St. Augustine Carriage ToursSt Augustine Golf Cart Tour: Waterfront and Downtown
This st augustine golf cart tour costs $32 per person and covers the bayfront and the historic downtown in one hour. St Augustine Land and Sea Tours runs it in an open-cabin electric cart with a certified driver-guide, and the price includes complimentary photos. It is the cheapest guided ride per person in this catalog and it carries a 4.9 rating from 120 verified bookings. If you came looking for horses, the St. Augustine carriage tours compared run the same downtown blocks at a different price. Here is what this cart ride covers, what it leaves out and who should book something else.
About This Tour
St Augustine Land and Sea Tours runs this one-hour ride from a meeting point at 150 Charlotte Street, by the Plaza de la Constitución. You board an open-cabin electric golf cart with a small group and a certified driver-guide who narrates. The route follows the bayfront past Castillo de San Marcos and the Bridge of Lions out to Mission Nombre de Dios, then returns through downtown past Flagler College, Casa Monica and Aviles Street. Complimentary photos are included and the listing pitches the ride at people who want to keep walking to a minimum.
The listing limits the group to 10 participants and states no minimum age. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later. Starting times are not fixed in the listing text, so check availability to see what runs on your date.
$32 per person, booked on GetYourGuide. The price counts every seat.
1 hour in the cart. The listing does not state how long the stops add.
150 Charlotte St, St. Augustine, by Plaza de la Constitución. No hotel pickup, you meet there.
Shared, small group, limited to 10 participants. Not private.
Food and drinks and gratuities are not in the price. Entry to the buildings you pass is not part of the ride, for example the Castillo de San Marcos charges $15 for adults 16 and older on its own.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund. Reserve now, pay later is available.
Check Dates and Availability
The listing does not print fixed start times, so open the booking panel to see what runs on your date. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before the start.
Quick answer Price, route and the short version
This st augustine golf cart tour costs $32 per person for a 1 hour ride in an open electric cart from 150 Charlotte Street by the Plaza. A certified driver-guide narrates, photos are included and the group is capped at 10. It runs the bayfront to Mission Nombre de Dios and returns through downtown.
Key takeaways
- See exactly what the $32 covers in what the price covers.
- Follow the full route stop by stop in the route.
- Want the cart to yourselves? Compare the private electric cart tour at $200 per cart for up to 7.
- Prefer horses? The horse-drawn carriage history tour is $175 per private carriage for 45 minutes.
What the Price Covers
The listing prices this ride at $32 per person, so every seat in the cart is charged. The figures below come from the operator's listing on GetYourGuide and from the city parking pages.
Included and Not Included
The $32 buys your seat in the open-cabin electric cart for 1 hour, the certified driver-guide and the complimentary photos. That makes it the cheapest guided ride per person in this catalog. The shared guided golf cart tour from the city garage costs $45 per person and the marina-based historical tour $48, so the saving per seat is real.
Because the price is per person, the total changes with your party. If you want a vehicle to yourselves, compare the private electric cart tour at $200 per cart for up to 7.
The honest note: food and drinks are not included, gratuities are not included and there is no hotel pickup, so you arrive at 150 Charlotte Street on your own. Parking downtown is not free either, see parking, weather and timing for the garage rates. None of the buildings on the route are entered, this is a pass-by ride.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Seat in the open golf cart | Yes | $32 per person, 1 hour |
| Certified driver-guide | Yes | Narrates in English |
| Complimentary photos | Yes | Stated in the listing |
| Food and drinks | No | Buy your own before or after |
| Gratuities | No | Not included per the listing |
| Hotel pickup | No | You meet at 150 Charlotte St |
| Entry to buildings on the route | No | Pass-by ride, for example the Castillo entrance is $15 for adults 16 and older |
The Bridge of Lions at sunset. Photo: Capvideo, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Route and What You Pass
The listing describes a loop: out along the bayfront to Mission Nombre de Dios, back through the historic downtown. Everything below is a pass-by from the cart unless the listing says otherwise, and no building entry is promised.
From the Plaza to the Bayfront and Back
You board at 150 Charlotte Street by the Plaza de la Constitución and head for the waterfront, with views of Matanzas Harbor and the Bridge of Lions. The cart passes in front of Castillo de San Marcos on the way to the Mission Nombre de Dios site, which the listing ties to where the city founder first arrived. St. Augustine itself was founded on September 8, 1565 by the Spanish admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles.
