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Must-visit spots for your San Diego getaway

California’s so-called ‘beach city’ serves up more than just endless blue skies and beautiful coastline. 

A day out in downtown San Diego

Get a sense and feel for the city by strolling around its culture-rich centre. 

map of San Diego
A map showing San Diego’s must-visit spots. (Map: Mark Rossi)

1. Hang 10 in La Jolla

Both novice and experienced surfers can enjoy a lesson with experienced instructors from Surf Diva at La Jolla Shores, on a section of San Diego’s 113-kilometre-long coastline that is known for its gentle waves.

sunset in La Jolla Shores, San Diego
Surfing at sundown in La Jolla Shores, San Diego. (Image: Surf Diva)

2. Coffee up 

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters is a boho hang known for its brioche breakfast sandos and a rotating roster of specialty coffees. The La Jolla outpost works closely with the Art Cooperative, a space for art and music next door. It’s so So-Cal.  

Honey Bee Latte at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
A cup of honey bee latte keeps your sadness away. (Image: Bird Rock Coffee Roasters)

3. Good times in the Gaslamp Quarter 

The Gaslamp Quarter was once San Diego’s scuzzy red-light district. But the downtown neighbourhood is now the pulsing heart of the city, dotted with destination diners, discreet dive bars and breezy rooftop hangs. 

4. Roost at Kingfisher 

Settle in with a Vietnamese spritz and plate of crispy chicken wings at Kingfisher, a Southeast Asian bar and restaurant with a hella Valley Girl twang.

The pretty interiors at the inner-city eatery are as vivid as a kingfisher’s plumage. 

vietnamese dish at King Fisher
A classic Vietnamese-inspired dish. (Image: Kingfisher)

5. Perch at Petco Park 

Attending a San Diego Padres baseball game provides an illuminating glimpse into Californian culture.

In addition to being the home ground for the major league team, Petco Park gets runs on the board for its calendar of concerts.  

kid and dad playing baseball in San Diego
Baseball is one of the most-loved sports in San Diego.

6. Bike San Diego Bay

The 38-kilometre-long Bayshore Bikeway is a scenic way to loop around San Diego Bay into Imperial Beach.

Hire a bike from Wheel Fun Rentals and cruise between Coronado and Chula Vista and back into Downtown. 

biking in San Diego
Biking is the perfect way to stroll around the colourful city. (Image: San Diego Tourism Authority)

Slick Stays 

There’s a surplus of beachfront stays in San Diego. Here are a few family-friendly favourites to book for 2023.  

Hotel del Coronado, Coronado Beach  

This National Historic Landmark (above) is a wedding cake of a hotel that has played host to a number of dignitaries and celebrities since it was built in 1888 and even had a starring role in Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe.

Stay in the new Cabanas near the expansive main pool or in The Victorian, the original oceanfront building. 

beach lounge chairs in Hotel Del Coronado
Lounge by the beach next to your oceanfront accommodation in Coronado Beach.

Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa 

This mid-century resort on the shores of Mission Bay is within 16 kilometres of major attractions such as Balboa Park and the Gaslamp Quarter.

The 310-room Polynesian-styled hotel is also the perfect launching pad for a cruise on the Bahia Belle sternwheeler boat.  

beachfront tower room at Catamaran Resort Hotel
Capture the Pacific Ocean right outside your balcony. (Image: Catamaran Resort Hotel)

The Crystal Pier Hotel 

Live out your southern Cali dreams and sleep over the ocean at the Crystal Pier Hotel, the Cape Cod-styled clapboard cottages built in 1930 on the former Pickering’s Pleasure Pier.

Each nautical-striped cottage has a private patio so you can drop a line in from your doorstep.  

boardwalk at Crystal Pier Hotel
Soak up the warm sea breeze at the Crystal Pier. (Image: Crystal Pier Hotel)

Celebrating cultural gems in California’s second-largest city 

There are myriad attractions in this Pacific Coast hangout that give the city its cool, creative edge. 

