour guide was fun and very informative.

Petco Park is beautiful & big as heck!!! I'm only giving 4 stars because a lot of the employees…read morecould not tell us where to find our seats. We were told different directions by a few employees. We finally found d our seats but missed part of the 1st inning. I will return because now I'm familiar with the stadium