We planned the perfect day in San Diego for 3 types of travelers
Just 20 minutes from the border, Mexico has helped shape the city's culture and cuisine. Other events and movements have impacted San Diego, too, including the city's strategic importance as a naval base and the surf culture that exploded in the '60s. With 70 miles of coastline, surfers, stand-up paddle boarders, kayakers, and boaters can find a place to play every day of the year.
'San Diego is a city on an edge. There's this distinct energy,' says San Diego-based architect Jennifer Luce, who has been behind many transformational civic projects in San Diego including the renovation of the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park.
Explore San Diego's diverse neighborhoods, and you'll find historic architecture and thought-provoking art galleries, family-friendly activities, and multiple ways to get outside and enjoy the city's fine weather. Here's how to have a perfect day in San Diego.
(Related: The essential guide to visiting San Diego.) Visitors to San Diego can't miss a trip to Balboa Park, home to 18 museums, including the Museum of Us, devoted to anthropology. So, it's no surprise that the park's Plaza de Panama is a popular spot for tourists. Photograph by Michael George, Nat Geo Image Collection For culture hounds
Morning
Early city leaders had the foresight to set aside around 1,200 acres for a public park. Horticulturist Kate Sessions began planting trees throughout Balboa Park in the late 1800s, turning the arid site into a fragrant oasis of green with eucalyptus and acacia trees, flower gardens, and wide lawns.
Join the active locals running and walking through the park in the morning and saunter through the Alcázar Garden on your way to the Mingei International Museum's Craft Café. It serves San Diego and Hawaii-roasted Dark Horse Coffee, pastries, and heartier fare like toasted focaccia with shakshuka with poblano peppers and labneh.
The entry-level of the airy and modern Mingei—which is devoted to folk art, handcrafts, and design—is always free to the public, while the second-floor exhibitions level requires a ticket. Visitors admire permanent art installations like the Dale Chihuly chandelier dangling from the historic bell tower and rotating exhibitions showcasing the beauty of everyday items like American quilts to wooden African butterfly masks.
Afternoon
Head south of the park to Barrio Logan, San Diego's epicenter for Mexican American culture. One of 14 designated California Cultural Districts, it's filled with art galleries, coffee shops, and authentic Mexican eateries like Las Quatro Milpas. Founded in 1933, the restaurant serves a simple menu of border classics like pork and cheese burritos wrapped in house-made flour tortillas.
Many of the neighborhood's vacant warehouses have been turned into funky, creative spaces. Bread & Salt, a former commercial bakery building, hosts art exhibitions and concerts. Massive concrete pylons that support the San Diego-Coronado Bridge are covered with colorful murals with pre-Colombian, colonial, and modern motifs in Chicano Park, a National Historic Landmark.
Evening
If you still have an appetite for more art, you can make a slight detour to Jaume Plensa's 25-foot-tall Pacific Soul sculpture near the waterfront before dinner at the downtown hotspot Callie. Chef Travis Swikard worked with chefs like Daniel Boulud in New York for a decade before opening this buzzy Mediterranean restaurant. Standout dishes include uni toast with jamón Ibérico de bellota and lemon saffron linguine.
(Related: The best restaurants to experience the San Diego's diverse culinary scene.) A surfer paddles out off the coast of San Diego's La Jolla neighborhood. Photograph by Rachel Dowd, Alamy Stock Photo Helmut Igel is among a small subculture of surfers who ride waves along coastlines, from San Diego to Sydney, after sunset. Igel prepares to paddle out into the surf near San Diego. Photograph by Donald Miralle, The New York Times/Redux For adventure seekers
Morning
Order a black sesame kumquat cream bun or strawberry pistachio croissant and feel the sea breeze from the Wayfarer Bread & Pastry patio in Bird Rock. Many of San Diego's best waves are nearby. Walk just a few doors to the family-owned Bird Rock Surf Shop, which rents everything from beginner soft tops to premium surfboards. Tourmaline Surfing Park is just a mile drive south on La Jolla Boulevard and is known for mellow, consistent waves. More advanced surfers may want to head 10 minutes northwest to Windansea in La Jolla and its powerful reef break. The beach, with sandstone rocks for sunbathing and a historic surf shack, is one of San Diego's most photogenic.
