San Diego, California
America's finest city, by its own estimate, and the case is not weak
San Diego is the second city of California, a Navy town with the best climate in the country and a border with Mexico that makes it half of a binational metropolis. It is relaxed to the point of being underrated.
The Spanish founded the mission and the presidio on the hill above the bay in 1769 — the first European settlement in what became California — on land the Kumeyaay had held for thousands of years and have never left. It was a Mexican pueblo, then American from 1848, and a sleepy port until Alonzo Horton laid out a new downtown by the water in 1867 and the 1915 Panama-California Exposition built Balboa Park. The Navy arrived in earnest with the First World War and stayed: the Pacific Fleet, the Marines at Camp Pendleton and Miramar, the shipyards and the defence contractors made the city. Post-war growth was the freeway, the suburb and the biotech cluster that grew up around UC San Diego in La Jolla; today the county holds around 3.3 million people, and Tijuana across the fence adds two million more.
The city runs thirty miles along the coast and fifteen inland, stitched together by freeways. Downtown sits on the bay — the Gaslamp Quarter, Petco Park, the Embarcadero and the convention centre — with Little Italy just north and Balboa Park, the museums and the zoo up the hill. Coronado is across the bridge, a resort island of Navy families and the old wooden hotel. Ocean Beach, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach are the beach towns north along the coast, and La Jolla beyond them is the money, the university and the coves. North Park, Hillcrest and South Park are the inner neighbourhoods where the restaurants and the breweries are; Barrio Logan is the Chicano heart; and south through Chula Vista to San Ysidro is the road to the busiest land border crossing in the western hemisphere.
It is a beach town first and a city second, and does not apologise. Surfing, sailing, the Zoo and the Safari Park, Padres games at Petco — the best ballpark setting in the majors — and the craft breweries, of which there are more than anywhere else in the country, are how people spend their time. The Chargers left for Los Angeles in 2017 and the city has not forgiven them; San Diego FC arrived in Major League Soccer in 2025 and the Wave already drew well. The Mexican food is the point — the fish taco was popularised here, the carne asada burrito is a native, and Tijuana's restaurants are a trolley ride and a walk away. Comic-Con takes over downtown in July. The culture is Navy, surf, Latino and scientist, in roughly that order, and it mixes better than you would expect.
The hard parts are housing, water and sprawl. Rents and prices are among the highest in the country and wages have not kept pace; the city depends on the freeway, the trolley reaches only part of it, and the distances make a car close to mandatory. Water comes from the Colorado River and a desalination plant, and the drought years are not over. The homelessness downtown is visible and persistent, and the border, whatever Washington decides, is a daily fact of life in the south of the county. What it offers is a climate of around 21°C on most days of the year, seventy miles of coastline, a genuinely friendly and unpretentious city, and Baja California starting at the end of the trolley line.
Where People Live
Downtown & the Gaslamp
The Victorian Gaslamp Quarter's bars and restaurants, Petco Park, the Embarcadero with the USS Midway museum and the convention centre that Comic-Con fills; the East Village is the newer residential edge.
Balboa Park, Hillcrest & North Park
The 1915 park with its Spanish-colonial museums and the Zoo; Hillcrest, the gay neighbourhood, and North Park's breweries, taco shops and 30th Street, where the city eats out.
Little Italy & Bankers Hill
India Street's restaurants, the Saturday Mercato farmers' market and the harbour at the end of the street; Bankers Hill's canyons and old houses climb to the park behind.
Coronado
Across the sweeping bridge or the ferry: the Hotel del Coronado, the widest beach in the county, a small-town main street on Orange Avenue, and the naval air station at the north end.
Ocean Beach, Mission Beach & Pacific Beach
The three beach towns in a row — OB's pier and hippie main street, Mission Beach's boardwalk and Belmont Park, PB's bars and surf — with Mission Bay's lagoons behind them.
La Jolla
The Cove and the sea lions, the cliffs, the Torrey Pines golf course and reserve, UC San Diego on the mesa above, and the most expensive real estate in the county along Prospect Street.
Barrio Logan
The Chicano neighbourhood under the bridge, with Chicano Park's murals on the pylons, the shipyards on the bay, and the taco shops and galleries on Logan Avenue.
