Home › Travel Guides › North America Travel Guide › United States of America › California › San Diego › Things to see in San Diego
Image gallery
Video gallery

San Diego harbour

© Creative Commons / peyri

-800
San Diego Local time

Weather in San Diego
Sunny
1
9
°C
United States of America

Things to see in San Diego

Tourist information: 

International Visitor Information Center
1040 1/3 West Broadway (at Harbor Drive)
Tel: (619) 236 1212.
www.sandiego.org
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (Jun-Aug), Thurs-Tues 0900-1600 (Sep-May).

Passes: 

The Southern California Value Pass allows admission to both SeaWorld San Diego and Universal Studios Hollywood, within a 14-day period. You can buy the pass at either attraction or on their websites.

The Two-Park Ticket includes a 'deluxe' admission to San Diego Zoo (with a narrated bus tour and aerial tram tour) and a Wild Animal Park general admission. The ticket, which is available for purchase at either establishment, must be used within five days.

The San Diego 3-for-1 Ticket entitles holders to five consecutive days at San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park and SeaWorld San Diego. It can be bought at any of these attractions or on their websites.

The Passport to Balboa Park Pass provides access to 13 of the museums within Balboa Park. The pass lasts seven days and can be purchased from the House of Hospitality, within the park.

Balboa Park

The largest urban cultural park in the USA, this 485-hectare (1,200-acre) park is located just north of Downtown San Diego and is a favourite landmark for locals and visitors alike. Local developers set aside the land in the early 1900s and commissioned some of the country's finest architects to create exhibit spaces for the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition celebrating the completion of the Panama Canal. Several buildings with ornate colonial-style architecture, high archways and tiled walkways have been meticulously preserved through the years and house excellent museums. The main street in the park is El Prado, leading past museums, a lily pond and botanical building, and several gardens. Walkways lead from El Prado to the park's other areas, including an outdoor organ pavilion and the San Diego Zoo.

Among the park's 15 museums is the Reuben H Fleet Science Center, with a planetarium, IMAX wide-screen theatre and hands-on science exhibits. Some of the other most celebrated museums include the Automotive Museum (featuring over 80 classic models of car and motorbike), the Museum of Man (exceptional exhibits on anthropology and archaeology), the San Diego Air & Space Museum and the Museum of Art (regularly featuring artists from around the world).

Art lovers will find a wide range of topics, artists and mediums to explore throughout the park's many art museums, such as the Museum of Photographic Arts, the Timken Art Gallery and the Mingei International Museum featuring folk art from around the world. The Centro Cultural de la Raza provides resources for Mexican, Chicano and indigenous art and culture.

Other attractions include Japanese Friendship Garden, San Diego Hall of Champions, San Diego Historical Society Museum, San Diego Model Railroad Museum, San Diego Natural History Museum, The Globe Theatres, and the Veteran's Memorial Center Museum.

Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: Main entrances: Sixth Avenue and El Prado, and Park Avenue and Village Place, San Diego, United States
Website: www.balboapark.org
Birch Aquarium at Scripps

Scripps Institute of Oceanography is one of the pioneers in oceanographic studies. Visitors can get a glimpse of some of the institute's more unique projects at its Birch Aquarium. Public presentations and displays include lectures, whale-watching expeditions, tide-pooling trips for families and live cam demonstrations of the institute's current research programmes.

Among its more impressive exhibits is the Kelp Forest, a giant live exhibit of one of nature's more impressive habitats. It is home to thousands of different kinds of sea life, from leopard sharks to the minuscule kelp fish that survive in camouflage along the leaves of the tall plant. A video camera provides a close-up view of many of the aquarium's inhabitants. The aquarium's Jelly Tanks are home to some of the more beautiful and exotic types of jellyfish in the world, such as moon jellies, the lion mane jellies and the purple-striped jellies.

Opening Times: Daily 0900-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 2300 Expedition Way, San Diego, United States
Telephone: (858) 534 3474.
Website: www.aquarium.ucsd.edu
Mission Trails Regional Park

This 2,300-hectare (5,750-acre) park on the east side of San Diego is a naturalist's paradise. On any given day, you can see animals indigenous to this semi-arid landscape, including coyotes, fox, hummingbirds and the small gecko lizard. The park hosts ecology and guided interpretive walks year round. It is also possible to camp in the park during the summer (Thursday through Sunday), as there are 46 fairly primitive campsites accessible to vehicles. Reservations may only be made through the website.