Afternoon
Oscars Mexican Seafood on Turquoise Street serves the fresh casual fare San Diego surfers love, like Baja-style battered fish tacos and bluefin tuna ceviche. Upscale La Jolla is one of the best places in San Diego to embark on a watery adventure. Surrounding the coastline, the 6,000-acre La Jolla Underwater Park is a thriving underwater ecosystem with one of California's highest concentrations of sea life.
The ocean adventure company Everyday California operates out of La Jolla Shores and offers action-filled tours of the marine reserve, including guided visits to sandstone sea caves. The outfitter donates a portion of every purchase to environmental nonprofits and uses only human-powered kayaks and paddleboards to minimize pollution and disturbances to wildlife. Kayakers are almost guaranteed wildlife sightings like sea lions sunbathing on rocks, leopard sharks swimming below, and bright orange Garibaldi in La Jolla Cove. Kayak tours can also include snorkeling and whale watching.
Evening
A flurry of new La Jolla and Bird Rock restaurants have reinvigorated San Diego's dining scene. In the midcentury Piano Building, the menu at Paradisaea, is elevated California coastal cuisine, like Hokkaido scallops with parsnip purée and a pork chop for two with tomatillo relish. The historic Whaling Bar at La Jolla's La Valencia Hotel reopened in 2024. Belly up to the bar as famous La Jolla residents like Gregory Peck and Theodore Geisel once did for a dirty martini or old-fashioned.
(Related: Don't leave San Diego without trying these 9 experiences.) Families with children should not miss a ride on the Skyfari Aerial Tram at the San Diego Zoo for incredible views of the zoo and Balboa Park. Photograph by Littleny, Alamy Stock Photo For family fun
Morning
Fueling up before visiting the renowned San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park is wise. The breakfast and brunch-only Morning Glory in Little Italy, initially established in the early 1900s as an Italian and Portuguese fishing neighborhood, serves dishes kids and adults will love. Try the German pancakes with extra butter and ginger fried rice with pork belly, bok choy, and an egg sunny side-up.
It would be easy to spend the entire day at the zoo, home to 3,500 rare animals and more than 700,000 exotic plants. To avoid burnout, prioritize must-visit exhibits. Africa Rocks showcases six different African habitats and animals like green-eyed leopards and social Hamadryas baboons. The Wildlife Explorers Basecamp keeps kids engaged with natural play areas built around animal habitats.
Afternoon
Military history is an integral part of San Diego's identity. Liberty Station in Point Loma was a training center for U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve officers until the '90s. Today, the Spanish Colonial Revival buildings are filled with art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and a lively food hall, Liberty Public Market. It's one of the most family-friendly places to eat in San Diego. Everyone can choose what they want, from empanadas with chimichurri to Maine lobster rolls. The upper walls of the center's former mess hall, a space that houses several vendors, including Landini's Pizzeria and a seating area, are lined with original naval murals from the 1950s. Pop into shops like Moniker General and the artsy design store Pigment, which stocks everything from modern furniture to stylish children's clothing.
Evening
If your brood still has energy, do an early evening round of mini golf at the Loma Club originally part of the historic San Diego Country Club. Point Loma has many great options for dinner, but Cesarina is a standout for its lush patio and open-air pasta factory where guests can see chefs make strips of bucatini and gnocchi.
(Related: 10 experiences families shouldn't miss in San Diego.) Getting to San Diego and getting around
San Diego is a convenient destination with daily non-stop flights from major hubs like Dallas, Seattle, and New York. There is public transportation to and from San Diego International Airport, located three miles northwest of downtown. Metropolitan Transit System Route 992 takes travelers from the airport to the Santa Fe train depot, where they can connect with Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and the local commuter rail, COASTER.
