Charleston's Alleys & Hidden Passages

Quick Details

Duration: 2 hours
Departure Location: This tour leaves from the north side of the Old Exchange Building at 122 East Bay Street.
Ending Location: Varies per tour guide, but usually just a couple blocks from the start
Distance: 1.5 to 2 miles
Start Times: 9:30am and 2pm daily
What's Included: Professional and Licensed Local Tour Guide / Four to six alleyways as well as popular points of interest in the French Quarter and South of Broad including Rainbow Row / Admission to the Powder Magazine Museum is included with your ticket
What's Not Included: Gratuity
What to Bring: Water and a hat in summer and rain gear if the weather calls for it
Max Group Size: 13 guests
Cancellation Policy: Full refund with 24 hours notice. Reschedule allowed with 12 hours notice.
What if it rains: Tours are rain or shine. We will cancel and reschedule or refund if there are dangerous conditions like lightning directly over downtown or flooding.

Explore Charleston’s Hidden Gems

Take a small-group tour of Charleston’s Alleys and Hidden Passages, the most popular tour offered by our sister company, Lowcountry Walking Tours, which specializes in intimate tours for a more in-depth experience. This tour offers a magical view of the often-overlooked side of Charleston.

Distinguished by their beauty, Charleston’s alleys occupy spaces that blur the line between public and private areas and offer remarkable insight into the history of the Holy City. Some of these quaint passageways are inaccessible by automobiles and are often overlooked. Walking along these picturesque cobblestone, brick, and stone pathways offers an opportunity to step back in time and appreciate more fully Charleston’s charms on an intimate and inviting scale.

Charleston’s alleyways are fortunately located within the popular historic district which allows us to include some well known points of interest on the tour as well as go a little “off the beaten path”. Generally, we include between four to six different alleyways/passages as well as popular points of interest and of course, tons of history!

Rated 5 stars

We have thousands of 5 star reviews and an overall 5 star rating across multiple review sites including Google, Tripadvisor, Facebook, Viator and Yelp!

Licensed Professional Guides

All of the guides at Lowcountry Walking Tours are licensed tour guides with the City of Charleston and have passed the city’s rigorous tour guide exam which means they know Charleston history!

Passionate Storytellers

Our guides have a passion for the past and are skilled storytellers. Most of us are Charleston natives, or retired history teachers and some of our guides are even accomplished authors, historians and docents. What we all have in common? A passion for Lowcountry history.

Small Group

The Alleys and Hidden Passages Tour is limited to 13 guests total for a more intimate experience.

Free Admission to the Powder Magazine Museum

Admission to the Powder Magazine Museum is included with the price of your walking tour. Visit the museum at your leisure before or after your walking tour. Located at 79 Cumberland St. Click here for more info and opening hours: The Powder Magazine Museum

Satisfaction Guarantee

Guest satisfaction is our number one priority. If you don’t enjoy the tour for any reason, we will offer a full refund or a voucher for a future tour.

Flexible Cancellation Policy

Cancel for a full refund with 24 hours notice. If your plans change, just let us know and we would be happy to reschedule you with 12 hours notice.

Charleston’s Best Tour Guides

Our Charlestonian tour guides tell you everything you want to know about the history of Charleston — and more. Whether you need directions to your next tour, recommendations on where to get the best grits, or just a few cool facts about Charleston history, we’ve got you covered. Our licensed guides have over 130 years of combined tour guiding experience.