No Car…No Problem! Your Guide for Getting Around Charleston SC
Charleston South Carolina is a beautiful city with so much to see and do. How does one actually get around using simple and even public transportation? Driving your own car and always moving to parking garages that are near popular sites is an option as well. We’ll go over both modes of getting around Charleston. There’s always Uber and Lyft as well. One of the best ways to see Charleston is on foot of course.
CARTA Dash Downton Trolley
It’s FREE and is one of the most popular ways to get around the historic district of Charleston and see the sites. Here’s a map that you can view or print if you’d like of the routes and where it stops.
There are three routes that loop around the historic district. You’ll want to stay on either the Orange or Purple lines.
They all intersect at the Visitors Center, 375 Meeting Street. That’s where we recommend you park and then you can change trolleys or routes at any time…and your car is there as well.
Trolleys pickup at each bus stop location every 15 to 20 minutes.
Orange Line (Route 210 or the Aquarium/College of Charleston)
If going to the Aquarium, Fort Sumter, Harbor Tours, Water Taxi or College of Charleston.
Purple Line (Route 213 or the Lockwood Drive/Calhoun Street)
If going to the City Market, Carriage Tours, King Street shopping, Waterfront Park, Charleston Museum.
Green Line (Route 211 or the Meeting/King Street Lines)
College of Charleston, Medical Complexes, Ashley River Hotels, Citadel and Riverdogs Baseball Stadium.
Limitations of Using the Trolley
You have to wait up to 15/20 minutes to be picked up at each bus stop.
The Trolley only transports you around the historic district. Other popular attractions cannot be visited using the Trolley.
You have to change trolley’s from time to time to visit different areas.
TourPass includes full admission to the top tours and attractions in Charleston. In addition, our mobile pass shows your exact location via interactive maps, so you’ll never get lost. We have a parking garage map and you can also view the free trolley route map from within the Mobile Pass. Checkout our Charleston TourPass page to see what’s included.
Driving Your Own Vehicle
There are quite a few large parking garages around the historic district. We’re going to highlight the top garages which are easy to find. Of course you can find metered street parking around the area, but they can be hard to find during the busy seasons.
Recommended for people who don’t want to wait on the trolley and jump on and off buses to get around.
Visitor’s Center Garage
375 Meeting Street, 29403
Park here if visiting: Charleston Museum, Joseph Manigault House, Aiken Rhett House, Upper King Street shopping.
Aquarium Garage
24 Calhoun Street, 29403
Park here if visiting Fort Sumter, Harbor Tours, Schooner Pride or the Aquarium.
Majestic Square Garage
153 Market Street, 29401
Central to most attractions such as King Street shopping, a short walk to the City Market.
Cumberland Street Garage
90 Cumberland Street.
This is a centrally located garage for visiting Charleston.
Park here if visiting: City Market, Carriage tours, Powder Mag Museum, Slave Mart Museum and mid to lower King Street shopping.
Prioleau Street Garage
25 Prioleau Street, 29401
Park here if you want to visit East Bay Street, Waterfront Park, The Battery, Rainbow Row and the City Market isn’t too far from here either.
Included with TourPass which provides transportation between four locations around the harbor. Visit their website to view pickup/drop-off schedule.
DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON LOCATIONS:
Waterfront Park: For visiting the City Market and most of downtown Charleston such as the Battery.
Aquarium Wharf: Fort Sumter, Harbor Tours and the Aquarium.
MOUNT PLEASANT LOCATIONS:
Harbor Resort Marina: Use if staying at this hotel.
Patriots Point Maritime Center: Use if visiting the USS Yorktown or any of the sites there.
Uber & Lyft
Charleston does have Uber and Lyft service. Simply download the respective app to use their services.
Pedi-Cab or Bike Taxi
You’ll see these bike taxis throughout the downtown district. It’s best to tell them where you’re going and settle on a rate before jumping on-board. Remember to tip generously.
Yes, the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) provides public transportation throughout the region. They also have a free trolley for visiting the historic district of downtown Charleston.
