When we think of Sun Diego, we have to say that this is an ideal place both to visit and live in.
It is not unusual that San Diego is called ‘America’s Finest City’ as it has to offer a scenic coastline, natural beauty, a mild California climate, and surfer culture.
The city is set on the Pacific Ocean and offers various outdoor activities and easy access to Tijuana in Mexico.
Furthermore, there are some amazing museums and historic tourist attractions in San Diego.
For shopaholics, the city has plenty of great shops and restaurants, combined with excellent bars and nightlife scenes at Mission and Pacific Beach.
San Diego is California’s second-largest city and a popular tourist destination, so we provide you with 25 must-see places once here.
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San Diego Air & Space Museum
San Diego Air & Space Museum contains historic aircraft and sparkling spacecraft.
What is even better, San Diego Air & Space Museum is located near the city center in Balboa Park.
It possesses a collection of artifacts and visitors can see various exhibits in the Ford Building.
The museum was established in 1961, and since then, it has been developing and expanding, so that nowadays it has replicas of Wright Brothers’ gliders on show, as well as rockets sent into space by NASA.
Going through the galleries full of planes, photos, and displays will not only provide you with some interesting things to see, but you will also be able to learn all about the history and development of aviation and space exploration.
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is located fifteen minutes drive from downtown San Diego.
There you will find a coastline known as the Sunset Cliffs.
The place is now protected as a natural park, as it boasts steep coastal cliffs that look out over the ocean.
Among tourists, this is a popular place from which you can watch the sun setting over the Pacific.
Besides enjoying Sunset Cliffs Natural Park’s scenery and sunsets, visitors can sometimes spot, if they are lucky enough, California gray whales migrating along the coast.
Little Italy
Little Italy in San Diego is for those who would like to shop, have dinner or go out.
Little Italy is located in the northwest of downtown, which is not far from Waterfront Park and the Embarcadero.
Italian restaurants, grocery stores, art galleries, and a weekly farmers’ market are some of its features.
This place used to be the center of the city’s tuna industry, but nowadays, it has become a home to pizza places, bodegas, and breweries.
Shopping, eating or having coffee are not the only things that you can do here, as in Little Italy both locals and tourists can enjoy the numerous festivals and events related to Italian culture, as well.
Belmont Park
Belmont Park boasts a lovely old-style look and feel.
Within this park, you can enjoy roller coasters and rides, attractions, and restaurants.
Belmont Park was opened in 1925 and being that this amusement park is just fifteen minutes from downtown San Diego, it is frequently visited by both locals and tourists.
The park boasts various carnival rides such as a carousel and bumper cars, but the greatest and most famous attraction of this park is definitely its iconic Giant Dipper roller coaster, considered a National Historic Landmark.
Some of the newest attractions here in this fantastic park are ziplines, escape rooms, and laser tag.
SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego boasts more than 130 million visitors per year.
It was opened in 1964 and is definitely the leading tourist attraction in San Diego.
Plus, it is the most popular marine-life park in the whole world, as people can learn a lot about ocean creatures by watching shows and displays at this place.
You will be able to see and learn about the creatures including dolphins, killer whales, walruses, penguins, and Polar bears.
There are also some rides such as a flume roller coaster, rafting through the Shipwreck Rapids, and a simulated helicopter ride to experience the Wild Arctic.
Pacific Beach
Pacific Beach is located north of Belmont Park and it is linked to Mission Beach by a three-kilometer-long boardwalk which is frequently visited by tourists.
In its southern neighbor is livelier and well known for its nightlife.
You cannot miss one of the best bar scenes in San Diego once there.
This part of the city is not only attractive to college students and young people due to its clubs and party atmosphere, but also to families who frequently visit it as the beach is lifeguard-supervised.
Additional features of Pacific Beach are the peaceful Crystal Pier, famous for surf spots as well as shops and restaurants.
Seaport Village
Seaport Village is the area where a lot of shops and dining outlets are located.
Being that it is located a short distance from the center of the city, it is so frequently visited by both locals and tourists.
The designers deliberately wanted it to look like a village, and the complex is surrounded by lovely lakes and gardens combined with attractive architecture.
Seaport Village was opened in 1980, and since then, it has been attractive to visitors not only due to its delightful design but also due to its shops and more than 70 waterfront restaurants.
Maritime Museum of San Diego
Maritime Museum of San Diego boasts one of the largest collections of historic vessels in the United States.
Plus, it offers interesting artifacts and exhibits that are there to emphasize San Diego’s rich maritime heritage.
