By Two of the South’s most beguiling cities sit just over 100 miles apart, linked by tidal marshes, oyster towns, and shaded squares draped in Spanish moss. This five-day itinerary gives you two unhurried days in Charleston, a leisurely Lowcountry drive south through Beaufort and Bluffton, and two full days in Savannah, with enough structure to keep you moving and enough room to wander. Pack comfortable walking shoes: both cities reward travelers who explore on foot.
Day 1: Settling Into Historic Charleston
Begin where Charleston began, on the peninsula’s compact and walkable historic district. Start the morning along Meeting Street, sometimes called the Museum Mile, then drift south toward the harbor. Spend the late morning at the Nathaniel Russell House Museum, an 1808 Federal-style mansion famous for its free-flying, three-story cantilevered staircase that seems to float without visible support. The guided and self-guided tours give an honest accounting of the merchant family who built it and the enslaved people who ran the household.
After lunch, walk to The Battery and White Point Garden at the southern tip of the peninsula, where antebellum mansions face Charleston Harbor and live oaks shade Civil War cannons. From there it is a short stroll to Rainbow Row, the row of pastel Georgian townhouses along East Bay Street that is among the most photographed sights in the city. Cap the afternoon by browsing the open-air Charleston City Market, where Gullah artisans still weave sweetgrass baskets, a tradition carried from West Africa.
Plan Your Visit: Nathaniel Russell House
- Address: 51 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29401
- Phone: (843) 724-8481
- Hours: Monday 1 to 5 pm; Tuesday through Sunday 10 am to 5 pm (last admission 4 pm)
- Admission: Roughly $15 for adults and $7 for children 6 to 16, with combination tickets available for the Aiken-Rhett House. Confirm current pricing when you book.
- More information: Historic Charleston Foundation
Day 2: Forts, History, and Charleston’s Table
Devote the morning to Fort Sumter, the harbor island where the first shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861. The fort is reachable only by boat, and the authorized concessioner, Fort Sumter Tours, is the only ferry that actually docks at the island. Boats depart from two locations: Liberty Square in downtown Charleston (340 Concord Street) and Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant (40 Patriots Point Road). The full experience runs about two and a quarter hours, with roughly an hour on the fort itself. Tickets recently started around $43; reserve in advance, especially in peak season.
Fort Sumter is part of Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. There is no entrance fee for the park itself, only the ferry ticket. For schedules and reservations, see the official Fort Sumter Tours site.
Back on the peninsula, spend the afternoon and evening eating well, because Charleston is a serious food town. The historic district brims with restaurants serving Lowcountry classics like shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, and fresh local oysters. Wander upper King Street for boutiques and bars, or book a sunset harbor cruise. For trip planning, maps, and a current calendar of events, the official South Carolina tourism site is a reliable starting point.
Day 3: The Lowcountry Drive to Savannah
You could cover the distance between Charleston and Savannah on Interstate 95 in about two hours, but the scenic coastal route along US-17 and SC-21 is the point of this trip. The drive threads through tidal creeks, salt marsh, and Sea Island towns, and breaking it into stops turns a transfer day into a highlight.
Stop One: Beaufort
About 70 miles from Charleston, Beaufort (pronounced BYOO-fert) is a postcard of a Lowcountry town, with Federal-style and Greek Revival mansions shaded by enormous live oaks. Park near Bay Street and walk the waterfront and the surrounding historic district. Beaufort is also home to the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, which interprets the pivotal years after the Civil War. The South Carolina visitor center for the area sits downtown at 713 Craven Street.
Stop Two: Bluffton
Roughly 40 minutes south, Old Town Bluffton perches on a bluff above the pristine May River, the source of the renowned Bluffton oyster. The compact district is full of art galleries, antique shops, and the 1841 Heyward House, which doubles as the town’s welcome center. It is an easy, pleasant hour of strolling before the final 40-minute push to Savannah. For more on the region, see the South Carolina Lowcountry visitors guide.
Arrive in Savannah in time to check in and have dinner. River Street, along the Savannah River, makes a lively first impression with its converted cotton warehouses now full of restaurants and shops.
Day 4: Savannah’s Squares and Museums
Founded in 1733 as one of America’s first planned cities, Savannah is laid out around a grid of more than 20 leafy squares, each a small park ringed by historic homes, churches, and monuments. The squares are best experienced on foot, and a slow morning walking from one to the next is the quintessential Savannah experience. Pass through Chippewa Square, with its statue of city founder James Oglethorpe, and make your way south to Forsyth Park, the 30-acre green space anchored by its iconic white two-tier fountain.
For art and architecture, the Telfair Museums bundle three distinct sites under one ticket: the Telfair Academy, the modern Jepson Center, and the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, which offers one of the most clear-eyed presentations of urban slavery in the South. One admission covers all three sites, which makes for an efficient and rewarding afternoon.
Plan Your Visit: Telfair Museums
- Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters: 124 Abercorn Street, Savannah, GA 31401
- Jepson Center: 207 W. York Street, Savannah, GA 31401
- Phone: (912) 790-8800
- Hours: Generally 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 pm Sunday and Monday, though individual house-museum days vary. Verify before you go.
- Tickets: One ticket admits you to all three sites. See the Telfair Museums official site for current pricing.
Day 5: Bonaventure, Wormsloe, and the Coast
Save Savannah’s outlying treasures for your final day, when a car is handy. Begin at the Wormsloe State Historic Site, where a breathtaking 1.5-mile avenue of nearly 400 live oaks leads to the tabby ruins of the colony’s oldest standing structure, plus nature trails and a small museum.
Plan Your Visit: Wormsloe State Historic Site
- Address: 7601 Skidaway Road, Savannah, GA 31406
- Phone: (912) 353-3023
- Hours: Daily 9 am to 4:45 pm, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day
- Admission: Recently about $12 for adults, $9 for seniors, and $5.75 for youth ages 6 to 17. Confirm current rates with Georgia State Parks.
From there, drive to Bonaventure Cemetery, the hauntingly beautiful Victorian burial ground overlooking the Wilmington River that gained fame through the book and film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Wandering its oak-canopied lanes and sculpture-filled plots is free and unforgettable. If time and weather allow, finish with the 20-mile drive east to Tybee Island for a walk on the beach and a climb up the historic lighthouse before your trip winds down.
For the official lineup of attractions, events, and lodging across the city, the Explore Georgia guide to Savannah is the best authoritative resource to round out your plans.
Practical Planning Tips
- When to go: Spring (March to May) and fall (September to November) bring mild weather and azaleas or comfortable evenings. Summer is hot and humid; pace your walking for the mornings.
- Parking: Both historic districts are dense and best explored on foot. Use a garage in each city and walk, rather than circling for street spots.
- Reservations: Book the Fort Sumter ferry and any guided house tours in advance during peak season, and reserve popular Savannah and Charleston restaurants early.
- The drive: Give yourself a full unhurried day for the coastal route on Day 3. Fuel up before leaving Charleston and plan lunch in Beaufort.