San Diego

Best things to do in San Diego

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   1. Coronado and the Hotel del Coronado

   • Half a day
   • No booking needed
   • Couples
   • Families

   A beach city across San Diego Bay from downtown, founded in the 1880s. The Hotel del Coronado is a historic wooden Victorian beachfront resort, a National Historic Landmark since 1977 and the second-largest wooden structure in the United States.

   15,437 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Coronado, California
   • Wikipedia, Hotel del Coronado

2. 

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   2. La Jolla and La Jolla Cove

   • Half a day
   • No booking needed
   • Couples
   • Active
   • Families

   A San Diego neighbourhood on 7 miles of Pacific coastline. La Jolla Cove is a small cliff-ringed beach in a marine reserve, popular with snorkelers, swimmers and scuba divers.

   12,854 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, La Jolla
   • Wikipedia, La Jolla Cove

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   3. Petco Park

   • A game, about an evening
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Adults
   • Families

   The downtown ballpark of the San Diego Padres baseball team, opened in 2004 in the East Village next to the Gaslamp Quarter.

   Games follow the baseball calendar; check the fixture list and tickets with the team.

   9,752 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Petco Park

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   4. San Diego Zoo

   • Most of a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families

   A zoo in Balboa Park that grew from animals left over from the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. It pioneered open-air, cage-less exhibits that recreate natural habitats.

   Check the operator's site for tickets and opening times before you go.

   8,051 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, San Diego Zoo

5. 

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   5. Balboa Park

   • Half a day to a full day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples
   • Rainy day

   A 1,200-acre historic urban cultural park, set aside in 1835. It holds museums, theatres, restaurants and the San Diego Zoo.

   Individual museums set their own hours and tickets; check each one.

   4,989 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Balboa Park (San Diego)
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   6. SeaWorld San Diego

   • Most of a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families

   A marine park, oceanarium and aquarium in Mission Bay Park that is also a marine animal rehabilitation centre. It opened in 1964 as the first SeaWorld park.

   Check the operator's site for tickets and opening times before you go.

   4,912 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, SeaWorld San Diego

7. 

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   7. USS Midway Museum

   • 2 to 4 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Adults
   • Rainy day

   A museum in the aircraft carrier Midway, berthed at Navy Pier on San Diego Bay, with an extensive collection of aircraft, many built in Southern California.

   Check the operator's site for tickets and opening times before you go.

   4,383 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, USS Midway Museum

8. 

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   8. Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá

   • About an hour
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Adults

   The second Franciscan mission in the Californias, founded in 1769 by Junípero Serra in an area long inhabited by the Kumeyaay. The current church is the fifth on the site, and the mission is a National Historic Landmark.

   Check opening times and any services before you visit.

   3,912 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Mission San Diego de Alcalá

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   9. Legoland California

   • A full day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families

   A Lego theme park in Carlsbad, about 35 miles north of San Diego, opened in 1999. It has over 60 rides, shows and attractions, plus a water park and an aquarium.

   Check the operator's site for tickets and opening times before you go.

   3,474 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Legoland California

10. 

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    10. Cabrillo National Monument and Point Loma

    • 2 to 3 hours
    • Check entry rules before you go
    • Couples
    • Families
    • Active

    A national monument at the southern tip of the Point Loma peninsula that commemorates Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's landing at San Diego Bay in 1542, the first time a European expedition set foot on what became the US West Coast.

    Check the National Park Service page for entry arrangements and any closures.

    2,862 readers a month

    Sources

    • Wikipedia, Cabrillo National Monument
    • Wikipedia, Point Loma, San Diego

Just missed the list: San Diego Zoo Safari Park (11th by readers; the sister park to the zoo); Gaslamp Quarter (12th by readers; a historic downtown district)