3-day Savannah, Georgia Itinerary

It’s no wonder people fall in love with Savannah, Georgia. Its charm and southern hospitality make it an iconic city. If you haven’t been to Savannah, now is the time to start planning. Below is our 3-day Itinerary for Savannah, Georgia, to help get you started.

Savannah Itinerary Day 1

Breakfast at Cafe M

We start our Savannah Itinerary with the best breakfast in Georgia. Cafe M is an authentic French bakery that makes a fantastic bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a freshly baked croissant. It’s so good you’ll swear you see the Eiffel tower. We honestly considered eating breakfast here every day.

There is minimal room to sit inside the cafe, but they have a large patio where they will bring out your breakfast. Because this place is so good, plan to stand in line for a little bit or get an early start to beat the crowds.

Old Town Trolley Tour of Savannah

It’s always important to familiarize yourself when visiting a new city. Savannah hop-on, hop-off trolley tour is a great way to get acquainted with the historic downtown area. The trolley stops at 15 famous landmarks. Along the way, the driver gives you an engaging narrative tour while mixing in some fun trivia and humorous stories. At each of the stops, you are free to depart, explore and catch a later trolley. It makes getting around the city super easy.

Lunch at the Pirate House

I’ll start by saying the food at Pirate House is decent, but don’t expect it to be at the same level as Cafe M. You go more for the history than the food. Dating back to 1754, The Pirate House is the oldest building in Georgia. Located just a block from the Savannah River, this former inn was a world-famous rendezvous for pirates and privateers. 

With that type of bloodthirsty clientele, you can imagine the murders, fights, and brawls that took place in this establishment. So it’s no surprise that the Pirate House is one of the most haunted spots in Savannah. We should also mention the tunnels underneath the restaurant. Known as being “Shanghaied,” men would drink at the bar, get drunk, then pass out. Pirates would then bring the unconscious sailor through the tunnels in the dead of night and load them onto their ships. When the men awoke, they were on a boat a few miles offshore and forced into labor under the threat of death. If you go to the back corner of the Dining room, you can peer through some plexiglass and get a glimpse of the tunnel below.

If you have seen our Portland, Oregon Itinerary, you’ll notice shanghaiing occurred near other big US ports as well.

Be sure to ask your server if they have experienced any supernatural occurrences while working at the Pirate House. Everyone we talked to had an exciting story to tell.

Wander the Squares

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The squares of Savannah are the community’s most treasured symbols. Originally designed with 24 squares, 22 remain today. If you use the trolley again, you can easily see the majority of them. Each square offers something different yet picturesque. Visit Chippewa Square and see if you can piece together where they shot Forest Gump’s famous bus bench scenes. Or visit the Wright Square and look at the large boulder that marks the grave of Tomochichi, the Yamacraw Indian Chief who welcomed General Oglethorpe and the first colonists. Spend the rest of the daylight hours wandering the beautiful plazas.

Go on a Ghost Tour

Savannah lays claim to being one of the most haunted cities in America. Therefore taking a ghost tour at night is a must.

Which Savannah ghost tour is the best?

Ghost tours are a dime a dozen in Savannah. It can be tough to find a perfect one. There are many gimmicky tour guides dressed as undertakers driving you around in a hearse. In my opinion, a good ghost tour needs to be on foot and have a balance of spookiness and history. You want to stand in the haunted alley while hearing how the actual murder went down and feel the cold shivers rattle up your spine. I really enjoyed the walking ghost tour from Genteel & Bard. It was the perfect combination of dramatic storytelling (although sometimes a little cheesy) and historical accounts.

Savannah Itinerary Day 2

Coffee and Breakfast

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Our Savannah Itinerary continues its tradition of delicious breakfasts. Start your day with some caffeine from the Coffee Fox. This local coffee cafe is pure enjoyment. Great coffee and espresso drinks, excellent customer service, and reasonable prices. They do serve pastries here, but I would recommend getting your coffee to go and walking to Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken. 

You’ll drool over the scrumptious experience of Rise’s buttermilk biscuits. The combo of their fried chicken, eggs, and warm biscuit is like a hug for your tastebuds. It’s one of the best biscuits I’ve ever had.

