Coastal San Diego Tours to La Jolla & Torrey Pines – The Most Scenic Sightseeing in San Diego
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Make Reservations for the Coastal San Diego Tours
- Make reservations online using Brown Paper Tickets
- 1-800-838-3006: 24/7 service provided by Brown Paper Tickets
- 1-231-Tim-Tour (846-8687): Contact TourGuideTim directly
Note: Group Tours & Private Tours also available.
Excerpted Reviews of
Coastal San Diego Tours
Highlight of our Trip to San Diego…The scenery was beautiful. Everyone in our group from the grandparents to the teenagers enjoyed our tour” – Karen from Hurst, TX
If you only do one thing in San Diego–take this tour! He has so many interesting stories about the history and the personalities in La Jolla, we were all captivated for 5 hours – Jane and Melissa from Lexington, KY
I take tours in almost every city…this tour was one of the best tours I ever had” – Tatyana from Chico, CA
The Best of San Diego Tours for Scenery
Of all San Diego tours, I’m proud to offer the top-rated San Diego Bus and Walking Tour. Come join me to explore the beautiful coastline, which offers the most scenic sightseeing in San Diego. This San Diego tour starts in Downtown San Diego and heads north towards the San Diego beaches in La Jolla and Torrey Pines. However, these are not ordinary beaches. These San Diego beaches are full of wildlife, where we will see seals, sea lions, pelicans, and cormorants playing alongside of kayakers, snorkelers, divers, and ocean swimmers. More impressively, these beaches in San Diego and the surrounding coastal cliffs and hillsides offer some of the most scenic sightseeing in the world. It is used as a backdrop for TV shows, commercials, and movies and it attracts some of the wealthiest people in the world to its shores. Even my sightseeing tour guests from scenic places such as the French Riviera, Majorca, and Greece say La Jolla is more beautiful.
More than just Sightseeing in San Diego
San Diego has a very rich culture dating back 10,000 years when native Indians settled on the beaches of La Jolla. Over the course of its long history, La Jolla has watched aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh set a flying record from a local hilltop, Mercury space astronaut Scott Carpenter set an underwater endurance record, famed architect Louis Kahn design a ‘Building that Changed Modern Life’ for polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk, children’s book author Theodor Geisel write his Dr. Suess books, Tiger Woods win the 2008 U.S. Open on a hobbled knee, Craig Venter race the U.S. Government to sequence the human genome and much, much more.
You will hear the stories and see the places where these events took place. You’ll also learn about the geology that makes San Diego such a beautiful area of the world, the big influence the military has had on the history of San Diego, the flowering trees and plants that have been imported from around the world, multi-million dollar homes and their residents, and the pioneering women who shaped the music and arts culture of La Jolla, which nurtured the talents of actors like Gregory Peck, Cliff Robertson, and Raquel Welch.
Insight on the Best Things to do in San Diego
My San Diego Tours to La Jolla and Torrey Pines use chartered buses and drivers and are kept small in size (20 or fewer guests) so I can spend my time interacting with guests, getting to know you, answering questions, and providing advice to make sure you make the most of your vacation in San Diego. I take the knowledge I used to create this travel website of San Diego attractions, which was highlighted as a go to resource by the Los Angeles Times, to make you aware of the best things to do at San Diego attractions. So, plan ahead, book in advance, and join me for the start of your San Diego vacation!
Coastal San Diego Tour Details
Tour Times: 12PM – 5PM Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
Additional Dates available upon request.
Tour Departs: Santa Fe Train Station in Downtown San Diego.
Tour Cost: $68
($60 for ages 17 and under)
Advance Reservations Required
My goal is to make you say ‘Wow’. I do that by telling stories about the fascinating history of San Diego and taking you places with amazing views that you will remember for a lifetime.
Tour Stops in La Jolla
We make four stops during the tour ranging from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours, where you can join me for walking tours or explore on your own.
Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial
Panoramic views of San Diego
One-of-a-kind Veterans Memorial
Torrey Pines Golf Course
Home to the 2008 U.S. Open
Torrey Pines Gliderport
Paragliders flying off ocean cliffs
La Jolla Cove & the Village of La Jolla
Full of scenic beauty, sea caves, seals, sea lions, pelicans, cormorants, art galleries, boutique shops, and restaurants.
Questions for the San Diego Tours including La Jolla & Torrey Pines
If you have more questions, check out my page of Frequently Asked Questions. I’ve also prepared the follow maps you can print out:
Map of Parking near the Tour Starting Point at the Santa Train Station
Map of hotels, attractions, and transit near the Tour Starting Point.
If you still have questions, contact me at reservations@tourguidetim.com or 1-231-846-8687.
Information about Gray Line San Diego
If anyone is looking for Grayline San Diego, unfortunately they closed April 31, 2012. They helped me start my San Diego tour business by providing their mini bus charters and professional drivers. I look forward to the opportunity to serve guests who were looking for the Gray Line San Diego Tours.
Reviews for my Coastal San Diego Sightseeing Tours
Companies that promote San Diego sightseeing tours often comment it is quite a testament that a number of my tour guests write long reviews about their experience rather than just a short quick sentence or two. That makes me redouble my efforts to make sure you will have a great experience too. Every situation is different and on most days it’s the beautiful weather and scenery that do all the work for me. But here are two of the reviews you will see on TripAdvisor that give insight on ways I handle different situations.
“If you only do one thing in San Diego–Take this Tour! — Tim should start a school for tour guides. This was the PERFECT tour! …Tim is so congenial and flexible, that the tour really turns out to be what you want. If you want gelato, then he makes sure you get gelato. If you want to shop, he makes arrangements for the group to meet you after you shop. If you want to swim at a beach, then he gets you there, and you can meet back up with the group when you are finished. If you want his full attention and a full tour, then he is a personable, knowledgeable, friendly, easy going, enthusiastic tour guide. If you stop to take a picture and miss something he says, then he personally catches up with you and as the group walks to the next stop, he fills you in on what he said. HONESTLY!!! He is THAT attentive. He actually ENCOURAGES questions, and answers them. He has so many interesting stories about the history and the personalities in La Jolla, we were all captivated for 5 hours!!! … We loved Torrey Pines. We loved the seals, sea lions, and pelicans. We loved the food at the delicious restaurant where we had lunch. …We loved the “Pink Lady.” We loved La Jolla. Most of all, we loved Tim. Take this tour if you are visiting San Diego OR if you live there. You will learn so much and have a wonderful time, …Thanks Tim for a wonderful California tour! I wish I could give this tour 10 stars out of 5!!” – Jane & Melissa from Lexington, KY
Impressed! “We called Tim to book his tour and he answered the phone right away and gave us all the information we needed to feel comfortable about doing this tour. Today, we went on the La Jolla tour and it was raining …then pouring…which is a rare in San Diego. In the morning, Tim called to let us know that the tour will still happen and he will make changes based on how the rain situation pans out. He calls us later in the morning and let us know he will pick us up from the hotel instead of us meeting at the usual place. It was amazing that he was willing to take the time to do this to make it easier for all of us. He even said he would call us when he was on the way over to our hotel so we didn’t have to wait… which he did. When we met him, we knew he was passionate about San Diego and it was going to be a good tour. We were right! He did a great job showing us the best of La Jolla. He even provided umbrellas for the rain and prepared material for us to view as he was talking about the various places along the tour. We had a great time despite being rained out. At the end of the tour, he apologized about the rain and even offered a complementary tour again on a sunny day. Well done Tim! I definitely recommend doing Tim’s tour.” – Lily from Toronto, ON
If you enjoyed your tour, please let me know I’m still doing a good job by posting on TripAdvisor, Yelp, or in the comments below. Thank you.
