Charleston Itineraries

Charleston Itineraries

If You Have 2 Days

The best way to get acquainted with Charleston is to take a carriage ride, especially those that take you through the South of Broad neighborhood. After the ride, carriage companies drop you off near the Old City Market in the North of Broad, in the Market area, where you can wander looking for souvenirs. Head to lunch and then hoof it to the Battery and White Point Gardens; take time for a house tour or two at mansions such as the Nathaniel Russell House and the Heyward-Washington House. Spend the night in the historic district, and on Day 2, shop for antiques, seersucker suits, and one-of-a-kind jewelry on Lower King Street. Break for lunch and wander down toward Broad Street again, stopping to peek inside the churches and graveyards. Finish the day on a bench at Waterfront Park before heading to a sumptuous dinner.

If You Have 4 Days

Follow the two-day tour above, then on Day 3 make your first stop the South Carolina Aquarium, near Upper King, which overlooks Charleston Harbor. From there take the harbor ferry to Fort Sumter National Monument to see where the Civil War began, or tour the waterfront on one of the other boat tours that depart from the Maritime Center. On Day 4 drive across the Cooper River into Mount Pleasant and visit Patriots Point, the Old Village neighborhood, and Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island. After lunch on Middle Street drive to one of the beaches, maybe to the Isle of Palms, to wind down. Return to Charleston after catching the sunset.

If You Have 5 Days

After finishing the four-day itinerary, spend Day 5 outdoors. You might take a short road trip over the Ashley River from downtown to Folly Beach County Park. Bring a picnic lunch and fish off the pier, walk through the forest, or surf from the beach. Or you could head north instead, and explore Bull Island and the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge.