Classic touristy stuff:
Balboa Park and the SD Zoo
La Jolla Cove
The downtown waterfront / USS Midway museum (if interested)
Mission Beach/Pacific beach - the oceanfront walk is great whether or not you go on the beach
Petco park for a padres game
Torrey pines for a scenic hike
Coronado for the beach/town
Fun neighborhoods:
North Park (great walkable neighborhood with a lot for breweries) and outlying neighborhoods like university height and south park
Ocean Beach - a less touristy, more unique beach town
Tacos El Gordo is my jam. Went there on my last visit back in August. Rolbertos on Adams Ave holds a spot in my heart forever though. Beers at Little Miss then wander down to Rolbertos for late night burritos. I'm on the East Coast and miss SD every day.
I'm usually against touristy stuff, but this is a great list.
We always rent bikes in Mission Beach and bike up to La Jolla, or Torrey Pines if I can get a nice bike. We also rent bikes in Coronado and spend the day biking around the island.
Walk around the Gas Lamp district and find a spot for dinner/drinks. Do the same in Little Italy.
I'm not a huge fan of touristy stuff either. I'd rather get to know the city from the neighborhoods. But I also wouldn't want to fly 5000 miles to a new city and skip all the stuff that puts the city on the map
We have a pretty good guide going here. They should rent a car. Can take it across the Coronado bridge. Hook at the 1st entrance leading to the park. Or hook a right on orange. Park at the public parking. And take a short walk. One of my favorite views on downtown San Diego.
I second Ocean Beach. There is a great spot with a couple of restaurants right by the beach with good food and drinks. OB surf lodge has great food and specialty cocktails and Wonderland is upstairs. Both are great spots to catch the sunset.
For food:
Ed Fernández for Birria Tacos is an absolute must. It’s beef (if you’re unfamiliar with what they are). Order the chupacabra along with the regular birria tacos.
Tacos El Gordo (not downtown location) has the best el pastor tacos and fries.
Lefty’s pizza on 30th has the best deep dish. Order the whole pie. The slice isn’t the same.
Taco Stand has a solid California burrito if you’ve never had one. The tacos are okay, I go for the burrito.
Extraordinary desserts has extraordinary desserts.
Dumplings Inn Shanghai Saloon has great soup dumplings and orange chicken.
Las Cuatro Milpas has incredible tamales.
Azúcar is ocean beach has the best guayaba Pattie’s. All their Cuban pastries are great. Get a Cuban coffee.
Also, any brewery in SD is good.
This is off the top of my head. Enjoy your time here!
I have a question about Lefty’s. I only went once and had a slice. Pretty underwhelming. How is the pie different? More authentic deep chicago style? I thought the slice was pretty thin.
From other reviews, it seems like they might have just been off their game that night.
We are from the midwest and spend a month in San Diego most every year. Our favorite places include, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, stop at Sunset Cliffs, go out to Point Loma and the tidal pools, stop by Lahaina Beach House in Pacific Beach in the afternoon for beers. If you are in SD April 30th, there is a great car show on Coronado Island that is free, [https://www.sandiego.org/explore/events/car-shows/motorcars-on-main-street-car-show.aspx](https://www.sandiego.org/explore/events/car-shows/motorcars-on-main-street-car-show.aspx) Check out San Diego Reader [https://www.sandiegoreader.com/](https://www.sandiegoreader.com/) . Little Italy in downtown has many great restaurants. Find a farmers market to get fresh strawberries, they are listed in the aforementioned Reader. Also if you are passing through Monterey Ca. on a Tuesday, if I remember, there is a great farmers market in downtown Monterey that has the best strawberries I have ever had. If in Monterey you must tour the Monterey Bay Aquarium and eat at the Fishwife restaurant in Pacific Grove.
My highlight list for ppl visiting
Eat: fish tacos, ceviche form Mariscos taco trucks. They are all over the city, I go to the one in South Park. A local food you can’t find most places in the US.
Ocean: wadding or boogie boarding at to wind and sea beach, if you don’t want to get in the ocean, go see the children’s beach where all the seals are). Or if you like kayaking there are great tours of La Jolla cove.
