San Diego City Lights Night Tour
4
San Diego City Lights Night Tour
By Old Town Trolley Tours
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 4-99, max of 38 per group
Duration: 1h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
- Guided tour of San Diego at night
What's not included- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
- Start:
- 825 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101, USAThe tour meets the Seaport Village boarding location (825 W. Harbor Drive) next to the Bay Company store. Guests are required to check in 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. PLEASE READ!!!! May 6-15th the departure location will be 1004 North Harbor Dr. due to event at Seaport Village
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5046SDNIGHT- Most travelers can participate
- Check in 30 minutes prior to tour time required. Late check-in may result in forfeited reserved seat. To change or cancel reservation, you must do so 24 hours in advance by calling
- Please dress appropriately as there may be cool temperatures at night. Part of the tour involves walking, so wear comfortable shoes.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 38 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- Where is the departure point for the San Diego City Lights Night Tour?
- The tour departs from 500 Kettner Blvd. in the Seaport Village, next to the Harbor House RestaurantAnswered Mar 2021
- Is there parking available for the San Diego City Lights Night Tour?
- The downtown area has numerous parking opportunities in paid lots. There is no designated free parking to board the tour.Answered Mar 2021
- How early should I arrive for the San Diego City Lights Night Tour?
- You must check in at least 15 minutes prior to your tour. Of course, you are welcome to check in even earlier than that.Answered Mar 2021
- Do you pick up in the Old Town area?
- Yes, we offer a free shuttle from Old Town departing from 4010 Twiggs St. It leaves 1.5 hours before the start of your tour. Please allow at least 30 mins prior to shuttle departure for parking. The shuttle will bring you back at the end of the tour.Answered Mar 2021
The tour operator has provided the following answers to customers’ questions.- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5046SDNIGHT
From
$46.00
per adult
Select date and travelers
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- 825 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101, USAThe tour meets the Seaport Village boarding location (825 W. Harbor Drive) next to the Bay Company store. Guests are required to check in 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. PLEASE READ!!!! May 6-15th the departure location will be 1004 North Harbor Dr. due to event at Seaport Village
- Pass bySeaport VillageGaslamp QuarterBalboa ParkCoronado Bridge
- 120-minute stop at the Coronado Ferry Landing.Pass byLittle ItalyStar of IndiaUSS Midway Museum
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- KathyJ8150 contributionsBad guideThe guide/driver named J is abusive and boring. Should find another profession. The other guides (Benjamin, David and Paul) were very good, but this man ruined the entire day with his emotional tirade at me when I scooted over to close a window. Please either send him to anger management and customer service training or give him a desk job.Written January 17, 2025
- Riba F0 contributionsDrivers talk too muchEverything was good except drivers talk tooooooooooooooooo much, I got headache, how about you just play a nice music and let us enjoy the ride ? Instead of that much talking in microphone?Written January 12, 2025
- Thomase770 contributionsGreat way to see the cityHad a 2 day ticket and used it to see a lot of the city. We were able to hop on & hop off a the various locations. The guides were really knowledgeable about the city and also offer recommendations on restaurants and things to do. I would definitely recommend as something to do whilst in the city.Written January 4, 2025
- keithpieper0 contributionsConfusion with CityPass, No Real Time Trolley TrackingWe recently purchased a CityPass in San Diego, planning to use it for the 2-day Old Town Trolley and a day at the San Diego Zoo. The initial online purchase and physical redemption process were smooth. However, our experience on the second day of the Old Town Trolley highlighted significant issues. Despite explicitly telling the booth attendant not to use our second activity credit for our 2/2 days (reserved for the Zoo), they mistakenly scanned it anyway. We only discovered this after boarding and spent the next hour chatting with Old Town Trolley support. While the first representative claimed the issue was resolved, we saw no updates. Thankfully, the second representative resolved the matter quickly in just five minutes. The incident reinforced the challenges of relying on third-party passes during travel. The Old Town Trolley staff need better training on handling CityPasses. Additionally, Old Town Trolley technology is outdated. There’s no app to track trolleys or provide real-time updates on shuttle availability. We waited for the "last ride of the day" at Balboa Park, only to find several trolleys arriving full. After waiting fruitlessly at the stop, we ended up walking 35 minutes to Little Italy along the trolley route, passing multiple full trolleys. Ironically, the last trolley we saw (trolley 6 since the stop) was completely empty at 4:30 pm. An app with features like real-time trolley locations and seat availability would greatly improve the experience. It’s disappointing that such a popular service lags behind modern transportation systems. Would I use the Old Town Trolley again? Honestly, I’m undecided. While the scenic route has its appeal, the logistical frustrations were hard to overlook.Written January 2, 2025
