San Diego is an outdoors-orientated, laid back and trendy city boasting the best tacos in America. There’s so many fantastic things to do for first time visitors from beaches to museums and the zoo to stunning photography locations. It’s a place you visit on vacation, but fall in love with and begin planning your move to southern California.
In this guide we show you 10 amazing things you have to see when visiting San Diego. It’s hard to pick just a few, but we’ve narrowed down the best neighborhoods including highlights in each one to help you plan the perfect trip.
Our Experience
Mark and Kristen enjoying the view along Sunset Cliffs
We visited San Diego during a California road trip in November 2019. It was our last stop along the Pacific Coast Highway after visiting San Francisco and Los Angeles. The weather was almost perfect even for the winter, but we did have to add layers once the sun went down. It barely rained during our trip so we were able to accomplish everything we wanted to do including walking miles around town.
One of the main highlights of our trip was indulging in the amazing restaurants spread throughout the city. We’ve included links to popular options so you can enjoy the culinary scene as well. Another experience we enjoyed was exploring the coastline and watching the sunset from many different vantage points. So if you only have a short time in San Diego, make sure you prioritize seeing a sunset. Read more about us.
How To Get To San Diego
Mark on a moving walkway at the San Diego Zoo
You can fly directly into San Diego International Airport (SAN) from many parts of the US. Internationally (outside of the continental North America), you can fly direct from Paris, London, Munich and Tokyo. You can click here to see a map of direct flights in and out of San Diego.
If you’re flying into LA, we’d recommend Skyscanner to find the best value flights. Flexibility is key to saving money and you can search by the entire month to find great deals. You can also read our popular guide on how to book cheap flights for more money saving tips.
From nearby Los Angeles, we highly recommend comparing prices for flying or driving. It’s very likely international travelers will find better value for money in this option. Plus you’ll need a car in San Diego to hit the major highlights in the city. Compare prices with Rentals Cars and Discovers Cars to find the best deal for your trip.
Many visitors will drive to San Diego as part of a Pacific Coast Highway road trip and this is what we did. From downtown Los Angeles to San Diego, it’s a pretty easy drive following I-5 south for 120 miles. Without incident or worse than usual traffic, the drive should take around 2 hours. But be prepared for a much longer journey. We got stuck in a very slow moving traffic jam the entire way and it took closer to 4 hours.
The Los Angeles airport isn’t far from Santa Monica and you have 2 choices to get to San Diego. You’ll need to get onto I-5 so you can either head east towards Anaheim or take I-405 south to join the I-5 just past Newport Beach. The journey time and distance are similar with 125 miles just under 2 hours, but it could come down to potluck of traffic on the day.
Other notable driving times to San Diego from nearby places include:
San Diego has a very walkable downtown, particularly around Gaslamp and Embarcadero along the harbor front. However, you’ll need a vehicle to access many of the best bits outside town. We found public transport to be a little slow and that most people drive around the city. Even though we had our own vehicle, we left it parked at the hotel and took an Uber from Balboa Park to Embarcadero. Use a ride sharing app such as Uber or Lyft if you don’t have a car and need to travel across town. There are also a lot of one way roads downtown so pay attention if you decide to drive yourself.
Now that you know a little bit about the logistics, let’s explore San Diego:
1. Balboa Park
Beautiful gardens inside Balboa Park on a gorgeous day
Balboa Park is not just a park with grass, dog walkers and early morning joggers. It’s a 2,000-acre sprawling green space containing beautiful gardens, performing arts and more museums than you can shake a stick at. This park is San Diego’s sparking inner-city cultural diamond and we think it’s the perfect family day out. You could easily spend an entire day here and not explore everything.
We like Balboa Park because there are multiple walking trails which are perfect if you’re an early bird staying close by. There’s so much to do in this park, we had to break it down because we didn’t want to overwhelm you. We’ll go over the unique San Diego attractions first before getting into the museums.
Here are some of the most popular places to see:
- Balboa Park Alcazar Gardens – Inspired by the Alcazar Castle in Spain, this gorgeous garden is filled with vibrant flowers, ornate fountains and colorful Moorish tiles (open 10:00am to dusk and free to visit).