Opening Times: Daily 0900-1700.
Admission Fees: No (charge for camping)
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego, United States
Telephone: (619) 668 3281.
Website: www.mtrp.org
Old Town State Park

San Diego's Old Town is where California's Spanish history first began. The area is home to the famous Presidio (Spanish for fort), situated on the grassy knolls above San Diego Bay. The Presidio commands a stunning view of the city, Old Town proper and the Californian coastline. Visitors can wander the Presidio's immaculately sculpted gardens or visit the historical museum.

The Old Town State Park includes a number of residential and commercial buildings down the hill from the Presidio in the main part of Old Town. The old school house and blacksmith's building, both of which were constructed of adobe in the early 1800s, are some of Old Town's last remaining pioneer structures. Early San Diego hacienda-style homes house restaurants and shops and art galleries and folk-art stores and cafes are scattered throughout the neighbourhood.

Opening Times: Daily 1000-1800 (some shops and cafes are open until 2100).
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: San Diego Avenue and Twiggs Street, San Diego, United States
Telephone: (619) 220 5422.
Website: www.parks.ca.gov
San Diego Zoo

Known for its conservation efforts, the San Diego Zoo maintains several endangered species exhibits and works with conservation groups worldwide to encourage protection of threatened wildlife. The enormous reserve has rambling scenic walkways and narrated bus tours. 'Monkey Trails' at the heart of the zoo includes Asian and African forests with more than 30 species of exotic birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. At 'Tiger River', misty trails wind amid waterfalls in a tropical forest of more than 5,000 types of exotic plants and tigers, Burmese pythons and Malaysian tapirs. The most popular exhibit is the Pacific Bell Giant Panda Research Station, where several endangered pandas have given birth. The baby pandas are a big hit and long lines often form at the enclosure. The zoo hosts several ‘after dark' events, including live music performances and up-close animal encounters.

Opening Times: Daily 0900-1600 (basic opening hours); varies according to season.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 2920 Zoo Drive, San Diego, United States
Telephone: (619) 234 1515.
Website: www.sandiegozoo.org
Seaport Village

Named for its historic waterfront setting on the shores of San Diego Bay, Seaport Village is one of the city's more unusual ‘malls'. Located at the southern edge of the city's old Embarcadero wharf area, the village is primarily a shopping and eating district with paths, ponds and lakes providing scenic views of the waterfront.

Opening Times: Shops open daily 1000-2100 (until 2200 in summer).
Admission Fees: No
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 849 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, United States
Telephone: (619) 235 4014.
Website: www.seaportvillage.com
SeaWorld

This marine park is one of California's most popular attractions, giving visitors an 'up close and personal' encounter with fish and marine animals in tidepools filled with sea urchins and starfish and walk-through tanks housing sharks. The park is best known for its killer whale (orcas) shows starring Shamu. Amusement rides include 'Journey to Atlantis' a six-minute, wet and wild thrill ride that includes a 18m (60ft) plunge, and the ‘Wild Arctic' simulated flight to the world of the walrus, polar bear and beluga whale.

Opening Times: Daily 1000-1700 (basic hours); hours vary according to season and day of month/week - longest peak hours 0900-2300 (summer).
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 500 SeaWorld Drive, San Diego, United States
Telephone: 1 800 257 4268/SHAMU.
Website: www.seaworld.com
USS Midway Museum

In 2004 the longest-serving aircraft carrier in history was turned into a museum. The venerable USS Midway was commissioned in 1945 and served as a flagship during Desert Storm as late as 1992. More than 225,000 Americans served on her. The vessel is now a highly popular attraction offering a self-guided audio tour, a wide range of exhibits and displays, access to the mess deck, berthing spaces, hangar deck, flight deck and island superstructure, Mach Combat F-8 and F-4 phantom flight simulators and flight stations, flight avionics motion simulators and 15 restored aircraft, among other things.

Opening Times: Daily 1000-1700.
Admission Fees: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Unesco: No
Address: 910 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, United States
Telephone: (619) 544 9600.
Website: www.midway.org
Travel Deals

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Africa, the way it should be seen
We´re cutting the cost of Africa overland trips by up to a whopping 40%. 25% off many trips departing by 30/6/12.
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.