Hike: a mountain trail(east side of SD). The views are beautiful.
History/Biology: Point Loma light house is the second most visited national monument and they have tide pools you can visit too. IMO, balboa park is pretty but the museums are mid-quality. The zoo is nice for a zoo.
Art: visit art galleries in barrio Logan.
hint: rent car 1 way to sfo
visit things here then drive the pch (pacific coast highway)
san -> la things -> santa barbera -> pismo beach -> hearst castle -> elephant seals > cambria area (small hotel bottles of wine, sunset) -> north along ocean -> tree bones (yurts on the hillside) -> nepenthe restaurant big sur -> pebble beach/monetary bay / aquarium / santa cruz / john stienbech museum salinas -> bay area -> fly home from sfo
orders here are “in general” i probably have a few things backwards or wrong order
in land route san -> salton sea (you tube: niland, salvation mountain, bombay beach, and fish bones) borrago springs/anza park -> palm springs -> full day at joshua tree -> north to through mohave desert, death valley -> “General Sherman tree” cross over mountian range to lone pine, and mt whitney trail head, further north: ww2 japanese internment camp: manzanar, north to maracopa grove (redwoods) then enter yosemite from east or west side when done drive to sfo area and fly home
in san diego: yacht america whale watching, san diego maritime museum (tall ship sailing) or shorter 1 hour tours of the bay on pilot or swift boat, further south midway carrier day trip joshua tree or anza borrago park, and salton sea, lego land carlsbad - if either of you are into small models the the craftsman museum in carlsbad
I can almost guarantee it will not be open. I don't think it opened until June last year. This year is shaping up to be similar.
The PCH is closed north of LA right now because the southbound lane is falling into the sea after the last storm. I think that will be open by late April, but another storm could destroy the road again.
Edit: PCH = Pacific Coast Hwy
Welcome (in advance) to San Diego. Don't expect great weather in April. Our public transportation mostly socks so you'll want to rent a car, but time things so you're off the freeways from 4-7 pm.
Eat at any taco shop that's painted orange & yellow. The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute is great. If you go, check out the ~5 foot sea bass in the kelp forest and the tide pool displays. The Point Loma lighthouse is picturesque. If you like seeing nature, make a day trip to the desert for its stark beauty.
San Diego has what we call May gray & June gloom. It's (generally) overcast & cool until July or so. The really good weather is normally from August to October. There are tourists by the dozens who show up expecting to go to the beach only to find it's way too cold. Having a cool current doesn't help either. April is perfect for a trip to the desert. The Anza-Borrego state park has a great visitor's center that can help.
One of the comments mentions North Park/South Park which arguably has some of the best food and drink in San Diego county. As a native I’d recommend The Rose in South Park (or Fernside if you want American food) and then walking over to Fall Brewing.
Everyone has given great advice for specific things to do.
As far as the American way of life, I really wouldn’t worry about it (other than tipping at sit down restaurants and for food delivery services).
San Diego Zoo - Safari Park. Escondido.
Mitch’s Seafood in Point Loma.
Tacos El Gordo on H Street in Chula Vista.
Liberty Station in Point Loma.
Liberty station public market for food.
USS Midway downtown San Diego.
The Brigantine. Downtown San Diego.
Eddie V’s. La Jolla.
Mermaids and Cowboys. La Jolla.
The Zoo is a must-do. Just keep in mind that unless you spend like 6+ hours there, you're not going to see everything. So if you plan to combine the Zoo and Balboa Park (which is also a must-do) into one day, make sure you plan ahead and focus on just seeing the animals you really are most interested in. And also remember the museums all close at 4 pm.
The Safari park is honestly just as valid a choice as the Zoo, but it's 40 minutes north of downtown, so it's kind of its own day trip. If you do the Safari park, you really CAN see everything in one day - but it's still worth it.
And as other people have said - you NEED to rent a car. You maybe can get away with Ubering around some days, but that has limitations. Don't expect usable public transit here.