The return leg drives by the Fountain of Youth, Magnolia Street and the Old Jail, then downtown past the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, the Alcazar and Casa Monica hotels. You spot the Governor's House and ride down Aviles Street, which the listing calls the oldest street in the U.S. The listing also names the Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church before the cart returns to the Plaza.
Be clear about what this is: every one of these is a drive-by. You do not get off the cart to enter the Castillo, the churches or the museums. If you want to go inside the fort afterwards, read the Castillo de San Marcos guide for the entrance fee and hours.
| Stop | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Plaza de la Constitución | Laid out in 1573 under Spanish Royal Ordinances, a National Historic Landmark since 1970 | Florida's Historic Coast |
| Castillo de San Marcos | Construction began October 2, 1672, the core was finished in 1695, built of coquina shell rock | Wikipedia |
| Bridge of Lions | Opened February 26, 1927, 1,545 feet long, carries State Road A1A over the Matanzas River | Wikipedia |
| Mission Nombre de Dios | Site where the city founder first arrived, per the tour listing | GetYourGuide listing |
| Flagler College | The former Ponce de Leon Hotel, built in 1888 by Henry Flagler, designed by Carrere and Hastings | Wikipedia |
| Casa Monica | Opened in 1888 under Franklin W. Smith, sold to Henry Flagler for $325,000 | Wikipedia |
| Aviles Street | Called the oldest street in the nation, dating to the 16th century | Florida's Historic Coast |
Who This Ride Suits and Who It Does Not
The listing pitches this at people who want to see the city while keeping walking to a minimum. That is accurate, and it is also the clearest way to decide between this ride and the others on this site.
A Good Fit
Book this if you want a cheap, short, narrated orientation. At $32 per person for 1 hour it costs less per seat than any other guided ride in this catalog, and the 4.9 rating across 120 verified GetYourGuide bookings is strong. The seated format suits travellers who find the brick streets hard on foot, and the cap of 10 participants keeps the cart small compared with a trolley.
The listing sets no minimum age, though it also states nothing about car seats, so ask the operator before booking with toddlers.
Look Elsewhere If
You want the vehicle to yourselves. This is a shared ride, so if your party wants privacy the private electric cart tour is $200 per cart for up to 7 over 90 minutes with 1,240 reviews. You want a horse-drawn ride.
Then the horse-drawn carriage history tour is $175 per private carriage for 45 minutes, or the carriage ghost tour at the same per-carriage price. You want to hop off at stops. The hop-on hop-off trolley at $41 per person runs 22 stops over 1 or 2 days.
You are watching parking costs. The historical tour with free parking at $48 per person includes all-day parking at the marina, while this start point has no free lot attached to it.
Parking, Weather and Timing
The listing states no weather policy and no fixed departure times, so this section covers what the city and climate records say. Plan the arrival around the garage, not the street meters.
Where to Park
The meeting point at 150 Charlotte Street sits by the Plaza, in the paid parking zone. The Historic Downtown Parking Facility at 1 Cordova Street holds 1,200 spaces and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Rates are $20 per vehicle per entry on the city's page (a Visit St. Augustine guide says $20 per day) from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and $5 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and registered St. Johns County residents pay $3 per entry.
Street meters cost $2.50 per hour for non-residents with limits of three hours on streets and four in lots, free before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, before 1:00 p.m. and after 9:00 p.m. on Sundays, and on national holidays. The free STAR Circulator bus runs daily 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. if you would rather leave the car farther out.
The St. Augustine parking guide has the detail.
Weather for an Open Cart
This is an open-cabin cart with no roof climate control, so the season matters. Mean daily highs run 19.7°C (67.5°F) in January, 23.6°C (74.4°F) in March, 32.8°C (91.0°F) in July and 27.7°C (81.8°F) in October. August and September are the wettest months at 7.18 inches of rain each, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30.
For a hot-weather booking, take an early slot if one is offered and bring water, because food and drinks are not provided. November and December suit this ride well at 23.8°C (74.9°F) and 20.5°C (68.9°F) mean highs. More in the guide to the St. Augustine historic district.
Nights of Lights
This listing is not a holiday ride, and the listing states no seasonal dates for it. The same operator, St Augustine Land and Sea Tours, runs a separate Nights of Lights cart at $42 per person for 45 minutes from 2 Artillery Lane. The city's festival lights run from late November into mid January, and the St. Augustine Nights of Lights guide covers the season in detail.
