We planned the perfect day in San Diego for 3 types of travelers

National Geographic

21-04-2025

While Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo failed to find an all-water route—the mythical 'Strait of Anian'—across North America in 1542, he did discover San Diego Bay, which he remarked was 'a very good port.' The Indigenous Kumeyaay people had already lived there for thousands of years. Cabrillo still claimed the land for Spain, beginning a tumultuous period where San Diego would be under Spanish, then Mexican, and ultimately U.S. rule.
Just 20 minutes from the border, Mexico has helped shape the city's culture and cuisine. Other events and movements have impacted San Diego, too, including the city's strategic importance as a naval base and the surf culture that exploded in the '60s. With 70 miles of coastline, surfers, stand-up paddle boarders, kayakers, and boaters can find a place to play every day of the year.
'San Diego is a city on an edge. There's this distinct energy,' says San Diego-based architect Jennifer Luce, who has been behind many transformational civic projects in San Diego including the renovation of the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park.
Explore San Diego's diverse neighborhoods, and you'll find historic architecture and thought-provoking art galleries, family-friendly activities, and multiple ways to get outside and enjoy the city's fine weather. Here's how to have a perfect day in San Diego.
(Related: The essential guide to visiting San Diego.) Visitors to San Diego can't miss a trip to Balboa Park, home to 18 museums, including the Museum of Us, devoted to anthropology. So, it's no surprise that the park's Plaza de Panama is a popular spot for tourists. Photograph by Michael George, Nat Geo Image Collection For culture hounds
Morning
Early city leaders had the foresight to set aside around 1,200 acres for a public park. Horticulturist Kate Sessions began planting trees throughout Balboa Park in the late 1800s, turning the arid site into a fragrant oasis of green with eucalyptus and acacia trees, flower gardens, and wide lawns.
Join the active locals running and walking through the park in the morning and saunter through the Alcázar Garden on your way to the Mingei International Museum's Craft Café. It serves San Diego and Hawaii-roasted Dark Horse Coffee, pastries, and heartier fare like toasted focaccia with shakshuka with poblano peppers and labneh.
The entry-level of the airy and modern Mingei—which is devoted to folk art, handcrafts, and design—is always free to the public, while the second-floor exhibitions level requires a ticket. Visitors admire permanent art installations like the Dale Chihuly chandelier dangling from the historic bell tower and rotating exhibitions showcasing the beauty of everyday items like American quilts to wooden African butterfly masks.
Afternoon
Head south of the park to Barrio Logan, San Diego's epicenter for Mexican American culture. One of 14 designated California Cultural Districts, it's filled with art galleries, coffee shops, and authentic Mexican eateries like Las Quatro Milpas. Founded in 1933, the restaurant serves a simple menu of border classics like pork and cheese burritos wrapped in house-made flour tortillas.
Many of the neighborhood's vacant warehouses have been turned into funky, creative spaces. Bread & Salt, a former commercial bakery building, hosts art exhibitions and concerts. Massive concrete pylons that support the San Diego-Coronado Bridge are covered with colorful murals with pre-Colombian, colonial, and modern motifs in Chicano Park, a National Historic Landmark.
Evening
If you still have an appetite for more art, you can make a slight detour to Jaume Plensa's 25-foot-tall Pacific Soul sculpture near the waterfront before dinner at the downtown hotspot Callie. Chef Travis Swikard worked with chefs like Daniel Boulud in New York for a decade before opening this buzzy Mediterranean restaurant. Standout dishes include uni toast with jamón Ibérico de bellota and lemon saffron linguine.
(Related: The best restaurants to experience the San Diego's diverse culinary scene.) A surfer paddles out off the coast of San Diego's La Jolla neighborhood. Photograph by Rachel Dowd, Alamy Stock Photo Helmut Igel is among a small subculture of surfers who ride waves along coastlines, from San Diego to Sydney, after sunset. Igel prepares to paddle out into the surf near San Diego. Photograph by Donald Miralle, The New York Times/Redux For adventure seekers
Morning
Order a black sesame kumquat cream bun or strawberry pistachio croissant and feel the sea breeze from the Wayfarer Bread & Pastry patio in Bird Rock. Many of San Diego's best waves are nearby. Walk just a few doors to the family-owned Bird Rock Surf Shop, which rents everything from beginner soft tops to premium surfboards. Tourmaline Surfing Park is just a mile drive south on La Jolla Boulevard and is known for mellow, consistent waves. More advanced surfers may want to head 10 minutes northwest to Windansea in La Jolla and its powerful reef break. The beach, with sandstone rocks for sunbathing and a historic surf shack, is one of San Diego's most photogenic.
Afternoon
Oscars Mexican Seafood on Turquoise Street serves the fresh casual fare San Diego surfers love, like Baja-style battered fish tacos and bluefin tuna ceviche. Upscale La Jolla is one of the best places in San Diego to embark on a watery adventure. Surrounding the coastline, the 6,000-acre La Jolla Underwater Park is a thriving underwater ecosystem with one of California's highest concentrations of sea life.
