Savannah Weekend Itinerary: The Perfect 2 or 3 Days
A weekend is about the right amount of time for Savannah. One day gets you the highlights and a sore pair of feet. Two days lets you see the Historic District properly. Three gives you room for the places just outside it, like Bonaventure Cemetery, Wormsloe and the beach at Tybee.
This Savannah weekend itinerary is the plan we’d give a friend. We run tours in the Historic District every day, so it’s built around how the city actually works: which parts are best in the morning, where the crowds are on a Saturday afternoon, and when parking is free. Follow the first two days for a 2-day trip, and add the third if you have it.
Quick answer: For 2 days in Savannah, spend day one getting oriented (a guided tour of the Historic District in the morning, the squares on foot in the afternoon, River Street at sunset) and day two on Forsyth Park, a museum or historic house, and Bonaventure Cemetery. With 3 days in Savannah, add Wormsloe’s oak avenue and an afternoon at Tybee Island.
Before you go: a few things that shape the weekend
When to come. March to May and October to November are the most comfortable months, and also the busiest. Summer weekends are quieter but hot and humid, so plan outdoor time for the morning and evening. Our month-by-month guide goes through weather, crowds and events in detail. Check the calendar for St. Patrick’s Day week in March, when the city is packed and hotel prices jump.
Where to stay. For a weekend getaway, Savannah GA is easiest from a base inside the Historic District. Anywhere between the river and Forsyth Park puts most of this itinerary within walking distance. Staying on River Street is lively but loud on Friday and Saturday nights. The streets around Forsyth Park are quieter and closer to the southern squares.
Getting around. You won’t need your car much once you arrive. Park it once and leave it. Our Historic District parking guide covers the garages, the $15 Visitor Day Pass and the free options. One weekend perk: street meters are free on Sundays, and south of Liberty Street they’re free all weekend.
What to book ahead. Dinner reservations for Friday and Saturday nights, any guided tours you want, and hotel parking if your hotel offers it. Everything else can be decided on the day.
Day 1: Get your bearings
The first day of a Savannah itinerary is about learning the layout. The Historic District is a grid of squares, and once you understand how they connect, the rest of the weekend gets much easier.
Morning: see the whole district first
Start with a guided tour so you know where everything is before you start walking. Our Savannah Historic District Open-Air Cruiser Tour runs 75 minutes and covers about ten landmarks: Chippewa Square, Forsyth Park, Monterey Square and the Mercer-Williams House, the Cathedral Basilica, Reynolds Square, Factors Walk, City Hall and City Market. Departures start at 10:00 AM, and tour guests can park free at the meeting point on Gaston Street during the tour.
We’d suggest the 10:00 or 11:30 departure. You’ll finish with the whole map in your head and a short list of places you want to go back to, which is exactly what the rest of the weekend needs. If you’re not sure whether to ride or walk, we compared both in Walking or Riding?
Lunch: City Market or Broughton Street
Most of our guests head to City Market after the tour. It’s a four-block pedestrian area of restaurants, galleries and shops, and it’s flat and easy to walk. Broughton Street, a block south, has more choice if City Market is busy.
Afternoon: walk the squares
Now that you know where things are, walk the ones you liked. A good route runs straight down Bull Street from Johnson Square (the oldest, laid out in 1733) through Wright, Chippewa, Madison and Monterey squares. It’s a little over a mile and takes an unhurried hour and a half with stops.
Along the way:
- Chippewa Square, where Forrest Gump sat on his bench. The bench isn’t there anymore; we explain where the Forrest Gump bench is now.
- Madison Square and the Sorrel-Weed House.
- Jones Street, a block west of Monterey Square, lined with 19th-century townhouses and often called one of the prettiest streets in the country.
- Monterey Square and the Mercer-Williams House from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
If you want to go inside somewhere, the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist on Lafayette Square is open to visitors outside of Mass times, free, with donations welcome.
Evening: River Street at sunset
Walk down to River Street for the evening. The cobblestones and old cotton warehouses look best in low light, and the container ships passing close to the riverwalk are a surprise for first-time visitors. The steps down from Bay Street are steep; the public elevator between City Hall and the Hyatt Regency is the easier way down.
Have dinner on River Street, or head back up to the Historic District, where the quieter restaurants are. If you like ghost stories, Savannah’s evening ghost tours start around the squares after dark.
Day 2: Forsyth Park, history and Bonaventure
Morning: Forsyth Park (and the Saturday market)
If your second day is a Saturday, start at the Forsyth Farmers’ Market, held at the south end of Forsyth Park every Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, year round. Get coffee and breakfast there, then walk north to the famous white fountain. Our Forsyth Park guide covers the best photo spots.
