The Ultimate San Diego Travel Guide

As someone proud to call San Diego home for almost eight years at the time of writing, I am still discovering amazing new gems in this city and know I will never cross off every item on my San Diego Bucket List…because it is always growing!

I get questions all the time about what to do when visiting San Diego, and my suggestions never disappoint!

Here’s my ultimate guide to visiting San Diego:

Where to stay in San Diego
The perfect weekend itinerary for San Diego (with food and nightlife suggestions)
What time of year to visit San Diego

Where TO STAY IN San Diego

1. Beaches: Mission Beach, Mission Bay, or PB (Pacific Beach)

The Ultimate San Diego Travel Guide - goseekexplore.com — *San Diego, California*

Most visitors in San Diego want to stay near the water! Especially if you are visiting from a non-coastal area, being near the beaches or Mission Bay is a great way to get easy access to water and water activities.

Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and Mission Bay are the most popular neighborhoods to stay in if you’d like to be near the water and within walking or biking distance from your hotel or Airbnb. Mission Beach is basically all vacation rentals at this point, and if you stay in Mission you’ll have both the ocean and the bay on either side of you.

Staying near or spending time on Mission Bay can be a nice switch-up to the ocean beaches as you still have sand and the water is much calmer for swimming or paddle boarding.

Tip: You can rent a boat and other water sports gear from the Catamaran Hotel, which is located right on Mission Bay.

There is also a small parking lot by Fanuel Park for easy access to the grassy area and playground, and to be close to the volleyball nets. If you can’t find a spot, there is still plenty of street parking - though on weekends or busy tourism times, plan for extra time driving around looking for a spot.

2. Downtown: Gaslamp or Little Italy

*Little Italy looking toward downtown San Diego*

Downtown is a very popular place for people to stay when visiting San Diego, because, well, the downtown of a city is typically where a lot of things are happening!

Gaslamp has some great restaurants and nightclubs, plus the Padres baseball stadium. However, personally, I don’t feel quite as safe in Gaslamp as other parts of San Diego and it’s been that way for several years. I’ll go to Gaslamp if I am DJing or seeing other DJs out at the clubs, or maybe to a fun brunch spot like Zama. Otherwise, I stick to Little Italy. Maybe I am biased, since I lived in Little Italy for three years!

Little Italy is a small neighborhood on the cusp of downtown that is known for its authentic Italian food and trendy atmosphere. The restaurants along India Street are spectacular, and non-Italian restaurants have been cropping up over the years. It’s also home to Waterfront Park (which is where CRSSD and other music festivals often take place) but right by the water. There’s no beach but being by the harbor with all the boats, with the high-rise buildings, makes for a nice combination in my opinion!

3. Other Neighborhoods: La Jolla, North Park, Coronado Island, North County

*Hotel del Coronado Resort, nicknamed “The Del”*

These three areas are all very different and not near each other. I’m grouping them together since I know people like to stay in each area, though they are not as common as Mission/Pacific Beach or downtown!

La Jolla: La Jolla (you pronounce it in Spanish: say it like “La Hoi-ya”) is a gorgeous area with beautiful beaches, great shopping, and great restaurants. It gets busy during the days but is very quiet at night (nightlife will mostly be in Pacific Beach, Little Italy, or Downtown). Visit La Jolla Cove to see the seals and the La Jolla Tide Pools near Cuvier Park during low tide to see some interesting sea life. Classic restaurant spots like George’s, Eddie V’s, and Cody’s offer great food with equally great views! Shopping and walking around Prospect Street is a fun way to spend an afternoon as well. If you like upscale malls, the La Jolla Westfield UTC Mall has all your luxury needs!

North Park: North Park is known as the “hipster” neighborhood of San Diego. There are fun bars, cool restaurants, and overall good vibes. It’s more of an urban neighborhood so you have to drive to the beaches from North Park, though it’s still central enough to get to the beaches or other parts. Check out Swan Bar for a great happy hour or Fortunate Son Chinese for a trendy Asian spot with fun decor. Also, Polite Provisions is a well-known cocktail bar that has massive multiple-hour-long lines during the holiday season as the holiday decor is over-the-top!

Side note: The holiday season in San Diego sees tons of holiday decor and many of the bar or restaurants have their own holiday-themed menus! If you love Christmas decor and the winter holiday season, definitely consider a visit to San Diego during December. Other than Polite Provisions, check out Queenstown Public House, Craft & Commerce, insideOUT, Top of the Hyatt, and so many other bars and restaurants for over-the-top holiday decor and seasonal drink menus!

Coronado Island: Coronado Island is an adorable area off the coast of downtown that is accessible by driving across the Coronado Bridge or taking the ferry from downtown. The famous Hotel Del Coronado (which locals nickname, “The Del”) is on Coronado Island, where Marilyn Monroe and many other public figures have stayed over the years. The Del is a beautiful resort that almost looks like a sandcastle from afar. Orange Avenue is a nice street with shops and restaurants. Coronado is a good place to base yourself in if you’d like to be at The Del or have a quiet but fun family vacation.

North County: North County refers to the towns in Northern San Diego county that are not part of San Diego proper. It will take roughly 30-60 minutes to get up here depending on traffic and whether you are coming from the beach areas or downtown. Check out Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, and Carlsbad for some beautiful beach towns!

The Perfect Weekend Itinerary for San Diego, California

If you only have a weekend in San Diego, here are some things I’d suggest! If you have more time, you can stretch these recommendations out. Of course, this list is limited as there are so many things to do!

Day 1: Beach Day and Night Out

Spend the day at the beach or Mission Bay! I usually prefer Mission Bay over actual Mission or Pacific Beach because it is usually quieter and is flat to walk onto compared to having to go down the stairs for some parts of the beaches. However, all three beach areas are beautiful and fun to spend time at!

Next to Mission Beach, you will find Belmont Park, a small amusement park that has some restaurants throughout, including my favorite outdoor music venue, Beach House. There is a good sushi restaurant called Cannonball, too.

Up in PB (Pacific Beach), Crystal Pier is really cute and there are some surf shop boutiques around there and also along Garnet Ave. Garnet is the main street in PB for food, bars, and shopping.

If you want to surf or take surf lessons, beginners will usually go up to Tourmaline Park (North PB) or more intermediate/advanced will be near Crystal Pier. You can also go a little further south to OB (Ocean Beach) for surfing, too! Know that for the majority of the year, you will need to wear a wetsuit as the Pacific Ocean is cold!

If you have time, I recommend driving up to the La Jolla or Bird Rock neighborhoods for beautiful ocean views, nice shopping, good restaurants, and a more relaxed vibe!

Also, if you want to visit a park, Kate Sessions Park is up on a hill near PB with great views. Plenty of people take their dogs and hang out, especially on the weekends.

*Kate Sessions Park with a view of the ocean and Mission Bay. To the left (not pictured), you can also see the downtown skyline.*

Food in Mission/PB:

As for the Mission Beach strip, Miss B’s is a popular restaurant, and there are many others, too!
I also like the Better Buzz Coffee in Mission. There are a bunch of places up and down the street.
For food in PB, there are so many options (PB is a much larger neighborhood than Mission)…but if I had to select a few, I’d mention that Handel’s Ice Cream is my favorite ice cream shop in PB.
JRDN is a good sushi/seafood spot right on the water.
Waterbar in PB is also up a level and has a great view!
They have multiple locations of Better Buzz Coffee up in PB as well - I love their avocado toast and sandwiches.
Coffee Cycle is a small local coffee shop on Grand Avenue that also serves delicious burritos.
Oscar’s is a great, well-known casual fish taco spot…but my all-time favorite casual taco place is The Taco Stand in La Jolla, Downtown, or Encinitas - they always have a line at any location but it is worth it.
Fig Tree Cafe and Second Nature are both cute cafes with delicious food in North PB!
Ambrogio 15 is an authentic Milanese pizza restaurant in North PB.
Sushi Ota is a well-known sushi spot in San Diego, with myself and many other locals raving about it. You know it’s good because you need a reservation any day of the week, it’s that busy - and it is tucked into a very random shopping center between a 7-Eleven and a Planned Parenthood. Take my advice and book a table if you love sushi!

Nightlife in Mission:

There isn’t a lot of nightlife in Mission as it is such a small area! However, I absolutely love Beach House, my favorite outdoor music venue in San Diego. I’ve personally DJed at Beach House a couple of times! It’s amazing, especially during sunset to be right next to the beach.

If you like electronic music, this is the place to be. They bring in top house music artists weekly and other non-electronic music acts as well. Get tickets in advance for shows as they often sell out.

Nightlife in PB:

For nightlife in PB, there are plenty of options. PB is where a lot of SDSU students live, so you’ll find bars packed on the weekends, and most will have long lines - especially on busy holiday weekends.

It really depends on what style of nightlife you like - a place with a buzz, something more low-key, good house music, or more commercial music…there’s a lot.