- Botanical Building – A gorgeous, calming lily pond sits in front of the Botanical Building which showcases more than 2,000 permanent plants and beautiful seasonal flowers (but it’s currently under renovation).
- Japanese Friendship Garden – Created in 1991, this garden is an expression of friendship between San Diego and its sister city Yokohama in Japan. It’s a 12-acre beautifully curated space where you can learn about Japanese culture and community (open daily from 10:00am to 6:00pm, tickets cost $18 for adults).
- Spanish Art Village Center – Featuring traditional Spanish buildings and tiled floors, this is where you can find works from over 200 local artists (open 11:00am to 4:00pm).
- Spreckles Organ Pavilion – The largest outdoor pipe organ in the world featuring more than 5,000 pipes ranging from 12 in to 32 ft. Free 1 hour concerts are offered on Sundays at 2:00pm no matter the weather forecast.
- The Old Globe Theater – Popular performing art theater with shows ranging from classical musicals and first-run new plays. It’s modeled on Shakesphere’s Old Globe in London.
This park is huge and can be overwhelming if you’re visiting for the very first time. Here are a few highly rated tours if you want some help finding the best things to do in San Diego featuring Balboa Park:
READ: How to plan a San Diego itinerary
2. San Diego Museums
Exterior view of the San Diego Museum of Art
If you’re planning to visit Balboa Park, another great aspect is the amount of museums located here. It’s very easy to see several in one day because they are located very close to one another. We also like the diversity of the museums because there’s something for everyone. Here are popular ones you should see:
- Fleet Science Center – This was the first science museum to combine interactive exhibits with a planetarium and IMAX theater so it’s great for children (open daily 10:00am to 5:00pm, tickets cost $24.95).
- Model Railroad Museum – A unique and kid-friendly option with several working scale models of California rail lines and landscapes (open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00am to 4:00pm, tickets cost $20 for adults).
- Museum of Us – Located in a stunning 1915’s building, this museum is filled with anthropology exhibits about human relationships, connections and self-reflections (open daily 10:00am to 5:00pm, tickets cost $19.95 for adults).
- San Diego Air and Space Museum – An aviation and space exploratorium showcasing early gliders, hot air balloons, jets and helicopters from the world wars (open daily 10:00am to 4:00pm, tickets cost $28 for adults).
- San Diego Museum of Art – An acclaimed art museum with over 2,000 pieces featuring Spanish, Latin American, Asian and European art from the Renaissance and Boroque to Modern and Contemporary (open 10:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Saturday but closed Wednesday and 12:00pm to 5:00pm Sundays, tickets cost $20.00 for adults).
Travel Tip: If you want to visit many museums, you could buy a San Diego Go City Pass which covers admission to both museums and popular attractions in the city.
3. San Diego Zoo
A lion sticking his tongue out in one of the zoo exhibits
The San Diego Zoo is one of the most famous and revered zoo’s in the United States receiving a staggering 5.6 million visitors each year. This zoo was one of the pioneers for creating open air natural habitats for many of its 3,000 resident animals. You can also purchase a two-visit pass to the Safari Park which includes the zoo’s sister park located to the northeast in Escondido. It’s about 35 miles and an hour drive between both.
We spent an entire day exploring the zoo and thought it was well worth our time. The entire zoo is organized into specific habitats and you can visit animals typically found within that environment. You can walk around the entire property or take a double decker bus to the habitat of your choice. The San Diego Zoo is one of the best things to do in town if you’re visiting with kids.
Standard admission tickets include the guided bus tour, Skyfari Aerial Tram and all regularly scheduled experiences. But you can upgrade to activities such as an early morning walk with pandas, meeting wildlife up close and various VIP experiences that last for hours. A one day pass costs $74 for adults (ages 12 and up) and $64 for children (ages 3 to 11 years old). You can book tickets here.
Parking in front of the zoo and around Balboa Park is free, but these spaces fill quickly especially on weekends and holidays. There is an overflow lot located at Inspiration Point on the east side of Park Boulevard with a shuttle serving Balboa Park. If you want to visit the Safari Park, the parking lot is privately owned and there is a $20 parking fee. Visit the official website for more information.
