How to plan a trip to san diego
Things to know BEFORE you go to San Diego | California Travel Guide
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in this video we'll cover all you need
to know before traveling to San Diego
including maps transportation where to
stay
prices best steps best city views and
much more here are our 11 essential tips
number 11 the map of San Diego San Diego
sits on the coast of the Pacific Ocean
right on the border with Mexico
it is located 120 miles or 190
kilometres south of Los Angeles let's
start with Balboa Park a large urban
cultural park in San Diego full of
beautiful gardens fascinating museums
theaters and other attractions like the
world-famous San Diego Zoo Japanese
Friendship Garden etc Little Italy a
popular neighborhood in downtown San
Diego offers authentic Italian
restaurants bars retail shops home
design stores and galleries
if you continue towards the seaside you
will find the waterfront park Maritime
Museum of San Diego and USS Midway
museum a decommissioned aircraft carrier
which is now a museum located at Navy
Pier if you continue south you will get
to the Seaport Village a unique shopping
area with miles of walking paths and you
will finally get to Embarcadero Marina
parks if you turn east you will get to
another beautiful San Diego neighborhood
the Gaslamp Quarter referred to as the
historic heart of San Diego a historic
downtown district and the city center of
entertainment and nightlife
you can't miss Coronado with a fantastic
view of San Diego skyline home to
beautiful beaches and the historic
beachfront hotel del coronado
established in 1888 another beautiful
spot to visit in San Diego is Point Loma
with the Cabrillo Monument
right before you enter the National Park
there is the Fort Rosecrans National
Cemetery a federal military cemetery
Shelter Island and Harbor Island Park
also offers some of the most beautiful
views towards this
skyla let's continue towards the north
where you'll find Sunset Cliffs if
you're in the neighborhood
don't miss the Liberty station formerly
a US naval base and now the site of the
well-known
Liberty public market home to an
impressive food market called
restaurants and an arts and crafts area
don't forget to visit old town San Diego
and historic neighborhood consisting of
constructed homes and craft shops in the
eighteen hundred's mission-style
recreating the life of the Mexican and
early American periods and don't miss
the Spruce Street suspension bridge
built in 1912 to provide pedestrians
with a link to neutral Alliance across
the tip canyon SeaWorld San Diego and
aquatic themed Park and Mission Beach a
popular place for surfing sunbathing and
other outdoor activities are located
north of San Diego right after Mission
Beach you will find the Jolla
charming community with beautiful
seaside to get a better sense of the
distance a 1.1 mile or 2.2 kilometer
walk from Little Italy to Gaslamp
Quarter takes about 30 minutes San Diego
International Airport is located only
about two miles or 3 kilometers from
downtown San Diego if you're arriving by
train you will most likely arrived at
the set of a Depot station number 10
weather and climate San Diego has
Mediterranean climate with consistent
weather throughout the air with little
to no extreme weather or rainfall
temperatures in the winter are generally
mild ranging between 48 and 66 degrees
Fahrenheit or 9 and 19 degrees Celsius
there is not a lot of rain except for
the El Nino which produces rainfall and
storms the coldest month is January with
an average of 42 degrees Fahrenheit or 6
degrees Celsius in the spring the
weather is pleasant with a warmer
temperature and less rainfall
temperatures range between 42 and 68
degrees Fahrenheit or six and 20 degrees
Celsius summer is nice and hot with
little rain there can be a blanket of
fog during May or June often called the
May gray or June gloom temperatures
range between 65 and
da degrees Fahrenheit or 18 and 26
degrees Celsius August is the hottest
month with an average temperature of 78
degrees Fahrenheit or 26 degrees Celsius
whether in default is still warm in
September and part of October but then
quickly becomes colder temperatures
range between 54 and 77 degrees
Fahrenheit or 12 and 25 degrees Celsius
of course these are all just averages
the weather and temperature can be
different when you visit so remember to
always check the weather forecast before
you travel
number 9 best time to visit the best
time to visit San Diego is in March and
April in spring and definitely before
May to avoid them May gray August and
September are also great months to visit
because the weather is warm and you can
avoid the tourist crowds summer gets
lots of tourists and higher prices but
the weather is still Pleasant cheapest
time to visit San Diego is in the fall
when there fewer tourists and the prices
of accommodation are lower and how can
you figure out the best days and hours
to see the attractions just check Google
to see how crowded the specific location