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego 

San Diego is closer to Tijuana than to LA, so it makes sense that the opening collections at the newly renovated La Jolla branch of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego celebrate artists from the US-Mexico borderlands.

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego houses interactive digital art installations.

The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park 

The Rady Shell is a sleek new outdoor venue located on the San Diego waterfront.

The concert hall without walls is the summertime home for the San Diego Symphony and is known for its exceptional acoustics and architecture.  

oceanfront concert venue at the Rady Shell Jacobs Park
The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is the perfect spot to watch concerts. (Image: The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park)

Comic-Con Museum 

Balboa Park is best known for being home to San Diego Zoo. But fans of Comic-Con, the biggest pop culture convention on the planet, know it as the place to marvel at the comic-inspired exhibits at the Comic-Con Museum, which opened in 2021.

entrance of the Comic-Con Museum
Marvel inside this museum filled with your favourite comic-book characters. (Image: Comic-Con Museum)

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The Land of the First People Park 

The Iipay – Tipay Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok (Land of the First People) park offers insights into the Kumeyaay Nation and their connection to their ancestral lands near Old Town San Diego, which is worth dedicating a day or two to exploring.

La Jolla Playhouse 

No visit to San Diego is complete without taking in a show at La Jolla Playhouse, co-founded in 1947 by actor Gregory Peck. The theatre is known around the world for swinging the spotlight on local talent and developing award-winning plays and musicals.

actors at the La Jolla Playhouse
The cast of La Jolla Playhouse’s production of @EnGardeArts’ Fandango for Butterflies and Coyotes. (Image: Rich Soublet Photography/La Jolla Playhouse)

Old Town 

The Kumeyaay were San Diego County’s First People, and lived in this region more than 10,000 years before the missionaries arrived in 1769 and built a mission on a hillside in present-day San Diego.

A small Mexican community was formed at the base of the hill in the 1820s and the rich heritage that defined the area was recognised in 1968 when it was declared Old Town State Historic Park by California’s Department of Parks and Recreation.  

Take a Trolley Tour to historic Whaley House, San Diego’s first commercial theatre, and stroll through the neighbourhood during the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) to see Old Town come alive.    

The influences from south of the border are also evident in the Old Town Urban Market: head to Tuetano Taquería for tacos and Barrio Donas for doughnuts. While we’re talking culinary attractions, follow the aroma of coriander, cumin and corn to eateries Casa Guadalajara and Cafe Coyote where you’re guaranteed great Mexican food.  

old town trolley tours at BalBoa Park
Hop on a trolley to explore Balboa Park. (Image: Old Town Trolley Tours)

What to eat and where 

San Diego’s most coveted dishes look to the Pacific Coast for inspiration. Here are some delicious seafood staples to seek out and try. 

Quesadillas 

Take your tastebuds to Tijuana with a tortilla filled with pepper jack cheese, roasted chillies, pico de gallo and shrimp and then folded and cooked to melted perfection at Barra Barra Saloon in Old Town San Diego.  

Seafood boil 

The Crab Hut is a lively meeting place for locals and holidaymakers who gather here to tuck into the signature Cajun-style seafood boil (pictured above), comprising a king crab claw, snow crab cluster, craw fish, clams, mussels and potato slathered with garlicky butter.  

seafood boil at Crab Hut
Don’t miss out on Crab Hut’s signature seafood boil.

Lobster roll 

Ironside Fish & Oyster eatery is located in a historic hipster-cool renovated warehouse in Little Italy. It’s where the city’s tattooed and moustachioed crowds convene to devour soft white rolls stuffed with lightly dressed chunks of Maine lobster. 

Tuna crudo 

The best way to take the pulse of San Diego is to head to the Fish Market. Once you’re done with the babble and noise downstairs, head to Top of the Market in pursuit of tuna crudo. Suddenly, there’s another very good reason to stay in San Diego a bit longer.

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12 grand journeys throughout North America

    Continue
    Discover North America’s epic adventures — from Route 66 and Alaska cruises to Hawai‘i road trips, NYC culture, Mexico trails and more.

