San Diego is the quintessential Southern California destination, offering something for every type of traveler.

With its gorgeous coastline and year-round sunshine, it’s no surprise that this city makes a great place to base your vacation if you love spending time outdoors.

You’ll also find vibrant neighborhoods and tons of unique attractions around the area that draw people from all over the world here. 

In this article I’ve put together 20 of my favorite things to do and places to visit in San Diego.

Whether you’re looking to relax on the beach, hit the trails, or immerse yourself in the local art and culture, you’ll find plenty of inspiration for your trip in this post. 

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1. Visit Seaport Village

Starting off this list with none other than Seaport Village. Seaport Village is a charming waterfront shopping and dining district located along the scenic San Diego Bay making it a popular destination for visitors.

Here you’ll find dozens of boutique stores, restaurants, and galleries all within a quaint coastal area with fabulous views. 

There’s something else pretty unique about Seaport Village, it’s home to a historic carousel which was hand carved back in 1895. I hadn’t ridden a carousel since I was really little, so this was a cool experience that definitely healed parts of my inner child.

This carousel is one of Seaport’s most famous attractions, and it’s very affordable. The ride will only cost you $5 a person and lasts about 5-10 minutes. 

2. See the “Kissing Sailor” Statue

The famous “Kissing Sailor” statue (also known by its official name: Unconditional Surrender) is located just a few minutes drive from Seaport Village along the Bay.

The statue was made from bronze by Seward Johnson in 2005. It was created to resemble the famous photograph of a sailor kissing a nurse in the midst of celebrating the end of World War II. 

The photo was taken in New York City, but now it is a famous attraction in San Diego placed next to the USS Midway museum.

The statue is very easy to access, it just requires a short walk from the parking lot. You will probably see it from the road as you’re driving down Harbor Drive. 

3. Visit Seal Rock

Seal Rock is one place you won’t want to miss. As its name suggests, it is a massive rock sitting along the coast where Pacific Harbor Seals and California Sea Lions like to rest on the rock in the sunshine. 

These seals live in the waters of La Jolla Cove year round. The rock itself is located right next to the cove where an overlook is built above for visitors to look down and view the seals and sea lions.

Visiting Seal Rock is completely free, but parking can be a bit of a challenge as there is only street parking available. 

There are a few streets close to Seal Rock that are most popular and easiest to walk to from. These places fill up quickly so I would recommend getting here as early in the day as you can, especially if it’s on a weekend.

La Jolla is a popular little tourist town, and it’s also one of the best places to stay in San Diego.

It’s a really neat area to explore with tons of unique attractions packed between it’s busy streets. But Seal Rock was definitely my favorite place to visit in the area.

You can just type in Seal Rock into your Apple or Google Maps and it will take you right to the streets where you can park.

4. Visit the Cabrillo National Monument

Cabrillo National Monument is another awesome place to check out. This monument commemorates the landing of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, the first European to set foot on the West Coast in 1542.

Here you’ll see a statue of Cabrillo with the city skyline in the distance behind the beautiful blue bay waters.

After taking in the views at the monument, you can explore other features of the park like the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and the tide pools. 

All visitors can walk inside the lighthouse, you do not need any special kind of tour to access it. 

There are also several beautiful walking trails that run along the rugged cliffs of the peninsula where you can view tide pools during certain hours of the day.

The NPS will place signs at the trailhead parking areas and at the visitor center to let visitors know when the tide pools begin. 

These trails are a must-do when visiting Cabrillo National Monument. The ocean views are breathtaking and the trails are pretty much all flat. 

Since it’s a National Monument and run by the NPS, you will have to pay a fee for admission. 

Prices go for $20 per vehicle unless you possess an entrance pass such as the America the Beautiful Pass or any other annual or lifetime passes offered by the National Park Service. 

5. Watch the Sunset at Sunset Cliffs

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is a popular place for visitors to watch the sunset while sitting atop cliffs 400 feet above the ocean.

Sunset Cliffs is a completely free place to visit, but I do warn that it’s pretty crowded.

Parking is pretty limited. There is a small parking lot just a short walk from the cliffs but if you’re there to watch the sunset, you will probably have to find street parking.

We ended up having to park in a nearby neighborhood and walk to the cliffs because it was so packed the minutes leading up to the sunset. 

So if you want to watch the sunset at Sunset Cliffs, I recommend you arrive as early as you can to get a good spot.