For the latest comments on our tour, visit our new page for the Coastal Tour to La Jolla and Torrey Pines. It’s still the same tour, just described a little differently.
We took the tour with Tim to La Jolla and Torrey Pines on the first day of our visit to San Diego.
It was great – he not only was one of the nicest tour guides we have ever had – but one of the most knowledgeable. After touring with Tim, we knew what places in San Diego we wanted to go to and what places we did not have to bother with. He made his tour so easy to enjoy for all of the guests – making sure everyone was seeing what they wanted and giving everyone enough time to enjoy. He took so many pictures of all of us with our cameras, he was like our own private photographer. The tour used a small mini-bus which was comfortable and kept the tour small and very manageable. The bus driver made sure to drive any passengers who didn’t want to walk to certain points of interest – they were very accommodating. He recommended restaurants in La Jolla for lunch and made sure everyone had enough time to do whatever they wanted on their own.
We would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see the beautiful La Jolla area and get a great insight to the things to see in San Diego.
Hi Tim, this is just to let you know that our whole group was so impressed with you and your knowledge of the San Diego area. We all really enjoyed ourselves. Your tour was the highlight of our reunion. Thank you so much, Becky Brown (Korea Reunion Group)
Tim provided a highly informative tour at a relaxed pace. The small group allows for each participant to experience the tour in a manner best suited to their interest and needs. I was particularly impressed by the blend of history and information about nature. This is a rare and most welcomed blend.
Wow, what a great experience we had on this La Jolla tour! Tim is highly knowledgeable and gives a great commentary at every turn. I had searched different web sites prior to my visit to San Diego and am so glad I found Tour Guide Tim. We had a fabulous day, saw fabulous sights and learned a lot. Our memories of the great scenery will last a lifetime. A shout out to our driver, Dennis, too. He was very accommodating to us all. If you only have even one day here, book this tour and see so much! Highly recommended!!
We were lucky enough to take Tim’s tour of La Jolla and Torrey Pines. Because the tour begins and ends in San Diego, Tim will also give you some facts and guide you through some of the areas there as well. We chose this tour because of the reviews and have to agree, that if you are in San Diego, this is the tour to take. It is a good combination of riding and walking with a stop for lunch in downtown La Jolla. Tim is VERY knowledgeable, friendly, and courteous. You will not be disappointed. By the way, he takes great photos with your camera as well! Thanks TIM!
This was without doubt the best guided tour we’ve ever taken, and we’ve been traveling for years. The places we visited were great, but Tim’s running commentary made them even better. If you have been to San Diego before, if you’ve visited time and again, or if you’re on your first visit, you don’t want to miss this one. Even the “June gloom” was hardly noticed, because the rest of the trip was perfect.
We took the tour with Tim in May and it was fabulous. Mt. Soledad and the glider port both had amazing views. La Jolla was breathtaking. Tim was on time, knowledgeable and accommodating. He offered repeatedly to take pictures for the guests on the tour and even told all of us we could call him on his cell phone if we had other questions during the rest of our vacations! I am sure we saw areas we would have never seen on our own or on another tour. It was like being shown around by a friend or family member instead of a tour guide. If you are in San Diego do not miss seeing La Jolla with tour guide Tim – you will be so glad you did. Thanks Tim!!!!
Absolutlely great tour! Tim is top notch…very personable, informative and full of great stories about San Diego that you will not find anywhere else. If you go to San Diego, take Tim’s tour!…you’ll be very happy that you did! 🙂
If you have time for only one day in La Jolla, make sure you see it with TourGuideTim!!!
I had the pleasure of taking this tour on April 1, 2013. Tim is a knowledgeable and very friendly tour guide.
We met at the Santa Fe station in the Downtown area and were shuttled by bus to La Jolla, and back to the Downtown, free from stress. You won’t even need a map! However, Tim has maps for you, if you should need one.
