Charleston Historic Carriage Tour: Carriage Ride, Guided Walk and Ghost Ride

For a historic carriage tour of Charleston, three tours are listed online on WizardTrip. The historic carriage ride lasts 1 hour. The guided walk lasts 2 hours. The ghost carriage ride lasts 40 minutes and takes place in the evening.

The historic carriage ride has 11,064 reviews, rated 4.8 out of 5. The guided walk has 7,022, rated 4.9 out of 5. The ghost carriage ride has 4,408, rated 4.7 out of 5 (as of 18 October 2026). This article compares their departure points, routes and rules, then says which one to choose.

Historic tour of Charleston: what you need to know

Charleston, South Carolina, is nicknamed the “Holy City”; the historic carriage ride listing cites its many steeples. All three tours cover downtown. Both carriage rides leave from the same stable, Old South Carriage Company, at 14 Anson Street. The walk starts at City Hall, at 80 Broad Street.

For the historic carriage ride, the City of Charleston assigns the route of each departure, to spread out traffic. According to the listing, the landmarks you see may therefore change from one tour to another. All three guides speak English.

The historic carriage ride: one hour in the downtown streets

The carriage is pulled by Belgian or Percheron draft horses, and it carries 16 passengers at most. It leaves from the stable and returns there. Before boarding, you can greet the horses, watch a video, buy refreshments or use the restrooms.

After the stable, the carriage stops near the City Market, where the route is assigned. The ride covers about 30 blocks and more than 300 years of history. You see wrought-iron gates, gardens, historic homes with piazzas and the steeples of the “Holy City.”

The historic carriage ride is very well rated, but Annette qualifies this in September 2026, in a 3-out-of-5 review. She writes: “Worth the price, but we would have liked more of a history tour than explanations about how the horses are treated.”

Charleston's Old South Carriage Historic Horse & Carriage Tour4.8(11,064 reviews)From €45From€45View activity

The walking tour: 2 hours in the French Quarter and South of Broad

The walk lasts 2 hours and brings together 20 people at most. The meeting point is in front of City Hall, at the corner of Meeting Street and Broad Street. This building is one of the “Four Corners of Law,” along with the courthouse, the post office and St. Michael’s Church.

The program includes 45 minutes in the French Quarter and 10 minutes at Rainbow Row. It continues with 30 minutes at the Battery and White Point Gardens, with a view over the water toward Fort Sumter. The stops vary depending on the guide. The listing names the Dock Street Theatre, St. Philip’s Church, the Slave Mart Museum, the Powder Magazine and the Pink House.

The tour doesn’t cover the whole length of the Battery. The end point depends on the guide, who takes you back to the starting point if you ask. There are no public restrooms along the route, and places selling water are scarce.

Historic Charleston Guided Sightseeing Walking Tour4.9(7,024 reviews)From €27From€27View activity

The ghost carriage ride: 40 minutes in the evening in the walled city

The ghost carriage ride leaves from the same stable, at 14 Anson Street. It lasts 40 minutes, in the evening, and crosses more than 15 blocks of the historic walled city. The group has 16 people at most. Check the departure times on the listing.

The guide mixes ghost stories with historical landmarks. The route names the Old Exchange and its Provost Dungeon, the Circular Congregational Church graveyard and St. Michael’s Church. According to the listing, this graveyard is the city’s oldest burial ground, and this church is Charleston’s oldest religious building. The return follows waters once frequented by pirates, then passes through the Old City Market.

As for the atmosphere, Dana judges the tour, in September 2026, “a little less paranormal than you might expect.” Children aged 3 and under ride free on a parent’s lap, and every child must be accompanied by an adult. Any change to a booking goes through Viator, not the stable.

Haunted Evening Horse and Carriage Tour of Charleston4.7(4,411 reviews)From €41From€41View activity

The three Charleston tours compared

Can you come with children or in a wheelchair?

On both carriage rides, children aged 3 and under ride free, seated on a parent’s lap. A separate seat requires a child ticket. Strollers are accepted. The historic carriage ride is wheelchair accessible. The ghost carriage ride listing doesn’t specify this, but describes an accessible ramp for boarding.

The walk is also wheelchair accessible and suits all fitness levels. The listing doesn’t recommend it in case of a spinal injury or poor cardiovascular health. It is aimed at families with older children.

What happens if it rains or you arrive late?

The carriage rides are canceled in bad weather. The walk goes ahead “rain or shine,” but the organizer reserves the right to cancel if conditions are potentially dangerous. It then notifies you by email or phone before the start time.

Check-in is 15 minutes before the booked time. For the carriage rides, arriving late can mean losing the booking. For the walk, the guide may be impossible to find after the start, and the listing asks you to call the organizer. A full refund requires canceling at least 24 hours before departure.

Which one should you choose in Charleston?

• You have an hour and want to see downtown without walking: the historic carriage ride.
• You want to understand the city in detail: the 2-hour walk, with Rainbow Row and the Battery.
• You are looking for an evening outing: the ghost carriage ride, 40 minutes.
• You are traveling with a child aged 3 or under: either carriage ride, free on a parent’s lap.
• You are after the lowest starting price: the guided walk, as the table shows.

For the rest of your stay, the city’s tours and excursions are gathered on the Things to do in Charleston page. The country’s other destinations are grouped on the United States page.