Here are a few quick recommendations for PB days/nights out:

Firehouse on Sundays brings in great DJs who play house music
I also like Mavericks Beach Club (note: it is not directly on the beach! It’s a couple of blocks up)
PB Shore Club has beautiful ocean views and is packed with college students and bachelor/bachelorette parties ready to get a lil’ ratchet, haha. (The number of times I’ve seen cops from afar breaking up fistfights at Shore Club over the years…Lol.) Expect a long line most days and nights on weekends
The Local is fun during the day for casual drinks and sports and the upstairs level can get a little rowdy at night. Expect long lines at night here too
Baja Beach Cafe is a divey beach bar that serves 2-for-1 drinks Monday-Friday until sunset
Flamingo Deck can be fun at night (they have fantastic espresso martinis and Caesar salads, by the way!).
Moonshine Beach is a fun country bar that does line dancing and has live bands performing on weekends. After the band finishes their set on the weekends, they’ll bring a DJ in to close out the night with more commercial music (think a mix of EDM, top 40, hip hop, and throwbacks). Sign up to get your group on the guestlist early on weekends to avoid cover charges

There are so many other places I could mention, but I will leave the list at that!

Tip: be careful at night crossing the streets in PB - use common sense and use the crosswalks properly instead of jaywalking! It sounds obvious but PB is a busy area at night, with plenty of traffic…and a lot of drunk people. Be smart and don’t get hit, especially in areas that don’t have the best lighting!

Day 2: Little Italy, Downtown, and Balboa Park

There is plenty to do in Central San Diego and the surrounding areas, including Balboa Park.

Balboa Park has plenty of fun things to do and it is so beautiful! There are museums and also the zoo which is great for a family trip. Personally, I don’t like to participate in animal entertainment after an experience visiting a zoo in China years ago, though if you are a zoo person/family, I’d say the San Diego Zoo is one of the better ones!

Balboa Park is a large area and has plenty of space to picnic, hang out, and relax! There are some restaurants and other museums inside the park too.

If you like baseball and it’s baseball season, a Padres game downtown is a great way to spend a day or night! The stadium itself is really nice and has plenty of food and drink options. The stadium is in East Village, right next to Gaslamp, an area that has plenty of nightclubs and restaurants.

Tip: Use common sense for safety when walking around East Village and Gaslamp day or night, as parts of it can get a little sketchy.

Seaport Village is a fun area and the walkway running north/south along the water is really nice. If you are in Little Italy, for example, it’s a fun walk to start at Waterfront Park and make your way south to Seaport Village.

Along the way, you will find The Star of India, which is an old-school pirate ship built in 1863, as well as the USS Midway, which is a historical naval aircraft carrier museum at Navy Pier. There are a few restaurants right on the water such as Miguel’s, Brigantine, and Ketch. If you are on a boat, you can dock at these restaurants from the water side.

Keep walking south toward Seaport Village and you’ll find the famous kissing statue (named “Unconditional Surrender”) of the 1940s military guy kissing his wife.

Over in Little Italy, you’ll find that most of your things to do revolve around dining and drinking on or near India Street. There is the piazza in the center with a bunch of tables and chairs to hang out or take a bite to-go from the food hall or nearby restaurants, and usually, there are buskers playing music or some other performance in the piazza.

On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, there is the Little Italy Farmer’s Market which runs west to east through the piazza and is filled with all sorts of produce, grocery items, food truck-style meals, crafts, and more.

Food in Little Italy:

The food in Little Italy is unmatched! Here are some of my favorite restaurants and casual spots:

Bencotto is cool because their pasta of the day is prepared in a cheese wheel and you can watch as it melts onto the pasta!
Born & Raised is a nice steakhouse and you can also do the rooftop bar only for a nice view
Cloak and Petal is a Japanese spot with giant cherry blossom trees inside as well as plenty of colorful and trendy artwork
Craft & Commerce is a cool bar serving cocktails and small comfort plates with maximal decor - and they also have a speakeasy tiki bar inside called False Idol
Zinque is not just local to SD, though their food is great and they have a good happy hour!
Davanti Enoteca is also good for Italian and has a good happy hour
Barbusa is a Sicilian restaurant that is fun for birthday parties and group dinners - ask about the bone marrow shots
Lala is a newer, small Italian spot from the same owners as Barbusa
Ironside if you like oysters
Queenstown Public House is a delicious New Zealand-style restaurant
Underbelly has fantastic ramen
Civico 1845 is a delicious Italian spot and also has an additional full vegan menu with vegan pastas
If you don’t want Italian-style pizza and prefer New York-style slices instead, Landini’s, Filipi’s, and Mr. Moto’s are all great (especially during a late night out)
Salt and Straw is a great ice cream spot (they are a chain from San Francisco but are honestly so good/worth it for the unique flavors)
Bobboi gelato is also good - they have a location on Kettner Blvd. as well as a kiosk inside the Little Italy Food Hall
Lofty Coffee, Pappalecco, and Frost Me are my favorite coffee shops that also serve delicious food and pastries
Mona Lisa is an Italian restaurant with a deli/convenience store. They are known for their delicious sandwiches! Grab a sandwich to-go and take it to Waterfront Park, Balboa Park, or the beach for a picnic

Bars in Little Italy:

