Things To Do In San Diego

Ultimate San Diego Botanical Garden Guide

San Diego, a city renowned for its stunning beaches and vibrant nightlife, is home to one exceptional, must-visit botanical garden, the San Diego Botanic Garden. The garden, spanning over 37 acres, is a paradise of rare plants from across the globe and is a haven for nature enthusiasts.

While the city hosts only this single botanical garden, it is important to note that San Diego is also dotted with numerous nature preserves and state parks. These places, although not conventional botanical gardens, offer their own unique blend of flora, fauna, and natural beauty. They serve as perfect escapes for those looking to immerse themselves in the wilderness and explore the rich biodiversity of the region.

San Diego Festival Guide

If you’re looking to immerse yourself further in the vibrant culture of San Diego, attending one of the city’s numerous festivals is a must. San Diego’s festival scene is as diverse and colorful as its murals, offering a wonderful array of experiences for every interest. Whether you’re a music enthusiast, a foodie, an art lover or just looking to have a good time, there’s a festival for you. In the following guide, we will provide information on some of San Diego’s most popular music festivals, such as the Pride Parade and Christmas Lighting, and their dates, locations, and what you can expect from each one. Get ready to mark your calendar and join in the celebrations!

San Diego Neighborhood Guide

San Diego, a city renowned for its pristine beaches and year-round sunshine, boasts a variety of distinct neighborhoods, each with their own unique charm. Downtown San Diego is the city hub, teeming with sophisticated dining spots, boutique shopping, and vibrant nightlife. La Jolla, known as “the jewel” of San Diego, offers upscale living with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Beach is the go-to neighborhood for surfing enthusiasts and sun worshippers, filled with trendy bars and casual eateries. If you prefer a quieter family-friendly environment, Carmel Valley provides top-rated schools and ample outdoor recreational spaces. Explore the rich Hispanic culture in Barrio Logan or enjoy a tranquil small-town atmosphere in Point Loma. Each neighborhood in San Diego offers its residents a unique lifestyle, making this city a wonderful place to call home.

Things to Do in San Diego During the Winter

It may be winter, but in San Diego you’d never know it. One of America’s most coveted destinations, San Diego stays mild and sunny all year round. The only thing giving away the season is the abundance of festive holiday events and activities. Here are some of the top things to do in San Diego during the winter:

Holiday Tours

When it comes to the holiday season, San Diegans do it better than most. Whether with holiday tamales and margaritas, watching the parade of lights on San Diego Bay, or seeking out local holiday traditions, a San Diego Feliz Navidad day is in order. Because of our year-round picture-perfect weather here, sometimes we need reminding when the holidays are approaching. But when they do, we go all out! For a full-on, unique experience in ‘America’s Finest City,’ take an Old Town Trolley’s Holiday Sights and Festive Nights Tour and ride a wave of holiday cheer! Join in sing-along caroling with our Elf conductors as they share fun holiday facts, trivia, history, and traditions. Enjoy a 15-minute stop at Seaport Village for holiday festivities. Hop aboard to see the festive holiday sights of Old Town, Embarcadero, Seaport Village, Banker’s Hill, and more!

Things to Do at Night in San Diego

Known for its year ‘round outdoor lifestyle and laid back vibe, this special city, nestled in the country’s southwest corner, has more to offer than a constant supply of vitamin D. Whether you’re hanging with the seals in La Jolla Cove, enjoying a sundowner at Coronado’s Hotel Del Coronado, checking out the city night lights aboard Old Town Trolley Tours or hiking the cliffs at Torrey Pines, San Diego has something for everyone.

Romantic Date Ideas in San Diego

San Diego is a thriving city constantly welcoming visitors from around the globe. With its endless sunshine, ocean waves, countless trails and picturesque shoreline, visitors flock to America’s finest city for relaxation, reinvigoration and rest. Some come for the laid-back atmosphere while others come for the outdoor activities. Some come for those destination celebrations while others come to check out the sights. Many bring their special someone to share in their joy.

Things To Do In San Diego

Plan your vacation with our comprehensive list of popular things to do in San Diego including historic places, outdoor adventures, and water activities!

Hop On Hop Off San Diego Tours

Hello, I’m James Decker, General Manager of Old Town Trolley of San Diego and CASTmember since 2024.

As you explore the scenic coastal landscape, you’ll learn why San Diego is called “America’s Finest City.” Since 1989, Old Town Trolley Tours has provided sightseeing tours highlighting the best of San Diego.

Hidden Gems In San Diego To Visit On Vacation

San Diego is filled with activities in the sand, sea and surf. Often referred to as America’s Finest City, this coastal town is saturated with year round sunshine, its residents are characterized as having outdoor lifestyles and adventure can be discovered at every turn. For those planning a visit, there are a few must-sees on everyone’s travel itinerary; and then there are the off the beaten path hidden gems that are rarely included.

Things to Do in San Diego During the Spring

Perhaps one of the most loved seasons of the year, spring brings with it glorious weather, blossoming flowers and an abundance of outdoor activities and events. In San Diego, there are many celebrations, attractions and things to do and see. Read on for the best things to do in spring in San Diego.

Things To Do In La Jolla and San Diego Area Beaches

Everyday is a good day to hit the beach in San Diego. Mild temperatures, sunny skies and a magnificent coastline are just the beginning. San Diego beaches offer something for everyone – secluded serene spots where the sand goes on for miles, dramatic cliffs perched above crashing waves, rocky tide pools, coral reefs teeming with sea life, beaches for surfers, families, and everything in between. And surrounding each beach is a town that offers a bunch of fun things to do.