Tim regaled us with fascinating facts about San Diego and La Jolla on the bus ride to La Jolla. He has a great sense of humor and a very professional demeanor. He welcomes questions and any requests.
I was travelling solo and I felt very comfortable with the whole experience. The tour would be ideal for anyone. You can tailor the amount of walking you wish to do to your comfort level. I enjoyed it so much, that I returned the following day to La Jolla, on my own, armed with all of the insider info that I had learned on TourGuideTim’s beautiful tour!
It was an excellent value for the money and I WILL do it again, next time I get to San Diego!!! Thanks Tim!
Spent a great afternoon with Tim and his Coastal Tour. We had a big group, but he still may everyone feel included. He has a great mix of history, current events, fun stories and humor all mixed in a delightful tour. The tour is a good mix of walking and riding. I was interested in seeing LaJolla, did not realize how much more we were going to see. I was sorry to see the tour end. I would highly recommend this tour. What a great experience. Thanks Tim.
I visited San Diego during Thanksgiving. Tim’s tour was the most fun thing that I did. I got a taste of what it would be like to live in La Jolla, got to see the ocean with sea lions and birds, had breath-taking views, to to shop, eat and enjoy walking. This tour has it all!!! I most certainly recommend the tour. Tim is a lot of fun. He gives a lot of historical, as well as current information. The thing I enjoyed the most was his easy attitude and his willingness to accommodate anyone for the best tour possible. I look forward to going again!
What a great experience! Tim was everything we had read about and more. He even loaned to my wife the coat off his back on a cool, windy day! The venues of Mount Soledad, Torrey Pines and La Jolla were beautiful and interesting but the secret is Tim. His knowledge, personality, communication skills, access to private views, flexibility and willingness to meet the needs of each client were exceptional and way beyond expectations. Don’t miss this tour!
I certainly concur with all of the others who have given Tim a 5 star rating on the tour. I thought it was a great mix of riding and walking, of history and current topics about San Diego. Tim was professional yet very friendly and super knowledgable. I recommend the tour to everyone!
The highlight of our recent trip to San Diego was sightseeing with Tour Guide Tim’s Coastal San Diego Tour. We wanted to see all the beautiful vistas in the area and there is no easy way for tourists to get to these amazing locations. We wanted to go with someone who would take care of driving, directions, and give us information. Tim provides an expertly guided 5-hour tour of San Diego’s beautiful coastline, Mount Soledad and its unique war memorial, Torrey Pines Golf Course and Gliderport, and La Jolla. Be sure not to miss this tour. It is top-notch and raises the bar for sightseeing tours.
We arranged our tour with Tim before leaving Canada which worked out super. We knew this was going to be a great tour since Tim is so pleasant, courteous and personable. Tim promptly met us for the tour with a small comfortable charter bus complete with a pleasant, excellent driver. On the tour, we found out how much Tim knows about the area. He has such a warm, friendly, professional manner and provides a comfortable personalized approach to the tour. You feel like you’ve known him for years. He allows sufficient time to take pictures and will also take your pictures in front of the beautiful sights.
Although there were only a group of five of us on the bus, Tim provided a full tour as he would for a full bus. Three of the group was a family who decided to have lunch and some free time to explore La Jolla arranging to meet us back at the bus. We opted for the walking tour with Tim which left him as our own personal guide for the two of us. It was like being with a friend who was very proud showing us the area. We walked through the lovely village of La Jolla where Tim knows a lot of people. We worked our way down to the coastline and walked along it. We saw the beautiful ocean views, caves, beaches, and various varieties of marine life. At the end of the tour, Tim took us all back to our hotels in the bus.
Thanks so much Tim for our memorable experience. We strongly recommend anyone to take Tim’s tour or you will really miss out on an experience of a lifetime.