The ocean adventure company Everyday California operates out of La Jolla Shores and offers action-filled tours of the marine reserve, including guided visits to sandstone sea caves. The outfitter donates a portion of every purchase to environmental nonprofits and uses only human-powered kayaks and paddleboards to minimize pollution and disturbances to wildlife. Kayakers are almost guaranteed wildlife sightings like sea lions sunbathing on rocks, leopard sharks swimming below, and bright orange Garibaldi in La Jolla Cove. Kayak tours can also include snorkeling and whale watching.
Evening
A flurry of new La Jolla and Bird Rock restaurants have reinvigorated San Diego's dining scene. In the midcentury Piano Building, the menu at Paradisaea, is elevated California coastal cuisine, like Hokkaido scallops with parsnip purée and a pork chop for two with tomatillo relish. The historic Whaling Bar at La Jolla's La Valencia Hotel reopened in 2024. Belly up to the bar as famous La Jolla residents like Gregory Peck and Theodore Geisel once did for a dirty martini or old-fashioned.
(Related: Don't leave San Diego without trying these 9 experiences.) Families with children should not miss a ride on the Skyfari Aerial Tram at the San Diego Zoo for incredible views of the zoo and Balboa Park. Photograph by Littleny, Alamy Stock Photo For family fun
Morning
Fueling up before visiting the renowned San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park is wise. The breakfast and brunch-only Morning Glory in Little Italy, initially established in the early 1900s as an Italian and Portuguese fishing neighborhood, serves dishes kids and adults will love. Try the German pancakes with extra butter and ginger fried rice with pork belly, bok choy, and an egg sunny side-up.
It would be easy to spend the entire day at the zoo, home to 3,500 rare animals and more than 700,000 exotic plants. To avoid burnout, prioritize must-visit exhibits. Africa Rocks showcases six different African habitats and animals like green-eyed leopards and social Hamadryas baboons. The Wildlife Explorers Basecamp keeps kids engaged with natural play areas built around animal habitats.
Afternoon
Military history is an integral part of San Diego's identity. Liberty Station in Point Loma was a training center for U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve officers until the '90s. Today, the Spanish Colonial Revival buildings are filled with art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and a lively food hall, Liberty Public Market. It's one of the most family-friendly places to eat in San Diego. Everyone can choose what they want, from empanadas with chimichurri to Maine lobster rolls. The upper walls of the center's former mess hall, a space that houses several vendors, including Landini's Pizzeria and a seating area, are lined with original naval murals from the 1950s. Pop into shops like Moniker General and the artsy design store Pigment, which stocks everything from modern furniture to stylish children's clothing.
Evening
If your brood still has energy, do an early evening round of mini golf at the Loma Club originally part of the historic San Diego Country Club. Point Loma has many great options for dinner, but Cesarina is a standout for its lush patio and open-air pasta factory where guests can see chefs make strips of bucatini and gnocchi.
(Related: 10 experiences families shouldn't miss in San Diego.) Getting to San Diego and getting around
San Diego is a convenient destination with daily non-stop flights from major hubs like Dallas, Seattle, and New York. There is public transportation to and from San Diego International Airport, located three miles northwest of downtown. Metropolitan Transit System Route 992 takes travelers from the airport to the Santa Fe train depot, where they can connect with Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and the local commuter rail, COASTER.
If you want the freedom to explore the city's diverse neighborhoods, which are spread through the city's 372.4 square miles, renting a car is a good idea. All airport rental pick-ups and drop-offs happen at the Consolidated Rental Car Center.
San Diego has mild and pleasant year-round weather, but it can be cloudy in May and June when cool ocean water and a strong marine layer create gloomy skies. Summer is the peak travel season. The best time to visit San Diego is the fall shoulder season (September through November) when the weather is warm, but there are fewer tourists and better deals. Where to stay
San Diego has many hotels, from upscale resorts to funky boutique hotels. Hotel Del Coronado, a beachfront mainstay on Coronado Island since 1888, has undergone a $550 million restoration project over six years that restored its historic Victorian façade and 19th-century lobby details. Architects have added more contemporary guest rooms in 'neighborhoods' throughout the vast resort with calming colors, and balconies or patios.
Across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego La Jolla Campus, Orli La Jolla is a boutique hotel with the convenience and privacy of a homestay. The hotel in an Irving Gill-designed treasure has 13 rooms and suites. Service is mainly contactless. Guests enjoy perks like kombucha and coffee in the lobby and complimentary guest activities like yoga and Pilates.
(Related: The best San Diego hotels for every kind of traveler.) Casey Hatfield-Chiotti is a West Coast-based writer and editor who covers outdoor adventure, design, and family travel. Follow her on Instagram.