But this park isn’t only beautiful in the evening with the setting sun, throughout the day you will get gorgeous views of the coastline and there are several easy-level trails running through the park.

I’ve never hiked here before, I just went for the sunset, but if you’re curious then you can click this link to find all the trails in the park. 

6. Hike at Torrey Pines

Visiting the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is something I think everyone visiting San Diego should do, especially if you’re into hiking and being out in nature.

This state park is only a 20 minute drive north from downtown.

Admission to Torrey Pines will cost you anywhere from $10-$25 per vehicle (price is based off demand i.e. how crowded the park is).

This may seem a little pricey, but it really is a beautiful place with lots of great trails.

If you like to hike, visiting Torrey Pines is definitely worth the money if you’re visiting the area for the first time. 

My favorite trails in the park were the following:

• Torrey Pines Beach Trail Loop (2.3 miles)
• Yucca Point Trail (1.2 miles)
• Guy Fleming Trail (0.7 miles)

You get stunning elevated views of the ocean and beach down below, while exploring the beautiful rugged cliffs of Southern California. 

Parking at Torrey Pines

I do want to note that parking can be quite a nightmare. Since this is a popular state park, it will likely be crowded especially on the weekends.

There are a few different parking areas in the park, a lower lot and a couple small parking areas in the upper section of the park where all the trailheads are located.

Once there’s a certain number of people in the park, they will not let cars go up to the upper lots anymore and restrict parking to only the lower lot. 

We got there around 10 AM on a Sunday and were forced to park in the lower lot and walk all the way up to where all the trails were. It was only about a 15 minute walk but it was all uphill. 

So keep this in mind when you visit. I would recommend getting there as early in the day as possible so you have access to the upper parking areas.

7. Go to Mushroom Beach

If you’re looking for a small, laid-back beach to visit and relax for awhile then Mushroom Beach is the place for you. 

Mushroom Beach is a lesser known beach located near La Jolla Cove.

This beach is named for its unique rock/sand formations on the shore that resemble mushrooms or hoodoos. 

This definitely had a more local vibe, and there were a lot of people out in the water surfing. 

There is no real parking lot to this beach, we parked on the street in the closest neighborhood, and it was only a short walk to the beach.

You can find this beach by just typing in “Mushroom Beach” into your Apple or Google Maps. It will take you as close as it can to the beach, this is where you’ll have to find a respectful spot to park in the neighborhood.

You’ll see a white railing with stairs which leads you down to the beach. Then you’ll see the mushroom sand structures!

8. Hike Annie’s Canyon Trail

San Diego has tons of amazing trails to hike, but Annie’s Canyon Trail might take the cake for the most unique hike. 

The trailhead for Annie’s Canyon is about a 30 minute drive north of downtown, so it’s a little out of the way. But it is close to Torrey Pines, so you can easily hit both of these beautiful places and have an awesome day full of hiking. 

What makes this hike so unique, is the narrow slot canyon that the trail takes you through. 

This hike is 1.5 miles total, and most of it is flat with the exception of climbing up metal ladders inside the slot canyon to help hikers get to the top.

Then, you get a phenomenal view of the canyon below along with views of the surrounding ecological preserve.

Since this trail goes through a slot canyon, it is not advised to hike this trail if rain is in the forecast. Flash flooding is a scary possibility that can happen in any of these narrow canyons. 

Annie’s Canyon Trail is free to hike, but parking is very limited for how popular it is. You will have to park at the end of a residential neighborhood.

We got here around 9 AM on a weekday morning and almost had the trail to ourselves. We had no problem finding a spot to park but I imagine this trailhead gets filled up in the afternoon and on weekends. 

9. Walk Around Balboa Park

Balboa Park is one of San Diego’s most popular places to visit. It’s a massive park located right in the heart of downtown encompassing 1,200 acres of land!

Within Balboa Park, there’s all kinds of museums, gardens, theaters, restaurants, and the park even houses the famous San Diego Zoo. 

But there really is something for everybody here. It’s really neat to just walk around and explore all that there is to see. You can spend countless hours at Balboa Park. 

