9 Best things to Do in San Diego & Itinerary
Not sure what to do in San Diego? Relax, the good news is that there are plenty of attractions in the city and its surroundings. The downside is that, depending on what you want to do, you may have to increase your travel time.
Firstly, the city itself has countless options for spending time and having fun. There are several beaches, and you could spend 1 to 4 days on them alone unless you go in December and January. These months are colder here. In addition, there are parks, historical attractions, lots of parties, and great shopping spaces.
If that’s not enough, it’s still possible to visit some of the neighboring regions to get to know them. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas are some of the favorite destinations for tourists visiting California.
With this, it is possible to say that the city offers alternatives for all types of tastes and budgets. From free attractions to those that require you to spend some money, there is a lot to do in San Diego!
What to Visit in San Diego: 9 Main Tourist Attractions
There are so many cool things to do in San Diego that even after visiting the city countless times, it would be almost impossible to see everything. But don’t worry because I’ve brought you a list of suggested places to go for the first time in the city, helping you organize everything you need to do in San Diego:
1. USS Midway Museum
The USS Midway Museum is one of the most different museums you will find across the globe. Inside a retired aircraft carrier ship, the visitor here can feel like a real American naval officer. Buy your ticket in advance for the USS Midway Museum.
The boat was opened in 1945 and was soon used in the Second World War. Her presence lasted only eight days, as the war ended shortly afterward. Still, it cannot be said that he has no history.
Among its attractions are several vehicles used by the American army. Fighters, boats, helicopters, and even cars are available to the public. All this inside this giant of the seas.
In addition, it is possible to visit several of the ship’s spaces, such as its internal hangar and the flight runway. It’s a simply sensational tour and is part of the pass with a discount on 35 attractions.
2. Petco Park
It’s okay that we are very interested in football, but that doesn’t mean that other sports aren’t attractive. A lot is known about basketball and American football in the United States, but how about learning about baseball during a trip to Petco Park Stadium – Home of the Padres?
Petco Park is the city’s stadium. It is home to the San Diego Padres, the local team that competes in Major League Baseball (MLB).
The arena has a capacity for more than 40 thousand people and is also great for other events. It has hosted basketball, football, and even golf games. Furthermore, it is the most used space for shows in the city — Madonna, Metallica, and Paul McCartney have already visited here.
3. Balboa Park
Balboa Park is one of San Diego’s best-known tourist attractions, especially for its size and attractions. There are 1,200 acres that encompass different areas and bring joy to different audiences who can explore a lot during a walking tour in San Diego.
A good option is the local museums, which cover the most varied themes. Museums of photographic arts, automotive, air and space, railway, man, and natural history. These are just some of the alternatives.
Furthermore, you can also be enchanted by its more than 15 gardens, all of which are beautiful and very well maintained. Take advantage and visit the local botanical building, which is simply special.
The park is square in shape, and its location is one of its strengths. It is located right in the middle of the city, next to Downtown, with easy access via the Narrado Hop-On Hop-Off Circuit.
4. Legoland
Many people don’t know this, but there is an entire amusement park dedicated to Legos, the famous plastic bricks. This is, in fact, one of the city’s best-known tourist attractions, Legoland.
Although it is located in the city of Carlsbad, it is considered one of the local attractions, being 50 kilometers from the center. If you choose to rent a car in California, the journey takes about half an hour.
It opened in 1999, occupying a total area of more than 120 acres. In this space, there are several sculptures and entire cities built with the pieces. For older kids, there are three roller coasters.
Still, this tour is more focused on little ones. Because of this, it is a highly recommended attraction for families with young children. Groups of young people and adults may not be so enchanted by the place.
5. Coronado Island
Talking about Coronado Island is talking about one of the city’s most historic tourist attractions. The island is actually a peninsula located on the other side of San Diego Bay, which attracts many tourists every year.
The highlight of this tour is the Hotel del Coronado, the most famous in the entire region. Since the 1960s, the place has been prominent in California, being a vacation destination for several celebrities.
Furthermore, Coronado Beach also has a reputation for being recognized as one of the best in the country. Because of this, people from all corners of the world flock to it, especially in the summer.
Finally, arriving on the island, which has less than 25,000 inhabitants, is incredible. The bridge that connects the city to the peninsula is the Coronado Bridge, an architectural marvel.
6. Old Town
When we talk about Old Town in San Diego, we need to be a little more specific. This is because there can be confusion, as there is the Old Town neighborhood and the Old Town State Historic Park.