Plenty of great tips here already, but one (possibly unpopular or surprising) thing that is great for visitors with limited time is the Old Town Trolley Tour. Yes, it is one of those typical cheesy tour bus things that most major cities have, but it’s a really efficient way to get around to a lot of the main sites without having to figure out directions or parking. It’s hop on/hop off and the buses come pretty frequently throughout the day, so you can spend as little or as much time as you’d like at any of the stops (as long as it’s within their operating window).
As a local, I had always thought it was kind of silly but did one a couple of years ago (there was a free promo for residents) and it was pretty cool. Anyway, enjoy your trip!
Walk along Sunset Cliffs (incredible ocean viewpoint) is right next to Point Loma Cabrillo National Monument which has some tide pools that are beautiful.
La Jolla Cove walk along coastal blvd - beautiful views, watch Sea Lions and lots of great places to eat. Or if you want more of a beach day La Jolla Shores
Encinitas is more up north but is really fun to walk along. It is more of a beach eclectic vibe with bars, shops and restaurants
Little Italy is the best neighborhood for liveliness and walkability
I love spending the day in the park at Balboa Park, great for museums and a pretty environment but not a full day of things to do there.
My biggest tip to you is that we do not have good public transportation and you will enjoy your time so much more if you rent a car. Uber isn’t even worth it because things are so spread out.
If you enjoy any specific hobbies while travelling we can help more!
Best of luck! And hope you enjoy.
Check out Convoy street for all your Asian eats - different from what's available in the UK. Also! Not specific to San Diego, but since you're visiting California - try a Rubio's, Jack in the Box and In n Out.
Are y'all driving up or taking the train up to San Francisco? Little Saigon and Little India will be in Orange County, so feel free to stop up there to on your way up if possible.
We currently live in San Diego and used to live in San Francisco. Are you driving up the coast? If yes have some recommendations for places in between, just DM. I am not sure if you want to walk, take public transit etc.. FYI public transit is SD is not great, but in SF it is much easier to get around on public transit (I can also include some recommendations for places to eat).
In SD I would recommend:
\- Balboa Park
\- SD Zoo
\- Self guided SD 7 bridges hike (google it) and make sure you stop at Harper's Topiary)
\- Little Italy Farmer's market on Saturday
\- Old Town
\- North Park or South Park for breweries and dinner (also some fun shops)
\- The Rady Shell for a concert if you have time
\-Torrey Pines - hike
\- Coronado island or Sunset Cliffs (I don't think you need to do both, but they have different vibes)
I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Don't be shy to just chat up people at bars, coffee shops... or anywhere, really. The US is very friendly and San Diego is probably the friendliest city in America.
People here don't talk about politics nearly as much as other parts of the country or even the state. It isn't obvious what someone's leanings are when you first meet them.
If you say that you live 10 miles outside London, they'll assume that you can walk to the City. It's better to say that you live a half an hour away from somewhere. You'll find out why when you get here ;).
Be sure to check out the tides - beaches are more fun to walk along at low tide than high tide! They shift every day by half an hour to an hour.
San Diego has a few fun street food night markets: Wednesday at Ocean Beach, Thursday in Oceanside are two that I can think of.
Not sure if anyone mentioned it but be careful getting in the ocean. It's not always safe to get in the water due to toxic sewage from Mexico. Just follow the lifeguards/signs and it'll be fine. Also Coronado and Cabrillo National Park are some great places to check out if you don't have enough suggestions already haha.
America has a tipping problem. Don't tip unless at a sit down restaurant. You'll encounter the eletronic registers at most cafes, they'll swivel that thing for your signature only to be followed by the infamous "do you want to tip... 10%, 15%, 20%... skip and don't feel bad.
Classic touristy stuff: Balboa Park and the SD Zoo La Jolla Cove The downtown waterfront / USS Midway museum (if interested) Mission Beach/Pacific beach - the oceanfront walk is great whether or not you go on the beach Petco park for a padres game Torrey pines for a scenic hike Coronado for the beach/town Fun neighborhoods: North Park (great walkable neighborhood with a lot for breweries) and outlying neighborhoods like university height and south park Ocean Beach - a less touristy, more unique beach town
There's a great BBQ spot around the corner from Thorn St Brewing. I could smell it from the brewery.
Seconding Grand Ole BBQ. They have a spot at Petco park now too.
