San Diego, California is a pretty great place. The weather is just about always perfect, and there are great beaches, ocean cliffs, lakes and mountains here. Because it's so beautiful, friends often ask me for recommendations on things to do while they're in town, so I figured I'd make my list of favorites available to everyone.
The San Diego tourism website obviously has tons of great information, and I recommend you check it out if you're headed this way any time soon, especially because they usually have seasonal events like beer festivals (which seems like every other week here), festivals, concerts, after-dark events at the museums, and so on. It's a good website to start off with, but it can be a little overwhelming, which is why I thought some local perspective might help.
The criteria most people are looking for information or perspective are usually:
- Duration? Is it an all-day activity, just a few hours, etc.
- Cost? Traveling can get pretty expensive, so it's always good to have a range of inexpensive options.
- Requires Booking? Is it something you need to book in advance?
- Go San Diego Card*? The Go San Diego Card can offer discounts on a lot of activities in San Diego and may very well be worth it if you're planning on staying a few days and you want to hit the most well-known attractions. (I talk about this in more detail further down the page.)
A Note on Accessibility
While hiking and beaches aren't always great options for those in wheelchairs, all of the museums and parks are wheelchair accessible.
Beaches (Duh)
There are of course, countless (free) beaches to pick from, if sunbathing/swimming/surfing/diving is your thing. If possible, take a Lyft to the beach you choose though. Parking there is always misery.
La Jolla, Mission Bay, Coronado, and Del Mar offer beautiful beaches that are great for kayaking and swimming, while Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach are more party-style beach towns with lively, drunken nightlife. Paddleboards, surfboards, kayaks and SCUBA/snorkel gear are available for rent nearly everywhere oceanside, so just locate the one closest to you.
The La Jolla Childrens' Pool aka Seal Beach is a pretty amazing (if sometimes stinky) place to visit to watch the San Diego harbor seals lounging around.
Brewery Tours
San Diego is a huge craft beer community (no seriously - the official list has us at over 140 breweries!). It's not personally my thing, but lots of people really enjoy the brewery tours we have to offer. Click here for the full list.
San Diego Wild Animal Park / San Diego Zoo
Website: http://sdzsafaripark.org/ and http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org
Duration: All day
Cost: $52
Requires Booking: No
GSD Card: Yes (Free Admission)
The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park is simply fantastic, and I always recommend it to folks who are visiting. (I always hope they want to go, so I have a reason to go back.) The San Diego Zoo is known worldwide for their conservation efforts, and are credited with bringing several species back from the brink of extinction.
At $52 per adult, it is on the expensive side though, so if there are other major attractions you want to see while you're here, the Go San Diego Card might be a good fit.
Both the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park can easily take up an entire day each, so plan on making a full day of it. *
Birch Aquarium
Website: https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/
Duration: Half Day
Cost: $18.50
Requires Booking: No
GSD Card: Yes (Free Admission)
This place is amazing if you love sea life. Over 5,000 fish in 60+ different habitats, with sweeping ocean views to boot. Check their website before you go though - they frequently have awesome seasonal events (like SNORKELING WITH FRICKIN' LEOPARD SHARKS!!!) and nighttime encounters in the summer.
Sea World
Website: https://seaworld.com/san-diego/
Duration: Half-day / All day
Cost: $59
Requires Booking: No
GSD Card: Yes (Free Admission)
Despite having a controversial past, Sea World is still one of my favorite places to take visitors when they come. Lots of great educational activities for kids and adults alike. Touch (gently!) some rays, feed some dolphins, or just get hypnotized by the shark tunnel. Sea World is pretty important for us locally, as they're who we call when we come across a stranded sea lion or seal - they come out, pick up the animal, and nurse it back to health.
Sea World can easily be an almost-all-day activity, or you could pick a few shows you particularly want to see and make it a half-day. I personally don't care about the shows, I'm all about the shark tunnel, but the shows can be fun. During the summer, they used to close with fireworks every night, but they stopped doing that this year for some reason. Make sure you check their schedule to find seasonal events.