- Vivi0060 contributionsSan DiegoWe took the bus later in the afternoon so we were for the drive! Benjamin was fantastic! He is funny, and knowledgeable! He gave us great tips !we will definitely take the bus again to explore San Diego again!Written January 2, 2025
- 749margiew0 contributionsFun on the trolleyGreat way to see Highlights of San Diego in one day . We started at Old Town - great free parking and shopping . We got off 3 stops and walked around at these sites . We liked Sea Port village and had lunch along the water and played the outside playground by the Children’s Museum . Enjoyed an ice cream cone at Coronado island and beach . Tour guides were very engaged and interesting in their discussion. The playing of music was perfectly timed with noisy ridesWritten December 30, 2024
- Patricia M0 contributionsOld town tour not to missFun and interesting. Our guide, Bullet, was very entertaining. The stories of the family kept my attention. I’ve lived in San Diego for 36 years and this was my first time. I will definitely recommend the tour to our guests.Written December 27, 2024
- AbbyElo50 contributionsExcellent way to see San Diego!Excellent trolley ride to see all the cool parts of San Diego! Excellent way to get a lay of the city and learn where you want to spend more time. Our driver Frank was tremendous! Lots of great facts, suggestions, and history for our ride!Written December 26, 2024
- yolandabG1065LX0 contributionsThe Best TourJack was amazing. He gave us so many fun facts about San Diego and Coronado. Probably the best tour I've been on! I've learned a lot about San Diego!Written December 24, 2024
- GoPlaces640004199650 contributionsGreat Experience!I highly recommend for a great tour that hits all of the major highlights of the city! Jack was my tour guide, and he was very knowledgeable and added his own unique, personal knowledge of the city to his tour. The ability to hop on and off at any of the sites was great to be able to spend time at the location(s) of interest. The trains pass through each location every 20 minutes too, so you don’t have to wait too long if you want to get back on and go to the next stop.Written December 20, 2024
- AdieEntourage0 contributionsBEST HOHO TROLLEY COMPANYBEST HO HO TROLLEY TOUR. This is a step above every other ho ho tour. 1. You will have a live commentater who is also the driver. Nick was also quite funny. No earbuds are required. I loved the open-air feeling. 2. There is some recorded information, but it is put in a fun way with guest appearances from the Terminator and others as well as musical interludes, which match the area of town you are going through 3. This tour goes all over San Diego and explains the history of development with amazing viscas of Tijuana on a good day as you cross the bridge. 4. There are a lot of really great spots to stop and is on a two hour loop. especially Southport, Balboa Park, and Little Italy. Next time, i'm getting pizza there. 5. At every stop, the driver was in communication with dispatch to confirm the number of people waiting at each stop. At one point, there was a large group waiting, and a new trolley was ordered to pick them up. Nick let the group know that there was a trolley ten minutes behind. I call that great responsive service. I definitely plan on doing this tour again when I have more time to hop on and hop off. i would recommend this company's trolley tours to anyone in any city.Written December 16, 2024
- Inspire126120976100 contributionsEast Coast Meets West CoastStuart was our driver and he was fantastic! He gave us lots of interesting facts and lots of fun anecdotes. Super sweet guy and I would highly recommend taking his tour! Also lots of fun jokes too 😀Written December 10, 2024
- AliceM41170 contributionsSo much to seeEasy ticket purchase and gracious customer service given by all employees encountered. Our driver/guide was Benjamin who, while providing interesting information in an entertaining way, also exhibited care for his customers as they entered or exited his trolley. So glad we got to get this overview of San Diego our first day here.Written December 8, 2024
- 725cinaran0 contributionsFriendly and FunI had a fantastic time! The tour is magical, the guides were extremely friendly and funny, the views from the bridge going to Coronado Isle is breathtaking! Thanks everyone specially to Steuart!Written December 7, 2024
- D2264TTkevink0 contributionsWorth it!Our tour guide, Gary, was excellent and really made the tour entertaining! Great personality. I did the night tour and we were able to get off the trolley and see the Coronado bridge lit up which was cool! He provided great facts about the history of San Diego! I totally recommend and the night tour if possible. Kevin ( Chicago )Written December 5, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
46 reviews
Excellent
26
Very good
6
Average
5
Poor
1
Terrible
8
Jennifer E
8 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
It was fun to see the city lights from several locations. However, there was more of an emphasis placed on the music played versus fun facts or historical information. And when information was given, it was hard to hear because of the music. I guess I’m just used to more information from tour guides, but if you’re really only interested in the lights, then this is the tour for you!
Written September 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There's a little something for everybody in the diversity of tours in San Diego. For more of a narrative, try our daytime hop on hop off tour. We hope to see you next time you visit one of our destinations.