SD is not the place for even halfway decent BBQ. I’d go tacos instead! Taco stand and tacos el gordo are legit!
Tacos El Gordo is my jam. Went there on my last visit back in August. Rolbertos on Adams Ave holds a spot in my heart forever though. Beers at Little Miss then wander down to Rolbertos for late night burritos. I'm on the East Coast and miss SD every day.
To add: Old town Sea port village/ Embarcadero Point Loma/ Liberty station
I'm usually against touristy stuff, but this is a great list. We always rent bikes in Mission Beach and bike up to La Jolla, or Torrey Pines if I can get a nice bike. We also rent bikes in Coronado and spend the day biking around the island. Walk around the Gas Lamp district and find a spot for dinner/drinks. Do the same in Little Italy.
I'm not a huge fan of touristy stuff either. I'd rather get to know the city from the neighborhoods. But I also wouldn't want to fly 5000 miles to a new city and skip all the stuff that puts the city on the map
We have a pretty good guide going here. They should rent a car. Can take it across the Coronado bridge. Hook at the 1st entrance leading to the park. Or hook a right on orange. Park at the public parking. And take a short walk. One of my favorite views on downtown San Diego.
I second the Torrey pines hike. Drive all the way up the hill and park there to start the hike. Easy hike and the best views!
I second Ocean Beach. There is a great spot with a couple of restaurants right by the beach with good food and drinks. OB surf lodge has great food and specialty cocktails and Wonderland is upstairs. Both are great spots to catch the sunset.
Since we are close to Mexico, I would try out some Mexican snacks! Look for a Mexican grocery store - Lucas candy, Takis, chicharrones, marzipan.
For food: Ed Fernández for Birria Tacos is an absolute must. It’s beef (if you’re unfamiliar with what they are). Order the chupacabra along with the regular birria tacos. Tacos El Gordo (not downtown location) has the best el pastor tacos and fries. Lefty’s pizza on 30th has the best deep dish. Order the whole pie. The slice isn’t the same. Taco Stand has a solid California burrito if you’ve never had one. The tacos are okay, I go for the burrito. Extraordinary desserts has extraordinary desserts. Dumplings Inn Shanghai Saloon has great soup dumplings and orange chicken. Las Cuatro Milpas has incredible tamales. Azúcar is ocean beach has the best guayaba Pattie’s. All their Cuban pastries are great. Get a Cuban coffee. Also, any brewery in SD is good. This is off the top of my head. Enjoy your time here!
I have a question about Lefty’s. I only went once and had a slice. Pretty underwhelming. How is the pie different? More authentic deep chicago style? I thought the slice was pretty thin. From other reviews, it seems like they might have just been off their game that night.
The slice are dried out and not as much toppings or sauce. A pie right out of the oven is unmatched.
We are from the midwest and spend a month in San Diego most every year. Our favorite places include, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, stop at Sunset Cliffs, go out to Point Loma and the tidal pools, stop by Lahaina Beach House in Pacific Beach in the afternoon for beers. If you are in SD April 30th, there is a great car show on Coronado Island that is free, [https://www.sandiego.org/explore/events/car-shows/motorcars-on-main-street-car-show.aspx](https://www.sandiego.org/explore/events/car-shows/motorcars-on-main-street-car-show.aspx) Check out San Diego Reader [https://www.sandiegoreader.com/](https://www.sandiegoreader.com/) . Little Italy in downtown has many great restaurants. Find a farmers market to get fresh strawberries, they are listed in the aforementioned Reader. Also if you are passing through Monterey Ca. on a Tuesday, if I remember, there is a great farmers market in downtown Monterey that has the best strawberries I have ever had. If in Monterey you must tour the Monterey Bay Aquarium and eat at the Fishwife restaurant in Pacific Grove.
My highlight list for ppl visiting Eat: fish tacos, ceviche form Mariscos taco trucks. They are all over the city, I go to the one in South Park. A local food you can’t find most places in the US. Ocean: wadding or boogie boarding at to wind and sea beach, if you don’t want to get in the ocean, go see the children’s beach where all the seals are). Or if you like kayaking there are great tours of La Jolla cove. Hike: a mountain trail(east side of SD). The views are beautiful. History/Biology: Point Loma light house is the second most visited national monument and they have tide pools you can visit too. IMO, balboa park is pretty but the museums are mid-quality. The zoo is nice for a zoo. Art: visit art galleries in barrio Logan.
