San Diego, CA : Your Ultimate Guide to Sun, Surf, and Beyond!

We visited San Diego together in 2021, but Suzanne had been before in her early 20’s.  We were only there for 3 days and didn’t want a “go, go, go” itinerary, so we visited what we could without feeling too overwhelmed.  We didn’t want to see too much of one thing, so for example we decided to only see one of Sea World, San Diego Zoo, and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

In this guide you’ll find (click to jump ahead):

When’s the best time to visit San Diego?

Due to its sunny weather, there isn’t really a bad time to visit San Diego.  When you go will greatly depend on what you want to do with your time and what your budget is. 

June to August will have the warmest weather and is the best time to go surfing or visit beaches, but it also the most crowded and most expensive. 

If you visit in early fall or late spring, you will still benefit from the warm weather but will avoid some of the crowds and might save some money. 

Winter is still quite pleasant in San Diego, but it can get quite cold at night.  It is not warm enough to swim at the beaches, but you will still see surfers in the water!

San Diego USS monument waterfront
Where to stay?

We decided to stay at an AirBNB in Pacific Beach.  We chose our specific AirBNB because it was inexpensive compared to other accommodations and it was easily accessible from the highway.  We chose an AirBNB over a hotel because we wanted to be able to cook our own breakfasts (gluten-free breakfast is often expensive and hard to find).  We chose to rent a car to easily get around to what we wanted to see.

What you want to do and how you plan on getting around does have an impact on where you stay.  Our research had indicated that you really couldn’t go wrong with a specific area for accommodation, but Mission Beach and Pacific Beach were popular with nice boardwalks and lots to do.  Alternatively, you may want to be more downtown or in the Gaslamp Quarter for easy walking or to make sure you’re close to transit (for example, Old Town area is right near a transit hub). Keep in mind that there is a good bus network since San Diego is a major city, while Uber is expensive.   

THINGS TO SEE & DO in SAN DIEGO:

1. San Diego Zoo

When we decided to visit San Diego, we immediately thought of the San Diego Zoo.  It’s so iconic that it seemed silly not to visit!  You can see so many types of animals that you might not typically find and can explore for hours (we had way more photos of animals than below, but I had to reign it in).  They even have an entire hummingbird habitat, which Ahmed was so excited about because hummingbirds are his favourite!  We loved the views from the aerial tram, which is free to ride.  There is also a free bus that takes you around the park for about 30 minutes and has a guide on board.  We started with this so we could see what our route could look like and could make note of where we wanted to go back to.  Our advice is to come early before it gets too crowded. Also, wear comfortable shoes. You will be walking. A lot.

2. Balboa Park

We were pleasantly surprised by this park, as it is not your typical park!  The architecture was Spanish Colonial style and very different from what we had seen elsewhere in San Diego. There are numerous museums throughout the park that you can visit, as well as restaurants, art galleries, and of course, gardens and paths.  We chose to forgo the museums, and rather chose to stroll around going in and out of shops and kiosks, checking out the nature, and grabbed a coffee.  We were also mesmerized by the architecture, which was an unexpected, pleasant surprise. Check out their schedules for when the various activities are open and any events.  You might get to check out a live theatre performance or some music!

3. USS Midway Museum

Located in downtown San Diego, you can’t miss spotting the USS Midway along the waterfront.  When you visit the museum, you get to climb aboard this vessel and take in a collection of aircraft as well as historical staging of the different types of rooms you find onboard.  When you board, you’ll be greeted by volunteers who worked on the USS Midway at one point in time.  You can watch special presentations on the open deck where volunteers explain how they landed and took off from the vessel. 

4. Coronado Island

Head over to this little island via ferry or drive over the massive bridge that stretches from downtown San Diego.  Visit the iconic grand Hotel del Coronado and walk along the beach.  You can check out the shops downtown, grab a bite, or just take in the stunning sunset.  If you want to see the San Diego skyline, head over to Centennial Park.

5. La Jolla

A cute seaside village, La Jolla is worth a stop.  There are cute cafes and boutique shops, as well as stunning ocean views.  Check out the seals at the Children’s Pool, originally built to protect kids from being knocked on their butt by waves.  There are many outdoor activities you can partake in, from kayaking to snorkeling to golfing at nearby Torrey Pines.

6. Beaches

We wanted to take advantage of the warm weather (well, to us it was warm coming from rainy Vancouver), so we decided to do a “beach hopping” day!    The beaches we visited were Solana Beach just north of San Diego, Pacific Beach near where we were staying, Mission beach closer to the city, and Sunset Cliffs.  We didn’t actually get down to the beach at Sunset Cliffs, but rather took in the view from the actual cliffs. There are many beaches you can visit, and if you’re hoping to do any water activities, we would recommend you research ahead of time which beaches are good for your chosen activity.

7. Cabrillo National Monument

We visited Cabrillo National Monument on a whim, on a day we had a bit of extra time.  Located on the Point Loma Peninsula, you will find spectacular views of downtown San Diego and Coronado.  There is a tiny museum, a lighthouse, and the statue pictured that you can see.  There is a tiny store on site for snacks, but we recommend bringing a picnic and having a snack with the beautiful view!

8. Old Town San Diego

We found Old Town on pretty much every “must do” list for San Diego and multiple people told us we had to go while visiting.  Honestly, we were pretty underwhelmed.  It is the first European settlement in California and has old buildings as well as shops and restaurants.  We were not to impressed by the shops, and the restaurants were where everyone who was visiting Old Town could be found.  We have included it on our list anyways because maybe it wasn’t our cup of tea, but will be yours!

9. Gaslamp Quarter

A popular neighbourhood downtown San Diego, the Gaslamp Quarter really comes alive at night.  There are plenty of clubs, bars, and lounges.  Here you will also find shows such as comedy, music, and theatre.  We grabbed dinner here one night at the Melting Pot, where we enjoyed a three course fondue meal.

San Diego Gaslamp Quarter at night

10. Embarcadero

San Diego Embarcadero shops

Lining the waterfront of downtown San Diego is a long walkway known as the Embarcadero.  This is where cruise ships dock and let their passengers off into the city.  You will see the USS Midway Museum down here, as well as statues and art installations along your walk.  You’ll see people biking and walking all along here, and can also find shops, restaurants, and cafes.

MAP of Things to Do in San Diego

Places mapped by Wanderlog, a trip planner on iOS and Android

HOW TO USE THE MAP: Click on the Wanderlog logo in the bottom right corner to open the full-size map up in a new tab. There, you can choose to just look at one category at a time or see all of the categories on the map at once (click the 3 squares in the top right to choose). You can also export the map to Google Maps, share the map with others, or save the map.

Other things to do:

These are things we didn’t get to see due to our short time in San Diego, but came highly recommended on many “Things to do in San Diego” lists during our research:

San Diego Zoo entrance
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