Using San Diego as a base is the perfect way to spend a week in Southern California. From here you can easily visit the beaches for water activities, the mountains for hikes, and even day trip to Disneyland. You’ll also be right in the thick of an amazing food and beer scene!
We visited San Diego in February for some fun in the sun to escape the dreary East Coast winter. While it was an El Niño year and some of our plans got cancelled due to the wet weather, we mostly found ourselves in sunny, pleasant weather.
Here are the details of our week in San Diego, a day-by-day itinerary, and a healthy dose of brewery recommendations to help you plan your own trip!
San Diego Map
Below is a map of our trip including points of interest, activities, and restaurants. Toggle the sidebar for details.
Where We Stayed
We split our time among two hotels in the area of the San Diego Zoo and Sea World and then moved to an Airbnb in the North Park section of the city. We only did this because our original plan was to spend two nights in San Diego, then two nights in Ventura for a day trip to Channel Islands National Park, then back to San Diego. Unfortunately, a massive storm came through Ventura bringing torrential rain and the threat of mudslides, cancelling our trip. No matter which part of the city you stay in, you’ll have easy access to all the sites on this itinerary thanks to the convenient freeway system.
Car Rental
This itinerary assumes you will have a rental car. If you fly into San Diego International Airport, you will board one bus that takes you to the rental car center, where all car carriers have desks. Fair warning, when we flew in late on a Friday evening it was chaotic. We had to wait an inordinate amount of time to pick up our car and even then, the type of car we reserved was not available. We ended up driving around in a ridiculous two-door Camaro the whole week!
Day 1 | USS Midway
Built in 1945 and decommissioned in 1992, the USS Midway was the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the 20th century. It is now the most popular attraction in San Diego, offering visitors the chance to explore everything from the flight deck to below deck to see where sailors slept, ate, and kept the carrier running.
We had been to San Diego about a decade ago and visited the USS Midway then and enjoyed our visit just as much the second time. We recommend taking advantage of the free audio guide to get the most of your visit. There is SO much to explore here so be sure to look at the map and hit all the different rooms. The flight deck is particularly exciting. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear talks from the volunteer docents who are former sailors and pilots of the USS Midway. The catapult and trap talks, about how the planes took off and landed, are particularly noteworthy.
We spent about 4 hours exploring the USS Midway, including a break for lunch at the on-site cafe. There are numerous bottle-fill stations aboard, so be sure to bring your empty water bottle to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Need to Know
- Hours: 10am-5pm daily
- Admission: $34/adult at the door. We recommend buying tickets online ahead of time as you will save $2 per ticket and avoid a line to purchase tickets on site.
- Parking: There is parking next door at the Navy Pier and rates range from $15-20 for up to 6 hours. We chose to park in a parking garage a few blocks away for a fraction of the price. Pro Tip: I love using the SpotHero parking app to find, reserve, and pay for parking in cities. It is a true game changer.
In the afternoon, stroll along The Embarcadero waterfront for great views of the bay. There are plenty of green spaces to play, art to admire, and restaurants and shopping along the way. You could also choose to take a boat cruise for a different view of the San Diego skyline. We took our time strolling along and people watching before heading back to our hotel. Just up the street was Modern Times Beer, which had a large tasting room with indoor and outdoor seating. A perfect introduction to the amazing craft beer in San Diego.
We had dinner at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, Liberty Station. This was another repeat from our first trip and although the area surrounding the gastropub had changed dramatically in the past 10 years, our positive experience did not. We met an incredibly friendly hostess who shared our enthusiasm for craft beer. After talking shop about all the excellent East Coast beer she tasted on a recent trip to New England, she came back with a handwritten list of places we should try in San Diego. It was amazing! For dinner we sipped on flights of beer and ate delicious handhelds. Even though this location is huge, we recommend a reservation, especially on the weekends. It is popular!