Popular Attractions at Balboa Park

Here’s a few of the most popular attractions in the park which all cost for admission:

• San Diego Zoo ($74 per adult, $64 per child 3-11 yrs)
• Japanese Friendship Garden ($16 per adult, kids 6 and under: free)
• Natural History Museum ($24 per adult, $14 per child 3-17 yrs)
• Air & Space Museum ($28 per adult, $17 per child 3-11 yrs)
• Fleet Science Center ($25 per adult, $20 per child 3-12 yrs)

Free Attractions at Balboa Park

Since I’m usually pretty cheap, I enjoyed as many free attractions in the park that we could fit into one day! A few of my favorites free exhibits were:

• Desert Garden
• Memorial Rose Garden
• Spanish Village Art Center
• Timken Museum of Art
• House of Pacific Relations International Cottages

Balboa Park is pretty huge and it would be hard to walk around the entire thing to see everything.

I’d recommend finding the things you want to do and see the most in the park, finding out how far they are from each other, and then planning an itinerary throughout the park. That way you aren’t aimlessly wandering around.

There are several parking areas located on each side of the park. So instead of walking through the entire park it would probably be easier and quicker to drive to whatever parking lots are closest to the attractions you want to see.

If you want to check out everything the park has to offer, you can go to this page of their website to see a complete list of all the attractions in Balboa Park. 

10. Hike the Saigon Trail

The Saigon Trail (also known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail) is another one of my favorite hikes in San Diego. This trail is short, but technical and challenging. It should only be attempted by experienced hikers and in good, sunny weather.

This trail takes you down a steep cliffside and to Black’s Beach. 

This is a really fun trail full of surprises including a slot canyon, amazing ocean views and even an old abandoned futuristic house at the end. 

This is all within a short 0.7 mile round trip hike!

You’ll start this hike on the ridge of the cliff and slowly make your way down and through a slot canyon leading you to the beach. The slot canyon is a narrow and steep descent especially as you go further.

It is very difficult to get back up from the beach and to the trail so you should only attempt this hike if you’re in decent physical shape. 

There is no ladder to help you up like on the Annie’s Canyon Trail, you just have to climb with your hands and feet to advance yourself back up. 

But this is such a beautiful trail, it is totally worth the trek. It feels more like an adventure than a hike!

11. Walk Across the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge

After you visit Balboa Park, take a quick detour to see the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge! They are only a few minutes away from each other. 

The Spruce Street Suspension Bridge is more of a locally-known spot famous for its 375 foot long suspension bridge built over a large canyon in 1912.

This bridge was originally designed to be a pedestrian walkway to help people cross the canyon below to easily get to trolley lines. It’s held up and suspended by cables resulting in a light natural sway of the bridge.

It’s located in the Bankers Hill neighborhood so you will have to find a place to park on the street and take the short walk to the bridge. You can easily find the bridge on your maps by typing in “Spruce Street Suspension Bridge”.

12. Visit Ocean Beach  

Ocean Beach is a vibrant little corner of San Diego. It definitely has that laid-back hippie beach vibe that I love so much about Southern California. 

If you’re looking for a cute main street area with local shops and restaurants to explore all with stunning views of the beach then you will want to have Ocean Beach on your itinerary.

Once you’re done hitting all the shops, you’ll have to set some time aside for relaxing at the beach. We shopped around for a few hours and then walked to the beach for sunset. It was beautiful!

Ocean Beach is known for a massive pier built 1,900 feet out into the water!

Unfortunately as of October 2023 this pier is closed and you aren’t able to walk on top of it. However it’s still cool to walk under and view it from the beach. It’s very picturesque, especially during sunset. 

13. Take in the Views at Centennial Park

When we crossed the Coronado Bridge to get to the Coronado Peninsula, we stopped at Centennial Park to walk around a little bit. We were surprised with the most gorgeous view of the city’s skyline behind the Bay. 

If you’re looking for a good view of San Diego, then this is the place you’ll want to check out.

Centennial Park is free to visit, and you can easily find street parking across from the viewpoint.

If you’re staying at the renowned Hotel Del Coronado, you will have to make some time to go to Centennial Park since it’s only a short drive away.

14. Snorkel at La Jolla Cove 

If you’re looking for a unique San Diego experience, you should try out snorkeling in La Jolla Cove!

As I mentioned earlier in this article, this cove is called home by seals and sea lions.

Snorkeling here gives you the chance to view them underwater and swim alongside them. 

It’s a very popular activity to do here, so there are snorkel and wetsuit rentals all around La Jolla. We went with Surf Diva and it was a very easy and simple process.

