French Quarter Historic Charleston Walk

Overview

This historical overview of Charleston's French Quarter highlights the Holy City's finest points of interest. Bring a camera to capture the beauty, and enjoy a breathtaking walk through colonial and early American architecture. Your native Charleston guide will show you unique landmarks with intriguing narratives of how these structures originated. The tour includes visits through cobblestone alleys and passages to admire the spectacular historic fabric of the district. The tour also includes an easy stroll along Charleston's majestic harbor with its castle and forts that shaped much of America's maritime and military history

City: Charleston

Tue 03 Feb

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $30.00

Make a reservation

Tue 03 Feb

Starting at $30.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Historic look at the French Quarter

Professional Guide

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
If you would like your own private tour for your family and group for any reason, contact us directly at 803/669/3003 or through our website to block off the tour time for you. We also can accommodate special time requests with enough advanced notice.

What To Expect

Joe Riley Waterfront Park

Walk through the historic Vendue Range of markets on low water land owned by the Prioleau family who arrived in Charles Town in 1687 as an escape from Catholic religious persecution in Pons, France. See the majestic harbor's Castle Pinckney, Fort Sumter, and beautiful marshy islands that create the passage to the Atlantic Ocean.

Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon

One of the top three most historic buildings in the U.S., according to the National Historic Registry. Guide explains in detail all of the unique attributes that make this building one of America's true historic gems.

Rainbow Row

Colorful waterfront bay buildings constructed along wharves with Dutch influence (Amsterdam) during the Age of Lord Proprietors and original walled city.

Pink House Gallery

Known to be the oldest private building remaining in the French Quarter (1694-1712). The handmade, asymmetrical house set on the longest cobblestone street is built of Bermuda stone and resembles a charming man-sized dollhouse.

Charleston City Hall

Gabrielle Manigault (French Huguenot architect) designed one of the finest examples of Adamesque architecture in 1800 as a development of the Civic Square of the original Grand Modell plan of the walled city.

Old Slave Mart Museum

One of the last vestiges of a barracoon (slave jail) which is a converted German fire station made into a gallery for the sales of the enslaved. 80 percent of what census term as African-Americans living in North America have ancestral roots in Charleston, South Carolina as a result of the 12 million people imported through the Atlantic slave trade.

St. Michael's Church

The oldest remaining in-tact church building left in the Holy City was built in 1752.

South Carolina Historical Society Museum

First Fireproof Building in America built by Robert Mills who also designed the Washington Monument in D.C. (probably wishes the monument has been built as earthquake proof).

The Powder Magazine

Oldest public building (1713) in the original walled city was used as a northern fortification during the age of Lords Proprietors.

French Huguenot Church

Gothic Revival French protestant church is the centerpiece of the French Quarter. This active church is the oldest and most famous in the U.S. Twenty-three of forty-five U.S. Presidents have French Huguenot ancestry!

Dock Street Theater

National historic landmark is known as the first building to hold theatrical performances in the U.S. First show was in 1735, a black comedy depicting the social and sexual exploits of two recruiting officers in Ireland.

Circular Congregational Church

First official "Meeting House" built on the corner of the original walled city in a Romaneque Revival Style. Three significant churches were created from the original congregation (Unitarian, First Scots, and United Church). Churchyard is home to the oldest tombstones on the peninsula.

Philadelphia Alley

Iconic alley way holds many historic attributes and lore.

Show 10 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (91)

kasoondie

Oct 2022

First of all, and my son and I booked this walking tour we had already read the reviews and they were all excellent! Everyone had mentioned the guide, “Geordi” (Pronounced Jor-Dee) as being a wonderful guide. Now of course, I wanted Geordi as our guide, but I knew it wasn’t a guarantee. When we arrived at our meeting spot for the 10:30 AM tour, It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the mid 60s. How could this begin any better? Well it did! This young man called out My son’s name (as he is the one that booked the tour) in a cheery tone with a big smile. It was Geordi! It was a fantastic tour. Geordi is very knowledgeable about the area which is drenched in history. He has a gift of captivating the group with loads of trivia, and plentiful intriguing facts, some that may not be in history books! He has a wonderful sense of humor, matched with a very caring and attentive demeanor. There was a total of six people in our group, and Geordi made sure we were all taken care of ie: stopping for bathroom breaks and being very patient with me😉who frequently lagged behind to take pictures! Geordi is not only a superb guide, he is also a great human! The end of our tour it was lunchtime and we had worked up a good appetite. Geordi was very generous with his time, helping us to learn about the local restaurants in the French Quarter. After listening to his recommendations we finally narrowed it down to a great choice, Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar. Then we went across the street to Carmella‘s café and dessert bar, and got some treats to take home! I highly recommend this tour with Geordi!! In my opinion, I think Geordi absolutely makes the tour!

Response from Host

Oct 2022

Thank you for booking the French Quarter Walking tour. Happy to read that you took the locals' favorite, Amen Street, recommendation after such a positive experience in the original walled city area. Hope to see you out and about again in the Holy City!

Kandasamy_P

Sep 2022

The history and landmarks of Charleston are amazing and sad at the same time. Our guide made the tour an exceptional experience and spent significantly more time making sure we saw as much as possible.

Response from Host

Sep 2022

Kandasamy, thank you for joining the French Quarter Walk. Glad to read that you found insight into the city’s cultural history through its architecture. Hope to see you again soon.

Kimberly_S

Sep 2022

Fast talking, joke cracking tour guide who the personality to make our two hours together fun and the knowledge to back it up.

Response from Host

Sep 2022

Kimberly, thank y’all for joining the French Quarter Walk. Happy to read that you enjoyed your experience!