    1. Route 66, the Main Street of America

    Travelling with: Ricky French

    Sunset on Route 66 in the California Mojave Desert.
    Hit the open road and trace America’s legendary highway. (Image: Getty/Der_Thomasa)

    Dubbed the Main Street of America, Route 66 radiates serious main character energy, cemented into popular culture through everything from John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath to the Disney Pixar film Cars. Spanning nearly 4000 kilometres from Chicago to Los Angeles, the historic highway celebrates its centenary next year, a timely invitation to take the mother of all road trips along the Mother Road. Allow two to three weeks to tackle the full length, or bite off a smaller chunk at either end, cruising the dramatic deserts of California or the more pastoral landscapes of Illinois, lined with neon-lit diners, retro gas stations and quirky roadside attractions.

    2. Mexico’s Día de los Muertos

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    emblematic catrina of mexico with flowers and necklace with sempasuchil flowers
    Celebrate life and honour loved ones in vibrant style. (Image: Getty/Fabian Pacheco)

    You might know Oaxaca as the birthplace of mole and mezcal. But the state in southern Mexico is also where the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) began. Time your visit to coincide with the colourful holiday, on 1–2 November, which honours and celebrates loved ones who have passed away. Oaxaca is also Mexico’s Michelin-starred culinary capital, with 18 restaurants and a humble taco stand listed in the 2025 guide.

    3. Museum-hop in New York City

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    The Guggenheim Museum’s iconic spiralling exterior, a highlight of North America Epic Adventures.
    Step inside and marvel at bold, world-class art. (Image: Damiano Fiore)

    Your map app will look like it’s been scattered with confetti after you’ve dropped pins on all the museums you want to visit in New York City. Must-sees are the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art aka the Met, and the Museum of Modern Art. The American Museum of Natural History is also a draw. It’s also worth venturing into the boroughs to browse institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, which has a huge permanent collection categorised by culture.

    4. The USA’s music scene

    Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

    The Seattle skyline at night, aglow with city lights on North America Epic Adventures.
    Soak up skyline views and dive into the city’s coffee culture. (Image: Abigail Boone)

    If you’re a muso, chances are you’ve wanted to make a pilgrimage to the United States, the epicentre of so many beloved genres. Whether you’re head-banging your way around the Grunge Circuit in Seattle, chasing the twang of the pedal steel through Tennessee or bouncing between blues bars in the Mississippi Delta, the USA’s rich music culture has something that’ll strike a chord.

    5. Road-tripping Hawai‘i

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    A woman surfing in Hawaii, gliding across turquoise waves on North America Epic Adventures.
    Catch the waves and ride Hawaii’s iconic swells. (Image: Ben Ono)

    Hawai‘i is one of the most diverse US states to road trip around. Of the six major islands to visit, the Island of Hawai‘i packs in everything from the snowy summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa to black-sand beaches and lava fields frozen in the act of flowing forward. Change down a few gears on the island of O‘ahu, too, where you can find your own patch of sand on Waimanalo Beach. Visit poi and pineapple plantations. And hang ten on beginner-friendly waves on the North Shore.

    6. Cruising Alaska

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Explora Journeys ship cruising in Alaska.
    Sail past glaciers and spot whales in pristine waters.

    Seeing Alaska from the sea allows you to cover a lot of distance quickly. This immersive frontier now beckons more than ever before with Explora Journeys adding the American state to its global destination portfolio. Best of all are the pre-and post-journey immersions that connect the luxury of a cruise onboard Explora III with the rugged grandeur of the Alaskan interior. UnCruise Adventures also weaves in access to remote national parks, legendary wildlife corridors and authentic cultural experiences on its Alaskan itineraries.

    7. The Wixárika Route in Mexico

    Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

    People journeying through the Wixarika Route.
    Journey deep into sacred Huichol traditions and art.

