San Diego, California Travel Guide

Where to stay

Although San Diego is a large US city, it is made up of smaller neighborhoods, each with their own personality and attractions. Picking where to stay is important so you don’t spend a ton of time in the car crisscrossing the entire county. Below is a list of my favorite neighborhoods and who they are best suited for.

• Mission Bay is a great central location. It’s easy to get to almost everywhere in the county from here and has a number of bayfront resorts.  Mission bay is ideal for kids to swim in year-round because it's protected from the waves, and is perfect for water sports enthusiasts. It’s a great place to rent sail boats and paddle boards.  The downside to staying in this area is the lack of restaurants you can walk, to unless they are at the resort. The ocean, while possible to walk to, is too far with beach gear and kids in tow from most hotels on the bay.

Paradise Point is my top hotel choice in this area, perfect for families

The Hyatt Regency is a good location between Mission Bay and Mission Beach

The San Diego Mission Bay Resort is very close to the freeway and bay

• Mission Beach is about as quintessential a Southern California experience as it gets. A small beach community with the ocean on one side and Mission Bay on the other, it has a long boardwalk that goes from the tip of South Mission to North Pacific Beach. There are lots of fun beach restaurants, bars, and water-related activities in this area. It’s ideal for travelers whose main goal is to spend most of their time at the beach, families with teens who need some independence, and families with small kids that want the bay as an easy option. Stay north of Belmont Park if you want a livelier atmosphere, and south of Belmont Park if you want a quieter, more residential neighborhood. I recommend renting a short-term rental in this area. The downside to staying in this area is it’s not the easiest to get in and out of, so if you plan to do a lot of traveling around the county it may not be the best option.

1 bedroom in the heart of Mission Beach

3 bedroom with stunning bay views

• Pacific Beach is a fun town known for its abundance of beach bars. Garnet Avenue is the main drag and is the place to be on weekends and holidays if you want to party. The further away from Garnet the quieter it gets, and it has several streets to the north or near the bay that are charming and peaceful. It’s ideal for people who want a good mix of beach time and nightlife. If you’re a sports fan the PB bars are great place to watch the game. The downside to staying in this area is traffic and parking can be bad, and you might end up with a house party next-door if you’re in a residential property.

• The Gaslamp Quarter is the main downtown area of San Diego. Its full of restaurants, nightclubs and Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres. Thursday-Sunday and on game nights it’s packed full of people eating, dancing, and drinking. It’s the ideal place to stay for people who want the optimal nightlife environment. I don’t recommend staying here if nightlife isn't your main priority, or if you want to be by a nice beach.

• Ocean Beach is another cool beach town, with a hippie, surfer vibe. It’s a great place to stay if you want a good central location that’s at the beach. There are lots of good restaurants and beach bars in this neighborhood and its home to the Ocean Beach Pier, the longest concrete pier in the world and worth seeing, but the pier is currently closed to the public, due to recent storm damage.

The north county locations I recommend:

• Carlsbad has a charming downtown area and miles of gorgeous coastline you can walk.
• Encinitas is a very cute little beach town.
• Solano Beach has lots of good restaurants and shopping.

Places I don't recommend staying

Hotel Circle is a central area where several hotels are located. If all you want is a place to sleep at night in a very central location, then this area will do, but it’s not a pretty or charming area and you can’t walk to anything from here.

La Jolla is beautiful and definitely an area that should be a place you visit, but I don’t recommend staying here. There are two different areas that consider themselves La Jolla, west of the 5 freeway is where La Jolla Shores and the Cove are located. This is the area most tourists want to go, but getting in and out of this area during rush hour and during the summer months is a real hassle and not idea if you plan to do lots of activities outside of this area. East of the 5 freeway is sometimes stated as being La Jolla, but locals consider it University Town Center (called UTC.) It is easier to get in and out of but does not have the tourist activities that the other part of La Jolla has.

Pro Tip: Don’t stay on the opposite side of the county from most of your planned activities. For example, if you plan to do the Zoo, Coronado and Old Town, don’t stay in Carlsbad. If you plan to do the Wild Animal Park and Legoland, don’t stay near downtown.  