Old Town & Point Loma
The adobe houses and margaritas of the original settlement, then the peninsula: Cabrillo National Monument's lighthouse and tide pools, Liberty Station's food hall and the fishing fleet at Shelter Island.
Must-see attractions
San Diego Zoo
2920 Zoo Dr, San Diego, CA 92101
SeaWorld San Diego
500 Sea World Dr, San Diego, CA 92109
USS Midway Museum
910 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101
Belmont Park
3146 Mission Blvd, San Diego, California 92109
Pacific Beach
Grand Avenue, San Diego, CA
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
4002 Wallace St, San Diego, CA 92110
Eat & drink
Restaurants & places to go
O'Gara Coach La Jolla
exotic cars · . Award Winning Luxury Automotive Group. Bentley | Bugatti | Lamborghini | McLaren | Rolls-Royce · 7440 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla, CA 92037 · ogaracoachsandiego.com
Lionfish Coastal Cuisine
seafood restaurants, Pendry San Diego · . Get Hookedâš“ï¸ Modern Coastal Cuisine helmed by Chef “JoJo†Ruiz @jojosd66 located at @pendrysandiego.… · lionfishsd.com
Rustic Root
rooftop bars, rooftop patios, rooftop restaurants · . Timeless cocktails & rustic American cuisine. ðŸ¸ðŸ¥˜ · rusticroot.com
Exposé Gentleman's Club
strip clubs, stripclubs, gentlemens clubs, strippers, exotic dancers · . EXPOSÉ GENTLEMEN’S CLUB 🌟PORNSTAR HEADQUARTERS🌟 HOOKAH•CIGARS•BEAUTIFUL… · exposesd.com
Wild'n Out
comedy clubs, sportsbars, breastaurants, restaurants · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O1AurWg2Yg · 701 6th Avenue, San Diego, CA · wildnoutsportsbarandarcade.com
Salvatore's Cucina & Lounge
Italian restaurants, bunch, lunch · 750 Front St, San Diego, CA 92101 · salvatoressandiego.com
La Jolla Comedy Store
comedy clubs · 916 Pearl Street, La Jolla, CA 92037 · thecomedystore.com
Pacers San Diego
gentlemans clubs, strip clubs, stripclubs, strippers, exotic dancers · pacersshowgirls.com
Airports
San Diego International Airport (SAN) 2.4 mi to the centre
3225 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101 — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 29 airlines (Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, AirTran Airways…) · direct flights to 55 destinations incl. Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 29 airlines, 55 direct destinations
- Alaska Airlines AS (737-800, 737-800, 737-900, 757, Dash 8-400, 73J…) · 21 routes: Atlanta*, Boise*, Boston, Chicago*, Dallas-Fort Worth*, Detroit*, Fresno*, Honolulu, Kahului, Lihue, Los Angeles*, Minneapolis*, Monterey*, New York*, Orlando, Portland, Puerto Vallarta, Salt Lake City*, San Jose Del Cabo, Santa Rosa*, Seattle
- Southwest Airlines WN (737-700, 73C, 737-300, 737-800, 737-800) · 20 routes: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose, St. Louis, Tucson
- American Airlines AA (737, 737-800, A320, A321, A319, 757…) · 18 routes: Boston*, Calgary, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, London*, Los Angeles*, Miami, New York, Orlando*, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland*, Puerto Vallarta*, Santa Rosa*, Seattle*, Tokyo, Washington
- AirTran Airways FL (737-700, 737-800, 737-800, 73C) · 11 routes: Atlanta*, Baltimore*, Denver*, Houston*, Kansas City*, Las Vegas*, Louisville*, Phoenix*, Reno*, San Antonio*, San Jose*
- US Airways US (737-800, A320, A321, A319, 757, M83…) · 9 routes: Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles*, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Washington
- Delta Air Lines DL (737-900, 737-800, A320, 737-800, 757, A319…) · 7 routes: Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles*, Minneapolis, New York, Salt Lake City, Seattle*
- United Airlines UA (737-800, 737-900, A320, 757-200, A319, 737-700…) · 7 routes: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles*, Newark, San Francisco, Washington
- Spirit Airlines NK (A319, A320) · 4 routes: Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Portland, San Jose Del Cabo
- JetBlue Airways B6 (A320) · 2 routes: Boston, New York
- AeroMéxico AM (73J) · 1 route: Puerto Vallarta*
- Air Canada AC (A319) · 1 route: Toronto
- Air France AF (737-900, 767-300, 737-800) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Alitalia AZ (737-900, 767-300, 737-800) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Allegiant Air G4 (MD-80) · 1 route: Bellingham
- British Airways BA (777) · 1 route: London
- Finnair AY (777) · 1 route: London
- Frontier Airlines F9 (A319, A320) · 1 route: Denver
