La Jolla Tours Departing Downtown San Diego
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Three Ways to Make Reservations for the La Jolla Tours
- Make reservations online. (Quick and Easy!)
- 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.
Why Visit La Jolla?
The Scenery. Despite the slide show of scenic picture at the top of this page and the ones noted below, guest after guest say the pictures don't do La Jolla justice. They even comment it exceeds the beauty they've experienced in the French Riviera and the Greek Islands. It just has to be seen to be appreciated.
The Wildlife. Sea Lions barking for dominance of local rocks, seals sunning on the beach, pelicans flying in squadrons, and cormorants diving for fish can keep you entertained for hours on end.
The Mansions. La Jolla, referred to as "the Jewel", has attracted the wealthiest from around the world making it the most expensive housing market in America, ahead of #2 Beverly Hills and #3 Greenwich, CT. We'll take you past some of the most expensive homes in the country.
The History. Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh set a flying record in La Jolla. Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter set a human endurance record in La Jolla. Gregory Peck and his Hollywood friends spent their summers in La Jolla. La Jolla and the greater San Diego area has a fascinating history covering famous people, geology, architecture, military, fish tacos, margaritas and much more.
The War Memorial. Visit one of the most unique War Memorials in the country honoring veterans of all wars and featuring several famous dignitaries.
The Gliderport. When conditions are good, we'll watch brave aviators step off 300-foot ocean cliffs to be picked up by the ocean breezes as they paraglide and hang glide alongside the famed Torrey Pines.
The U.S. Open. If you have followed golf at all, you probably remember Tiger Woods battling a bum knee to come from behind and force a full day play-off in 2008 at the Torrey Pines Golf Course for one of the most memorable U.S. Opens in history. Visit the course that hosted that remarkable accomplishment and is still seen around the world every January when the pro golfers come to play in the Farmers Insurance Open.
La Jolla Tour Route
Why take a Tour?
Beyond receiving expert, insider knowledge of the area, a tour offers a much greater experience because you will be taken to the best viewpoints that most guests miss.
There are only a few ways in and out of La Jolla. Most tourists take the busiest road into town. We take the more scenic back-roads.
It is rare for out-of-town visitors to find their way to Mount Soledad for the opportunity to see the best views in all of Southern California.
I will help you find the plaques of famous dignitaries at the most unique war memorial in the country.
Tourists typically drive right by an awe-dropping natural landmark without noticing it. I’ll make sure you see this natural beauty and have a chance to take pictures of it.
Most guests don’t realize the seals and sea lions play at separate beaches. I’ll make sure you see them both.
I provide the option to explore on your own as part of the tour. For those who choose this option, you will be provided a map, visitor guide, discounts to select merchants, and recommendations to make the most of your experience.
Guest Reviews!
“I don’t usually do bus tours…but I was blown away…by things that you will almost certainly not find in a book or if you explore by yourself. It felt more like a friend showing you around his favourite place than an organised, impersonal tour. I’ve never enjoyed a sightseeing tour so much.” – Anna from Oxford, UK
“This guy knows how to give a tour…Great inside stories…handouts to learn more. Best of all, he is fun and personable. Well worth the price of the tour!” – Mike from Cincinnati, OH
I’m honored to have such great feedback from guests. Started in June 2010, the La Jolla Sightseeing Tour, which takes visitors from all over the world for an afternoon tour of amazing views and fascinating history, quickly became a Top 10 San Diego Attraction (out of 200+!) based on guest reviews.
I look forward to showing you a wonderful afternoon as well. When you are done, you will want to book your next vacation…right back in San Diego!
If you are ready to book a tour now, read about your tour options below. If you are still thinking about finding your own way by car, taxi, or city bus, read my advice on what to expect.
Tour Description
Tour Times: Most afternoons from 12PM – 5PM. (Except Sundays)
Tour Departs: Santa Fe Train Station in Downtown San Diego.
(See FAQs for help finding the train station.)
Transportation: Small charter bus served by a professional driver.
Tour Cost: $58.
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.
All guests have the opportunity to:
Take a guided walking tour of Mount Soledad. We will enjoy panoramic views over the Pacific Ocean and the greater San Diego area. On some days, we can see upwards of 100 miles. I will also show you the plaques for the more famous veterans at the unique War Memorial atop Mount Soledad. Many guests comment that walking around Mount Soledad is itself worth the price of the tour.
Visit the Torrey Pines Golf Course. We will have time to learn about the history of this rare public course that has hosted a U.S. Open, get a birds-eye view of the courses, and browse the Pro Shop for souvenirs. Many guests take the tour just to see the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course, only to be further awed by the beauty of La Jolla that we explore throughout the afternoon.
Visit the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Charles Lindbergh was the first to fly along the cliffs of Torrey Pines. Today, we often watch a dozen or more paragliders and hang gliders step off 300 foot (90 meter) ocean cliffs to glide high above the Pacific Ocean.
See multi-million dollar mansions up-close and learn about the local real estate market that is home to everyone from construction workers and teachers to the most wealthiest in the world.
Get to know Popular Beach Communities – On the bus tour portion of our sightseeing trip, we will pass through La Jolla Shores, Windansea Beach, Bird Rock, Pacific Beach, and Mission Bay to learn about the famous events of national significance that occurred in each of these areas.
Spend time enjoying the sights and sounds of seals, sea lions, pelicans, cormorants, and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean.