If you want the freedom to explore the city's diverse neighborhoods, which are spread through the city's 372.4 square miles, renting a car is a good idea. All airport rental pick-ups and drop-offs happen at the Consolidated Rental Car Center.
San Diego has mild and pleasant year-round weather, but it can be cloudy in May and June when cool ocean water and a strong marine layer create gloomy skies. Summer is the peak travel season. The best time to visit San Diego is the fall shoulder season (September through November) when the weather is warm, but there are fewer tourists and better deals. Where to stay
San Diego has many hotels, from upscale resorts to funky boutique hotels. Hotel Del Coronado, a beachfront mainstay on Coronado Island since 1888, has undergone a $550 million restoration project over six years that restored its historic Victorian façade and 19th-century lobby details. Architects have added more contemporary guest rooms in 'neighborhoods' throughout the vast resort with calming colors, and balconies or patios.
Across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego La Jolla Campus, Orli La Jolla is a boutique hotel with the convenience and privacy of a homestay. The hotel in an Irving Gill-designed treasure has 13 rooms and suites. Service is mainly contactless. Guests enjoy perks like kombucha and coffee in the lobby and complimentary guest activities like yoga and Pilates.
(Related: The best San Diego hotels for every kind of traveler.) Casey Hatfield-Chiotti is a West Coast-based writer and editor who covers outdoor adventure, design, and family travel. Follow her on Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
2 hours ago
Trump administration imposes limits on Mexican flights and threatens Delta alliance in trade dispute
The Trump administration imposed new restrictions Saturday on flights from Mexico and threatened to end a longstanding partnership between Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico in response to limits the Mexican government placed on passenger and cargo flights into Mexico City several years ago. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Mexico's actions to force airlines to move out of the main Benito Juarez International Airport to the newer Felipe Angeles International Airport more than 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) away violated a trade agreement between the two countries and gave domestic airlines an unfair advantage. Mexico is the top foreign destination for Americans with more than 40 million passengers flying there last year. "Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg deliberately allowed Mexico to break our bilateral aviation agreement,' Duffy said, referring to the previous president and his transportation secretary. 'That ends today. Let these actions serve as a warning to any country who thinks it can take advantage of the U.S., our carriers, and our market. America First means fighting for the fundamental principle of fairness.' All Mexican passenger, cargo and charter airlines will now be required to submit their schedules to the Transportation Department and seek government approval of their flights until Duffy is satisfied with the way Mexico is treating U.S. airlines. It's not immediately clear how Duffy's actions might affect the broader trade war with Mexico and negotiations over tariffs. A spokesperson for Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum didn't reply immediately to a request for comment. Sheinbaum didn't mention the new restrictions during either of her two speaking events on Saturday. Delta and Aeromexico have been fighting the Transportation Department's efforts to end their partnership that began in 2016 since early last year. The airlines have argued that it's not fair to punish them for the Mexican government's actions, and they said ending their agreement would jeopardize nearly two dozen routes and $800 million in benefits to both countries' economies that come from tourism spending and jobs. 'The U.S. Department of Transportation's tentative proposal to terminate its approval of the strategic and pro-competitive partnership between Delta and Aeromexico would cause significant harm to consumers traveling between the U.S. and Mexico, as well as U.S. jobs, communities, and transborder competition," Delta said in a statement. Aeromexico's press office said it was reviewing the order and intended to present a joint response with Delta in the coming days. But the order terminating approval of the agreement between the airlines wouldn't take effect until October, and the airlines are likely to continue fighting that decision. The airlines said in a previous filing fighting the order that it believes the loss of direct flights would prompt over 140,000 American tourists and nearly 90,000 Mexican tourists not to visit the other country and hurt the economies of both countries with the loss of their spending. ___
Epoch Times
7 hours ago
- Epoch Times
How a View From Pikes Peak Inspired America's Most Famous Poem