The first is a region of the city, delimited by highways and very close to the center and Ocean Beach. The second is the main focus of this item, being one of the main tourist attractions in the city.
Its objective is to celebrate the city’s first years, with buildings dating from 1820 to 1870. Honestly, it’s like a trip back in time, making it a great spot for beautiful photos.
In 2006, it was recognized as the most visited park in the entire state of California. This data only confirms the eccentricity and importance of the place.
If you prefer to explore the region on your own, you can book a self-guided scooter tour of the center and the old town.
7. San Diego Bay
You may have noticed that many of the tourist attractions revolve around the sea. Nothing is more natural than this for a coastal city on the border with another country, right?
Why not, then, mention San Diego Bay as one of the city’s main attractions? It is here, for example, that the USS Midway Museum is located, as well as other attractions aimed at the public.
A sample of this is “Estrela das Indias,” She is the oldest iron-hulled merchant ship and the oldest active sailing ship in the world. It’s definitely worth your trip there. In addition, the entire port area has an American military base and a commercial port.
8. La Jolla
Maybe you’ve heard of La Jolla, a famous part of the city. This is one of the richest areas of the city, which justifies its beautiful beach houses and expensive hotels.
When I studied in San Diego, my school was in this neighborhood, which was great for me. There are several gastronomy and shopping options here, making it an excellent spot for strolling with family and friends and taking a kayaking trip in La Jolla, among other tourist activities.
One of the main attractions here is La Jolla Cave Beach, known for the presence of marine life. The spot is full of tourists every day, who fight for space to take the best photos of the sea lions.
Even though it is one of the well-known tourist attractions, the beach is far from the center. Therefore, it is an interesting region to stay in if you want to relax and rest.
9. Pacific Beach
One of San Diego’s best-known beaches is also one of its main tourist attractions. Pacific Beach is where the city’s action is, being a very busy neighborhood.
There are several entertainment options in the region, such as bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. It is also possible to find several stores, markets, and other businesses here.
On the beach itself, the highlight is the Pacific Beach Pier, a beautiful structure that enters the Pacific Ocean. From here, you can see the entire coast and tourists and locals sunbathe and surf on summer days.
I admit that I’m suspicious of giving an opinion, given that it was the neighborhood where I lived during my exchange. This way, I only have good things to say about the place, being completely in love with PB.
How Many Days to Stay in San Diego
There are a number of factors to consider when you are planning what to do in San Diego. What is the ideal time to go, and where is the best place to stay, among many others, that you need to pay attention to when planning your itinerary?
When traveling through the USA, visiting San Diego is almost mandatory. Knowing how many days to stay in the city is essential to putting together the best itinerary possible.
Don’t plan for less than three days; the ideal is to organize what to do in San Diego for at least five days just so you can start to fall in love with the city.
There is a lot to discover, see, and explore, especially the beaches and the Old Town. All this considered, here is an example of cool things to do in San Diego:
What to Do in San Diego in 1 Day
If you only have one day in this beautiful city, either because you are connecting (although the city’s airport does not usually receive many flights of this type) or because you are staying in Los Angeles but want to make a stop and return to the south, I suggest you focus on the city of San Diego.
My suggestion is to take a route (if you have a car) that passes by some of the city’s main beaches, such as La Jolla and Pacific Beach. They can even be visited on a cruise around San Diego Bay.
Take the opportunity to take a photo on one of the piers or with the sea lions, depending on the season. After this short tour, go to Downtown, the city center, and get to know the beautiful buildings and the real “urban hustle” of the city.
All of these stops are included in the Narrated Hop-On Hop-Off Circuit, which is a tour that I highly recommend you do on your first day in San Diego. With the afternoon free, the best trip is, without a doubt, to go back to the times of the old West and feel like you are in a period film.
To experience this, go to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, a place in the middle of the city that still preserves the architecture of the 1800s, when California didn’t even belong entirely to the United States. If you prefer, you can book a tour of San Diego to enjoy every story of this incredible place!
What to Do in San Diego in 2 days
On the second day of your trip, the best option is to reserve the entire period to visit Legoland. It’s a park created by the toy company Lego, founded in Denmark in 1932. Special tip: This attraction is designed for children up to 12 years old, although many adults will have as much fun as the little ones.
The park’s more than 60 attractions are divided according to age, including options for children aged two years and older.