Lisa & Rick Laferriere, Ottawa, Canada
My family took the Coastal San Diego tour today and it was such a great experience. Tim is an extremely knowledgeable tour guide who truly loves San Diego and made us Texans love it too. We had a fantastic time and highly recommend this tour. You won’t regret an afternoon in the San Diego area with Tour Guide Tim. 🙂
This is a must do tour for a first trip to San Diego. The variety of sites was fantastic, especially for only 5 hours. My friend and I planned to go on the tour the first day of our trip and it was a perfect start. Tim is a fantastic tour guide. His knowledge was way beyond what I expected and it was evident that it is his home town, not just another place for a paid tour guide to work. He never tired of sharing his knowledge and love of San Diego. He also made it fun with lots of stories and some well told jokes. The tour was never boring! It also helped my friend and I to decide what areas we wanted to return to during the rest of our stay. Don’t miss out if you are visiting San Diego for a first time, or even a second time as Tim is likely to introduce you to other sites you missed the first time around.
We enjoyed an exceptional tour in San Diego and La Jolla. Tim is a most informative tour guide and we had a great time.
We went on a tour with Tim in early 2011 it was great and Tim is very informative. I would recommend this tour guide for anyone that is in the area. Keep up the good work Tim! Hope to see you in early 2013.
Tim’s tour is wonderful! Because my husband and I enjoy scenery and nature, we opted for a visit to La Jolla and decided we might get more out of a tour than we would just guiding ourselves around an unfamiliar area. The concierge at our hotel recommended Tim’s tour so we made reservations for it and are glad we did! La Jolla is such a pretty area. Tim started us off on Mount Soledad –just the right place for a good overview and for beautiful views in all directions. That is something we would have missed if we had ventured out on our own. Tim has a wealth of knowledge that he shares in his warm, friendly style. He not only covers history, geography and geology but also fun little tidbits and expert advice on local shops and restaurants. It’s like having a bright, well informed friend proudly show us around the area he loves and calls home. Tim’s tour of La Jolla was, for us, the hightlight of our trip to San Diego.
My husband and I took Tim’s La Jolla tour and we highly recommend it. Mt Soledad was a prefect start with fabulous views of San Diego and the surrounding arears, the tour allowed us to spend time at Torrey Pines and enjoy lunch at a restaurant recommed by Tim in La Jolla. Tim is the perfect tour guide, he has a wealth of knowlege and explained everything really well, he is a walking encyclopedia.
As we were only in San Diego for a few days we arranged our tour before leaving the UK, this worked out well, we were met as agreed and had an enjoyable afternoon. If you are visiting San Diego take this tour, you will have an very enjoyable and informative afternoon in great company.
We had a wonderful tour of La Jolla with Tim. Although there were only two of us, Tim took no shortcuts and provided us the same tour as he would have given a group of 10. I felt that I saw everything there was to see with his tour. If we would have done La Jolla on our own, we would have missed out on some special areas of interest and vantage points, not to mention the wealth of information Tim relayed. Mt. Soledad Veterans’ Memorial was the highlight of the tour for me, as my father was a WWII veteran and survivor of Pearl Harbor. If you plan on taking a tour of LaJolla, be sure to book one with Tim. You will not be disappointed.
I know I am late with writing this review, but I really wanted to make sure that I did it. My boyfriend and I took this tour in May 2011. The La Jolla Tour with Tim is truly amazing. I am big on bus tours whenever I travel if it is a new destination and I want to see alot in a short time. To begin with, Tim responded to my e-mails, prior to the tour, in a timely fashion. Upon arrival of the tour bus, we I really appreciated that it was him personally doing the tour with us. Tim was EXTREMELY informative throughout the whole tour. He allowed us adequate time to get out and take pictures at La Jolla Cove, Torrey Pines Golf Course, and various other destinations and even a lunch break. He knew so much about the area. We didn’t feel rushed throughout the tour either. If you really want to see La Jolla, you cannot go wrong with this tour. We were very happy with our choice and very grateful that we were able to see amazing places that the city had to offer.