Five hundred Pawnee warriors The Americans, led by Lt. Zebulon Pike, were determined to move past the Pawnee either peacefully or by force. They had already accomplished one geographic expedition, and now they were in the midst of their second. The Spanish, however, had strongly encouraged the Pawnee not to allow the Americans to move westward from their location in today's Guide Rock, Nebraska.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
5 Worst States To Run an Airbnb in 2025, According to Experts
At the city, neighborhood and property levels, dozens of factors affect what makes a good short-term rental investment. From occupancy to seasonality, average daily rate to cost basis, available skilled labor and risk factors like insurance volatility, investors have plenty of research to do. Read More: Explore Next: But at the state level, Airbnb investors tend to look at just one factor: regulatory risk. Watch out for the following states that don't make it easy to run a vacation rental property. Hawaii Unlike most states, nearly the entire state of Hawaii attracts tourists as a destination. That means there's plenty of demand for vacation rentals, so many property owners shifted their usage from long-term residential to short-term rentals in the early days of Airbnb. Given the already tight housing inventory, local residents pushed back — hard. 'Hawaii, particularly places like Maui and Honolulu, has cracked down with stricter rules and permit requirements in many areas,' noted real estate expert Ben Mizes of 'The high cost of living in Hawaii also means your expenses as a host will likely be higher, impacting your overall profitability.' Consider This: California While California doesn't impose statewide bans or restrictions on Airbnb, many of the cities with the highest tourism volume do. 'Many cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Monica have implemented significant regulations,' added Mizes. 'They often require licenses and restrict short-term rental activity.' Even if you're considering a city with no current Airbnb restrictions, it could add them after you buy. Before buying an Airbnb in a regulation-heavy state like California, make sure it pencils well as a long-term rental, too. You may need to convert its usage if the city effectively bans Airbnbs later. New York Professional real estate investor Charissa Bright of Bright Buys Houses warned investors thinking about the Empire State. 'Between strict zoning laws, permit limitations, and heavy taxes, it's easy for hosts to get buried before they've even welcomed their first guest,' she said. 'New York City has made it nearly impossible to operate legally unless you're living on-site, which completely defeats the point for most investors.' That said, there's more to New York than just 'The City.' Airbnb and boutique hotel operator Tim Ensmann of Second Home Stays cautioned investors not to paint with too broad a brush. 'Don't write off the entire state because performance depends so heavily on local market dynamics, property type, local regulations and fundamentals like supply, demand, and price-to-rent ratios.' 'Just a few hours away from New York City, for instance, Buffalo offers a completely different story,' Ensmann continued. 'It has affordable entry prices, healthy appreciation and steady Airbnb demand, making it a potentially attractive market despite the state's overall regulatory reputation.' New Jersey Across the river from The Big Apple, Airbnb regulation doesn't get much friendlier. Leon Fisher, real estate advisor with Zook Cabins, sees a bureaucratic nightmare when he looks at New Jersey. 'Most municipalities require their own permits, properties must be upgraded to meet fire code, noise ordinances are strictly enforced, and short-term rental insurance is among the most expensive in the country. Working here without legal guidance is nearly impossible.' Maryland Another regulation-heavy state, Maryland doesn't exactly welcome short-term rental hosts with open arms. Fisher added that after leaving New York, many investors turned to Maryland, hoping for more stability: 'In Annapolis, a new law limits the number of short-term rental licenses per city block. In practice, that's created price spikes, license bottlenecks, and instability in residential neighborhoods.' Baltimore, too, has effectively banned Airbnb, only allowing it for owners' primary residences. While most states don't impose statewide Airbnb regulations, governments in some states jump to regulation as a first response rather than a last resort. Watch out for investing in cities in regulation-heavy states — you might find your business model outlawed within a year or two of buying. More From GOBankingRates 3 Luxury SUVs That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Summer 2025 7 Tax Loopholes the Rich Use To Pay Less and Build More Wealth 3 Reasons Retired Boomers Shouldn't Give Their Kids a Living Inheritance (And 2 Reasons They Should) This article originally appeared on 5 Worst States To Run an Airbnb in 2025, According to Experts Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