Travel Tip: We ate at the Treetop’s Canteen near the gorilla exhibit and the food was not good. The prices were decent, but we’d recommend bringing your own food into the zoo if possible. Guests can bring their own single-person food supply, but no large coolers or glass items are allowed.
4. Gaslamp Quarter
Our night shot of cars in the Gaslamp Quarter at night
Gaslamp is the 16 square block beating heart of San Diego. It’s the focal point drawing tourists in like an unstoppable gravitational force. Here you’ll find over 100 restaurants, bars, nightclubs, comedy clubs, rooftops and live music venues. The name is derived from gas lamp street lights and the entire neighborhood retains its Victorian-era feel while modernizing with skyscrapers.
This is the place to be seen, the place to eat and the place to party in San Diego. During the day, you’ll find artisan markets and boutique shops running the length of the street. Sometimes the streets close to traffic and restaurants open up outdoor seating spilling out into the road, creating an electric but chilled atmosphere. Try out a rooftop bar, taste a few craft beers and treat yourself to some fine dining. We love the Gaslamp Quarter, even if it’s a little touristy.
Here’s where you should eat:
Travel Tip: If you’re a chocolate lover, don’t miss Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop. We really enjoyed the hot chocolate and sundaes!
5. USS Midway Museum
Side profile of the USS Midway Museum
The USS Midway was the longest running serving aircraft carrier in the 20th century before it was decommissioned in San Diego in 1992. Among the Midways achievements are the first carrier to extensively operate in sub-arctic waters, the first landing of a jet with autopilot, Vietnam war pilots shooting down MiG’s, evacuation of Saigon and Persian Gulf flagship. It’s been a museum since 2004, receiving over 1 million visitors each year.
With over 10 acres worth of exhibits to explore through the hangar, flight deck and below deck, you can expect to spend several hours inside. We liked the restored aircrafts and helicopters including the F-14 Tomcat made famous by the 80’s movie Top Gun. You’ll also find simulators, special programs and theaters discussing all things aircraft carrier. The USS Midway is perfect for families and anyone interested in seeing the vast inside of a decorated Naval ship.
Tickets for the USS Midway are a few dollars cheaper if purchased online prior to visiting, but you can purchase tickets at the door if that works better for your San Diego itinerary. General admission tickets cost around $32 for adults and include access to all museums exhibits, a self-guided audio tour plus docent presentations. Free admission is given to active duty military and children 3 years or younger. The museum is open everyday from 10:00am to 5:00pm.
Nearby, you can also visit Waterfront Park which is about 10 minutes and half a mile to the north. It’s a public space with fountains and grassy areas for kids to run around along with the Maritime Museum of San Diego. This museum showcases one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels with the Star of India, the major highlight.
Travel Tip: Don’t miss the Unconditional Surrender statue by the USS Midway. It was inspired by a famous photograph taken in New York’s Time Square on V-J Day in 1945 during World War II.
6. Embarcadero (Bayfront)
A small section of the picturesque Embarcadero
The Embarcadero is a popular promenade style walking area hugging San Diego Bay. This is where you’ll find various marinas, seal watching tours, the USS Midway, seafood restaurants, an international cruise ship terminal and Waterfront Park. We included it separately from above because it’s a massive L shape following the curve of the bay, right behind the convention center close to the Gaslamp.
You’ll naturally find you are drawn towards the bay after dinner in Gaslamp. It’s the perfect area to wander around slowly during the evening. We like the Embarcadero to window shop in the picturesque Seaport Village which offers more than 50 local boutique shops. There’s free live music on the weekends and it features beautiful ocean views.
After shopping, you can grab something to eat in one of the restaurants along the Embarcadero. Many places offer waterfront views and we highly recommend adding one to our itinerary. Here are some of the best spots to go:
A great way to see the Embarcadero from the bay is by taking a San Diego harbor cruise tour. Here are popular options:
Travel Tip: Many of the places we list are found on the southern end of the Embarcadero, but if you find yourself along the northern end, we highly recommend Little Italy. This famous neighborhood comes alive in the evening with tons of restaurants and wine bars.