Sources: City of St. Augustine parking, Visit St. Augustine driving and parking, NOAA hurricane climatology
How the Hour Runs
The listing does not print clock times for the departure, so the steps below use phase labels. The route order follows the operator's own description.
-
Before
Arrive at 150 Charlotte Street
Meet the cart at 150 Charlotte Street by the Plaza de la Constitución. There is no hotel pickup, so leave time to park in the garage at 1 Cordova Street, which the city lists at $20 per vehicle per entry before 5 p.m. (a Visit St. Augustine guide says $20 per day).
-
Meeting point
Board the open golf cart
A certified driver-guide leads the small-group ride, capped at 10 participants. The guide narrates in English and photos are included.
-
First stretch
Bayfront to the Castillo
The cart heads for the waterfront with views of Matanzas Harbor and the Bridge of Lions, then passes in front of Castillo de San Marcos on the way to the Mission.
-
Midway
Mission Nombre de Dios
The ride reaches the Mission Nombre de Dios site, which the listing ties to where the city founder first arrived.
-
Return leg
Back through downtown
The cart drives by the Fountain of Youth, Magnolia Street and the Old Jail, then downtown past the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, the Alcazar, Casa Monica and the Governor's House, and down Aviles Street.
-
Back at the start
Return to the Plaza
The description has the cart return to the Plaza after passing the Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church, while the listing map shows 170 St George St as the arrival point. Free cancellation applies until 24 hours before the start.
Pros and Cons
Weighed against the other rides on this site, not against marketing.
What we genuinely like
- Cheapest guided ride per person in the catalog at $32, against $45 and $48 for the other shared cart tours
- 4.9 rating from 120 verified GetYourGuide bookings
- Complimentary photos are included, which none of the carriage listings state
- Small group capped at 10 participants with a certified driver-guide
- Route runs out to Mission Nombre de Dios, as the guided golf cart tour from the garage does
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start and reserve now, pay later
The honest downsides
- Per-person pricing means the total rises with every person in your party, unlike the per-carriage price of the horse-drawn rides
- No hotel pickup, you find your own parking, and the city garage near the Plaza lists $20 per vehicle per entry during the day
- Every landmark is a pass-by, no entry and no stated photo stops off the cart
- Open cabin in Florida, with July mean highs of 32.8°C (91.0°F) and August and September the wettest months
- Shared cart, so no privacy, unlike the private cart at $200 for up to 7
Who it's NOT for: Travellers who want to hop off at stops, ride privately, or be pulled by a horse should compare the trolley, the private cart or the carriage listings instead.
Questions About This Golf Cart Tour
How much does this St Augustine golf cart tour cost?
$32 per person for 1 hour, which makes it the cheapest guided ride per seat in this catalog. The shared cart from the city garage is $45 per person by comparison, see the full St. Augustine carriage tours compared.
Where does the tour start and how do I get there?
At 150 Charlotte Street, by the Plaza de la Constitución, with no hotel pickup. The nearest big garage is at 1 Cordova Street, $20 per vehicle per entry from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the city's page, though a Visit St. Augustine guide says $20 per day, per the parking guide.
Does the route include Mission Nombre de Dios?
Yes, the listing sends the cart along the bayfront past Castillo de San Marcos to the Mission Nombre de Dios site, a stretch the horse-drawn carriage history tour does not name on its route.
Is the ride private or shared?
Shared, a small group limited to 10 participants. If you want the whole vehicle, the private electric cart tour is $200 per cart for up to 7 people over 90 minutes.
What is not included in the $32?
Food and drinks, gratuities and any entry fees to the buildings you pass are not included, and the Castillo de San Marcos charges $15 for adults 16 and older on its own. Details in what the price covers.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
Yes, free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund, and reserve now, pay later is available. Check the start times on the booking panel for your date.
Is there a minimum age for children?
The listing states no minimum age, though it also does not state anything about child seats. If that matters, ask the operator, or look at the guided golf cart tour at $45 per person, where infants ride on an adult's lap per its listing.
What Travelers Said
Sandy was our tour guide and she was excellent! She made the tour fun and was very informative regarding the history of the city and recommending places to visit and restaurants to eat. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and would recommend this more intimate tour over the larger passenger tours.
The guide Sandy was excellent. She was very informative and making sure all of us in the cart got pictures and were able to hear everything. Gave us a lot of helpful hints about free parking and other places to explore.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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