- Hawaiian Airlines HA (A330-200) · 1 route: Honolulu
- Iberia Airlines IB (777) · 1 route: London*
- Japan Airlines Domestic JL (787-8) · 1 route: Tokyo
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (737-900, 767-300) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Malaysia Airlines MH (787) · 1 route: Tokyo
- Qatar Airways QR (737-800) · 1 route: New York*
- SeaPort Airlines K5 (CNC) · 1 route: Imperial
- Sun Country Airlines SY (737-700) · 1 route: Minneapolis
- Virgin America VX (A319, A320) · 1 route: San Francisco
- Virgin Atlantic Airways VS (737-900, 767-300, 737-800) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Volaris Y4 (A319) · 1 route: Mexico City
- WestJet WS (737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Calgary
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) 17 mi to the centre
Carretera Aeropuerto S/N, Nueva Tijuana, 22435 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 5 airlines (Volaris, AeroMéxico, Interjet (ABC Aerolineas), Birmingham European…) · direct flights to 32 destinations incl. Culiacan, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Ciudad Juarez, Del Bajio… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 5 airlines, 32 direct destinations
- Volaris Y4 (A319, A320) · 29 routes: Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Cancun, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Obregon, Colima, Culiacan, Del Bajio, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, La Paz, Los Mochis, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Mexico City, Monterrey, Morelia, Oaxaca, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta, Queretaro, San Jose Del Cabo, San Luis Potosi, Tepic, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Uruapan, Vera Cruz, Zacatecas
- AeroMéxico AM (737-800, 777, 787, ERJ, EMJ, 737…) · 9 routes: Ciudad Juarez*, Culiacan, Del Bajio, Durango*, Guadalajara, Hermosillo*, Mexico City, Shanghai, Tokyo
- Interjet (ABC Aerolineas) 4O (A320) · 2 routes: Guadalajara, Mexico City
- Birmingham European VB (737-300) · 1 route: Culiacan
- Korean Air KE (787) · 1 route: Tokyo*
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Brown Field Municipal Airport (SDM) 15 mi to the centre
San Diego, CA, US — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (MYF) 6.1 mi to the centre
San Diego, CA, US — Indoor waiting area, but you walk out to the aircraft to board — bring an umbrella or a coat if the forecast is poor.
Gillespie Field (SEE) 12 mi to the centre
San Diego/El Cajon, CA, US — Indoor waiting area, but you walk out to the aircraft to board — bring an umbrella or a coat if the forecast is poor.
Getting there by ferry
Broadway Pier
Ferry terminal · 1.7 mi from the centre · Flagship Cruises & Events
Convention Center / 5th Avenue Ferry Landing
Ferry terminal · 1.8 mi from the centre · Flagship Cruises and Events
Coronado Ferry Landing
Ferry terminal · 2.3 mi from the centre · San Diego Harbor Excursion
Chula Vista Ferry Landing
Ferry terminal · 7.8 mi from the centre · Flagship Cruises and Events
Coronado
Ferry route · Flagship Cruises and Events
Coronado to 5th Ave Landing
Ferry route · Flagship Cruises and Events
Coronado Ferry Landing – Convention Center/ 5th Avenue Ferry Landing
Ferry route · Flagship Cruises & Events
Convention Center/ 5th Ave Ferry Landing – Coronado Ferry Landing
Ferry route · Flagship Cruises & Events
Coronado to Broadway Pier
Ferry route · Flagship Cruises and Events
Broadway Pier – Coronado Ferry Landing
Ferry route · Flagship Cruises & Events
Coronado Ferry Landing – Broadway Pier
Ferry route · Flagship Cruises & Events
Chula Vista - Convention Center
Ferry route · Flagship Cruises and Events
Local transit
MTS
Trolley, bus · The Trolley light rail and city buses. · Fares: PRONTO card or app · Airport: Route 992 bus from the airport to downtown
North County Transit District (NCTD)
Bus · San Diego, California · Schedules & GTFS data (official feed)
San Diego International Airport, Metropolitan Tran
Bus · San Diego, California · Schedules & GTFS data (official feed)
Trains & rail
San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad
Rail operator
Ventura County Railroad
Rail operator
Amtrak
National rail
Coaches & shuttles
Greyhound
Intercity coach
Jefferson Lines
Intercity coach
MegaBus
Intercity coach
Trailways
Intercity coach
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Jet Linx
Jet card, management · Managed fleet across US bases · Locally based jet card and aircraft management with private terminals in ~20 US cities.