Yes, there are quite a few large parking garages scattered throughout the downtown Charleston area. In addition, there are many metered street parking locations. For more info visit this page.
Absolutely it is a safe and walkable city. The historic district is very safe which encompasses the City Market, King Street, French Quarter, the Battery and many of the famous sites is very walkable.
Yes, the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) provides bus transportation throughout the region. There is also a free trolley that provides transportation throughout the historic district when visiting. See above for more info.
Yes, however it’s technically not considered a “hop on hop off bus”. It is as close as you can come to one. The DASH Trolley is free to ride and loops around Charleston’s historic district daily. Here’s a map below. If you’re using the trolley it’s best to park at the Charleston Visitor Center garage (375 Meeting Street) since all 3 trolley routes intersect there and you can easily go from one route to another.
We certainly think so, however don’t take our word for it….see what others say on our reviews page.
TourPass provides access and full admission to the top tours and attractions. After purchasing a pass, you can simply select what you want to do, make reservations and present your pass upon arrival. It’s not all about savings, convenience and ease of use should also be considered. Users can save a considerable amount of money and time by using TourPass.
Absolutely and we encourage this scenario since purchasing in advance will allow you to fully research and plan your vacation.
After purchase, when your ready, simply activate your pass for when you’ll be visiting and begin making reservations for that future date (can be today, tomorrow or months away).
Once I purchase a pass does it activate instantly?
No it doesn’t. After purchase on the app you select the activation date for when you’re visiting when you’re ready. Then it will ask you to book your featured tours in advance now for when you’re visiting. You don’t have to make tour reservations in advance if you’re not ready.
What is your 30-day risk-free guarantee?
We give you complimentary refund protection for 30-days after purchasing. If you’d like to extend refund protection up to 1 year, you can purchase Trip Protection during the purchase process.
How do I know if tours will have any availability when I plan to go?
No worries. Visit this page on our site tourpass.com/aggregator – select the date you want to tour and it will show you all of the available times for that day prior to purchasing. Now you can confidently purchase a pass and book those times.
How does the TourPass app work?
After choosing a day pass and checking out on our site, you’ll instantly receive instructions to install the app. On the app you can:
Set your activation date (can use right away or set for a future travel date).
Make Feature Tour reservations now for when you’re visiting in the future.
Research what to do – detailed info on all tours.
Research landmark sites.
Use the interactive map to see where everything is located.
Can I skip a day or do all days need to be consecutive with a multi-day pass?
Yes you can skip days. Once activated, you have a total of 10-days to use however many days you purchased. For example, a 2 day pass activated on Monday….take a break Tuesday and then tour again Wednesday….pass expires at midnight on Wednesday.
Do tours require reservations?
Most Feature Tours do and reservations are easily made post-purchase on the app. To ensure tour availability before purchasing, visit this page and search the date you want to tour: https://tourpass.com/aggregator
Standard Tours do not require reservations. Simply arrive and present your pass upon entry. Everything is paid for with TourPass.
Can I visit a tour more than 1x?
Tours are designed to be visited 1x for the entirety of your pass. If for instance you’d like to do the Hop on Hop Off Trolley (Savannah + St. Augustine), then you could check-in on a second day which would use another of your featured tours.
Standard Tours can only be checked into 1x per person for the entirety of your pass.
Can I visit more than 1 feature tour per day?
Yes, we don’t restrict how many feature tours you can visit per day….we do restrict how many total you can choose which is determined by the # of days you select: 1-day = 2 featured. 2-days = 3 and 3-days = 4 featured.
Can I upgrade my pass after purchasing?
Yes, after purchasing we instantly send instructions to install our app. On the app, you can select the upgrade option and add more days or people to your pass.
Applies to multi-day passes (more than 1 day). Enter your email below (unsubscribe at any time). Code is entered on final checkout page.
Pass purchases can be refunded (minus 3% credit card processing fees) if requested within thirty-days of purchase date (for unused passes). Optional Trip Insurance can be purchased for a nominal fee at checkout which extends the refund period up to one-year from purchase date. Conditions apply. View full refund policy by clicking button below.