The place was founded in 1948 along the Embarcadero, and since then, it has developed and expanded into a museum that has ferries and frigates as well as yachts and submarines.
The main attraction of this place is the Star of India – a well-restored ship that dates back to 1863 and is sometimes able to sail about the bay.
La Jolla Cove
Even though it is so small, La Jolla Cove is one of the most charming and photographed places along the Californian coastline.
What it has to offer are different kinds of excellent activities.
Plus, it is frequently visited as it is set only twenty minutes drive northwest of the city center.
Besides its lovely beach where visitors can swim, snorkel, and kayak, there are also sea caves that they can explore and see some seals and sea lions if they are lucky enough to find them sunning on the rocks.
Birch Aquarium
Birch Aquarium is located to the north of La Jolla Cove.
It is one of the city’s many marine attractions.
At Birch Aquarium, there are some incredible aquaria to explore, and not only fish and but also some amazing aquatic animals.
Birch Aquarium is an important part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which is one of the world’s largest marine research institutes.
This aquarium was opened in 1903 and nowadays it is home to over 5,000 fish and innumerable sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays.
There are about sixty aquaria with a special seahorse feature and what is the most attractive, there is a touch tank where you can pat some sea snails and small sharks.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is one of many attractions of San Diego that is located along the Pacific coastline.
It is famous for its scenery, landscapes, and nature.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is considered as one of the wildest remaining stretches of shoreline in Southern California.
It features some craggy cliffs and pristine beaches, badlands, and a large lagoon.
Tourists are attracted by its unspoiled wilderness, as they can explore fauna and flora while going on hiking trails.
When it comes to animals that inhabit this area, there are bobcats, raccoons, and coyotes as well as migrating seabirds and whales can sometimes be noticed.
Comic-Con
Comic-Con is the place in San Diego that is a paradise for comic book lovers.
Actually, this is the location where costumed superheroes come down due to one of the most colorful and chaotic events in the calendar – Comic-Con.
It used to be a small convention in 1970 but it has developed into an enormous multi-day celebration of comic books and pop culture.
There, you can attend various events, exhibits, and award ceremonies.
Comic-Con is centered on the San Diego Convention Center, and the festival boasts some workshops that visitors can attend.
Plus, there are numerous gaming events, film screenings, and even a costume contest.
Mission Beach
Mission Beach is an ideal location for people looking for the sea, and sand.
This is a seaside town located fifteen minutes northwest of the city center which is visited by both tourists and locals.
It is set on a sandbar between the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay and has to offer its visitors certain outdoor activities, beachside bars, and attractive nightlife.
The place is connected to Pacific Beach by the long and bustling boardwalk.
Mission Beach is always suggested as a perfect place to relax as there are various entertainment options.
Petco Park
Once in San Diego, it is always interesting to watch the San Diego Padres play baseball and that takes place at the state-of-the-art Petco Park.
This place is taken as one of the best stadiums in Major League Baseball being that it boasts wonderful architecture and fantastic views over the skyscraper-dotted downtown.
The Petco Park was opened in 2004, and it is made of sandstone and white steel with the aim to remind of the sandy color of the city’s beaches and cliffs.
The parents will be amused by watching an exciting game but the creators have also thought about the kids, so they made an entertainment zone for kids with food stands and a fabulous Hall of Fame.
Torrey Pines Gliderport
Torrey Pines Gliderport will offer you a chance to see San Diego from a different perspective.
Actually, if you have finished exploring the San Diego shoreline, you can now see the coast and ocean from Torrey Pines Gliderport and this is a really unique and unforgettable experience.
At Torrey Pines Gliderport, you can enjoy hang-gliding and parasailing.
For those brave ones, a fun time is guaranteed.
This place includes the natural reserve of the same name, so you can take the twenty-minute flight above it and see the pristine scenery and nature in Southern California, as well as the center of San Diego in the distance.
Children’s Pool Beach
Children’s Pool Beach is definitely the most popular and memorable place to visit in San Diego.
The Children’s Pool Beach is set twenty minutes’ drive from the center in La Jolla.
Its strong seawall was originally put up to protect swimmers from San Diego’s rough waves, but now there are seals and their pups who enjoy its golden sands and gentle waters.
This place was built in 1931, and it is a small stretch of sand at which seals and sea lions sun themselves, play, and even give birth.
Tourists are able to watch them from the top of the seawall.