Prohibition Museum and Speakeasy

Know if we include a museum on our Savannah Itinerary, it’s worth it. If you’ve followed our itineraries before, you know we aren’t big on museums unless they provide an immersive experience. I don’t want to read a historical plaque; I want to either stand in the spot where the event happened or recreate the encounter and feel the history come to life. The Prohibition Museum in Savannah impressed me. It seems like a weird attraction to have in a city that celebrates drinking, but once you step inside, you’ll begin to understand.

Once you walk in, you immediately are transported back to the 1920s. The inside of the museum is recreated like a street from the pre-prohibition united states, complete with wax figures going about their daily lives. As you move through the museum, the settings change as you see how prohibition came to pass. You’ll pass through alleys where barrels of beer are being poured out, you’ll see the factories that shut down. You’ll enter into the swamps to see where the moonshine business got started. And you’ll see how the mob took control of the underground liquor business.

At the end of the museum, you’ll come to a locked door. Ring the doorbell and answer the question, and you’ll be welcomed into an actual speakeasy bar. Here you can sip authentic cocktails from the prohibition era and live out your gangster fantasies.

Leopold’s Ice Cream

When asking for recommendations on where to visit while in Savannah, you’ll hear Leopold’s Ice cream almost every time. Their award-winning Ice cream hasn’t changed at all since it opened over 100 years ago. It’s the literal definition of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The line is usually long but does move reasonably quickly. We were in line for around 20 minutes, and the ice cream was definitely worth the wait.  

Savannah River Cruise

No trip to the south is complete without a ride on an old-fashioned paddlewheel boat. Board the Georgia Queen, and enjoy a leisurely drift up and down the Savannah River. Admittedly, it’s not the prettiest of scenery. Savannah is a large shipping port, so most of what you see along the way is industrial properties. But there are some highlights, though. You’ll pass a few shipwrecks, Fort Pulaski National Monument, and see a new view of the city. They serve booze and food aboard the Georgia Queen, so grab a beer and head to the top deck and relax.

Top Deck Bar

After your cruise, visit the other Top Deck located on the rooftop of the Cotton Sail Hotel. The Top Deck Bar serves craft cocktails & snacks with an unbelievable view overlooking the Savannah River. Sample some local whiskeys while you are up there. I particularly enjoyed the Sweet Tea Bourbon from Savannah Distillery. And if you are feeling peckish, I highly recommend their pasta salad.

Savannah Itinerary Day 3

Breakfast and Coffee at Mirabelle’s

Continue your streak of exceptional breakfasts by visiting Mirabelles. It can be a little challenging to find because it looks just like an 1800’s era house. But just look for the patio tables directly across from St. Johns Cathedral, one of the most iconic landmarks in Savannah. I would recommend trying their peach cobbler waffles. They are deliciously incredible. 

Forsyth Park

No Savannah Itinerary is complete without a walk through Forsyth Park. You’ve seen the fountain on every postcard and brochure in Savannah. Now it’s time to see it for yourself. And I’m happy to report that it is indeed as good in person as it looks in photos. Forsyth Park is a majestic 30-acre green space. You’ll find the famous fountain at the park’s north side near the end of a pathway lined with towering oaks dripping with Spanish moss. The trees and fountain are gorgeous, and you might even be serenaded with music from local street musicians. A stroll through the park is a definite must while in downtown Savannah.

Mercer Williams House

You could include a dozen historical homes on a Savannah Itinerary. But unless you are really into architecture, you don’t need to visit more than one. The one you choose depends on your interests. For a more reflective and somber tour, you might try Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters. Ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts will want to visit the Andrew Low house. But for those fans of the famous book/film, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, there is one clear choice. Walk to Monterey Square, and you’ll find the infamous Mercer House, made famous by the novel. But there is much more to the Mercer Williams house than just a story of an antique dealer on trial for murder. 

The house is just way Jim Williams left it with various artifacts, many with fascinating histories. Over approximately 40 minutes, your knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide will tell you compelling stories about the original furniture, artworks, and antiques. But yeah, they will talk about the murder because absolutely every person on tour will ask about it.

Final Thoughts on Savannah

Savannah is a city with equal parts Southern generosity, architectural grace, and delicious breakfasts. No matter what you end up doing, you’re guaranteed to have an unforgettable trip exploring the hostess city of the south. We hope you found this 3-day Savannah Itinerary helpful. Cheers!