Attractions
Things to do in San Diego.
The places worth your days between events: the Zoo and Balboa Park, the waterfront, the coves and cliffs, and the two big day trips north. Each one carries its address, opening pattern and admission basis, checked against its official site.
Bookable tours and tickets carry a booking button. Places that are free, or that sell their own tickets, say so plainly and link to the official site instead.
San Diego Zoo
A zoo in Balboa Park operated by the nonprofit San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
Book zoo ticketsvia Viator · affiliate linkBalboa Park
San Diego's 1,200-acre urban cultural park of museums, gardens and trails.
Book the Balboa Park tourvia Viator · affiliate linkSan Diego Museum of Art
Balboa Park's art museum, described by the museum as the region's largest and most-visited art museum.
Costs vary by what you do. See the details
San Diego Natural History Museum
The Nat: Balboa Park's natural history museum, five floors of exhibitions over a research collection of more than 8 million specimens.
Tickets from the venue. See the details
USS Midway Museum
A museum aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway, moored alongside Navy Pier.
Book Midway ticketsvia Viator · affiliate linkMaritime Museum of San Diego
A fleet of historic ships on the Embarcadero, headed by the Star of India, the world's oldest active sailing ship.
Book the tall ship sailvia Viator · affiliate linkCabrillo National Monument
A National Park Service monument at the southern tip of the Point Loma Peninsula, with a historic lighthouse and tidepools.
Tickets from the venue. See the details
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
A state historic park of restored buildings and living history presenting early San Diego.
Book the haunted trolley tourvia Viator · affiliate linkLa Jolla Cove
A very small City beach tucked between sandstone cliffs in La Jolla.
Book the sea caves kayak tourvia Viator · affiliate linkCoronado Beach
Coronado's main ocean beach, represented here by the City's Central Beach facility page.
Free to visit. Plan your visit
SeaWorld San Diego
A marine animal theme park in Mission Bay combining animal experiences, presentations and rides.
Tickets from the venue. See the details
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
A vast savanna-style wildlife park in Escondido where herds roam expansive habitats.
Book Safari Park ticketsvia Viator · affiliate linkLEGOLAND California
A 128-acre LEGO-themed park in Carlsbad built for families with children ages 2 to 12.
Book LEGOLAND ticketsvia Viator · affiliate linkBirch Aquarium at Scripps
The public exploration centre for Scripps Oceanography, perched on a bluff above the Pacific in La Jolla.
Tickets from the venue. See the details
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
A coastal wilderness reserve protecting the nation's rarest pine tree, between La Jolla and Del Mar.
Costs vary by what you do. See the details
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
A 68-acre cliff-top park on Point Loma's western edge, known for panoramic ocean views at sunset.
Free to visit. Plan your visit
Seaport Village
A waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment village on San Diego Bay, steps from downtown.
Free to visit. Plan your visit
Gaslamp Quarter
Downtown San Diego's compact dining and nightlife district, described by its association as the heart and soul of downtown.
Book the Gaslamp food tourvia Viator · affiliate linkMission Bay
San Diego's vast aquatic park of beaches, channels and islands, built for swimming, boating and shoreline play.
Book the Mission Bay sunset cruisevia Viator · affiliate linkBefore you go
Three things that make the sightseeing days run better: how getting around works, the park that holds half the list, and the day trips to give their own days.
Ride the Trolley
The MTS Trolley and bus network is the easy way to move between Downtown, Mission Valley, Old Town and the beaches without parking at each stop. Plan the day on the MTS site before you set out.
Routes and fares: sdmts.com
Start in Balboa Park
The Zoo and most of the city's museums sit in or beside one park, so a Balboa Park day strings several places together on foot. Pick two, not five, and leave the gardens and the Spanish Village their own slow hour.
Two day trips
The Safari Park in Escondido and LEGOLAND in Carlsbad are the two full days out of the city. Each wants an early start and its own day; neither pairs well with a beach afternoon.
Opening patterns are checked against each place's official site and can change around holidays and special events.