My Travel Guide to San Diego
*All work including photos and writing on this page is my own, except the link to the Expedia video, freely available on Youtube.
San Diego, a modern dynamic city, or is it? That is the impression you get, but it is actually the Birthplace of California. No visit would be complete without visiting the Old city and dining at one of the numerous Mexican restaurants there. San Diego is about 120 miles south of L.A and like L.A also has some fabulous beaches and great year round sunshine. Although much smaller than L.A, it is a more walkable city than L.A and felt much safer to me. We stayed in the very chic northern suburb of La Jolla, which was quite swanky and I am sure quite an expensive residential area. This was a great choice, although the traffic into San Diego was quite bad, so we had to spend the whole day in San Diego, each day.If you are short of time I would suggest staying in San Diego itself, but the world famous Comic-Con was just starting when we went there, making finding accommodation extremely difficult and expensive. This usually takes place at the beginning of July, so avoid that time of year if you don't want to be followed around town by super heroes!
Although San Diego is right on the border with Mexico and there are clues to this everywhere, it does still very much feel like a modern American city. You can easily cross the border though if you want a bit of an adventure into Mexico.
San Diego, a modern dynamic city, or is it? That is the impression you get, but it is actually the Birthplace of California. No visit would be complete without visiting the Old city and dining at one of the numerous Mexican restaurants there. San Diego is about 120 miles south of L.A and like L.A also has some fabulous beaches and great year round sunshine. Although much smaller than L.A, it is a more walkable city than L.A and felt much safer to me. We stayed in the very chic northern suburb of La Jolla, which was quite swanky and I am sure quite an expensive residential area. This was a great choice, although the traffic into San Diego was quite bad, so we had to spend the whole day in San Diego, each day.If you are short of time I would suggest staying in San Diego itself, but the world famous Comic-Con was just starting when we went there, making finding accommodation extremely difficult and expensive. This usually takes place at the beginning of July, so avoid that time of year if you don't want to be followed around town by super heroes!
Although San Diego is right on the border with Mexico and there are clues to this everywhere, it does still very much feel like a modern American city. You can easily cross the border though if you want a bit of an adventure into Mexico.
Weather
The cover photo shows the weather typical of May, June and early July. It will be cloudy in the morning, perfect for walking, cycling, sightseeing, then sunny in the afternoon for a relaxing afternoon on the beach! A Marine event referred to as May Grey or June Gloom. September and October are actually the hottest months and November the sunniest. It is sunny all year round though and even in July was in the mid to high twenties, perfect for us, with very little humidity.
My recommendations for the top attractions not to be missed!
1) Balboa Park
We just loved this Park! It is a great family day out, whether you just want to stroll around the grounds or visit some of the museums and attractions, such as the world famous San Diego Zoo.
The buildings are elegant and very photogenic. There is something for all the family in this park! 2) Old Town San Diego This was interesting, a glimpse back in time to the very beginning of California. You can really get the feel for how life was at that time. It is also full of Mexican restaurants, which we enjoyed sampling! 3) La Jolla shores and Coves
This area made me reminisce of my childhood holidays in Cornwall. It is a beautiful coastal area, well worth a visit. You can walk along the coastal road and park and view a remarkable display of wildlife, with several types of birds and Sea Lions. You can get up close to them and take some stunning photographs. |
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4) Pacific Beach
There are many beautiful beaches in San Diego, such as Mission beach, Torrey Pines State Beach, Blacks Beach amongst others, but we really liked Pacific Beach. This beach was just stunning, long, you can walk for miles, sandy, well kept, lots of amenities and great waves for surfing. It is certainly a place for the young people, but cross the road and you will find a different world! The tranquil relaxation of the marina, which runs parallel to Pacific Beach. You will find older people here, just relaxing in the quiet peaceful atmosphere, so you really have two beaches a livelier one on Pacific Beach or a slower pace calmer one just across the road.
There are many beautiful beaches in San Diego, such as Mission beach, Torrey Pines State Beach, Blacks Beach amongst others, but we really liked Pacific Beach. This beach was just stunning, long, you can walk for miles, sandy, well kept, lots of amenities and great waves for surfing. It is certainly a place for the young people, but cross the road and you will find a different world! The tranquil relaxation of the marina, which runs parallel to Pacific Beach. You will find older people here, just relaxing in the quiet peaceful atmosphere, so you really have two beaches a livelier one on Pacific Beach or a slower pace calmer one just across the road.