    For generations, the Indigenous Wixárika People of Mexico have walked a sacred path known as Tatehuarí Huajuyé, or ‘The Path of Our Grandfather Fire’. The annual pilgrimage route spans 500 kilometres, taking in significant sites in Wixárika spirituality and cosmology. The route passes through the deserts, mountains and forests of northern Mexico before reaching Wirikuta, believed to be the place the sun first emerged. The route is a living cultural landscape of Indigenous culture pre-Columbian influence and, in July this year, was formally inscribed into UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

    8. Drive the Iceberg Coast in Canada

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Iceberg off the east coast of Canada
    Chase icebergs along Expedition 51 on Canada’s east coast. (Image: Canadian Tourism Commission/ Chris Hendrickson)

    Download the icebergfinder.com map to better plan your road trip along Canada’s Iceberg Coast. The new highway, which has been nearly 25 years and CAD$1.1 billion in the making, threads through the country’s pleated coastlines around Quebec, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick before looping in the French islands of St Pierre and Miquelon. As well as chasing icebergs along Expedition 51, travellers will have the opportunity to engage with cultures that have thrived in the pristine provinces for thousands of years.

    9. A foodie tour of Nova Scotia

    Travelling with: Katie Carlin

    Lunenberg Nova Scotia
    Try lobster rolls in Lunenburg on the east coast of Canada in Nova Scotia. (Image: Natalia Kvitovska/ Unsplash)

    World-famous for its lobster, Nova Scotia is a Canadian province best savoured through its culinary clout shaped by sea and terroir. Bite into lobster rolls at historic Lunenburg’s Salt Shaker Deli & Inn and sip maple rum at Ironworks Distillery. Winery-hop around Wolfville’s rising vineyards (don’t miss Lightfoot & Wolfville). Take a maple syrup tour at Sugar Moon Farm near Earltown. And pull up a seat at waterfront Bar Sofia in Halifax, where Nova Scotia oysters aguachile arrive bright with cucumber, lime and pickled onion.

    10. Soak up the sun in the Caribbean

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Overwater bungalows off a beach in the Caribbean
    Experience the white-sand beaches and cerulean seas of the Caribbean on board a cruise.

    The Caribbean is on the radar for seasoned cruisers. And it’s easy to see why, with white-sand beaches, cerulean seas and swaying palms so picture-perfect they look AI-generated. Cruise with Windstar, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity on its inaugural Xcel season to the Caribbean to enjoy action-packed excursions such as snorkelling coral reefs and shopping for local trinkets. And those sea days? Spectacular.

    11. Red Chair Hikes of Canada

    Travelling with: Kassia Byrnes

    Red Adirondack chairs overlooking Lake Minnewanka in Canada
    Take a seat at Lake Minnewanka, one of more than 400 red Adirondack chairs scattered across Canada’s hiking routes. (Image: Getty Images/ Autumn Sky Photography)

    No one appreciates the great outdoors more than Canadians, emerging from snow-covered winters to tread glacial rivers and snowshoe through forests, or to hike mighty mountains and wildflower-strewn valleys come spring. Along popular hikes around the country, more than 400 red Adirondack chairs have been placed in peaceful, breathtaking locations. What started as a social media contest now sees hikers soaking in classic Canadian lake and mountain vistas, overlooking historic sites or gazing down on the mountainous path they just travelled.

    12. Ride the Rocky Mountaineer from Denver to Moab, USA

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Sweeping views from the Rocky Mountaineer.
    The Rocky Mountaineer will continue as the Canyon Spirit in 2026, seen here carving through Ruby Canyon.

    Sighting wild animals is one of many incredible thrills along the two-day luxury Rockies to the Red Rocks route onboard the Rocky Mountaineer across America’s Southwest between mid-April and mid-October. In addition to the lone bear, we spot bighorn sheep, elk, beavers, pronghorn antelope, bald eagles and ospreys. Riding the rails onboard the luxury train, which was founded in Canada in 1990 and has been awarded the prestigious World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train several times, has never been about just getting from A to B. Ride the train from Denver to Moab and you will see the scenery change from snow-capped peaks to meadows, red-rock canyons and soaring cliffs that resemble ornate Gaudí-esque cathedrals. But it’s not until you get off the train that you can produce the ultimate Venn diagram, with nature and adventure in the intersecting spheres.