Unique Things To Do in San Diego

If you’re a tourist in San Diego and you’ve already visited all the big shot attractions like the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park, Gaslamp Quarter, the haunted Whaley House and Old Town San Diego State Park, it’s time to explore some of the unique things to do in San Diego.

Things To Do in San Diego With Kids

Get MORE out of your summer in San Diego aboard the iconic Old Town Trolley and see the best first!

Looking for the most efficient and entertaining way to visit many of the things to do in San Diego with kids? Look no further because Old Town Trolley Tours offers parents a relaxing way to tour all the best San Diego attractions for kids. Parents don’t have to worry about searching for directions to the Children’s Museum, driving to the San Diego Zoo, or finding parking while traveling from all of San Diego’s best attractions.

No matter what time of the year you visit, family fun abounds in San Diego. The weather is as close to perfect as it can get, the locals are friendly, and the area is bursting with things to do.

Our hop on and hop off trolley tours allow the parents to concentrate on having fun with their kids instead of worrying about logistics. We make the tours in San Diego for kids very entertaining by providing neat facts about all the best places to visit. Your kids will thank you for giving them a fun-filled vacation and you’ll thank Old Town Trolley for taking care of the logistics. Also, kids under age 4 ride totally free!

Getting Around San Diego On Vacation

In the beautiful city of San Diego, there is an abundance of things to do and see. When you begin planning your visit, make sure to include plans for how you’ll get from one attraction to another. San Diego offers a myriad of options when it comes to transportation. Read on for the top choices to get around in San Diego.

Balboa Park / Zoo

Balboa Park is where the arts, culture and history of San Diego come together to create a 1,200 acre wonderland filled with unforgettable experiences for people of every age. Thriving botanical beauty flourishes throughout and surrounds 15 museums, a variety of performing arts and musical theaters, exotic gardens, fabulous restaurants, upscale shopping, the San Diego Zoo and exquisite Spanish Moor architecture. Known as America’s largest urban cultural park, more than 500,000 visitors come each year to delight in the beauty and amazing attractions of Balboa Park.

How To See San Diego in 2 Days

San Diego is California’s second largest city – home to many beautiful sights, exciting attractions and historical points of interests. Old Town Trolley Tours, with many stops and more than 100 sights, offers a great way to see all the best of San Diego in 2 days.

Here’s a list of the San Diego attractions we recommend you spend more time at and the best order to see them in:

Things to Do On Coronado Island

The bay provides a spectacular backdrop to a charming collection of specialty shops, art galleries and restaurants. Originally known as the old Ferry Landing, visitors and locals alike come to enjoy the palm-lined pathways and open-air amusements. Whether you’re hungry for fresh seafood or California cuisine, there’s a variety of fine dining and casual eateries to choose from. Spend some time at the waterfront park to fish off the pier, relax in the grass, or build a sand castle at the beach. Or you can just lounge under a tree and watch as the many different boats travel in and out of the bay.

Gaslamp Quarter

Stained glass windows, moldings, carvings, columns and railings are just a part of the fantastic masterpieces that line the streets in the historic Gaslamp Quarter. Equipped with today’s gaslamps, brick sidewalks, landscaping, galleries, theaters, boutiques and shops, more than 100 restaurants, bars and nightclubs, the Gaslamp Quarter is where San Diego’s amazing history still thrives. Visited by millions of travelers each year, the area pulsates with activity from morning until the late night hours.

Maritime Museum

The world-renown Maritime Museum of San Diego was founded in 1948 by a group of local historians and maritime experts. Here visitors from around the globe come to walk the decks of the magnificent Star of India, the world’s oldest active sailing ship. Built in 1863, the Star of India made her first voyage on November 14 of that year. The ship sailed for many years from Great Britain to India and then to New Zealand. After many difficult journeys, the ship became a salmon hauler from Alaska to California.

Star of India

San Diego’s Star of India is the ‘world’s oldest active sailing ship’. When many were still being created out of wood, this iron ship built in 1863 was a great experiment. Beginning the stages of her life known as Euterpe, this full-rigged ship continued until changes were made almost four decades later. The ship’s sailing began with rough seas. Within two trips to India she endured a cyclone, the death of her first captain, collision and a mutiny. Surviving this difficult beginning, she was turned into a cargo ship and returned to India four more times. In 1871, her ownership turned to London where she began a 25-year run of moving British emigrants to the South Pacific. In that quarter century, she circumnavigated over twenty trips. Her log suggests those trips often found her ‘laboring and rolling in a most distressing manner’, but she was the little iron ship that could. Life for the ship was as difficult as it was for those aboard. Emigrants spent time in cramped quarters, with limited rations and suffering disease and malnutrition. Although some perished during the journey, most saw a successful life in their new home of New Zealand.

San Diego SEAL Tour Tickets

Buy discount tickets online for the San Diego SEAL Tour departing from Seaport Village. See the best first and learn about famous sites with our sightseeing tour.

Old Town Market

Join us for free, historic storytelling, shows and entertainment every day of the week. Shop in our 40 unique gift stores, watch working artisans, or enjoy a bite to eat. Learn about the rich history of Old Town San Diego in our free museum. We invite you to visit our Festival Marketplace and experience Old Town San Diego, the Birthplace of California.

San Diego Travel Planner