5) Seaport Village and Waterfornt
Take a stroll along the Waterfront in San Diego, then stop for a drink and an ice cream at the cute little Seaport Village.
6) Coronado Island
The perfect place for a holiday home. This beautiful island is easily reachable via the bridge from San Diego (No tolls either!), or by ferry from the Waterfront. Take a look at the luxurious Coronado Hotel and the pristine beach near to it, which was almost empty when we went, just fabulous! A great place to spend a day.
Take a stroll along the Waterfront in San Diego, then stop for a drink and an ice cream at the cute little Seaport Village.
6) Coronado Island
The perfect place for a holiday home. This beautiful island is easily reachable via the bridge from San Diego (No tolls either!), or by ferry from the Waterfront. Take a look at the luxurious Coronado Hotel and the pristine beach near to it, which was almost empty when we went, just fabulous! A great place to spend a day.
7) Point Loma
We found it a bit tricky trying to find this place, whilst approaching what looked like a Navy check point, we didn't know if we were allowed there, but it is open to the public during the daytime. I am glad we did persevere as it is a beautiful viewpoint across San Diego and Coronado Island. We saw Navy ships and even a submarine, which impressed my husband and son!
8) USS Midway Museum ship
This is a popular attraction, especially for any Top Gun fans as it was filmed here.
9) Seaworld
Seaworld is also a popular attraction, despite coming under fire recently for the captivity of Orca whales. It still seems to be attracting many visitors though.
We found it a bit tricky trying to find this place, whilst approaching what looked like a Navy check point, we didn't know if we were allowed there, but it is open to the public during the daytime. I am glad we did persevere as it is a beautiful viewpoint across San Diego and Coronado Island. We saw Navy ships and even a submarine, which impressed my husband and son!
8) USS Midway Museum ship
This is a popular attraction, especially for any Top Gun fans as it was filmed here.
9) Seaworld
Seaworld is also a popular attraction, despite coming under fire recently for the captivity of Orca whales. It still seems to be attracting many visitors though.
Eating out
As with all of the West Coast, Natural Organic food is very popular and readily available in shops such as Trader Joe's and in many restaurants. The emphasis in San Diego is certainly on Mexican Food, being right on the Mexican border and we certainly enjoyed some excellent Mexican food here! There is also a varied and exciting variety of restaurants. Italian and Lebanese restaurants are very popular. There is also a good selection of Steaks and Ribs as well as a good choice of restaurants catering for vegetarians.
Some popular restaurants:
-Oceana Coastal Kitchen, Seafood
- Dockside 1953, American grill
- Parma Cucina, Italian
- Harney Sushi, Japanese
- A.R Valentien at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, American
- Nine-Ten Restaurant and Bar, American
- Meze Greek Fusion, Mediterranean
- Baja Betty's, Mexican
- Puesto, Mexican
- La Puerta, Mexican
Below: Comic-con San Diego
Some popular restaurants:
-Oceana Coastal Kitchen, Seafood
- Dockside 1953, American grill
- Parma Cucina, Italian
- Harney Sushi, Japanese
- A.R Valentien at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, American
- Nine-Ten Restaurant and Bar, American
- Meze Greek Fusion, Mediterranean
- Baja Betty's, Mexican
- Puesto, Mexican
- La Puerta, Mexican
Below: Comic-con San Diego
Crime
Like most US cities since Covid crime has increased here recently, with hate crimes and vehicle thefts increasing the most. violent crime has also increased, but San Diego has a 38% lower crime rate than nearby Los Angeles. It is currently still the safest large city on the West Coast.
The most dangerous neighbourhoods in San Diego are East Village, Columbia, Bird Land, Emerald Hills, Oak Park and Kearney Mesa
Some places with moderate crime we did visit such as Midtown, Mission Valley, Little Italy and felt safe there, but maybe avoid them late at night. They have good restaurants though.
The most dangerous neighbourhoods in San Diego are East Village, Columbia, Bird Land, Emerald Hills, Oak Park and Kearney Mesa
Some places with moderate crime we did visit such as Midtown, Mission Valley, Little Italy and felt safe there, but maybe avoid them late at night. They have good restaurants though.
For more information on San Diego, take a look at this website: San Diego