Blade
Helicopter, by-the-seat · Helicopters, seaplanes, jets via partners · By-the-seat helicopters Manhattan–JFK/Newark and the Hamptons; jet charter through partners.
Wheels Up
Membership charter · King Air 350i, Citation, Hawker, Global · US membership and on-demand charter; Delta Air Lines is a major shareholder.
Aero
Semi-private scheduled · Embraer 135 (16 seats) · First-class-only scheduled flights from Van Nuys to Aspen, Sun Valley, Cabo and Europe in summer.
Clay Lacy Aviation
Charter, management, FBO · Managed fleet, light to ultra-long-range · Charter, management and FBOs at Van Nuys and Orange County; the original Hollywood jet operator.
Tours & experiences
San Diego Seal Tours - Seaport Village
Sightseeing
Living Here
Getting about
- MTS runs the trolley — the Blue Line from the San Ysidro border through downtown to UC San Diego, the Orange and Green lines east — and the buses; the PRONTO card or app, or a contactless tap, covers all of it. The Coaster commuter train runs up the coast to Oceanside.
- The airport is three miles from downtown, one of the closest in the country; the 992 bus or a short taxi does it, and a trolley link is still a plan. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner takes about three hours to Los Angeles along the coast.
- The border at San Ysidro is a walk from the trolley terminus, and the Cross Border Xpress bridge lets ticketed passengers walk straight into Tijuana's airport. Allow for a long queue coming back north.
- A car is close to essential outside the downtown-to-beaches strip; the freeways are wide and merely bad, and the drive to Los Angeles is two hours on a good day and four on a Friday.
Health
- UC San Diego Health (Hillcrest and the Jacobs Medical Center in La Jolla), Scripps and Sharp are the big systems, Rady Children's is the children's hospital, and the Naval Medical Center in Balboa Park serves the military.
- Dial 911. CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid pharmacies and urgent-care clinics handle minor things; visitors should carry travel insurance, since emergency care is billed at American rates.
- The sun is strong all year and the rip currents on the ocean beaches are serious; lifeguards are on the main beaches. May and June bring the coastal cloud that locals call May Gray and June Gloom.
Work & study
- UC San Diego in La Jolla is the research heavyweight, with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a large medical school; San Diego State and the University of San Diego are the other big campuses.
- The military — one of the largest concentrations of it in the world — and its contractors, biotech and life sciences in La Jolla and Sorrento Valley (Illumina among them), Qualcomm and wireless, tourism, cross-border manufacturing and craft beer.
- Wages are lower than in the Bay Area or Los Angeles for many jobs and housing is not much cheaper, which is the standing complaint; the climate is what people take instead of the raise.
Money & manners
- US dollars; cards everywhere. Tip 20%. Sales tax is around 7.75% and is added at the register. Pesos across the border, though dollars are accepted in most of Tijuana's tourist strip.
- Laid-back, outdoorsy and friendly; shorts and sandals are acceptable almost anywhere and nobody is impressed by a suit. The fish taco, the California burrito and the beer are argued over accordingly.
- The climate is the best in the country — mild and dry most of the year, with the warmest sea in September — but the Santa Ana winds of autumn bring fire weather, and the rare winter rain floods the roads.