Catalina Island Day Trip Packages

 Just off the Southern California coast lies Santa Catalina Island, with charming towns, endless outdoor pursuits, romantic sights, and rich history. This Mediterranean island escape offers an easy getaway from the chaos of the mainland, no passport required!

While an overnight stay reveals the full magic of Catalina, even a day trip to this coastal gem makes for an unforgettable SoCal adventure. A well-planned one-day Catalina itinerary lets you marvel at the island’s beauty, play in the cerulean waters, discover the culture and lore of Avalon town, and return home with incredible memories.

Booking a convenient Catalina Island day tour package takes all the hassle out of planning. Knowledgeable local guides whisk you away to stunning island sights not reachable on your own. Plus, packages bundle vital transportation logistics like shuttle transfers and ferry or helicopter passage.

Keep reading to discover the best Catalina Island day trips and tour combos to suit your wanderlust. We’ll outline the highlights of popular full-day excursions so you can curate an island experience that thrills.

Catalina Island Tour Options

Myriad exciting Catalina Island tours exist, but sorting through them solo can overwhelm you. Reputable outfitters like Karmel offer pre-packaged day tours that handle all necessities – even ferry transport – in one fell swoop.

Their combo full-day tour packages include roundtrip boat transport from mainland California aboard the Catalina Express Ferry, plus your choice of premier Avalon and inland Catalina excursions. It’s truly an effortless island adventuring!

Packages start around just $121 per adult ticket ($87 for ages 3-11, $30 for infants) and span 8 am hotel pickup through evening return ferry arrival. 

What’s included varies by package, but here’s an overview:

• Karmel shuttle collects you from OC/LA hotels or residences
• Catalina Express boat passage – just one smooth hour!
• Your choice of phenomenal Catalina Island half-day tours
• Return shuttle drop-off upon ferry arrival

After a day of island adventure, your Catalina tour package includes return boat transport back to the mainland. The ferry departs the Avalon port at 3:45 pm, arriving approximately an hour later so you can unwind and reminisce on the scenic cruise back. Optional later evening departures from Avalon are also available at 6:00 pm or 7:30 pm year-round. Check out the schedule here.

Catalina Island Packages

With transport covered, all that’s left is to select your favored Catalina Island tours. Top choices like the panoramic Avalon Scenic Tour, majestic Casino insider’s tour, zip line eco-tours, Two Harbours spa dates, or remote Skyline Drive ecology escapade deliver awesome island experiences. Let the island adventures begin!

Avalon Scenic Tour 

($21 Adult / $19 Child)

Duration: 50 minutes

This spectacular drive introduces Catalina newbies to the culture, sights, and intrigue of the island’s main town. Winding past Avalon’s sun-kissed shoreline to its hilltop heights and back down again, lively guides regale you with Catalina history and folklore.

The tour provides a lively overview of Catalina’s most dynamic burg, great for first-timers. Key sights like the 1929 Avalon Casino, palatial homes of golden-era stars, local landmarks, and that signature harbor view parade by your window. Don’t forget to have your camera poised!

Behind the scenes Catalina Casino Walking Tour

 ($32 Adult / $30 Child)
Duration: 1 – 1.5 hours

Step inside Santa Catalina’s legendary landmark – the world-famous Casino building. On this unforgettable walking tour of the interior, your guide whisks you backstage to areas unseen since construction in 1929.

You’ll gain insight into this icon’s glitzy heyday, viewing rarely glimpsed spots like the Casino’s ornate Avalon Theatre and monumental screen. The tour culminates inside the ethereal Casino Ballroom itself – a vista recognizable from countless classic films!

Strolling these halls feels like a step back through decades of history, cinema, and song. It’s easy to see why generations view the Casino as Catalina’s crown jewel.

Skyline Drive & Airport in the Sky Tour 

($59 Adult / $56 Child)
Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes

Venture beyond Avalon’s coastline into Catalina’s vast protected backcountry on this sightseeing expedition. A local guide narrates your drive along the Skyline road’s breathtaking ridges and canyons. Keep watch for endemic Catalina Island foxes and iconic shaggy bison en route!

Ten miles out, the tour pauses at the Airport in the Sky Visitor Center. Once California’s busiest general aviation airport, today its vistas and exhibit educate visitors about the isle’s ecology and conservancy efforts. Sweeping Pacific overlooks provide prime photo ops.

Inland Expedition 

($90 Adult / $87 Child)

Duration: 3.5 hours

Catalina’s rugged wild interior waits to be explored on this epic 31-mile foray. Visitors ride restored vintage buses along stagecoach routes used when Buffalo Bill and Zane Grey inhabited these parts. Exclusive stops include the island’s Native Plant Nursery and a Catalina Island fox habitat location.

The epic route then continues to the Pacific shoreline with jagged coastal views, unlike any other Catalina tour. A loop back through Skyline Drive’s ecosystems and the Airport in the Sky with potential bison sightings completes the expedition. Island adventurers rejoice!

East End Adventure Tour 

($82 Adult / $79 Child)

Duration: 2 hours

Hold on tight for this open-air Hummer ride along Catalina’s steepest roads! The exhilarating journey climbs 1,500 feet to the island’s highest point, treating riders to breathtaking aerial island vistas.

The Extreme East End tour traverses rugged ridges and canyons for perspective found nowhere else. Strapped into provided safety harnesses, participants will get their hearts pumping as skilled drivers handle hairpin switchbacks. Bring your camera for astonishing coastal views rarely witnessed.

Undersea Expedition 

($41.50 Adult / $39 Child)

Duration: 45 minutes

Delve below Avalon’s picturesque harbor aboard windowed semi-submersibles and come face-to-face with Catalina’s exotic marine inhabitants! Schools of garibaldi, bass, and bat rays swim alongside the 5-foot-deep vessels. Safely enclosed from the elements, riders of all ages behold an underwater world usually reserved for divers.

The Undersea Expedition provides 45 minutes of aquatic splendor as schools of fish are fed around you. Two daily departures mean you can float through Avalon’s kaleidoscopic sea life – then return after dark when an entirely different cast of creatures emerges!

How much does it cost for a day trip to Catalina Island?

All-inclusive Catalina day trips generally range from $120-$150 depending on tour selection, child vs adult tickets, etc. Packages handle essentials like transfers to and from Catalina and ferry passage, so it’s hassle-free.

Can I go to Catalina Island for one day?

Absolutely! While we always recommend an overnight stay, one perfectly planned day on Catalina allows you to see top sights and enjoy memorable activities before heading home.

Is Catalina worth a day trip?

Catalina Island makes for an incredible Southern California day trip escape – especially if you book an organized tour package. Knowledgeable tour guides whisk you away to stunning island sights not reachable solo in just one day.

How long is the ferry ride from Catalina Island?

Catalina Express and other ferries make the cruise from mainland Long Beach or Dana Point to Catalina in just an hour. That means less time traveling and more time adventuring once you arrive!