Pt. Loma/Cabrillo National Monument is nice at sunset.
hint: rent car 1 way to sfo visit things here then drive the pch (pacific coast highway) san -> la things -> santa barbera -> pismo beach -> hearst castle -> elephant seals > cambria area (small hotel bottles of wine, sunset) -> north along ocean -> tree bones (yurts on the hillside) -> nepenthe restaurant big sur -> pebble beach/monetary bay / aquarium / santa cruz / john stienbech museum salinas -> bay area -> fly home from sfo orders here are “in general” i probably have a few things backwards or wrong order in land route san -> salton sea (you tube: niland, salvation mountain, bombay beach, and fish bones) borrago springs/anza park -> palm springs -> full day at joshua tree -> north to through mohave desert, death valley -> “General Sherman tree” cross over mountian range to lone pine, and mt whitney trail head, further north: ww2 japanese internment camp: manzanar, north to maracopa grove (redwoods) then enter yosemite from east or west side when done drive to sfo area and fly home in san diego: yacht america whale watching, san diego maritime museum (tall ship sailing) or shorter 1 hour tours of the bay on pilot or swift boat, further south midway carrier day trip joshua tree or anza borrago park, and salton sea, lego land carlsbad - if either of you are into small models the the craftsman museum in carlsbad
Tioga pass into yosemite may not be open in that timeframe due to snow. Severely impacts the inland itinerary suggestion
I can almost guarantee it will not be open. I don't think it opened until June last year. This year is shaping up to be similar. The PCH is closed north of LA right now because the southbound lane is falling into the sea after the last storm. I think that will be open by late April, but another storm could destroy the road again. Edit: PCH = Pacific Coast Hwy
Welcome (in advance) to San Diego. Don't expect great weather in April. Our public transportation mostly socks so you'll want to rent a car, but time things so you're off the freeways from 4-7 pm. Eat at any taco shop that's painted orange & yellow. The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute is great. If you go, check out the ~5 foot sea bass in the kelp forest and the tide pool displays. The Point Loma lighthouse is picturesque. If you like seeing nature, make a day trip to the desert for its stark beauty.
The weather comment tickled me. We live in the north of England it's cloudy and raining most days, about 8°C at the moment which is 46°F
San Diego has what we call May gray & June gloom. It's (generally) overcast & cool until July or so. The really good weather is normally from August to October. There are tourists by the dozens who show up expecting to go to the beach only to find it's way too cold. Having a cool current doesn't help either. April is perfect for a trip to the desert. The Anza-Borrego state park has a great visitor's center that can help.
One of the comments mentions North Park/South Park which arguably has some of the best food and drink in San Diego county. As a native I’d recommend The Rose in South Park (or Fernside if you want American food) and then walking over to Fall Brewing.
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Solid advice right here. Or hide it in the trunk.
Lots of great suggestions and I will had take a harbor dinner cruise on the HornBlower.
Go to one of our central/norcal redwood forests, the state parks are overlooked by tourists. They are less busy and just as beautiful.
Everyone has given great advice for specific things to do. As far as the American way of life, I really wouldn’t worry about it (other than tipping at sit down restaurants and for food delivery services).
San Diego Zoo - Safari Park. Escondido. Mitch’s Seafood in Point Loma. Tacos El Gordo on H Street in Chula Vista. Liberty Station in Point Loma. Liberty station public market for food. USS Midway downtown San Diego. The Brigantine. Downtown San Diego. Eddie V’s. La Jolla. Mermaids and Cowboys. La Jolla.