Kareena and Carl from Philadelphia, PA
Hi Tim,
Just a little note to thank you for letting us tag along on the La Jolla tour with you. I was so impressed with your knowledge. Being a native San Diegan, I was surprised to learn that I really didn’t know very much about my city. Thanks for the many tidbits of information. By the end of the tour, my head was filled with so much new information. Of course, I had to share it with everyone that I knew. I have spread the good word about you and the sightseeing tour, so I am hoping that you’ll have lots of new clients who can experience the La Jolla Tour with you (and that you will become rich and famous.) You are the perfect tour guide making all of us feel welcomed, relaxed and comfortable. Thank you for an exciting day.
Julie Heimburge (La Jolla Visitor Center Volunteer)
My husband and I took the La Jolla tour. We wanted to be able to see La Jolla without taking the public transportation bus so we signed up for this tour. it ended up being even more than we thought. We saw things we never would have known about. It was such an interesting 5 hours, we wished it was longer! Tim knew so much about the area and was extremely entertaining. Overall it was an excellent tour with an even more excellent tour guide!
This was by far the best tour of our trip and honestly one of the most enjoyable tours I have ever taken. Tim is a really great guy and totally passionate about ensuring the best possible experience on the tour for all.
Two thumbs up – do a tour with Tim.
We would surely recommend the 5 hour tour. Now my husband said when it was over that he would do it again so that is really saying something for the tour. Tim the tour guide is great! He explains everything so well, and takes you to some great places he lets you ask questions and take pictures and he will even take your pictures! He has good judgement for being on and off the bus so you can have a little break, lunch or ect.
I would highly recommend this tour to anyone that is going to be in the area.
Dave and Sue from Michigan
This was so recommended by another hotel resident and did not disappoint. Tim really made an effort to include this English lady in his tour, explaining so much. He really knows La Jolla, its history and geography and wildlife and makes it all so interesting.
Knowing I had to find my own way back, Tim took me into the station, helped me buy my ticket and ensured I was on the correst line. Thank you Tim. it was a great afternoon and one of the highlights of my holiday.
Tim gave us a fabulous, up-close La Jolla tour. Tim is extremely knowledgeable, personable, caring, and kind. He goes out of his way to make tourists feel well-served. His knowledge of the history and geography of the area is incredible. We highly recommend this tour. You will not be disappointed. Jim & Kay Brimeyer, Dubuque, Iowa
What a great way to spend an afternoon in San Diego. Tim was filled with information that ran the span of where B24 Bombers were built to wildlife who inhabit this wonderful city. This tour provides a convenient way to see some of the parts of our city that would require a car while avoiding parking and traffic problems. The flexibility of being able to get off the tour in LaJolla village and enjoy it and some beach time or travel on to Torrey Pines, the golf course and gliderport shows that Tim has the interest of all of his customers at heart.
If you have visitors in town and you cannot play the tour guide you can confidently give that job to Tim for at least an afternoon. Locals might try this as one of the better ways to get more acquainted with our wonderful city.
Tim, your tour was fantastic! I was so impressed with your overall knowledge, and not just of La Jolla. You amazed me with your geology knowledge, flora & fauna facts, fun trivia, & perfect weather (you might as well take credit for the beautiful day). The tour was also well balanced with time on the bus & time off (Mt. Soledad, Torrey Pines Golf Course, & the glider port, plus the coast & village of La Jolla). Well worth it!
This is without a doubt the best tour I’ve taken. It covered all the places in LaJolla a tourist would want to see and then some. Starting off at Mt. Soledad with a breath taking view of San Diego is perfect. What made the tour so wonderful was ALL the knowledge Tim has about so much of the city. He is like a walking encyclopedia. I’ve lived here many years, been to LaJolla many times but learned more on that tour about not only LaJolla but San Diego than I could have imagined. I would highly recommend this tour, not only for visitors to our fine city, but even more so to residents. You won’t be disappointed and will learn so much more about San Diego. My thanks to Tim for a fabulous experience.