LEGOLAND
Website: http://legoland.com
Duration: All day
Cost: $99
Booking: No
GSD Card: Yes (Free Admission)
If you have young children, this can be a fun park to visit, but if not, I'd say skip it. I LOVE Legos, but this park is definitely geared for the younger visitor, and wouldn't be worth the steep entrance fee if you're flying sans-niños. It's also worth noting that it's pretty far north, so there will be some commuting time back and forth too.
San Diego SEAL Tours
Website: https://www.sealtours.com/
Duration: 90 min
Cost: $42
Booking: Yes
GSD Card: No (Not for all-inclusive)
I've never done this, but it looks like a hoot. It's a 90-minute narrated land-and-sea tour in a Hydra-Terra. Probably not something you'd need to do more than once, but it could be fun.
Hiking
If hiking/bouldering is your jam, San Diego is a great place to be. The best website I've found for finding good hikes is Trails.Com for San Diego, but if you happen to have a canine on your trip, be advised that not all trails here are dog friendly, so you'll want to consult with BringFido to find the best match for you and your dog. Also be SURE to check the weather if you're bringing a four-legged companion. Some of the inland trails get VERY hot, and a few dogs die every year because of irresponsible planning.
Balboa Park & The Museums at Balboa Park
Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre urban cultural park in San Diego, California, United States. In addition to open space areas, natural vegetation zones, green belts, gardens, and walking paths, it contains several theaters, and the world-famous San Diego Zoo (see above).
Balboa Park is a beautiful park in its own right, but it's also home to a bunch of really great museums that are all pretty close together, which makes this a great choice (especially if using the all-inclusive Go Card*) to get to see multiple things in one day without spending half your time commuting. The Museum of Man, Museum of Art, San Diego Air & Space Museum, Fleet Science Center, Japanese Friendship Garden, the Natural History Museum are all close-by. We even have a Railroad Museum and an Automotive Museum for the gearheads out there.
Each museum does have it's own admission fee (usually between $10-$20 per person), so this is there the Go Card* really shines.
Coronado Island
I've only been to Coronado once (and once was enough, to be honest, but I'm glad I went). It's a neat day trip, though it's not going to change your life or anything. There's a very old, fancy hotel called the Hotel Del, lots of shopping, and a cool ferry to get there. The ferry will cost you $4.75 each way, and once you're there, you can walk, bike or rent a golf cart to get around.
Whaley House
Website: http://whaleyhouse.org/
Duration: 1-2 hours
Cost: $8
Requires Booking: No
GSD Card: No
If haunted houses are what do it for you, be sure to check out the Whaley House, which was designated as an official haunted house by the United States Commerce Department. Because, that's a thing. Apparently. It's not really my style, but can be a fun, short jaunt if you're near Old Town.
Cabrillo National Park and Tide Pools
Website: https://www.nps.gov/cabr/
Duration: ~2 hours
Cost: ?
Requires Booking: No
GSD Card: No
Cabrillo National Monument is the historic spot where Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European to set foot on the west coast. There is a little walking tour and a cool lighthouse, but really you should go to check out the tide pools and trails.
Always check the website to see if there are any closures or alerts you need to be aware of.
Whale Watching
Website: http://sdwhalewatch.com/
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: $49/$29
Requires Booking: No, but best to book ahead so it's not sold out
GSD Card: No
Whale-watching is one of my all-time favorite things to do here. I go probably once every month or two, and we even have company whale-watching trips. There are a few different whale watch companies here, but the one I always use is San Diego Whale Watch. (I know Hornblower runs whale watching tours out of SD as well, but I haven't tried them.)
As many times we've gone whale watching, we've never come back having seen nothing. San Diego has tons of common and bottlenose dolphins, which almost always make an appearance (last time we ended up in a pod of 500!), but if you don't see any whales, your next whale-watching trip with them is half off.
Pro-tip: Tickets are half-price on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so try to plan around that and book in advance.
The way I see it, even if I don't see anything at all, it's three relaxing hours on a boat for $29. Can't lose.
Bring a light jacket. The temperature drops considerably once you're a few miles out. And if you're not sure if you get sea sick, buy the dramamine and take it before you get on the boat. Better safe than sorry.
