San Diego Holidays

The most famous attraction in San Diego is its zoo. San Diego Zoo is award winning and is home to a huge variety of wildlife, including desert and tropical animals, polar bears and arctic foxes. With over 3,700 animal attractions, you can explore the various zoo gardens that feature animals from across the globe, as well as take a tour, play in one of the many play areas or watch a show.

As an American city on the water, San Diego has a proud naval history. To learn more about the city’s naval past you can enjoy an informative day out aboard the USS Midway Museum. Housed within an impressive American aircraft carrier, the museum has lots to keep the whole family amused. Enjoy flight simulator rides and the aircraft gallery displaying refurbished planes which you can explore up close.

Located in the city, the Petco Park baseball stadium is home to the San Diego Padres. The stadium itself is architecturally marvellous and offers brilliant views of San Diego. You can watch a baseball game, take a tour of the stadium or buy some branded merchandise as a souvenir. When the baseball season ends, the stadium becomes a huge music and entertainment venue. 

Blessed with Californian sun, you can soak up the rays at one of San Diego’s sandy beaches all year round. You will find the best beaches for surfing, lounging, running, swimming and other beach activities on the San Diego shores. With 17 miles of coastline, San Diego offers a wide variety of beaches, with amenities and lifeguards at the more popular beaches. 

The La Jolla Cove is a small beach tucked between sandstone cliffs. It has blue waters, with visibility that can exceed 30 feet, making it great for snorkellers and swimmers. There is plenty of marine life to discover due to the fact that the cove lies within the San Diego La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve.

For a less commercial beach, away from the touristy areas, head to Windansea Beach with its rocky shore. Surfers will find big waves to ride here and sun worshippers can enjoy the sandy beach between the Sandstone rock partitions that offer a secluded atmosphere for sunbathing.

Mission Bay Park consists of over 4,600 acres of land and water, with 27 miles of shoreline. Mission Bay attracts motor and sail boaters, rowers, water skiers, picnickers, joggers and swimmers.

Because of its proximity to Mexico, San Diego restaurants offer an array of hot and spicy Mexican dishes. You can also expect to find a lot of comfort food on the menu, like burgers and macaroni cheese, which are American favourites. When it comes to drink, San Diego is renowned for its breweries so you must make room for a craft beer or two.

Green Flash microbrewery showcases its production in the tasting area, with over 45,000 red-wine- and bourbon-aged barrels. You can relax in the beer garden and snack on tasty food.

On the outskirts of Little Italy, Juniper and Ivy serves up unique cuisine from an open kitchen, alongside modern art, in a rustic-industrial space. The acclaimed TV chef Richard Blais creates refined American food with West Coast edge which can be paired with excellent cocktails and wines.

Your San Diego holiday wouldn’t be complete without tasting some locally caught seafood. El Pescador in La Jolla offers an impressive array of locally caught fish that is displayed on the market display.

If you want to experience lively nightlife on your holiday in San Diego, then you should head downtown. There are many rooftop bars in the Gaslamp Quarter which offer spectacular after-dark views over the skyline with cosy seating, fire pits and chilled cocktails.

Go down to the basements of historical buildings in the Quarter for exciting nightclubs. The beaches also offer up more casual nightlife experiences, for when you want to sip a cocktail whilst watching the waves.

If you’ve got your dancing shoes on, then Belly Up Tavern is the place to be. The award-winning nightspot has live music nearly every night, featuring alternative rock, reggae, and hip-hop  as well as blues, jazz and Latin bands.

Family holidays are made in San Diego. From theme parks to water parks, all ages can have a piece of the action. Ranked as one of the Top Family Destinations in America, San Diego offers 70 miles of beautiful beaches to play on, as well as world-class attractions.

Families will love the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, where you can experience wild animals up close in a safe environment. You can also visit Sea World San Diego to learn about the marine life in the enormous aquarium. Sea World has come under a lot of fire from animal activists and now is dedicated to furthering marine preservation and funds lots of rescue operations in the area. Catch a demonstration or show throughout the day or go on one of the marine animal themed rides.

Let the little ones learn at The New Children's Museum in downtown San Diego. Children are encouraged to think, play and create with hands-on art opportunities, classes and excellent exhibitions. There is also Teen Studio that features a gallery with studio space with opportunities for the teenagers to create art of their own.

Couples can embrace the laid-back vibe of San Diego on either the beaches or in the city. At Coronado Landing, you and your loved one can walk along the beaches and boardwalks of the water front and enjoy the views of the San Diego skyline. When the sun sets, you can dine in one of the waterfront restaurants or stroll along Orange Avenue to a number of charming bars.

For the ultimate romantic evening, take your special someone on a quaint gondola trip out on the bay. If you want to try something different then catch a drive-in movie at either the two-screen drive-in at Santee or the three-screen one in the South Bay.

Just outside of San Diego is the Orfila Vineyards and Winery in the San Pasqual Valley, which makes for a romantic day out. The 70-acre estate plays host to regular concerts, grape stomps and movie nights, as well as the usual tastings.

The warm temperatures and mild surf means that San Diego's beaches, bays and lakes are the perfect place for water sports.

Surfing is the most popular extreme sport off the coast, but sailing, scuba diving and kayaking are also common in the warm waters. Adrenaline junkies will adore kitesurfing, wakeboarding, jet skiing and water-powered jet packing that is also on offer here. You can get a piece of the action at San Diego's three bays, San Diego Harbor, Oceanside Harbor and Mission Bay.

Another great way to explore the ocean is on a whale watching boat trip. San Diego is home to some of the best whale watching, with sightings of Humpbacks, Fin whales and dolphins.

If you’d rather keep your feet firmly on the ground then Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is a great place to walk. Extending out on the Point Loma peninsula, the pretty coastal trail leads around the shore past some amazing cliff formations and coastal arches.

The best place to visit for culture activities in San Diego is Balboa Park.  The sprawling park has a range of museums and galleries in the 1,200 acre cultural recreation area, as well as numerous walking trails, sculpted gardens and several theatres.

From museums featuring war veterans, model railroads, air and space and Latino culture, the main attraction is the San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego Museum of Art and the Museum of Photographic Arts.

The Old Town San Diego State Historic Park features various historical buildings that hark back to San Diego’s beginnings. There is a history museum located in the Robinson-Rose House, as well as La Casa de Estudillo, which is full of authentic period furniture. There is also a souvenir shop filled with Mexican treats.