is at a particular time of day of course
we recommend going early during the week
and or in the morning San Diego is not a
big city many travelers stay in San
Diego for 3 days to see the main
attractions and soak in the atmosphere
if you want a more relaxed experience
you can stay an extra day or two number
8 where to stay and prices of
accommodation if this is your first time
in San Diego choose to stay downtown
where we have many of the best sights
bars and restaurants just minutes away
for nightlife stay close to the Gaslamp
Quarter if you're on a budget stay in
the old town outside the city center by
the way an area just outside of town is
called the hotel circle and offers great
prices of accommodation if you're
traveling with the family Mission Bay
near SeaWorld is a good option a
mid-range hotel double room in San Diego
costs between 150 and 250 dollars per
night for budget hotels the average is
75 dollars hostels cost around 25 to 35
per night on average alternatively you
can rent an Airbnb apartment that sleeps
up to four people for about 100 and
dollars again these are all just average
prices and the ranges for different
hotel categories are quite extensive and
in the summer or during the weekends the
accommodation can be more expensive
however with a little research online
you can get better deals especially if
your dates are flexible and you don't
travel in high season check out our
video on the best steps for booking your
stay
number 7 transportation from and to the
airport to get to and from San Diego
International Airport you can use a bus
an MTS trolley Amtrak inner city and
coaster commuter train airport shuttle
taxis limousines uber lyft and car
rentals arriving by train you can travel
to San Diego by train from numerous
cities with Amtrak if you're arriving
from outside San Diego you will arrive
at Santa Fe Depot station located in
downtown arriving by car you can use
Google Maps to get driving directions to
San Diego parking in the city center is
limited especially during today so it
might be challenging to find a spot laws
and regulations are strictly enforced
when it comes to parking parking meters
are active from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and
costs 25 cents for 12 or 15 minutes in
many open space parking places you can
only park for up to two hours you can
also park in one of the parking garages
for one dollar per hour and from $20 to
$25 per day alternatively you can book
one of them many hotels in the city that
offer parking getting around the city
although San Diego is not that thick the
sites are spread out throughout
different neighborhoods so using public
transportation is a convenient option
you can use the following modes of
transportation bus trains trolleys Ferry
uber or lyft taxis bikes car rentals and
other forms of transportation if you use
public transportation such as the bus
and trolley you will pay $2 54 one-way
ticket you can get a compass card for $2
fee the card can be reloaded or you can
use it to buy a day pass which costs $6
you can pay for your ticket on any bus
fare box or trolley ticket banning
Sheetz check out our travel guide for
more information and prizes by the way
our Travel Guide is a mobile-friendly
PDF document that you can store on your
phone for offline use it covers the top
10 things to do in San Diego plus 10
additional attractions maps links
opening hours and other information that
will help make your trip to San Diego's
stress free number 6 general information
here are some other things you should
know for a pleasant and smooth
experience in San Diego drinking water
it is perfectly safe to drink tap water
in San Diego drinking water fountains
are available throughout the city
toilets public toilets are available in
San Diego if you want to see where
public toilets are located you can use
an app on your phone but more about that
later free Wi-Fi you can get free Wi-Fi
at plenty of outdoor and indoor hot
spots all over the city including
restaurants fast food places to face
bars and hotels crowds and lines San
Diego is a popular destination so be
prepared to wait in line especially in
the summer months and around peak
tourist attractions the same goes for
restaurants and other public places even
if you can't avoid all the crowds you
can do some things to make your trip to
San Diego and more pleasant experience
you can avoid big seasons avoid
traveling doing rush hours get up early
in the morning to explore the city
without the crowds use Google Maps or
similar app to check how crowded a
specific location is at a particular
time of day safety San Diego is
generally a very safe place for tourists
a few areas are better avoided by night
but they are usually not located near
tourist attractions typical for all
major cities around the world beware
pickpockets car break-ins are also
relatively common watch your valuables
and use common sense for emergency
services dial 911 5 for international
travellers travel adapters if you're
