Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego
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September 2026
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Who is going?
Adults
Age 13 and over
Children
Age 12 and under
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Same price on Viator, Outty earns a commission.
Traveler rating
3.3/5
Based on 9 traveler reviews. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Quick answer
Is Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego worth booking?
Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego is a 4-hour experience in San Diego, United States, from $12 per person. It scores 51 out of 100 on the Outty Ranking, which we label “Worth a Look”, based on a 3.3/5 rating across 9 reviews. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time. Same-day spots are currently showing.
- Outty Ranking
- 51 / 100
- Rating
- 3.3/5 (9)
- Duration
- 4 hours
- From
- $12 per person
Connect your smartphone to your vehicle and listen to a tour guide while you drive the iconic PCH! Follow the route along the Pacific Coast Highway and discover one of the most scenic drives in the world! Start anywhere
What you get
About this experience
Connect your smartphone to your vehicle and listen to a tour guide while you drive the iconic PCH! Follow the route along the Pacific Coast Highway and discover one of the most scenic drives in the world! Start anywhere along the route between Los Angeles & San Diego. The tour is the same in either direction. Learn about cities and towns nestled along the coast including Oceanside, Carlsbad, Long Beach, Dana Point & more! We’ll point out must-see sights like the Sunset Beach and Torrey Pines. Hear about Louis Zamperini and the RMS Queen Mary. With no time constraints, enjoy the freedom to stop anywhere and take your time exploring. Tour guide commentary will play automatically as you drive, using an easy to navigate GPS map. No data is used during the tour. This audio guide will keep your group entertained & engaged along the way. Each point of interest also has a fun multiple-choice trivia question about the sights. Trust the platform with over 75 tours & 25,000+ happy customers.
What's included
Included
- No time constraints, take as long as you like to complete the tour
- Only 1 tour booking needed per vehicle
- Flexible dates - tour is yours to keep and enjoy anytime on Tripvia Tours.
- No signal required or data used during tour
- Good mobile or WiFi connection needed for the initial download
Not included
- Smartphone or tablet
- Transportation (use your own vehicle)
What you'll see and do
As you are passing by the Los Angeles International Airport, we'll tell you a bit about it and why it's called LAX. Feel free to stop at as many attractions, as long as you like, along the tour as there are no time constraints.
Pass by without stopping
El Segundo
We'll tell you how El Segundo got it's name and the main industries located here.
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Manhattan Beach
We'll tell you an interesting story behind the name Manhattan Beach.
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Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach has a rather notorious past! We'll tell you why.
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Torrance
Hear how Torrance was, and still is, the perfect location for a Japanese automobile maker's North American Headquarters!
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Louis Zamperini. We'll tell you a quick version of his incredible perseverance and resilience.
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Here we'll tell you a bit about the area history and what the area is now famous for.
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Legend has it that the Native Americans blessed the land of Palos Verdes, making it the most beautiful place on Earth.
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RMS QUEEN MARY, a retired British oceanliner that sailed on the North Atlantic. We'll tell you how she came to be here.
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Long Beach
We'll you a bit about the history of Long Beach and it's original inhabitants.
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Hear about some of the famous alumni who called this university their own.
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Seal Beach
We'll tell you how Seal Beach was once a gambling destination!
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Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge
There are four different habitats within the refuge, supporting a variety of species. We'll tell you a little about them.
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A "quintessential Southern California beach town"! Need we say more?
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Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
The path to the protection of this reserve is long and varied! We'll give a shortened version.
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Huntington Beach
We'll tell you why Huntington Beach is called "Surf City".
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Hear why Santa Catalina Island was so popular with pirates!
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Huntington Beach and oil, and tourists, and politics. We'll give you a bit of the lowdown.
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Newport Beach
Welcome to the seaside city of Newport Beach! Although it's now known mostly for it's sandy beaches and ocean fun, it once supported a large number of
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One of Newport Beach's most popular tourist attractions is the Balboa Peninsula. Originally, Balboa Island was little more than a mudflat surrounded by swampland...
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Crystal Cove State Park
As you drive along the incredible coastline, you'll see some signs for Crystal Cove State Park. It all started back in 1874 when land owner and founder...
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Laguna Beach
Welcome to the beautiful seaside resort city of Laguna Beach.As you can imagine, the scenic beauty of the isolated coastline and hills was very attractive to, well, pretty much everyone. It was...
