San Diego is America’s Finest City: 70 miles of beaches, 72-degree sunshine, a Spanish-colonial soul and the best tacos north of the border. This guide gathers the best of San Diego, with the places and tours our readers love most.
Balboa Park and Old Town
Balboa Park is San Diego’s crown jewel — 1,200 acres of gardens, museums and Spanish Revival splendor. A few miles away, Old Town San Diego is where California’s story began: adobe, mariachis and margaritas in the state’s first town.
La Jolla Cove and the wild coast
La Jolla Cove is California’s prettiest little beach — sea lions, snorkeling and turquoise water. North of it, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve guards wild cliffs and the rarest pine on Earth; south, Sunset Cliffs stages San Diego’s most romantic sunset.
Coronado and Cabrillo
Across the bridge, Coronado Beach stretches miles of sparkling sand below the red roofs of the Hotel del Coronado. At the point, Cabrillo National Monument pairs lighthouses and tide pools with San Diego’s best view, and Mount Soledad honors veterans with a 360-degree panorama.
Whales and the bay
The Pacific is the main event: the whale watching cruise chases gray and blue whales off Point Loma, the luxury catamaran whale watch does it with brunch aboard, and the whale and dolphin cruise runs with marine experts from Oceanside.
Sails, boats and sunset cruises
See the skyline from the water on the day sailing tour, race America’s Cup history on a sailing charter, and close the day on a sunset sail — San Diego sailing for purists and dreamers alike.
The city: Gaslamp, food and craft beer
Roll through downtown on the hop-on hop-off trolley, eat the Gaslamp and Little Italy on the downtown food tour, and explore the craft-beer capital on the brewery tour by trolley — the beer world’s happiest field trip.
Surf and Mission Bay
Catch your first wave on the La Jolla surf lesson, snorkel with the leopard sharks on the La Jolla snorkel tour, and spend a slow afternoon in Mission Bay Park, San Diego’s giant aquatic playground.
Planning your days? Our San Diego itineraries — from one perfect day to five — map out the park, the coast and the bay hour by hour. And subscribe to the Happy City News newsletter for San Diego’s best events, every week.