What to do in San Diego

• Go to Coronado - take the ferry over and stay at the ferry landing or drive over the bridge. Ride bikes at The Landing, and go to the Hotel Del Coronado
• Balboa Park is a great place to spend the day, with lots of museums, restaurants and home of the world famous San Diego Zoo.
• Belmont Park at Mission Beach is a fun amusement park with rides, mini-golf, and an arcade, located on a fantastic beach.
• La Jolla Cove has a protected cove, good for swimming, tide pools and seals. If you can't find street parking, I recommend paying to park at the La Jolla Financial Building and walking down to the cove from there.
• Old Town is a great place to go to learn the history of San Diego and have some Mexican food. There's also a root beer float shop that's a lot of fun to take the kids.
• Little Italy has some really good restaurants and a beautiful view of the bay.
• Padres game at Petco Park during baseball season (April-September, or October if they make the playoffs!)
• Pier in Ocean Beach or Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach
• Drive out to the tip of Point Loma and see the Cabrillo National Monument
• Wild Animal Park
• The Birch Aquarium is a great place to learn about the local marine life and how to protect it.
• Scripps Pier
• The Flower Fields
• Hike Torrey Pines or just admire the view from the glider port
• Concert at Rady’s Shell or Humphrey’s
• Mission Bay/Beach boardwalk 
• Historic neighborhood of Chicano Park to see the art and have authentic Mexican food
• Rooftop Cinema Club is a really cool place to watch a movie
• Watch the planes land over downtown. There are few things that feel more San Diego to me than driving down the 5 freeway near downtown and having a plane fly right over your head. Mister A's rooftop deck is a great place to watch the planes land, and so is the top deck of the Laurel Airport Parking Garage at the corner of W Laurel Street and Kettner Blvd. If you want to watch them for free, go to the parking lot at the intersection of Harbor Dr. and Laurel St.
• Tour the Midway
• Seaport Village

Pro Tip: get window seat on left side of plane (facing the front) for the best view of the city as you fly in.

Where to eat in San Diego

• Breakfast at Kona's in Pacific Beach for delicious breakfast burritos.
• Lunch at Point Loma Seafood for really good seafood and a beautiful view. Sit upstairs on the outside deck.
• Drinks at Coasterra for fantastic city views. I also recommend the guacamole appetizer.
• Sunset dinner at World Famous in Pacific Beach. The BEST lobster bisque. On Tuesday and Wednesdays go during happy hour and get the tacos. 
• Ironside is a nice restaurant in Little Italy with really good oysters and a fantastic lobster roll.
• South Beach Bar and Grill in Ocean Beach if you want to have fish tacos, a San Diego classic.
• Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill is one of my favorite places to go in San Diego for seafood.
• For a fancy dinner The Marine Room is a very unique experience, the waves crash right on the windows while you are eating.
• Old Town Mexican Cafe has delicious homemade tortillas and HUGE margaritas.
• El Indio Taco Shop for cheap, good, Mexican food.
• Bouna Forchetta in South Park for authentic Italian food.
• Filippi's Pizza Grotto is a great place to take the kids for good Italian food.

My favorite hikes in San Diego County

San Diego is a fantastic place to hike year-round, although I recommend sticking to the coast or getting an early start during the summer months. These are a few of my favorite hikes.

• Cowles Mountain has stunning views of the whole county all the way to the ocean and Mexico on a clear day. There are two main entrances, The Cowles Mountain Trailhead with takes you up a series of switchbacks and is the most popular route and the Barker Way Trailhead which takes you up the backway and is less crowed. If you go this way you can take a left when you see the sign just past the road and take the narrow Barker Way trail or stay on the fire road. The latter is a steeper assent but on a wider path. Moderate to high fitness level required. 
• Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve for gorgeous ocean views. I recommend entering at the South Beach entrance, you can park just after the entrance and hike up the hill to the trails, or drive up the road and park if you want an easier hike. There are a number of trails here with varying degrees of difficulty and you can find one suitable for all ages and fitness levels.
• Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) to Garnet Peak is great if you want to sample with the famous PCT is like in Southern California.
• Mt. Woodson is one of the more challenging hikes in San Diego the ends at the Insta-famous Potato Chip Rock. I don't recommend doing this in summer unless you get a very early start and bring lots of water.
• Balboa Park, includes 65 miles of trails that are great for all fitness levels and right in the heart of the city.
• Annie’s Canyon is perfect for families and kids. I recently took my 5 year old nephew and he loved it. Adults will enjoy it too.
• Three Sister’s Waterfalls. Best to do in winter when the falls are flowing and it's not as hot. Moderate to high fitness level is suggested.

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