San Diego Travel Tips. An article sharing travel tips about visiting San Diego. How to get there and more…

Mark Ford, Founder of Plus1 Travel

Welcome to Plus 1 Travel, it’s great to have you here searching for San Diego travel tips. San Diego stands on the West Coast of the United States. Situated right on the border with Mexico, it’s the southernmost city in California and is home to almost one-and-a-half million people. Ever since the Europeans first settled here in the 18th century, San Diego has been a city whose fortunes and personality has been influenced by the warm currents of the Pacific Ocean. 

With a deepwater harbor, the city has always been an important trading port, and at one time was the tuna fishing capital of the world. Today San Diego is the mainland home to the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet. San Diego’s Old Town is often called the “birthplace of California”. This heritage precinct preserves and recreates life from the early Mexican and American periods. In the 1860s the city’s development and focus shifted to the waterfront, however Old Town remains an important center for community and cultural celebrations. 

San Diego Travel Tips – How To Get From The Airport To San Diego

San Diego is served by San Diego International Airport, located around 3 miles northwest of San Diego. The airport hosts over 25 million passengers a year and there are non-stop destinations to many large cities in the US, Canada and Europe. When searching for San Diego

Flights to San Diego

travel tips there are a number of good options to get into San Diego from the airport, let’s look at them so that you can get there as smoothly as possible. 

Taxi

A taxi is the fastest and more convenient way to get from the airport to San Diego. In just 10-15 minutes you’ll be in downtown San Diego for $15-20. 

Bus

Public transport bus line Route 992 gets you there cheaply for $2.50 but the ride will take 30-45 minutes due to all the stops and depending on your destination in San Diego. 

San Diego Travel Tips – How To Get Around San Diego

San Diego’s public transport system is easily accessible, efficient and affordable. When searching for San Diego travel tips there are a couple of great options that will get you around town as smoothly as possible. Let’s have a closer look at those options. 

San Diego Public Transport

Trolley

San Diego has an iconic red colored trolley system that gets people all over the city. With three different lines, the trolley covers the major parts of the city. A single ticket is $2.50. 

Old Trolley Tours

This hop-on-hop-off tour gets you round the major tourist attractions and outstanding sites in San Diego in approximately 2 hours for $42.

Ferry

If you want a nice crossing over the bay, hopping on a ferry from the Broadway Pier is a great way of getting some nice sights of the city. A single ticket ferry ticket cost $4.25.

Taxi

Taxis are readily available in San Diego, Uber/Lyft also operates in the city.

Best Places To Stay In San Diego

When searching for San Diego travel tips there are a great variety of nice neighborhoods to stay at. Depending on your preferences and what you are looking to get from your San Diego travel experience, we’ve put together a short guide on the three best areas in San Diego so that you can get the most out of your travel experience. 

Little Italy is a fascinating neighborhood near the downtown area packed with boutique hotels, craft beer shops, art galleries and neat cafés. This is your go-to area for great wining and dining with several world renowned chefs running restaurants around here. Enjoy the farmers market, Piazza Basilone and have a stroll in the Waterfront park.

Gaslamp Quarter. Photo: Agona

Recommended Hotel: Hampton Inn San Diego Downtown

Old Town/Mission Valley represents the historic parts of San Diego and is one of the most visited areas in the city. San Diego State Historic park hosts many great museums that portray the history of San Diego and the Old Town area hosts over 25 restaurants within a one mile radius. A great place to stay if you want to live in the center of the city and also get in the history. 

Recommended Hotel: Courtyard San Diego Old Town 

Gaslamp Quarter offers the real pulse of San Diego. This 16-block historical neighborhood of Victorian buildings really lights up at night as theatergoers and university students pour into the area. The Gaslamp quarter is the core of San Diego’s culture and entertainment scene with art galleries, theaters, museums, shopping venues and nightclubs spread out along the streets. Here’s also the San Diego Zoo, which is one of the best in the country. 