The best time to snorkel in La Jolla Cove is in the summer. Waves are known to be calmer, which gives you more visibility underwater. Wetsuits won’t be necessary since the water will be warm.

In winter the water is colder, so you’ll need a wetsuit. I wouldn’t recommend snorkeling in winter because the waves will be too strong. 

But this is a really cool experience. There’s tons of kelp in the water that make you feel like you’re swimming through an underwater forest. 

15. Walk the Mission Beach Boardwalk

Mission Beach is another popular beach in the area that has a beautiful boardwalk. It runs along the beach with tons of shops, restaurants, and a few piers that allow you to walk hundreds of feet out into the ocean.

Whenever we need some time to kill, exploring Mission Beach is always a go to.

The last time we went to San Diego was over Christmas last year, and we got to see some Christmas trees set up at the end of the piers. You’ll also find Christmas trees scattered around the beaches which is cool to see.

16. Visit The Cave Store

The Cave Store is a must-do. It’s a small shop in La Jolla that is known for having access to the only sea cave in the area that is open to the public by land. 

You do not have to make reservations in advance. Just visit the store and ask the person working to do a tour.

All the tour is, is a stairway leading down to the “basement” of the shop which opens up to the inside of a sea cave!

You can see the ocean and the coastline from the opening in the cave. This sea cave is only accessible from the cave store, or by water on a kayak. 

It’s pretty popular for tourists, but for good reason. It’s a really unique experience.

I would recommend going and getting a tour as soon as you can in the morning because this place fills up quickly.

17. Visit Windansea Beach

Need another beach to visit in San Diego? Try out Windansea Beach! 

This is a beautiful beach along some stunning cliffs and rock formations just south of La Jolla Cove. 

This beach is free to visit, and there are stairs for easy access that lead you down to the beach. You can also park for free on the street just a block or two away from the beach. 

The waves are known to be more rough here, which makes it a popular spot to surf, but not necessarily to swim if you aren’t a proficient swimmer. 

18. Visit Harper’s Topiary Garden

This is another unique attraction in San Diego that isn’t very well known: Harper’s Topiary Garden.

This garden was created by a couple living in the Mission Hills neighborhood who wanted to turn their yard into a work of art. In their front yard you’ll see shrubs crafted by hand into different kinds of animals.

Since this is someone’s home it is important to be respectful of their property. The home owners are quite used to people visiting and taking a look at their front yard, but please do not go up to their house.

You can easily park along the street of the neighborhood and walk up to the garden to admire the artwork. We viewed all the sculptures, snapped some photos, and moved on with our day. 

You can find this garden by typing in “Harper’s Topiary Garden” into your Apple or Google Maps.

The house can also be found at the address: 3549 Union St San Diego, CA. 

This makes for a perfect little stop if you’re visiting Balboa Park or the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge, as the topiary garden is within a 10 minute drive of both these attractions.

19. Visit Coronado Beach

Coronado Beach is located just across the bay from downtown San Diego on the Coronado Peninsula. 

It arguably has some of the best places to stay in San Diego and home to the famous Hotel Del Coronado, a historic beachfront resort known for its architecture and red roof terret. You can spot it from a mile away!

Even if you aren’t staying at a resort on the peninsula, you will still enjoy a visit to Coronado Beach.

Its sand is actually known to sparkle in the right lighting. This is due to a mineral in the sand called mica. It is said to be one of the best beaches in the USA.

The town of Coronado is also a charming area to explore as well, but it is quite touristy. You’ll find restaurants and shops making it a nice way to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

20. Visit the Mt. Soledad Monument Memorial Park

Last but not least, I want to include the Mt. Soledad Monument on this list because it was one of my favorite places we watched the sunset on our trip!

Watching the sunset on the beach is nice, but how about from up on one of the highest points in San Diego?

Along with getting elevated ocean and city views, Mt. Soledad is home to one of the most unique and famous veteran memorials in the country. 

On the monument you will see hundreds of plaques and photos of US veterans beneath a massive white cross. 

There is plenty of free parking available around the monument, but it will probably be more crowded towards sunset so get there early especially if its a weekend.

I hope you got some ideas of things to do when visiting San Diego and added some unique attractions to your vacation itinerary from this list.

San Diego has so much to offer, endless nature to explore at Torrey Pines and La Jolla Cove, with a ton of fun places to visit in the city as well. You get the best of both worlds and you will never be bored here!

Enjoy your trip to sunny Southern California and thank you for reading!