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Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park
It's an important regional wildlife preserve, and is home to a number of hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails. It also features some interesting geological...
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We're about to drive through the coastal neighbourhood of Monarch Beach.Luxury and affluence are found in abundance here, with the average price of a home...
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Dana Point
Welcome to Dana Point, the dolphin-and-whale capital of the world! There are more dolphins per square mile in these glistening waters than...
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Where it starts and ends
Meeting point
San Diego
The tour starts or stops on the I-70, just north of San Diego. Tour experience is the same in either direction.
Meeting point
San Diego
The specific point for Los Angeles is the Pacific Coast Highway #1, at the Los Angeles International Airport. Tour experience is the same in either direction.
Hotel pickup
No pickup: everyone meets at the start point.
Ends at
The tour starts or stops on the I-70, just north of San Diego. Tour experience is the same in either direction.
Ends at
The specific point for Los Angeles is the Pacific Coast Highway #1, at the Los Angeles International Airport. Tour experience is the same in either direction.
Before you book
- Cancellation
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Languages
- en
- Ticket
- Mobile Only
- Runs on
- Every day
- Group size
- Up to 15 travelers per booking
- Operated by
- Tripvia Tours
Know before you go
- Service animals allowed
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Photos
What travelers are saying
Outty’s summary of the themes that recur across 9 traveler reviews. Written by us, not quoted from reviewers.
Knowledge and storytelling
2 mentionsReviewers describe the commentary as informative rather than scripted.
Traveler reviews
9 verified traveler reviews for Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Enjoyable narration for a PCH drive.
The app and the tour made for an enjoyable day driving the PCH. It is worth viewing the tutorial to be sure how to use the app. When set up properly, the narration starts when you approach site of interest. It does not require any manipulation, though you can go back and repeat sections.
Response from the operator: Thanks for the 5‑star review! We're delighted to hear that the LA–San Diego drive was even better with the tour running alongside your day on the PCH. Yes, listening o the tutorial ahead of time is ideal to ensure a smooth experience, while enjoying the drive. We’re glad the automatic narration worked smoothly once everything was set up. Appreciate you sharing your experience. Enjoy the rest of your travels. 🚗
via Tripadvisor
Regret paying $ for this app
The app is inferior. I have a pole iPhone 17plus max, had precise locations setting on and the audio didn’t play when at a location. I was driving and trying to engage with the app. Had to pull over way too many times. This app needs work. Waste of money.
Response from the operator: Thanks for giving the LA–San Diego tour a try. We’re sorry the audio didn’t trigger automatically for you. The tour relies on GPS detecting nearby stops, and occasional signal gaps can cause points to be missed. We appreciate you sharing what happened, and we’re continually improving the experience for solo travelers. Glad you were able to explore the route, and thanks for the feedback.
via Viator
Self driving tour LA to Seal Beach
App did not play driving directions from one point to the next. Had to stop and manually enter next destination point into navigation app.
Response from the operator: Thank you for sharing your feedback - we appreciate you taking the time to let us know about your experience. The tour is designed to play automatically as you drive, so needing to manually prompt the commentary isn’t typical. A number of factors can affect GPS triggering on a given day - things like signal strength, weather, phone settings, or whether the download fully completed - but we understand how inconvenient it feels when the audio doesn’t advance on its own. If you’d like, feel free to email us at info@tripvia.tours with your device details and we can escalate it to our app provider to see what might have happened on your setup. We hope you still enjoyed the beautiful views and information, even through you needed to manually prompt the next stop.
via Tripadvisor
Glitchy and no good.
Very glitchy. They sent a link to download an app. The link was not clickable. I found the app on the app store and downloaded it. Then you have to enter a code and find the tour on the app. Then I downloaded the tour. The tour audio would not play. Then randomly, halfway to the destination, the tour audio started and then half an hour later it stopped and never came on again. I wish I could get my money back.
Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re sorry to hear you ran into technical issues during your tour. We’re glad to hear that you were able to find an alternate way to find the app in the app store - when you were unable to follow the download link, in the setup message we sent you. We haven’t received similar reports from other guests on this tour recently, concerning the audio playback, so it sounds like something specific may have happened during the setup on your device. We wish we’d had the chance to assist you in real time - most issues can be resolved quickly with a setting adjustment so guests can continue enjoying the tour. If you’re interested, please reach out to us at info@tripvia.tours with more specific details you remember. We’d be happy to look into this to get everything functioning properly for you. As this tour doesn’t expire, you can listen at a future date - perhaps on your return trip. Thank you again for your feedback. Safe travels 🚗
via Tripadvisor
Worth the money
Enjoyed the experience, very informative. Made the long drive more pleasant. It was neat learning new things about places I've already been to and about places I haven't.