coming from outside the US you will
probably need a special US travel
adapter to charge your phone and other
devices the power plugs in the United
States are type A and type B we
recommend purchasing a travel adapter
before traveling to San Diego in fact
it's worth buying a universal travel
adapter so you can use it in
countries still currency United States
use u.s. dollars at the time of making
of this video one dollar is worth
approximately 90 euro cents and 77 pence
it is better to exchange your money
before you travel also always check the
exchange rate before traveling most
hotels stores and restaurants in the
city accept major credit cards like Visa
and MasterCard but make sure to always
have some cash with you just in case
ATMs and money exchange in San Diego
ATMs typically charge a three dollar fee
you can check with your home bank if
they have an agreement with the US bank
to see if you can avoid paying ATM fees
it's also best to withdraw as few times
as possible to avoid multiple ATM fees
you can choose to exchange your foreign
cash currency exchange offices but
Commission varies widely so always
compare the exchange rate on your phone
to the board displayed in the exchange
office prepaid SIM cards and pocket
wi-fi's you can purchase prepaid SIM
card to access the internet on your
phone some options provided by local
carriers are t-mobile 3 and AT&T you can
buy one that includes the internet
before you get to the city and have it
delivered to you alternatively you can
consider renting a pocket Wi-Fi or
mobile hotspot see your travel guide for
more information number four best apps
your phone can be your best buddy in San
Diego here are some great apps you can
use both ballpark official app and
interactive guides to the parks museums
art venues garden spans zoo
Little Italy San Diego a helpful tool
for exploring the Italian community in
the city Groupon for promo codes and
saving alerts for nearby dining and
alley deals TripAdvisor and Yelp for
reviews of restaurants tells museums
stores etc spot hero or park ways to
find and put parking near destination
uber and lyft for getting around the
city move it to find an updated schedule
for your public transportation Google
Maps for Apple maps for walking public
transportation driving etc Google Maps
also lets you download maps which is a
great option if you don't want to use
roaming sit or squat or flush for
finding public
restaurants tap to find the nearest
drinking water fountain Wi-Fi map or
Wi-Fi finder which helps you find Wi-Fi
throughout San Diego number 3 food and
prices San Diego has plenty of dining
options and offers a great variety of
international and traditional dining we
suggest using Yelp or TripAdvisor to
find nearby places with good reviews try
to avoid restaurants but or next to
major tourist attractions you will often
get a much higher priced quality ratio
at a local place away from the main
attractions an inexpensive restaurant
meal costs about $15 an average and a
three-course meal and a mid-range
restaurant is from 40 to 80 dollars
being close to the ocean and the border
with Mexico the city offers a variety of
amazing food like the famous fish tacos
a small dish of fish tacos is around $4
as for drinks in bars a coffee costs
from around $4 a bottle of water about
$2 same for bottle soda a find a beer
from around $5 to $8 a glass of wine and
cocktail goes for around 7 to 12 dollars
of course prices are higher in front of
the famous tourist places there are
plenty of great cheap eats in San Diego
check out our travel guide for maps with
the best tip it's tipping you should
always steep in bars restaurants and
hotels in the United States the standard
rate is between 15 and 20 percent it is
also normal to give about 2 to $5 tip to
the hotel staff standards etc and from
10 to 20 percent for your uber driver
number 2 city passes and exploring the
city if you want to 7 attractions you
can choose from either go San Diego Pass
or the Southern California City Pass
both options offer free entry to some
top attractions various kinds of
discounts and more check out Travel
Guide for current prices and links a
great way to discover San Diego is by
walking tour organized by professional
guides some providers even offer free
walking tours however at the end of the
tour it is recommended to make a
donation you can also explore San Diego
by a boat tour guided sightseeing tour
or other Teamsters there are plenty of
options to choose from
check our travel guide for the list of
providers and name
number one best views of the city you
can enjoy amazing views of San Diego
from one of the following places
Embarcadero Marina Park San Diego
Coronado Bay Bridge san Diego's skyline
viewpoints Harbor Island Park or
Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma
find more impressive views of San Diego
in our travel guide and don't forget to
check out top 10 things to do in San
Diego just click here
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