Recommended Hotel: Wyndham Harbour Lights

What To Eat In San Diego

While San Diego is known for its great weather, beaches and cool neighborhoods, what about the food? When looking closer into San Diego travel tips and what to eat in San Diego, you quickly realize that this city has some of the best cuisine in the country. Let’s look at some of the dishes that are a must to check out when in San Diego. 

Burrito

California burritos can surely be found in LA or San Francisco, but none of them really stand a chance to San Diego’s burritos. If that’s because the city is closer to the Mexican border we’ll leave unsaid. Anyhow the burritos in San Diego are beautifully handcrafted as the tortilla is packed with meat, guacamole, cheese, rice, veggies and sourcream for you to enjoy. Lolita’s and Roberto’s are great places to check out. 

Fish tacos is a dish that San Diego put on the map. Fried fish, cabbage and a squeeze of lime served on a crispy taco and your taste buds are dancing all night long as you wash it down with a Mexican beer. Places to check out: Rubio’s or The Fish Shop.

Ceviche is one of those go-to dishes when it comes to sea food and in San Diego you’ll get the best ones. Ceviche is a light dish enjoyed as a starter that incorporates shrimps, cucumber, avocado, cilantro and topped off with a spicy serrano chili sauce. Enjoyed best at Karina’s Ceviches & More. 

Top 7 Experiences You MUST Have In San Diego

1. Balboa Park is a 1200 acre park that features over a dozen museums with collections ranging from automobiles to aviation, and from art to natural history. Located a few blocks inland from Downtown is the largest urban parkland in the US this park is a place where nature, culture, and fabulous architecture converge. There are almost twenty different gardens to explore, including a recreation of the Alcazar Gardens of Seville. Balboa Park is laced with miles of paths and trails which connect its many treasures.
2. San Diego Zoo is a world famous zoo with over 3000 animals and 600 different species that can all be displayed in an assimilated
   

   Balboa Park

   natural habitat. The San Diego Zoo is home to lions, tigers, elephants, hippos, rhinos, monkeys, exotic birds among many more. But it’s most famous for being one of the few places outside of China where you can encounter a Giant Panda.

3. USS Midway Museum is a historic museum dedicated to US military history. The museum was created when a US Navy aircraft carrier retired and the people working at the museums are war veterans that will share their stories with the visitors as you go along and look at the aircrafts.
4. Legoland San Diego is the perfect day attraction for families and children that consists of several themed areas such as Fun Town, Land of Adventure, Castle Hill, LEGO® Friends, Pirate Shores, and Miniland U.S.A. Miniland. The park has rides, games and plenty of Lego building stations for the kids to have plenty of fun all day long. 
5. San Diego Zoo Safari Park is associated with the San Diego Zoo and located around 40 minutes north of San Diego. With over 2000 animals and 300 various species this is a huge piece of land where the animals from all continents run free in what resembles their natural habitat. Buffalos, rhinos, cranes, giraffes, tigers, lemurs, antelopes and the list goes on and on. You can go on special jeep tours for close up photos and campouts.
   

   Giant Panda at San Diego Zoo

6. San Diego Air and Space Museum is the third largest museum in the US, dedicated to the history of aviation and space exploration. Famous aircrafts line up here such as the Montgolfier brothers’ hot air balloon from 1783, the Spitfire Mk. XVI, A-4 Skyhawk jet and the Navy F6F Hellcat. There are also WWI and WWII aircrafts, modern jets and spacecrafts. If you love planes and technology – you’ll love this. 
7. San Diego Natural History Museum is the third oldest scientific institution in the west and the oldest in Southern California. Dedicated to exploring and conserving the environment around California, the museum has interactive exhibitions on ancient indigenous species such as dinosaurs and flora, in addition to the scientific laboratory where you can see scientists work on fossils and specimens. 

San Diego Travel Tips Video

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Mark Ford – Founder of Plus1Travel.com – For More Travel Tips > Go Here