Nicknamed as America’s Finest City, San Diego, welcomes millions of people every year to enjoy the beautiful coastline with the best weather in the world. San Diego has something for everyone. From exploring offbeat destinations in La Jolla and Coronado to the bustling action of the Gaslamp Quarter and lively seaport. Visiting San Diego is all about relaxing, sightseeing, and enjoying everything the city has to offer. Each neighborhood oozes its vibe and lifestyle creating many distinctive little villages within the city.
Getting to San Diego is fairly easy, thanks to the nearby airports. You could drive from nearby cities/states and even Mexico as well. Renting a car can be your best bet when traveling around California in general, as public transportation can take a long time to get where you need to go.
With incredible beaches, marvelous hills, sea lion colonies, and the best tacos, San Diego, is just the perfect city. You certainly could spend a week here and find a plethora of places to explore and great street tacos to enjoy. However, if you want the perfect one day San Diego itinerary, follow this guide and make the most of your trip. The Following are the top sights and things to do during your one day in San Diego.
Top 5 places to cover in San Diego day trip
01 Explore La Jolla Cove
If you love seals and sea lions, then you must check out this area. With just a 40-minute drive away from San Diego, the neighborhood of La Jolla has a lot of cute shops and restaurants, but by far, the best part is the cove. Wander along the pathway on the coast, watching sea lions lounging in the sunlight, frolicking into and out of the water, and flopping all over each other in a giant cuddle pile of cuteness. Also, take a seat and stay awhile, the views are incredible of the rocky bluffs, stunning beaches, and wonderful sea life.
02 Take a stroll at Balboa Park
This enormous park is home to the San Diego Zoo, along with several museums and stunning gardens. Spend some time here and walk around exploring the various gardens such as Desert Garden, Cactus Garden, Alcazar Garden, and the Japanese Friendship Garden. You could easily spend an entire day in just this park, but an hour or two is enough if you do not have much time to spare.
03 Hang Out in Pacific Beach
While you’re in the area, walk over to Pacific Beach and just hang out for a while. A few things that you can do in Pacific Beach is taking photos of the pier, renting skateboards/scooters/rollerblades, surfing, working on your tan, or walking along the path next to the beach, stopping at various bars and eateries along the way. With sunshine, palm trees, and a laid back personality, Pacific Beach certainly feels like the classic California beach town. The crowd you’ll find here is young and vibrant.
04 USS Midway Museum
The USS Midway is a military battleship that you can visit, and it’s an amazing way to spend a few hours. History buffs are herein for a treat, as it is the longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century and has been involved in several wars. You can even get to see the inside of the ship, where sailors ate and slept, and also the bridge, which is also known as the control tower. One of the coolest parts of this museum is going onto the flight deck to see where planes took off and landed. As an additional bonus, there are beautiful views of the city skyline and the San Diego harbor from atop the flight deck.
05 Visit Coronado Island
Coronado is a resort island located in the San Diego Bay. Coronado Island is known for the Coronado bridge, having the best beach in America, and also for being home to the Hotel del Coronado. The Coronado bridge connects San Diego and Coronado over the bay. It’s free to drive across and offers outstanding views along the way. Once over the bridge, you can even see the beach everyone’s rambling about. The Coronado beach offers an amazing place to sit and relax, and it’s not too overcrowded.
Along the same beach, on the south side, is Hotel del Coronado. Built-in 1888, the Hotel del Coronado was featured in the Marilyn Monroe film “Some Like It Hot”, and it became one of the biggest attractions on the island.
Places to Eat in San Diego
You can find the best Fish Tacos in San Diego. Access to amazing cuisine is one of the best things about San Diego. There are many restaurants scattered throughout the city. Some of them are:
- Mama Mia: Italian Cuisine
- Indigo Grill: Inventive cuisine with trendy setting
- Café Coyote: traditional Mexican dishes
- Old Town Mexican Café Restaurant: Mexican food, tortilla
- Tacos Mimi: best-fried fish tacos