Tour Options- During the afternoon, you can choose:
Sightseeing + Optional Walking Tour
This option serves guests who want to spend the full afternoon with their expert guide.
- Includes a 1.25 hour walking tour through the Village of La Jolla. We will pass by the shops and galleries but spend most of our time walking along the coast to see the seals, sea lions, pelicans, and cormorants. I’ll describe the wildlife and the amazing trees that were imported from around the world. I’ll tell you stories about the pioneering women who made La Jolla a special place. I’ll also take you to the best viewpoints that almost all visitors miss on their own.
Guests must be able to comfortably walk 1 mile and go up and down hills and/or stairs.
- We will make a short stop for a late lunch or snack after our visit to Torrey Pines but before our walking tour. Most guests go to the Girard Gourmet, which is an excellent bakery that also serves a variety of prepared hot meals, soups, sandwiches, and salads. Guests love this choice because
of the wide selection of food that is quickly prepared using fresh natural ingredients from the chef’s own garden at a reasonable price. However, you have the freedom to find a quick bite to eat at other nearby shops, such as grabbing a cupcake or gelato or to skip lunch and browse the nearby shops before we begin the optional walking tour. - Guests who want enjoy the walking tour and have additional free time can do so by skipping the portion of the tour that goes to Torrey Pines. This will give you about 1.5 hours of free time before rejoining the group for the walking tour.
Sightseeing + Free Time
This option is more for guests who like to explore on their own once they receive guidance on how to make the most of their time. You can choose to visit the Torrey Pines attractions followed by 1.5 hours of free time in the Village of La Jolla. Or, you can choose to skip the part of the tour that goes to Torrey Pines to spend 3 hours exploring on your own in the Village of La Jolla or 2.5 hours kayaking, surfing, or going for a long beach walk in La Jolla Shores.
Guests choosing 3 hours of free time will generally spend:
- 1 – 2 hours walking along the coast and beaches to enjoy the sights and sounds of seals, sea lions, pelicans, and cormorants. You’ll also see lots of swimmers, snorkelers, and divers as well as beautiful beach bluffs and unique flowering trees and vegetation from around the world.
- 1 -2 hours browsing through over a hundred boutique shops and art galleries
- Up to 1 hour enjoying a meal from one of several dozen restaurants
If you stay on the tour to Torrey Pines, you will still have 1.5 hours to explore the previously mentioned activities on your own.
Guests will be provided:
- A Souvenir Map with a recommended path on where to walk through the Village and along the coast line.
- Discount coupons from select merchants for tour guests.
- Recommendations on places to eat.
- Answers to any questions you may have to make the most of your visit.
- Cell phone number for your guide in case you have questions during your self-guided tour.
Notes:
- Bring your camera and I’ll take pictures of you and your loved ones at various view points.
- After the tour, the driver can drop you off near most downtown hotels or near the Gaslamp Quarter. Although we don’t drop off those staying at hotels outside of downtown, there are some exceptions where we can drop off guests at spots along our route back to downtown as we pass Pacific Beach and Mission Bay.
- The tour usually has somewhere between 6 and 14 guests.
- Satisfaction Guarantee: If you take the full tour and don’t believe it was worth the money, you may ask for a refund.
- I use a 24-hour reservation service to allow guests to book reservations online or by calling 1-800-838-3006 any time of day or night to speak to a live person. You may also call me directly at the number provided above but please give me some time to return your call as I may be out on tour. Thanks.
Still Undecided about taking a Tour to La Jolla?
Read about Frequently Asked Questions
I have many guests who have rental cars and want to know where to park near the Santa Fe Train Depot for the start of the tour. I have other guests who visit La Jolla year-after-year or are even staying in La Jolla who find their way downtown to take the tour. So, I’ve put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the La Jolla Tour to provide answers about where to park, how to reach the tour starting point using public transit from areas such as Coronado, Hotel Circle, and Old Town, what it’s like to spend the afternoon with me, and whether it’s worth taking the tour even if you’ve already been to La Jolla several times.
See More Reviews
The following are excerpts of more reviews you can find on TripAdvisor.
"I'm not the kind of person who takes tours ... I'm more a self discover person, BUT ... I really had a Great Day. He took me some places I would never have gone by myself." - Isabelle from Montreal, Canada
"No question - this tour is fabulous. Tim delivers this information in a relaxed and well paced fashion.” - Nancy from Encinitas, CA
"Tim, your tour leader, is a walking encyclopedia relative to La Jolla, San Diego and California in general. This tour is WELL WORTH your time and money" - Melanie from Boston, MA
Watch Picture Slideshows of La Jolla!
Start anticipating the wonderful afternoon you will have in La Jolla by browsing through these picture slideshows of the community.
View Pictures of the Spectacular La Jolla Cove and Beach BluffsView Pictures of Seals, Sea Lions, Brown Pelicans, and Cormorants
View Pictures of Kayakers, Snorkelers and Divers Having Fun in the La Jolla Ecological Reserve
View Pictures looking down over San Diego from Mount Soledad
View Pictures of the Boutique Shops and Art Galleries
View Pictures of La Jolla Shores Beach and Local Shops
If you are still not sure, call me at 1-231-Tim-Tour (846-8687). Otherwise, book your reservation now!
Private Group Tours are also available.
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TourGuideTim on Facebook!
Open & Print the La Jolla Map
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.