There is fun for everyone, and much of what you see takes us back to childhood. To create this environment, various models and sculptures made exclusively with the pieces are spread throughout the park, such as the cities of Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.
There’s also a full-size Volvo car and even a cinema space with some of the main battle scenes in the Star Wars universe. All made of Lego!!!!! If you purchase the CityPASS attractions, your entry to Legoland is guaranteed!
What to Do in San Diego in 3 days
After so many days of walking, you must be a little tired, so my suggestion for the third day in San Diego is much calmer but still quite attractive: stroll along the city’s beautiful beaches.
If you already did this on the first day, no problem, but there is much more to know and enjoy! As we know, San Diego is a coastal city, and because of this, there is no way to stay there for so long without at least taking a trip to the beach and getting your feet wet.
Just remember that the waters are considerably colder and, in some spots, you need to be careful with sharks. Although the city has several options, I highlight the two beaches that I frequented most and felt comfortable in: La Jolla Beach and Pacific Beach.
The first is further north and has great options for restaurants, shops, and cafes. The beach itself has a lot of rocks, so sitting on the sand and enjoying the sea is not very common, but you can enjoy the neighborhood and take beautiful photos with the sea lions that stop there every year.
The second suggestion is where my house was during the months I lived in California and, of course, where I miss it most. There, you can take your towel to the beach, sit down, listen to music, and play frisbee with friends.
Take a few minutes to visit the beach pier, from where you can admire beautiful landscapes and get that feeling you’ve always expected from the Californian lifestyle. If you like adventure, you have some magnificent experiences to do: Kayaking through the 7 Caves and kayaking and snorkeling in La Jolla.
What to Do in San Diego in 4 days
If you think that in three days you’ve already seen everything the city has to offer, you might want to think again! I saved one of the most unique tours in San Diego for that day, a visit to the USS Midway Museum and Coronado Island.
The museum is inside one of the largest and most important aircraft carriers of the American Navy, which operated from 1945 until 1992, almost 50 years on the world’s seas.
In addition to various military items on display, such as fighters, helicopters, and planes, the site has a guided tour narrated by sailors who previously served on the ship. It’s chilling to know this story. I recommend that you buy your ticket in advance for the USS Midway Museum.
The second trip of the day is to one of the most famous islands in California, mainly due to the number of Hollywood artists who stayed here a few years ago. Among the attractions of a guided tour on Coronado Island are visits to hotels, magnificent beaches, and delicious restaurants.
What to Do in San Diego in 5 days
If you are reading this article, I assume you want to go to the United States. Thinking about this, I feel almost obliged to suggest shopping for this seventh day. After all, every person who travels to the United States has a list of products to buy.
There is definitely no better place to do this in San Diego than at Las Americas Outlet. This is the largest and main outlet in the Southern California region, featuring more than 130 of the best brands in the world.
There are options for all tastes and budgets, which allows you to spend that money left over at the end of the trip or what you set aside for shopping. This shopping mall is just a 25-minute drive from downtown San Diego, and you can book a Shopping Tour to Las Americas Outlet in advance.
Interestingly, from inside, you can see both the customs house and the wall that divides the United States from Mexico, and even a little of the city of Tijuana. If you want, you can even take a trip to another country before going shopping! Have you ever thought about taking a trip to Tijuana?
But, if you don’t want to dedicate a day to shopping, you can return to one of the places you liked the most to enjoy it more or even take a different trip to the one you did on other days, such as by bike, segway, electric motorbike or trolleybus, for example.
Also Read: 22 Best places to visit in Mexico
Summary of the Best Things to Do in San Diego
The cost of taking tours in San Diego depends on the type of tour, the duration, and the number of people in your group. There are guided bike tours that let you see more than you can on foot, bus tours that take you around to get an overview of the city, and even boat trips to explore from a different perspective.
If you want to go on foot, on a guided tour known as a free walking tour, you will pay less than if you choose a bus or bicycle tour. If you are traveling with your family or friends, it is worth booking private tours to share the costs and have more privacy and even flexibility in the duration of each tourist attraction.
Entrance prices for attractions and tours vary depending on the type of tour. You can find great deals by purchasing online, so I recommend organizing activities in advance, especially as tickets for the main attractions may become unavailable.
Tip: book a guided tour for your first day in San Diego, as a guide will tell you about all the unmissable places to visit during the rest of your trip. It’s a great way to get an overview of the place and readjust some points in your itinerary.