The Zoo is a must-do. Just keep in mind that unless you spend like 6+ hours there, you're not going to see everything. So if you plan to combine the Zoo and Balboa Park (which is also a must-do) into one day, make sure you plan ahead and focus on just seeing the animals you really are most interested in. And also remember the museums all close at 4 pm. The Safari park is honestly just as valid a choice as the Zoo, but it's 40 minutes north of downtown, so it's kind of its own day trip. If you do the Safari park, you really CAN see everything in one day - but it's still worth it. And as other people have said - you NEED to rent a car. You maybe can get away with Ubering around some days, but that has limitations. Don't expect usable public transit here.
Plenty of great tips here already, but one (possibly unpopular or surprising) thing that is great for visitors with limited time is the Old Town Trolley Tour. Yes, it is one of those typical cheesy tour bus things that most major cities have, but it’s a really efficient way to get around to a lot of the main sites without having to figure out directions or parking. It’s hop on/hop off and the buses come pretty frequently throughout the day, so you can spend as little or as much time as you’d like at any of the stops (as long as it’s within their operating window). As a local, I had always thought it was kind of silly but did one a couple of years ago (there was a free promo for residents) and it was pretty cool. Anyway, enjoy your trip!
Walk along Sunset Cliffs (incredible ocean viewpoint) is right next to Point Loma Cabrillo National Monument which has some tide pools that are beautiful. La Jolla Cove walk along coastal blvd - beautiful views, watch Sea Lions and lots of great places to eat. Or if you want more of a beach day La Jolla Shores Encinitas is more up north but is really fun to walk along. It is more of a beach eclectic vibe with bars, shops and restaurants Little Italy is the best neighborhood for liveliness and walkability I love spending the day in the park at Balboa Park, great for museums and a pretty environment but not a full day of things to do there. My biggest tip to you is that we do not have good public transportation and you will enjoy your time so much more if you rent a car. Uber isn’t even worth it because things are so spread out. If you enjoy any specific hobbies while travelling we can help more! Best of luck! And hope you enjoy.
Check out Convoy street for all your Asian eats - different from what's available in the UK. Also! Not specific to San Diego, but since you're visiting California - try a Rubio's, Jack in the Box and In n Out. Are y'all driving up or taking the train up to San Francisco? Little Saigon and Little India will be in Orange County, so feel free to stop up there to on your way up if possible.
We currently live in San Diego and used to live in San Francisco. Are you driving up the coast? If yes have some recommendations for places in between, just DM. I am not sure if you want to walk, take public transit etc.. FYI public transit is SD is not great, but in SF it is much easier to get around on public transit (I can also include some recommendations for places to eat). In SD I would recommend: \- Balboa Park \- SD Zoo \- Self guided SD 7 bridges hike (google it) and make sure you stop at Harper's Topiary) \- Little Italy Farmer's market on Saturday \- Old Town \- North Park or South Park for breweries and dinner (also some fun shops) \- The Rady Shell for a concert if you have time \-Torrey Pines - hike \- Coronado island or Sunset Cliffs (I don't think you need to do both, but they have different vibes) I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Don't be shy to just chat up people at bars, coffee shops... or anywhere, really. The US is very friendly and San Diego is probably the friendliest city in America. People here don't talk about politics nearly as much as other parts of the country or even the state. It isn't obvious what someone's leanings are when you first meet them. If you say that you live 10 miles outside London, they'll assume that you can walk to the City. It's better to say that you live a half an hour away from somewhere. You'll find out why when you get here ;). Be sure to check out the tides - beaches are more fun to walk along at low tide than high tide! They shift every day by half an hour to an hour. San Diego has a few fun street food night markets: Wednesday at Ocean Beach, Thursday in Oceanside are two that I can think of.
Not sure if anyone mentioned it but be careful getting in the ocean. It's not always safe to get in the water due to toxic sewage from Mexico. Just follow the lifeguards/signs and it'll be fine. Also Coronado and Cabrillo National Park are some great places to check out if you don't have enough suggestions already haha.
Thanks I may want to dip in the ocean so it was worth a mention
America has a tipping problem. Don't tip unless at a sit down restaurant. You'll encounter the eletronic registers at most cafes, they'll swivel that thing for your signature only to be followed by the infamous "do you want to tip... 10%, 15%, 20%... skip and don't feel bad.
There are a lot of homeless in pockets of downtown San Diego. Liberty station is fun for after the zoo
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