Response from the operator: Thank you for the great review! We’re really glad to hear the tour made your drive more enjoyable and helped you discover new things along the way. Our goal is to offer a fun, informative way to explore the region from a fresh perspective, so it’s wonderful to know it added to your trip. Thanks again for letting our tour be part of your trip!
via Tripadvisor
Good to know
- Duration
- 4 hours
- Free cancellation
- Up to 24h before
- Minimum age to book
- All ages
- Availability
- Bookable today
- Runs on
- Every day
- Hotel pickup
- No pickup, meet at start point
- Booked in 30 days
- 3
- Verdict
- Worth a Look
Why this scores 51
The Outty Ranking is a weighted composite. Here is how this experience performed on each component.
Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego: questions travelers ask
Practical detail on this experience, plus the wider planning questions for San Diego.
How much does Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego cost?
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Prices start at $12 per person. The final price depends on the date, the time slot and the number of travelers, and peak weekends in San Diego usually price higher than midweek mornings. Live pricing and remaining availability are confirmed on the booking screen before you pay.
How long does Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego take?
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Plan for about 4 hours from start to finish, not counting travel to the meeting point. Most travelers leave another 30 minutes on either side so the rest of the day in San Diego is not rushed.
Is Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego worth it?
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It holds an Outty Ranking of 51 out of 100, which we label "Worth a Look". That score blends traveler sentiment (3.3/5 across 9 reviews), the depth of that review evidence, recent booking momentum, value for money against comparable last minute in San Diego, and how flexible the cancellation terms are.
Can I cancel or reschedule Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego?
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Yes. Cancel free up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Inside that window the booking is non-refundable, and no-shows are not refunded.
Is Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego suitable for kids and families?
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Yes, all ages are welcome. Families should still weigh the 4-hour running time, and strollers are easier on the earlier, quieter departures.
How far in advance should I book Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego?
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Around 3 people booked this in the last 30 days, so popular slots go early. Two to three weeks ahead is comfortable in shoulder season, while summer weekends and holidays in San Diego can sell out a month out. Same-day spots do open up when other travelers cancel, so it is worth checking if you are already in town.
What should I bring or wear?
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Bring photo ID, your booking confirmation on your phone, a refillable water bottle and comfortable shoes. Dress for the weather in San Diego and add a light layer if any part of the 4-hour experience runs outdoors or after sunset.
Where does Self guided Driving Tour between LA and San Diego start and how do I get there?
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The exact meeting point and directions are on your voucher once you book, and they sit in central San Diego within reach of public transport. Arrive 15 minutes early: late arrivals are treated as no-shows by most operators.
What are the best things to do in San Diego?
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San Diego is an outdoor-first city: whale watching from December through April, La Jolla kayak and snorkel runs year round, harbour cruises and the USS Midway, plus Balboa Park museums when the marine layer sits low. We rank water operators on group ratios and gear quality, which is where the cheap La Jolla trips fall down. On Outty we rank every San Diego experience on the same 0 to 100 scale, and alongside this one the highest scorers right now include USS Midway Museum Admission: Valid Any Date, Taste of Little Italy in San Diego, San Diego Whale Watching Cruise. The city page groups everything into most popular, highest reviewed, last minute and family-friendly so you can build a day around what actually delivers.
When is the best time to visit San Diego?
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March to May and September to November, either side of the June overcast. Booking patterns follow the same curve: prices and queues climb in peak weeks, while shoulder season gives you better availability on the top-ranked experiences and more room to change plans.
How many days do you need in San Diego?
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Three full days covers the headline sights without sprinting. A workable rhythm is one anchor experience each morning, such as this one, an unhurried afternoon in a single neighborhood, then a food or nightlife booking in the evening. Five days lets you add a day trip outside the city.
Do I book through Outty or through the operator?
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Outty ranks and explains the experiences, then hands you to Viator to complete the booking with the operator directly. The price is the same as booking on Viator yourself, and Outty earns an affiliate commission on the referral, which is how the rankings stay free to read.
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