San Diego is one of the major cities in California and is full of attractions, museums, and theme parks. Many people include it in a tour of the Golden State or a road trip across several states. Others avoid it because it is slightly off course for those taking the classic route that includes the other two major cities on the California coast (Los Angeles and San Francisco) and the main attractions further inland.
In this article, I will try to clarify when is the ideal time to visit San Diego and give you tips to make a personalized itinerary. How long should you stay in San Diego to make the most of it?
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How Many Days Should You Spend in San Diego? Some Basic Advice
Often people ask me how many days in San Diego? The answer is: it depends. San Diego is a city famous for its theme parks, especially SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo. If you want to include one or more of these parks in your itinerary, you’ll have to consider that visiting a theme park normally takes up a good part of a day.
To get a fuller experience of the city, excluding theme parks, I recommend that you spend at least two full days in San Diego. This way, you can also visit the historic districts and main monuments in a single day, especially if you only plan a short stop while on your road trip or if you want to stay 2 days including a theme park.
However, if you plan three days in San Diego, you will also be able to visit the attractions in the surrounding area and I especially recommend going to the coast. So then, how many days will it take? If you have plenty of time or if you are going on a trip around California, I suggest you stay here for 3 days. If you include San Diego in a longer itinerary, even 1 or 2 days may be enough. I will give you some more specific advice in the sections below.
San Diego One-Day ItineraryÂ
Is it possible to visit San Diego in one day? Just like in all big cities, the answer is yes, but be aware that it will be impossible to see everything. Below I propose an itinerary to visit the downtown area and its main attractions. Please note: This itinerary will require you to wake up early in the morning and keep a tight schedule throughout the day. This doesn’t mean it is hard to visit San Diego in one day. If you want to visit the city at a more relaxed pace, simply use this itinerary as a guide and then remove the attractions that are least appealing to you.
If you are planning to spend the day in the downtown area, my advice is to start your visit from the Marina District-Embarcadero area, which can be easily reached on foot or by public transportation from downtown San Diego. This neighborhood on the coast is especially enchanting in the morning. If it’s Saturday, you’ll be able to go to the fish market, but even on the other days of the week, taking a walk along the promenade is a great way to start the day. In fact, because San Diego is a port city, spending time on the coast is important in order to fully experience the city.
The second stop I suggest, where you will spend most of the morning, is Old Town. The area is the birthplace of San Diego and of California. The trolley connects Old Town to the rest of the city and you can take it at Santa Fe Station. As you can see in our article about Old Town, there’s a lot to see and learn about local history here and I recommend you stay there until lunchtime. If you have packed a lunch, my advice is to wait to have your lunch until you reach the next stop, which is Balboa Park.
Balboa Park is the perfect place for a nice afternoon stroll. Whether you intend to visit one or more of the museums in this immense city park, or if you prefer taking a walk in the various themed gardens, you should plan to spend a few hours here.
In the late afternoon, when dinnertime approaches, you can go to the Gaslamp Quarter, the most famous neighborhood of San Diego. It’s one of the best places to spend the evening because of the wide choice of restaurants, breweries, and clubs. 5th Ave and the surrounding streets are perfect for an evening stroll through historic buildings and a dinner to suit all tastes and budgets.
You might also be able to include a visit to Little Italy. My suggestion is to go there immediately before or right after visiting Old Town, since it is fast and easy to take the trolley from one neighborhood to the other.
San Diego 2-Day ItineraryÂ
If you dedicate two full days to San Diego, you will have the opportunity to have a fairly complete visit to the city, and also have time to go to some museums or spend more time at some monuments and points of interest. If, on the other hand, one of the reasons why you have chosen to include San Diego in your travel itinerary is to go to the theme parks, you’ll also have the opportunity to explore the historic districts as well as SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, or perhaps another park.
Ideal city tour
Are you not interested in theme parks and want to also discover San Diego? Two days is the perfect time to get to know San Diego. Here is my proposed itinerary so you don’t miss out on anything.
- Day 1: Old Town, Marina District-Embarcadero, Coronado, and Little Italy. Start your visit from Old Town and Presidio Park. Why? This is where the story of San Diego and California as we know it today began. So there’s no better place to start visiting this city so you can understand its origins and evolution. After spending the morning in the Old Town, you can head to the Marina District-Embarcadero (take the trolley down to Santa Fe Station). Here you’ll easily find a place to grab something to eat, and if your day started early enough to get here before lunch, you may also have time to visit the Maritime Museum or the USS Midway aircraft carrier. After lunch, hop on the ferry to Coronado Island. On the peninsula that creates San Diego Bay, you can take great photos of the city’s skyline and discover many curiosities, as well as relax on one of the most beautiful beaches in the United States (you can reach the beach on foot or by bus from the pier. For more information, click here). Finally, return downtown for dinner in Little Italy. From Coronado, you can get there by taking Bus 901 (Broadway & 1st Ave stop plus 10-15 minutes walk), or take the ferry back to Broadway Pier and then walk from the pier through Waterfront Park (10-15 minute walk).