This is certainly an amazing experience, making this place one of San Diego’s top attractions.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is set near Escondido, and it is always suggested as must visit when traveling with kids.
The 1,200-acre zoo boasts about 300 species of animals, and what makes it special is that the majority of these species are those that are endangered in the wild.
The main aim of the zoo is to breed these animals and then reintroduce them back into their native habitat.
What is available to visitors is a tram tour of the zoo or a hot-air tethered balloon ride.
Additional activities are watching a cheetah run at up to 70 mph, a petting zoo, walking among the lemurs, and visiting an aviary.
Old Town San Diego
Old Town San Diego is always an attractive area to see being that Native Americans lived in the area thousands of years ago.
The Old Town was discovered in 1542 by a Spanish explorer and it is nowadays considered the birthplace of California.
This is due to the fact that it used to be the first permanent Spanish settlement in California, being that Father Junipero Serra established his first mission here on Presidio Hill.
In Old Town, you will be able to see San Diego’s colonial roots, Casas which were built in the 19th century, as well as museums and adobe churches.
Cabrillo National Monument
The Cabrillo National Monument is located at the tip of Point Loma and it is designed to honor Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, that was the Spanish explorer who landed at San Diego Bay in 1542,
He is known to be the first European to set foot on the West Coast of the United States.
The Cabrillo National Monument has to offer plenty of activities for visitors that range from watching Pacific Gray whales that swim by to hiking the two-mile Bayside Trail.
You can enjoy the stunning views of the city and bay, or take some other trails that will lead to tidal pools and the restored Old Point Loma Lighthouse.
This is considered one of the first lighthouses on the West Coast.
La Jolla Shores
La Jolla Shores is definitely the San Diego area that offers the best beaches.
La Jolla is often referred to as the “jewel of San Diego”.
La Jolla Shores is a mile-long beach popular with both locals and visitors as you can do various water activities ranging from swimming and surfing to scuba diving and kayaking.
After the sunset, beachgoers light fires there to roast hot dogs and have a party.
Gaslamp Quarter
The Gaslamp Quarter is actually the dining, nightlife, and shopping center of San Diego.
It has been existing since 1850, when a San Francisco man, William H. Davis, built a home for his family there.
This was a land that he planned to develop into a town, which unfortunately was a failure but his house survives.
Seventeen years later, this place was developed by another San Franciscan, but it became known as a place for gamblers and prostitutes.
Only decades later, this Victorian district was cleaned up and became known as the Gaslamp Quarter, which today has more than 200 restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries, and it is on the National Historic Register.
Balboa Park
When you think about Balboa Park you should know that this is not just another park that has green space, flora, and fauna.
This park is special, due to 15 museums, a carousel, a miniature railroad, the renowned San Diego Zoo, and the historic Old Globe Theatre that are major components of it.
Taking the museums into consideration, they include art museums, natural history, air and space, science museum, and the famous Museum of Man.
Plus, the park boasts numerous gardens with native plants, roses, cactus, a veterans memorial, and a children’s garden.
The place also includes restaurants, and biking, and hiking trails. meaning that it has something for everyone.
USS Midway Museum
The USS Midway Museum can be found on the Embarcadero’s Navy Pier.
Visitors here are able to explore one of the longest-serving aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy.
It started to be a San Diego tourist attraction in 2004, and nowadays it receives more than one million visitors annually.
This is definitely one of the world’s most visited ship museums which offer guided tours to the ship’s sleeping and officer quarters, engine room, and galley.
A flight simulator is available for more risk-taking guests.
Coronado Island
Coronado Island is an ideal place for people who are searching for relaxation.
Coronado Island is a place with a small-town atmosphere.
The island is linked to San Diego by the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.
Besides spending some time on the beach, those visitors who are looking for some action can try riding a rental bike around the inland.
This island is home to the Coronado Museum of History and Art which tourists often visit, as well as to the shops and art galleries at Ferry Landing.
Another attraction is the Hotel del Coronado – the inspiration for the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz.
San Diego Zoo
Number one on our list of the most attractive tourist destination in San Diego is the San Diego Zoo.
It is one of the most famous zoos in the world.
The place features 4,000 animals of more than 800 species.
This zoo is so suitable for many kinds of animals due to the sunny maritime climate of southern California.
Furthermore, almost all of the major exhibits of the San Diego Zoo are in the open air.
The popularity of the San Diego Zoo is even greater due to the fact that it is active in conservation and preservation efforts.
This means that many endangered species are bred within it so as to be released into their native habitats later on.