Nolita Hall for a nice place to start the night - their sign board behind the bar has funny phrases and changes every time a flight lands, as it is right under the airport flight path
Kettner Exchange for a fun rooftop feel and good DJs on the weekends - try the green drink (the “Dirty Verde”) for something a little different
Camino Riviera if you like deep house, afro house, and Tulum-style house music - they changed the physical setup in Summer 2024 by switching the restaurant with the dance floor/bar area and it flows way better!
Ballast Point Brewery is nice if you prefer beer! Ketch (along the water) also has their own beer
Coco Maya is a fun spot too. The food is so-so, but the drinks and atmosphere are fun
Waterfront for a true dive bar feel. This is often an end-of-the-night spot. Fun fact: this is the oldest bar in San Diego!

Fun Food/Bars/Nightlife in Gaslamp/downtown:

I spend way more time in Little Italy than Gaslamp for food and bars as it is where I’ve lived for years, though there are some great spots in the heart of downtown too, including well-known places like Nobu, for example.

Bloom: a small nightclub in a basement that brings in some great name DJs (I’ve DJed at Bloom before and it was so fun!) - get on a DJ’s guest list and arrive on the early side if you want to avoid a cover (usually it is 10:00 or 10:30 pm for this). I’ve honestly enjoyed every night I’ve gone to Bloom, and have seen DJs like The Magician, A-Trak, and more!
Nova: a large, traditional nightclub that brings in name DJs. I’ve seen Meduza and some other bigger-name DJs here!
Parq: Parq is a nightclub that will bring in some name DJs and other large musical acts so it can be fun. I saw Imanbek here and would have gone to see G-Eazy if I were in town that weekend!
Hard Rock: a fun spot for day/pool parties (I’ve DJed one!) and they are especially known for their huge Halloween event
Cielo is a rooftop bar that has different events, including salsa nights. I have DJed here too!
Zama is a fun Tulum-style Mexican/Asian fusion restaurant that also serves brunch on the weekends. They sometimes have DJs and dancers in costumes. It’s definitely a party vibe and I’ve been to a bunch of birthday dinners and weekend brunches there!
Lumi is a trendy sushi restaurant that gets lively at night and usually has a DJ
Moonshine Flats is fun if you like country music - this is the downtown version of the Moonshine over in Pacific Beach!
There are many other bars to check out, so consider this a quick list!

Day 3+: La Jolla, North Park, Coronado Island

There are so many neighborhoods and things to do in San Diego, especially if you have the time!

Scroll up to the “Where to stay in San Diego” section for a few quick tips on these three areas.

What Time of Year to Travel to San Diego

San Diego has pretty great weather year-round, which is why I and many other transplants from around the USA/world decided to move here and call this city home.

Below is a breakdown of different times of year to visit, as SD does not experience hot summer sunshine 365 days per year - though, you’re still more likely to find sun and warm weather year-round than most parts of the US!

The Busiest time of year to visit San Diego

June through August. School is on summer break, plus it’s wedding season (think bachelor/bachelorette parties), so it’s natural to see an uptick in tourism during the summer. Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekend are all especially busy.

After Labor Day, we call the rest of September “Local’s Summer” because the weather is still nice and tourism has faded a bit due to families being in back-to-school mode.

Have you heard of “June Gloom”?

*This photo was taken during “May Gray” on May 3, 2024*

Many visitors plan a trip to San Diego in June expecting it to be gorgeous, perfect summer weather.

However…

It should be noted that June in San Diego is nicknamed “June Gloom” because of the consistent overcast skies along the coastal areas.

What happens is that inland (drier and more desert - think Palm Springs) gets hot and the heat tries to pull moisture in from the ocean.

This creates a “marine layer,” which is the overcast sky you’ll see almost every morning near the coast. Sometimes a light, misty rain will fall as well.

Typically the marine layer burns off by the afternoon, though sometimes it remains strong all day or lasts multiple days in a row. There also might be more rain than usual during this period.

It feels cooler when the marine layer is thick, and I often find myself going back from spring/summer clothes in March-April to wearing jeans and layering with a jacket or sweater.

In past years, this “June Gloom” has extended, usually starting mid-end of April (“Gray-pril), May (“May Gray”), and even through the beginning of July (“July Why.”) Yes, San Diegans are great at rhyming.

Know that if you plan your trip to San Diego from the end of April through early August, especially in May/June, you will likely experience June Gloom weather, at least in the mornings.

Best time to visit (my personal opinion)

March through early May; Mid-July through end of October.

What about fall/winter?

November through early February can get pretty chilly for California standards, so those of us who are acclimated to the weather will typically be seen wearing coats and boots!

However, the first half of November 2023 was really nice - it felt like summer during the day when you were out in the sun, with jackets needed at night. Something to keep in mind!