First visit to San Diego - any tips?

Question

I live in Toronto. I will be visiting San Diego, California in April - my first trip to California. Besides the famous zoo - any places you recommend not missing? Any tips?

Answer 1

There is a lot to do. The zoo is located in Balboa Park and there are a lot of awesome museums to go to there (the toy train and the aerospace are my personal faves). Also you could go to Sea World but for me personally it is over rated for the price. The Wild Animal Park is also amazing. Sea port village has a lot of neat shops and there is a Naval ship that is docked and is a museum that you can tour. Old town is neat though it is a little commercialized and parking is hard to come by. Across the street from Old town is a little 18 hole par 3 golf course that is pretty fun if you like to golf and dont want to spend a fortune. Also there are some neat little towns around San Diego that a lot of people go visit. Julian is up in the moutains and is a cute little town. A lot of people take the Trolley down to mexico but i havent done that. There is also Scripps it is an aquarium north of SD. If you like lighthouses then you should go to Point Loma and the tide pools there. A lot of people go over the famous Coronado Bridge but I havent yet because my mother is deathly afraid of that bridge (and she was born and raised in San Diego) and I havent been with out her. If you want to go hang out at the beach you should go to Belmont Park. They have shopping and an amusement park but is along a good part of the Pacific Ocean and you can go swimming there. a lot of people go to the gaslamp district but when I am out there I am visiting family so I usually eat at my Grandmas. Well i think that is about it but really what you do depends on what you like. Hope this gives you some ideas

Answer 2

I would arrange to stay at a hotel in the Hotel Circle area. That way, you're not too far away from everything there is to see in San Diego. As you've already mentioned, definitely stop by the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Balboa Park (plenty of museums and plays at the Old Globe Theater), Old Town (home of the haunted Whaley House), and perhaps a stroll down the Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego. If the weather allows, don't forget a day at the beach. You got Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla.

Nightlife - If you're downtown, On Broadway, Deco's, Ole Madrid, Onyx, Aubergines, and E Street Alley are nice places to go clubbing. If you're not into worry about dressing up, Pacific Beach has plenty of dive bars and places to hang out. Pacific Beach Bar & Grill, Tavern, Typhoon, and Johnny V's are among the more popular hangouts.

Answer 3

I had been in San Diego for almost 2 months last year. First before a trip, buy a map. However, I had bought 2 maps and they are both incomplete. I bought a 3rd one which is more complete but you need a magnifying lens to read it. The reason? San Diego is so widespread. It is unlike San Francisco that you can follow the map well. Even residents of the place gets lost in nearby areas.

I only appreciated the totality of San Diego when I take a ride of the trolleys. Ride all trolley cars and go down in most areas where you can explore. There are buses also at each trolley station. You can drop by the Horton Plaza.

Go to the last American exit at San Ysidro, there is an outlet store there. It is the best place to go shopping in San Diego area and it is cheaper.

Dont ever miss the Balboa Park, see its
website and find out where you want to go. Anyway a tip or 2 in going to the theme parks, go early especially at San Diego Zoo since there is a schedule of shows which starts on time and is followed by the next. There are bottomless drinks which you can refill the entire day. It can also serve as a souvenir later on.

Have you heard that the Colorado bridge is one of the tallest in the world and did you know that it is the best bridge I had seen giving a spectacular view of the surrounding areas.

Did you also know that Hotel Coronado is one of the best hotels not only in the USA but also in the world. If you arent checking in, since it is expensive. Check in their websites if you can still walk around the area.

There are many sides of San Diego worth exploring. Oceanside has a different beauty also. I had passed by this place when I rode the Greyhound and Amtrak going to LA and Orange County.

Carlsbad is the home of Legoland. There are farmlands there, they have strawberry fields. However, this might be seasonal.

Another area to explore is the Harbor area. My cousin checked in the Mariott Hotel. Her husband really asked for the best view and mind you it is really breathtaking. It is so refreshing!

Yahoo travel suggests top 10 attractions:
( see its websites, locations and business hours)
1. San Diego Zoo
2. Balboa Park
3. Sea World Adventure Park
4. Mission Beach
This is one of the best as suggested
and if you feel like walking, there are
may boardwalks in the area.
This is the center of a continuous
stretch of beach known as the Strand.
starts: MIssion Bay channel entrance
ends: north end of Pacific Beach

5. Gaslamp Quarter
This is an area I hadnt explored
when I was there. According to its
website, it is lit by a mercury vapor
and not by gas.
What do you expect to see?
Basically San Diego is a quiet place
compared to the busy streets of
LA. It is so spread out unlike LA
in which you wouldnt breath so much
fresh air. This area of the Gaslamp
is one of the liveliest places in the
area where you can dine, shop & go
for entertainment. It is where the historic
buildings are found.
So if you want to have a livelier
nightlife and go hip hop this is the
place for you.

6. Seaport Village
This is around 10 mintues walk from
the Gaslamp and its opposite. If you
want a more quiet area, then this is for
you.
This is the place for seafront dining
and shopping. If you want to enjoy
fresh seafoods then this is the place
for you. There are free Sunday con-
certs at the gazebo from 1-4 pm.
Visit its site for the latest weekly
event.

7. MCAS Miramar Air Show
8. San Diego Maritime Museum
9. Little Italy District
10. Old Town

Answer 4

If you like a real haunted house try going to Whaley House, and there our other places too in San Diego

San Diego Museum of Art, the San Diego Natural History Museum, the San Diego Museum of Man, and the Museum of Photographic Arts are located Balboa Park. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is located in an ocean front building in La Jolla and has a branch located at the Santa Fe Depot downtown. The Maritime Museum in the Colombia district downtown exhibits historic ships.

Answer 5

San Diego is a terrific place to flow to! a great number of large eating places everywhere. Your ultimate guess may well be to flow to the downtown gas Lamp section. because of the fact the solar contraptions, the gas lamp Quarter streets rework right into a evening playground the place the scene is pumping. each evening of the week, there is something happening from particular activities to dancing, wine tastings to dinner exhibits and karaoke to espresso homes. soak up a movie, relish stay theater or flow to an excellent paintings gallery. there is basically lots to do there. Have an magnificent time whilst your in San Diego and Congrats on your wedding ceremony! The gas lamp Quarter is particularly the middle of nightlife in San Diego! Baloboa Park is surprising yet i might hit our seashores in the process the day and Gaslamp at evening! relish!

Answer 6

Take the ferry at the foot of Broadway over to Coronado. From there, walk over to the Hotel Del Coronado (40 min). You can stroll around inside, enjoy the beach. Pass through little "downtown" Coronado on your way out, stop for a bite. Back over on the mainland, walk south on the boardwalk and check out Seaport Village.
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Answer 7

Sea World, the Whaley house, Fashion Valley, The wonderful beaches!

Answer 8

I definitely recommend going to Coronado and seeing the Hotel del Coronado. I stayed there for my honeymoon and it is amazing! I also recommend finding a way to go to In-n-Out Burger. These burger joints are in many cities in the western US, and they are worth the trouble of finding your way there!