Social Cycle
Website: http://socialcycleca.com/san-diego/
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: $60
Requires Booking: Yes
GSD Card: No
I've never done this, but I really want to. It's a boozy group bike-ride/pub crawl around San Diego. It looks goofy and fun. Again, probably not something you'd need to do more than once, but could be really awesome with a larger group. The tours won't launch if they have fewer than 8 people - you don't need to bring 8, but they need 8 to go, so better to book early.
Star of India
Website: https://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/star-of-india/
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: ?
Requires Booking: No
GSD Card: No
The Star of India, born in 1863, is the world's oldest active sailing ship, and it usually sits at San Diego Harbor. This is a small museum (it's on the boat itself) so it's a pretty quick walkthrough, but a must-see if you're a fan of old boats. I'm not even that big of a fan of old boats, and I enjoy taking friends to see it.
I don't remember the admission price, if there is one, but it's low, whatever it is. It's also close to shopping and restaurants at San Diego Harbor and the Embarcadero, so you there's more to see than just the boat.
Hot Air Balloon
Website: http://sandiegoballoonrides.com/
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: $189/person (+tip)
Requires Booking: Yes
GSD Card: No
This is one of the more expensive things to do here (short of helicopter rides), but if you have the cash, it's really a lovely experience, especially for visiting couples. I brought my fiancee on the sunset balloon ride in Del Mar, and it was amazing. Romantic and quiet, with a champagne toast at the end. The basket holds I think 8 people (I think?), so you're not alone, but it's a small group.
The balloon ride is about an hour, but you'll also be there for the inflating, so your total time there isn't just an hour. Additionally, Del Mar is a bit north of where you might be staying, so make sure to leave time for traveling to and fro. Additionally, traffic around Del mar can get pretty terrible around Del Mar Racing season, so give yourself extra time if there are races going on.
USS Midway Museum
Website: http://www.midway.org/
Duration: ~2-3 hours
Cost: $20
Requires Booking: No
GSD Card: Yes
The USS Midway Museum is a museum within a huge aircraft carrier, with almost 30 restored military aircraft on deck. Even if you're not a military/history buff, it's worth seeing.
* Important Note on Getting the Most Out of the Go San Diego Card:
The Go San Diego Card includes free admission to LEGOLAND, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, USS Midway Museum, San Diego Harbor Excursions, Birch Aquarium, Knott's Berry Farm, Knott's Soak City, Belmont Park, Miramar Speed Circuit, bike and kayak rentals, all the museums in Balboa Park such as the San Diego Air and Space Museum, San Diego Natural History Museum, and Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and others.
They have two basic options with the Go Card, and the difference really matters. You can pick your own attractions ahead of time, or you can do the all-inclusive option and pick the duration of days you want the pass to be for.
When you pick your own, you get 20% off admission for your selected attraction if you pick 2 or more, and that card is good for 30 days. Visiting your first attraction activates your pass. Then, you have 30 days to visit all your attractions. You have 1 year from the purchase date to begin using your pass.
When you choose the all-inclusive option, it gets a little more complicated. It gives you free admission to a lot of the most popular attractions, but the card is only good for the number of days you purchase it for, and they must be consecutive calendar days.
The all-inclusive Go Card makes the most sense when you're able to fit two things it covers into a single day. For example, the one-day all-inclusive pass is $89. The San Diego Zoo's regular admission is $52, which is free with the All-Inclusive Go Card. The only way you really save money with the all-inclusive Go Card is if you manage to cram the Zoo and at least one other Go Card backed attraction in on the same days. There are certainly plenty of half-day attractions that are covered, but be careful to figure out ahead of time which option makes the most sense for you.
In Closing...
This is FAR from an exhaustive list of things to do when visiting San Diego, but they're some of my top picks when people ask. We also have sailing tours, non-boozy bike tours, surfing lessons, jet skis - the sky's the limit!
Whatever you decide to do in San Diego, it should probably be outdoors, because it's a shame to waste weather like ours. Always bring sunscreen, and always bring a light jacket. It gets chilly at night in the coastal areas, even on some of our hottest days, and the coastal breezes can cool you off just enough that you don't realize you're getting sunburned until it's too late.