On the way, look for the Candler Oak on Drayton Street between Gaston and Huntingdon streets. It’s a live oak estimated at several hundred years old, and in 1984 it became the first single tree in the country protected by its own conservation easement.
Late morning: one museum or historic house
Pick one. Doing three in a morning is how weekends turn into homework.
- Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters on Oglethorpe Square, for architecture and an unflinching look at the people who kept these houses running.
- Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, the childhood home of the Girl Scouts’ founder.
- Telfair Academy or the Jepson Center, for art. The Bird Girl statue from the Midnight book cover is on display at the Jepson Center.
- Savannah History Museum at 303 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, for the broad story of the city and the Forrest Gump bench.
Afternoon: Bonaventure Cemetery
Drive 10 to 15 minutes east to Bonaventure Cemetery, one of the most photographed places around Savannah. Avenues of moss-draped live oaks, Victorian statues and a bluff over the Wilmington River make it more like a park than a cemetery. Admission is free, and it’s open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Johnny Mercer, who wrote “Moon River,” is buried here. Give yourself at least an hour and a half.
Evening: Plant Riverside or the Starland District
For your second night, try somewhere different from River Street. Plant Riverside District, at the west end of the riverfront, has restaurants, rooftop bars and a free exhibit of giant geodes and chrome dinosaurs in the JW Marriott lobby. For something more local, the Starland District south of Forsyth Park has casual restaurants, breweries and a younger crowd.
That’s a full 2 days in Savannah. If you’re heading home on day two, you’ve seen the city properly. If you have another day, keep going.
Day 3: Wormsloe and Tybee Island
With 3 days in Savannah you can get out of the Historic District and see the Lowcountry around it.
Morning: Wormsloe State Historic Site
Wormsloe is about 20 minutes south of downtown. Its mile-and-a-half avenue of live oaks is the image on half the postcards in Savannah, and it’s more impressive in person. Admission is about $10 for adults. Go early: the light through the oaks is better in the morning, and you’ll share the avenue with fewer cars. There are walking trails and the tabby ruins of the colonial house if you want to stay longer.
Afternoon: Tybee Island
Tybee Island is about half an hour east of downtown, and it’s where Savannah goes to the beach. Climb the Tybee Island Lighthouse, walk the pier, and eat somewhere with a view of the water. The beach is free; parking is paid by the hour, so keep the parking app handy.
Heading home from here is easy if you’re driving north or west, and you’ll avoid a trip back through downtown.
Alternative day 3 (no car, or bad weather)
If you don’t want to drive, spend the morning at Old Fort Jackson on the river (cannon firing demonstrations run most days) or the Georgia State Railroad Museum in Tricentennial Park, then take the free Savannah Belles Ferry across the river for the skyline view. Finish with a last walk through the squares you didn’t reach on day one.
Savannah weekend itinerary at a glance
| Morning | Afternoon | Evening | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Open-air tour of the Historic District | Lunch at City Market, then walk the Bull Street squares | River Street at sunset |
| Day 2 | Forsyth Park and the Saturday farmers’ market | One museum, then Bonaventure Cemetery | Plant Riverside or Starland District |
| Day 3 | Wormsloe’s oak avenue | Tybee Island beach and lighthouse | Head home or a last dinner downtown |
What to skip on a short trip
- Driving around the Historic District. The one-way streets and squares make it slow, and you’ll spend more time parking than seeing. Walk, ride a tour, or use the free dot shuttle.
- River Street at midday in summer. It’s hot, crowded and at its least charming. Go in the evening.
- Trying to see every square. There are 22 of them. Seeing eight properly beats rushing past all 22.
- Booking a museum every morning. One a day is plenty. Savannah is best enjoyed outdoors.
Budget tips for a Savannah weekend getaway
- Many of the best things here cost nothing: the squares, Forsyth Park, Bonaventure, the ferry and River Street. We’ve listed 25 free things to do in Savannah.
- Park on Sunday, when street meters aren’t enforced.
- A $15 Visitor Day Pass covers city garages and most meters for a full day, so it’s usually cheaper than paying by the hour.
- Our 75-minute open-air tour is $25 per person and saves you a lot of wandering on day one.
- Traveling with children? Our guide to things to do in Savannah with kids has ideas for all ages.
Frequently asked questions
Start your weekend with the whole map
Seventy-five minutes, about ten landmarks and a local guide who’ll tell you which squares to come back to. Book the open-air tour for your first morning, and the rest of the weekend falls into place.
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