San Diego Travel Guide

San Diego is a picturesque city on the Southern California coast. The city stands out for being considered one the best places to live and visit in the U.S. Here, you'll find numerous parks, gorgeous beaches, historic and cultural sites and activities, and varied options for amazing dining (especially Mexican food) and partying.

Things to Do in San Diego

For starters, visit the world-famous San Diego Zoo for a fun day learning about exotic animals. Then spend a weekend by the beach in one of the many resorts, hotels, and apartment rentals available. San Diego's gorgeous beaches include La Jolla, where you can swim and surf or go whale watching and see whales in migration. Torrey Pines State Beach and Pacific Beach are also great options to soak up the sun. Other great areas to visit are Gaslamp and Old Town San Diego. In both of them you'll find an extensive variety of restaurants, clubs, bars, cafes, and shops.

Best Time to Visit San Diego

San Diego's visitors arrive mostly during the hot summer months of June to August, however, the climate is nice all year-round. During the winter, the beaches are certainly less crowded and temperatures are cooler. The best time to go whale watching is from December to March. And don't forget to visit in July for San Diego's world-famous Comic-Con International convention.

A Local's Guide to San Diego

Whether for a week or a few months, rentals in San Diego are the perfect place to stay. The Sunshine State is the ideal place to spend a week or two. There is so much to do in the Southern California coast including parks, beaches, restaurants, and attractions it is a wonderful place to explore.

The Pacific Coast is a great place to stop over as part of a drive along the Pacific Coast Highway or use vacation rentals in San Diego as a base to discover what the rest of Southern California has to offer.

There are so many different types of vacation rentals to choose from in San Diego but everywhere is close to some attractions.

Whether a beach house right on the ocean front, a vacation home in the buzzing nightlife, or Diego vacation rentals with an ocean view, the choice is vast.

Some rentals have huge living rooms perfect for large families or groups of friends -- you can also find a Pacific Beach house with a game room, bar and even a gym.

Solo travelers can book into a room near the busy nightlife or popular beaches to make the most of their vacation.

San Diego CA is a major city with nearly 1.5million people. South of Los Angeles, it sits very close to the border with Mexico, meaning tourists can use a house rental in San Diego to hop across the border for a day trip.

See & Do

In the city itself, Balboa Park is one of the top attractions to visit. Full of culture, science and nature, there are more than 16 museums, nature trails, and arts venues for culture-lovers and families. The park also has San Diego Zoo which is probably one of the more famous places to visit in California. Rated the number one zoo in the world, it is home to more than 3,700 animals in 650 different species.

Outdoors & Nature

Travelers can’t go to San Diego without heading to Mission Bay. The 4,600-acre waterpark is the largest in the world. There are 27 miles of sandy beaches and an incredible variety of watersports to try out including wakeboarding, jet skiing and kite surfing. For the less adventurous visitor, there are paddle steamer trips and, at certain times of the year, whale watching boats.

Mission Beach front is popular with young people and those looking to party. There’s three miles of oceanfront boardwalk which has beach bars, cafes, and nightclubs. Mission Beach is also home to the Belmont Amusement Park which has a big dipper, the surfer WaveHouse and laser tag.

To see some of nature’s most incredible animals up-close, visitors should make sure Seaworld San Diego is part of their beach vacation. This world-famous theme park is home to a variety of rides, roller coasters, shows and entertainment. See dolphins, penguins, sharks and of course the killer whales at this unbelievable oceanarium.

The best time to visit San Diego is in March to May or September to November. In the spring, the city is cooler but with less crowds and lower prices. The main holiday season for tourists starts in May so the attractions will start to get more crowded and prices increase.