- Day 2: Balboa Park and the Gaslamp Quarter. Balboa Park is so big and full of things to see that a whole day wouldn’t be enough to see everything. Without taking into account the San Diego Zoo, the number of gardens and museums in the city’s huge park is enough to keep you busy from morning till late afternoon without getting bored. Here you can discover more interesting facts about the birth and development of the city, visit one or more museums. There are all kinds of museum that display almost everything, including contemporary art, airplanes and spacecraft, natural history, and international crafts. But the highlight of Balboa Park is the variety of gardens, which range from desert to tropical settings and even a Japanese garden. In the late afternoon, when you’re satisfied with Balboa Park, you can head to the Gaslamp Quarter to end your tour with San Diego’s most iconic neighborhood. Among the historic buildings, you can find a restaurant where you can dine, or choose one of the many breweries where you can confirm if San Diego really deserves to be called the Craft Beer Capital of America.
How to include SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, or another theme park
As you can see, in the itinerary proposed in the previous paragraph, I did not mention any theme park. This is because I believe that it takes two full days to really see the city. However, there is nothing stopping you from staying in San Diego two or three nights to visit both Old Town and one of the famous theme parks.
If you visit only one theme park, my suggestion is to opt for SeaWorld or the San Diego Zoo, which are the biggest and most interesting ones. Your question will be: Is it possible to visit the city in two days and include a theme park? Well, if you don’t plan to enter all the city museums and see every corner of the historic districts, the answer is yes.
SeaWorld can be easily visited in half a day. Of course, if you are fond of marine animals and want to take full advantage of the ticket by spending a few hours of pure fun on the rides, you can spend a whole day there without hesitation. In this case, follow the itinerary proposed above to visit San Diego in one day and dedicate the second day to the theme park. If you are content to spend only a few hours at SeaWorld, my advice is to follow the proposed itinerary of San Diego in two days, reducing the visit of Balboa Park to half a day in order to include SeaWorld on the second day. You won’t have time to visit the various museums in Balboa Park, but you’ll be able to visit what interests you most.
The San Diego Zoo will take more than half a day if you want to visit it thoroughly and if you want to take part in the various animal encounters. My advice, especially if you are traveling with children, is to spend a full day here, and then follow the concentrated itinerary for the other day in San Diego. You can also consider spending only half a day at the zoo. In this case, combining it with a day dedicated to Balboa Park is a great solution, since the zoo is located inside the park.
San Diego 3- Day Itinerary: The City and Its Surroundings
Do you have 3 days to visit San Diego? This period of time allows you to visit not only the city, but also some other interesting places around San Diego. If you do not have a car, my suggestion is to take advantage of two days to follow the route in the city proposed above and devote the third day to a specific activity. On your third day, you can opt for one of the theme parks or go to La Jolla, one of the most characteristic towns on the coast, less than an hour from the city. You can take Bus 30 from downtown San Diego. The seals and sea lions, the big beach, and the rocky coves are just some of the interesting things that this tourist resort offers. Alternatively, especially if you visit San Diego in the summer, you might want to spend some time relaxing on the beach. In our article on the beaches of San Diego, you’ll find all the advice you need.
Are you considering renting a car? In this case, you may want to take a nice ride on the coast, which is full of points of interest and fascinating places. Here is my suggestion for an itinerary along the coast. Start early and head south in the direction of Mexico. At the border between the United States and Mexico, there is the International Friendship Park. What is it? This park is located at the point where the wall separating Mexico and the United States goes into the ocean. It is a very unique place, which may make some people uncomfortable, but it certainly makes you think.
To get there, enter 1270-1244 Monument Rd into the GPS. Here you will find a parking lot where you can leave your car and then you can reach the border in less than half an hour on foot. Once you are back in your car, head north and in less than half an hour, you will reach Cabrillo National Monument. To get there you have two options. You can go around the city, or you can walk along the thin strip of land that connects Coronado to the mainland and return to San Diego from the Coronado Bridge. After you see the Cabrillo National Monument, continue north to La Jolla, where you can spend a few hours, and end the day at Torrey Pines. On this website, you will find more tips on all the points of interest along the San Diego Bay.
Where to Stay
If you’re on a tight schedule and want to follow one of the suggested itineraries above, choosing carefully the place to stay can make all the difference. If you want a central location, my suggestion is to choose the Gaslamp Quarter, the Marina District-Embarcadero, or Little Italy. In downtown San Diego, there is a wide selection of hotels, and public transportation allows you to reach the various attractions in an expedient manner. You can read our advice in the article below:
Our suggestions on where to find accommodations in San Diego