7. La Jolla
Kristen enjoying the seal and sea lions in La Jolla
La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya) is a very popular upmarket village-like neighborhood in northwest of the city renowned for its fine dining and upscale village atmosphere. It’s San Diego’s crown jewel surrounded on three sides by ocean but stretches 7 miles up the coast to encompass Torrey Pines and many educational institutions.
Many people stay in La Jolla and day trip to San Diego making their itinerary more of a beach vacation. You can surf, scuba dive and kayak around headland covers or watch seals and sea lions playing on rocks and beaches. As photographers, we loved exploring the dramatic coastlines shooting amazing piers.
Here are some things you can do in La Jolla:
Torrey Pines is best known for hosting the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour each winter, but just to the south of the famed golf club, you’ll find Torrey Pines Gliderport and Black’s Beach. We think the Gliderport is a cool place to visit because you can watch members running down a hill and leaping off the cliff edge. Views over Black Beach are also exceptional from the Gliderport if you don’t want to venture all the way down to the beach.
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is an acclaimed scientific-research center with a unique architectural design so it’s incredibly popular with photographers. You can take a docent-led campus tour on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10:00am or 11:30am. Tours costs $25/person and can be booked here.
La Jolla has many top rated tours if you want to enjoy some snorkeling, kayaking and biking. Here are the best options:
Travel Tip: We loved visiting La Jolla Cove to see the seals and sea lions. The best place to catch them is typically along Coast Boulevard between The Cave Store and the Children’s Pool.
8. Beaches And Coastline
A small section of the Embarcadero
As a run on from La Jolla which is along the coastline, San Diego is famed for its chilled beach culture. And during a first time visit to the area, you can’t leave the coastline off your itinerary. We like exploring the coast because each beach area and neighborhood offers its own atmosphere and audience. So jump in your car and spend an afternoon driving from one beach to the next. We’d recommend starting at Black’s Beach near Torrey Pines and making your way down to Point Loma.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular beaches and coastline attractions from north to south:
- Torrey Pines and Black’s Beach – Previous mentioned above, but one of our favorites
- Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier – Part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, we think this is one of the most photogenic piers in San Diego
- Ocean Beach – An artsy, hippy, Bohemian SoCal beach with a picturesque pier, hundreds of surfers and a laid back vibe
- Sunset Cliffs – Just over a mile south from Ocean Beach Pier, you’ll often find dozens of cars heading here to watch a sunset over the Pacific Ocean
- Cabrillo National Monument – A historic lighthouse with an interesting past and views all the way to Mexico
Many locals visit Ocean Beach because it’s quieter than touristy Mission Beach and Pacific Beach (between La Jolla and Ocean Beach). Newport Avenue is close to the pier filled with boutiques, antiques and restaurants. Visit this beach if you want to mix with locals, surf, eat burgers, check out the long pier and experience the difference vibe to downtown San Diego.
We loved visiting Sunset Cliffs because it’s a romantic thing to do in San Diego. The headland edges fill up with visitors as the sky illuminates a deep orange over the ocean before fading into darkness. But it can be difficult to find a place to park because the designated parking spots on site fill up quickly. We finally found a parking space after driving up a residential street. Be sure to check sunset times prior to visiting.
Travel Tip: Mission Beach to the north has a huge beach, Belmont Amusement Park and Sea World. If you’re traveling with kids, Mission might be a better fit than Ocean Beach.
9. Coronado
San Diego city views as seen from Coronado Island at night
Coronado is a peninsula in San Diego Bay accessible by a magnificent 2.1 mile long curing bridge crossing the bay not far from the Embarcadero and Gaslamp Quarter. Interestingly, Ronald Regan was the first person to drive across the bridge when it opened in 1969. Alternatively, you can take a short ferry directly from the Convention Center and Broadway Pier next to the USS Midway to Coronado Ferry Center.