Written September 10, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
David E
20 contributions
We did this tour on the last night of our stay. It offered beautiful views of the San Diego skyline and a great history lesson of the area. Lizz, the driver was great. I’d recommend this to everyone, but do it sooner in your trip because you’ll learn a lot about the area.
Written July 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cathypMadisonWI
Madison, WI24 contributions
If you take the day time Trolley there is little need to do this one. Nothing spectacular stood out and most of the information was the same as the original Trolley tour we took. Belle, our driver was excellent and entertaining. Wish I hadn’t spent the money on this and then40$ for parking. That was ridiculous! I vote for the daytime trolley. Hop on and off. See what you can see and go back again the next day. Highlight was the Star of India light up.
Written March 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Merriann W
1 contribution
Apr 2022
Tour was very informative. Our tour guide was Susie. She was terrific. Worse part and most disappointing was the end where we were let off for an hour to shop at the Gas Light District. We boarded the trolley at 5pm so by the time we were let off to shop we were very hungry. All the restaurants were high end and there was no way we could get seated and served and be back to the trolley in 1 hour. Only shop was a souvenir shop. All we wanted was coffee but no coffee places. Better to go to Belmont is my suggestion.
Written April 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Voyager679232
1 contribution
One because it was in the wrong place, so I never made it so I lost my money very confusing. When you order online it’s best to go down there to figure it out. I was so confused I walked out old town San Diego to the wrong place waited there for a while and the bus came like that I said so I just went back to my hotel room miserable experience. It was good love my money back but I ordered it for hours before I’m supposed to go so 24 hour cancellation notice did not appear.
Written July 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
I have forwarded your comments to the General Manager for his review. Feedback from our guests is one of the best ways we learn how to improve the visitor experience. Therefore, he has asked me to gather some additional information.
Would you please contact me directly at guestrelations@historictours.com.
Written July 12, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jenna W
1 contribution
Oct 2022 • Solo
Would give 0 stars if I could. Booked a last minute City Lights Tour, because there was availability for a 6:30pm tour. Stated to be there 30 minutes early so I ubered and got there just under 30 minutes in advance. The check in booth was closed and no one was there. I waited and waited until almost 6:30 when I called the business. They stated there was no availability. I wouldn’t have known this unless I called. A trolley never even came so I’m not even sure there was any tours that night and yet I was able to book. Wasted my time and money on Ubers for nothing.
Written October 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carolyn M
Orlando, FL9 contributions
Great look at the city! Tour guide was funny and gave an overview of the area. We had a full house.
Looking forward to going to Balboa Park today since they gave us a peek on this tour.
Looking forward to going to Balboa Park today since they gave us a peek on this tour.
Written March 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Penelope T
Batemans Bay, Australia21 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
We enjoyed the night. Boxcar was a great guide and knew all sorts of interesting things about San Diego. Loved the Coronado bridge and the views to the city but especially loved Boxcar’s disco helmet!!
Written September 18, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zia C
6 contributions
Nov 2020 • Solo
Not at all what I expected. They zoom by the interactions I was not even really able to actually view them nor was I actually able to take pictures. Furthermore the attractions are not lit up enough for you to actually see them. So essentially the tour is a scam. COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY.
Written November 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were sorry to hear you did not enjoy you time on the night tour due to the fast pace.
While we slow down whenever we can we are prohibited from moving too slowly or stopping when we have following traffic. We must be careful not to block or inconvenience other drivers .
We offer a satisfaction guarantee located on the customer service page of our website.
Written November 12, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Vicki G
Arcadia, CA321 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
The trolley driver was excellent he was engaging and very pleasant to all of us on his trolley. Margaret at the check in kiosk was wonderful her knowledge advise and guidance helped me realize even with a disability & cane I could take the trip. I enjoyed looking at the surroundings the lights of the night, 2 stood out Little Italy main square & Hotel Del Coronado & of course the Christmas songs we sang.
What made my trip miserable was 4 individuals on the tour with me their negative comments making fun of our singing & disrespectful of the driver. I wish I’d never spent the money time & significant effort on doing the tour. Beware
What made my trip miserable was 4 individuals on the tour with me their negative comments making fun of our singing & disrespectful of the driver. I wish I’d never spent the money time & significant effort on doing the tour. Beware
Written December 31, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Vicki, I am sorry some of the guests on the tour ruined the tour for you. We have spoken and I will be refunding your money of an unsatisfactory experience.
Written January 3, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Is 7:30 pm the latest Night tour available for today, Wed 2/26?
Written February 27, 2020
Is there alcohol available for purchase?
Written February 3, 2020
What type of vehicle do you travel in for this tour?
Written May 5, 2019
Trolley bodied 38 seat coach
Written September 28, 2019
Yes at Coronado for view across to SD
Written September 28, 2019
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