San Diego’s sun-splashed coastline and breezy charm have lured travelers since the first Spanish mission appeared here in 1769. Today, “America’s Finest City” layers that history with craft-beer culture, outdoor thrills, and a nonstop festival calendar.
Whether you’re a first-timer eager to tick off headline sights or a return visitor chasing new adventures, these 12 Things to Do in San Diego capture the city’s past, present, and Pacific-blue spirit. Pack sunscreen and curiosity—San Diego always finds a way to turn a short break into a lifelong love affair.
Balboa Park
Laid out for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, 1,200-acre Balboa Park bundles ornate Spanish-Colonial arcades, leafy gardens, and more than a dozen museums, all framed by the iconic California Tower. Plan for a full afternoon: catch the noon organ concert, wander the Botanical Building—slated to reopen after a major restoration in late 2025—and duck into the Fleet Science Center before street-food trucks roll in under blooming jacarandas.
San Diego Zoo
A pioneer of open-air habitats since 1916, the San Diego Zoo spreads across 100 canyon-side acres where koalas nap, condors soar, and a new walk-through hummingbird aviary debuted in 2024. Download the Zoo’s 2025 app to skip ticket lines, check feeding times, and navigate steep paths by shuttle when the afternoon sun cranks up.
USS Midway Museum
Commissioned one week after V-J Day and decommissioned in 1992, the USS Midway now welcomes visitors onto its flight deck for docent-led stories of Cold War sorties and Gulf War rescues. Grab an audio headset, climb to the captain’s bridge, and stick around for sunset yoga classes that spread mats across 1,001 feet of steel.
Kayak & Snorkel La Jolla Sea Caves
Glide a tandem kayak from La Jolla Shores to arches sculpted by 75,000 years of waves, then slip on a mask above bright-orange garibaldi inside the protected reserve. Outfitters such as La Jolla Sea Cave Kayaks weave in Kumeyaay lore and steer you to Sunny Jim—the only California sea cave accessible by both land and water.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Five adobe-lined blocks mark California’s first Spanish settlement, now preserved inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Costumed interpreters bake bread in earthen ovens, while the Iipay~Tipai Kumeyaay exhibit centers Native stories added in 2025. Before dusk, snag fresh-pressed tortillas and tap your feet to a plaza mariachi set.
Gaslamp Quarter Nightlife
Victorian façades from the 1880s glow neon in today’s Gaslamp Quarter, where rooftop lounges, speakeasy jazz dens, and comedy clubs crowd 16 pedestrian-friendly blocks. On weekend evenings Fifth Avenue closes to traffic, letting you wander between micro-breweries and gallery openings beneath still-working gas lamps that inspired the district’s name.
Bike Coronado Island & the Bayshore Bikeway
Rent a beach cruiser near the 1888 Hotel del Coronado and pedal the flat Bayshore Bikeway. The 24-mile loop hugs San Diego Bay, then unfurls along dune-lined Silver Strand where dolphins sometimes surf beside you; ferries whisk you—and your bike—back downtown in time for sunset cocktails.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
Home to one of the world’s rarest pines, cliff-top Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve protects 2,000 acres of sculpted sandstone, salt-spray chaparral, and 300-foot bluffs. Loop trails drop to secluded Black’s Beach, and mid-winter hikers often spot gray whales spouting offshore as the sun melts into the Pacific.
Catch a Game—or Tour—at Petco Park
Regularly voted “America’s #1 Ballpark,” Petco Park dishes local IPAs and Baja-style tacos against a skyline backdrop. Off-day tours (80 minutes) lead you into the press box, Padres Hall of Fame, and a field-level warning track; upgrade to swing in the batting cages during select 2025 home stands.
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Dedicated in 1983, 68-acre Sunset Cliffs Natural Park threads sandstone ledges along Point Loma’s oceanfront. A new Oceanside Trail opened in 2024, skirting WWII bunkers and tide-pool shelves where purple urchins cling between waves—just be sure to arrive before golden hour crowds stake out the best perches.
Cabrillo National Monument
Perched on Point Loma where Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed the bay on September 28, 1542, Cabrillo National Monument pairs sweeping harbor panoramas with the 1855 Old Point Loma Lighthouse and some of California’s richest tide pools. Check a tide chart for minus-tide afternoons that expose starfish-studded rock shelves.
Mission Bay Watersports Playground
The 4,200-acre aquatic park buzzes with stand-up paddleboards, sailing skiffs, and kite-surfing rigs rented from the long-running Mission Bay Aquatic Center. Calm coves suit beginners, while adrenaline seekers carve wakes behind speedboats; a 2025 shoreline-restoration project will add new wetlands overlooks for heron-watching strolls.
FAQ:
What is the number one attraction in San Diego?
For most visitors, the crown-jewel attraction is the San Diego Zoo inside Balboa Park. TripAdvisor’s 2025 rankings place the Zoo at the very top of the city’s must-see list, ahead of the USS Midway and La Jolla Cove. The 100-acre hillside park pioneered open-air habitats back in 1916 and now features a walk-through hummingbird aviary plus an Asia Rainforest immersion zone.
What is San Diego best known for?
Nicknamed America’s Finest City, San Diego is celebrated for its perpetually mild, 70-degree climate and 70 miles of golden coastline that invite early-morning surf sessions and sunset strolls.
What food is San Diego famous for?
The city’s signature bite is a Baja-style fish taco—Rubio’s popularized it stateside here in 1983—crispy beer-battered fish tucked into a warm tortilla with crema and cabbage. Close behind is the cult-favorite California burrito, a carne-asada-and-French-fries bomb that locals devour after beach sessions.
What to bring back from San Diego?
Souvenirs in San Diego are all about bottling the laid-back coastal vibe. Start with a mixed four-pack of local IPAs or stouts from Bottlecraft, whose staff curate hard-to-find brews for easy transport. Coffee lovers should scoop up direct-trade beans from Bird Rock Coffee Roasters; the roastery’s La Jolla roots make every cup a seaside memory.