Here are popular things to see:
And here are popular restaurants in Coronado:
We like Coronado because it’s a popular resort town filled with cafes famous for its grand victorian Hotel del Coronado, surfing and of course, the beautiful beach. It’s easy to access from the Gaslamp Quarter and downtown even without a car which means almost all tourists can visit the peninsula. For a complete list of activities, you can visit the official website here.
If you don’t have a car, you can take the ferry from Embarcadero South Marina to Coronado Ferry Center. You can take bus #904 from nearby the Ferry Center to the beach or walk about 1.5 miles (about a 30 minute walk). Then take the bus or walk back before you get the ferry across to Embarcadero.
Photography Tip: One of the best reasons to visit Coronado is to see amazing city views across the bay from Centennial Park. We love seeing San Diego lit up at night!
10. Old Town San Diego
Mark taking a photo with the Old Town sign
Old Town was created as a settlement back in 1769 and Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is the birthplace of California dating back to the 1820’s. Here you’ll find 19th century homes and businesses maintained to allow insight into colonial living, plus dozens of restaurants, shopping, entertainment and hotel options.
Here are unique things to do in Old Town:
We like visiting Old Town because it’s a great place to learn about the Mexican-American history of San Diego with over 100 speciality shops. You can wander around Fiesta del Reyes shopping mall and eat excellent Mexican food with a cocktail.
Travel Tip: The Whaley House Museum is supposed to be a very haunted house in America. It’s one of the most iconic San Diego attractions and visitors can even participate in paranormal investigations.
San Diego Attractions Pass
Exterior view of the San Diego Air and Space Museum
It’s definitely worth considering buying a San Diego Pass if you’re the type of traveler who loves to see and do everything in a new place. We’ve used attraction passes in cities all around the world and they can save you money when used correctly. There are two pass options in town:
The Go City San Diego Pass features over 50 fun attractions ranging from SeaWorld and Legoland to kayaking and whale watching. The San Diego Zoo is included as are most of the museums inside Balboa Park. You can choose a day or attractions based option which gives you more flexibility. Choose the Explorer pass if you want to visit certain attractions or pick the All-Inclusive pass if you want to see as much as possible.
Alternatively, you can buy a San Diego CityPASS, which only offers a handful of pre-selected attractions at a set price point. You can choose to visit either SeaWorld, LEGOLAND or both as your top attractions. After that, you can select three more activities from a total list of six. This pass is good for those visitors who want to see specific San Diego attractions.
Travel Tip: Attraction passes all you to visit more attractions at an overall lower cost. But make sure you read the fine print before purchasing so you understand how to make reservations or identify any limitations.
San Diego Interactive Map
Use our interactive map for San Diego to familiarize yourself with the area. Click to activate the map. We’ve included the best things to see and do that we already mentioned in this guide.
Map key:
- Red – Our top attractions
- Yellow – Coastline must-sees
- Green – Top rated restaurants
You can also open the full map here for a better and larger view.
The Morgan Conclusion
What we like: Our favorite part about visiting San Diego is the weather because it’s a mild, Mediterranean climate with year-round sunshine. We also love the amount of amazing food options available so if you like fresh seafood and authentic Mexican food, you’re in luck. San Diego offers unique attractions such as the USS Midway, Sunset Cliffs, Coronado and Balboa Park so there is something here for everyone.
What we don’t like: The downside to visiting San Diego is the traffic. While it’s a beautiful place, getting around can be very difficult due to limited public transportation so you’ll have to rely on walking or driving. This then leads to poor air quality and time wasted sitting in traffic. It’s also a very expensive place to live so it can be expensive to visit too.
Is San Diego worth it? Yes, we think San Diego is worth visiting. After driving most of California’s coast, we think San Diego is one of the best places you can visit. Between the beautiful beaches, amazing weather and various historical attractions, this city is one of the most interesting stops you can make on a Pacific Coast Highway road trip.
More From California
Want more California content? Head to our California Travel Guides to explore national parks, popular road trips and things to do in major cities of the Golden state.
We hope our guide featuring activities you shouldn’t miss in San Diego helped with planning your trip!
Please let us know if you have any questions about visiting in the comments below.
You Stay Classy, Planet Earth,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us.
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