For me, San Diego has to be one of my favorite cities in California to visit. I decided to finally compile a San Diego travel guide.
What is there not to love about San Diego? San Diego has beautiful beaches, amazing restaurants, a fun nightlife, and packed with history. Due to the location, San Diego has a mild climate year-round. So, if you want to escape the freezing temperatures of winter then San Diego is a wonderful vacation spot. The summers are quite hot as well.
A Short History of San Diego
The history of San Diego is very interesting. According to historians, there were 5 American Indian Groups present in San Diego County right before European explorers came: Luiseno, Cahuilla, Cupeno, Kumeyaay, and Northern Diegueño.
Then, in 1542 the Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo claimed San Diego for Spain. After 279 years under Spanish rule, San Diego became part of Mexico in 1821. But, San Diego finally became a part of the United States in 1850.
TOP 10 Things to Do in San Diego
1. Visit Hotel Del Coronado / Visit Coronado Beach/ Downtown Coronado
A short drive over the Coronado Bridge will lead you into the resort city of the gem known as Coronado. The Hotel Del Coronado known as “The Del” is a national historic landmark built back in 1888. Many US Presidents and celebrities of the golden days have stayed at the hotel. The Del has a beautiful white and red exterior. You can walk through the hotel to visit the shops and eat at the restaurants on the property. Also, while you are visiting the hotel take a walk along the hotel’s section of the beach.
Downtown Coronado is full of shops and restaurants. Coronado has a fun small-town atmosphere. If you drive around Coronado, you will find beautiful old-world mansions.
Fun fact: Coronado is Spanish for “Crown One”.
2. Visit Balboa Park
Balboa Park was built in the early 1900s for the 1915 World Fair. The buildings have beautiful Spanish colonial architecture. If you can believe it, it is bigger than Central Park in New York City. Balboa Park is filled with dozens of museums (automobile/ aviation/art/ natural history ). There are around 20 different gardens. If you want to see a play then visit the Old Globe Theatre. One of my favorite places to walk through is the Botanical Gardens.
If you are short on time I would recommend renting golf carts they have for one hour and driving around a part of the park. For more info about opening times and things to do there visit: https://www.balboapark.org/
3. Visit San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo is inside Balboa Park as well! It is a world-class zoo and it is a perfect way to spend the whole day if you have the time. https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/
4. Visit Old Town San Diego State Historic, Park
If you have half a day I would recommend visiting Old Town if you never been. It is a bit kitschy. Old Town is a living history park that re-creates life during the early 1800s when California was part of Mexico. ( It has a similar feeling to Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area in Virginia if you ever been). It is often called the “birthplace of California”.
There are plenty of places to shop and eat. But, what makes it fun is the beautifully preserved buildings of houses and businesses from the early 1860s. The structures are reconstructions of the original houses. And, there are many small museums to visit like the Wells Fargo History Museum ( that have some of the original wagons). The preserved buildings are each kind of like a small museum that helps give a glimpse of San Diego’s life from 1821 to 1872. Overall, it is a fun and colorful environment to explore. For more info visit – https://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/
There is no charge for entering the park. And, all the small museums are free to enter.
5. Visit Whaley House
Do you love visiting known haunted places? Well, this is the place for you. Whaley House is called “America’s Most Haunted Home”. You can take a guided tour of the house which I enjoyed.
The house was built in 1857 and was designed by Thomas Whaley who lived in it with his family. It opened as a museum in 1960. On the first floor, there use to be a general store. It also had San Diego’s first commercial theatre. Plus, there was a courtroom inside. The second floor had bedrooms. On the site of the house, they used to hang criminals. Whaley House has been featured on many “ghost hunter” type TV shows that have featured stories of the house’s hauntings. Is it haunted? Who knows, but while visiting I didn’t feel anything particularly spooky about the house.
6. Visit La Jolla ( including La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores Beach)
La Jolla is an upscale beach community north of downtown San Diego. It is one of my favorite places to visit. The town has a very upscale/ritzy vibe. There are lots of fun boutiques along the main shopping area in town and so many good brunch places by the water to choose from for a meal. Of course, you can’t stop by La Jolla without visiting La Jolla Cove to watch the sea lions or to layout. Nearby is La Jolla Shores beach which is very popular as well.
7. Spend a Day at the Beach
San Diego is filled with a plethora of beautiful beaches to pick from to spend a wonderful day. There is no wrong choice. Below are some popular beaches:
- Coronado Beach
- La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove
- Mission Beach
- Ocean Beach
8. Visit Seaport Village
Seaport Village is an outdoor mall filled with shops and places to dine overlooking the harbor.
9. Visit Belmont Park
Belmont Park was built in 1925 and still feels like an old fashion amusement park of the olden days. If you love rollercoaster’s it has one of the US’s oldest wooden roller coasters. For times and ticket info visit – https://www.belmontpark.com/
10. Take a Sailing Tour Around San Diego
There are a handful of tour companies that offer sailing tour’s around the beautiful waters of San Diego. And, if it is the first time visiting I would recommend you take a sailing tour to get a better view of the coastline of San Diego which is so very beautiful.