This essential La Jolla Combo tour includes both a walking tour of the coast and a driving tour of the neighborhood itself. Both are self-guided, allowing you to explore La Jolla’s coastal beauty with maximum flexibility, safety, and value. Simply get the tour guide app set up on your phone and get started.
The walking tour begins by the parking area for the Coast Walk, then continues on to the coast itself, where you’ll get your first look at the breathtaking La Jolla Cove. As you follow the walkway along this stunning waterfront, we’ll bring you up to speed on how La Jolla got its name and help you spot some of the neighborhood’s most iconic birds.
We’ll pass the site where La Jolla’s first tourist cabins once stood, then take in some most one-of-a-kind views while hearing about the Kumeyaay tribe who once lived here. As we continue, be sure to keep your eye out for seals and sea lions! Not sure how to tell the two apart? Don’t worry, we’ll help with that. If you’re especially lucky, you might even spot an orca whale off the shore!
Next, we’ll come to Seal Rock, and you can probably guess what you’ll find here! If you haven’t managed to spot a seal yet, this is the place where your luck will change. Don’t forget to snap some photos!
After that, we’ll see Children’s Pool Beach, where kids and seals swim side by side. Sounds pretty whimsical, right? So is one of La Jolla’s most famous former residents: Dr. Seuss!
Continuing on, we’ll hear about the town’s unlikely mascot: Rags the Donkey. Then we’ll come to the almost impossibly gorgeous Cuvier Park, one of the most popular wedding spots in the entire country! Finally, it’s on to the famous tide pools, which are absolutely bursting with aquatic life.
The driving tour begins at the same spot, but dives deeper into the fascinating history behind La Jolla. Cruise along the coast while hearing about the people who made this neighborhood what it is today, from a couple of brothers who bought up all this land for less than $2 per acre, to the one woman responsible for most of the town’s longstanding cultural institutions.
Visit the historic La Jolla Woman’s Club and hear about Ellen Browning Scripps, La Jolla’s most important figure. Next, see the beautiful Wisteria Cottage, and make sure you get that perfect Instagram shot before you leave!
Then it’s on to the Athenaeum, a library for music and the arts which is sure to astonish any art lover in your group. We’ll end up at the Valencia Hotel, where Hollywood’s rich and famous have come to stay for a hundred years. Our tour concludes here.
This combo offers you a complete look into both the beauty and history of this truly unique town. So pack your phone, your camera, and head to the coast!
Flexible planning
Entrance ticket