Day 2 | La Jolla
The Seals & Sea Lions
Just a 20-minute drive away from downtown San Diego lies La Jolla, a seaside town with a rugged coastline. We drove there early on a Sunday morning and parked right outside the Children’s Pool.
Take Note!
Parking in La Jolla can be a bit hectic and spots fill up fast. Most metered spots have a time limit of 2 to 3 hours, however, parking meters are not enforced on Sundays, making it a perfect day to visit if it works with your itinerary.
La Jolla is home to a population of Pacific harbor seals and California sea lions. Just a few steps from where we parked at Children’s Pool, we saw dozens of harbor seal moms and their adorable pups. This happens every year between December and May, so our February visited coincided perfectly with pupping season. The area is protected by a concrete sea wall where you can safely and respectfully observe the seals. The beach is closed during pupping season.
From here, continue walking north along the paved trail to get to Seal Rock. Although almost no one was at Children’s Pool, this area was filled with people looking to get a view of the rocks teeming with seals and sea birds. Once you’ve had your fill on the animal antics, continue along the path past Shell Beach and La Jolla Cove. Due to the storm off the coast, the waves were gnarly and the skies were gray the day we visited, but we saw some hearty swimmers out!
Past La Jolla Cove, the paved path will turn to dirt as you set out on the Coast Walk Trail. This gorgeous, ~0.5-mile trail was one of our favorite things to do in La Jolla. We walked out to Goldfish Point, a peninsula with wonderful ocean views. From December to late February, gray whales can even be spotted from here. There is also a sea cave you can visit (we elected not to). The trail ends at Vista Point offering more views of the dramatic landscape.
There are plenty of restaurants and shops in La Jolla to browse through. We got lattes from Better Buzz Coffee, a San Diego-based chain and rested our feet before heading off to our next adventure.
Whale Watching Kayak Tour
Given we were visiting during the season of gray whale migration, we booked a whale watching kayak tour with La Jolla Kayaks. Only available between December and February, the tour is designed to explore the La Jolla sea caves and put you in the migration path as the whales make their way from Alaska to Baja California. As we watched the waves crashing along the shoreline in the morning, we were wondering if our trip would be cancelled. But luckily just down the shore, the area where we would be kayaking, was more protected and the waters not as rough.
Due to the swells, our trip did not allow us to go to the caves, which I understand to be quite common in the winter months. Instead, we paddled out fairly far to see if we could spot whales. We had no luck, but did have a fun encounter with sea lions towards the end. It was still a fun time out on the water and we were glad to have the different vantage point of the coast from the water.
Need to Know
- Tours: La Jolla Kayak offers many different types of tours and some, like the whale watching tour, are only offered certain months. Check their website and pick one that meets your interests!
- Our Experience: The waves were a bit rough, so we did get wet on our tour. There were lockers at the storefront where we were able to store our belongings. We were given wetsuits as part of the tour in order to keep warm and were glad we had them.
- Parking: In this area of La Jolla parking can be tricky too, but we had luck parking for free in the large public lot for La Jolla Shores Beach. It was about a 10-minute walk to the La Jolla Kayak storefront.
Anaheim
Heading north from La Jolla towards Ventura for the next leg of our trip, we had planned a pit stop halfway, in Anaheim. This is probably not the best use of your time, but I’m including it because it was part of our experience. It was only once we were in Anaheim that we learned our trip to the Channel Islands was cancelled. The smattering of severe weather alerts on my phone says it all. This caused us to do an about-face after dinner and return to San Diego instead of heading into the thick of the storm.
We visited Monkish Brewing Co.‘s Anaheim beer garden which was a delightful experience AND easily the best beer we tasted on our entire trip. We purchased several cans to go.
Just down the block from the beer garden is the Anaheim Packing District, a food hall with everything from ice cream to pizza to Indian, Syrian, and Cajun. We had the most delicious lamb gyros and hummus from a Greek merchant.
Note Anaheim is roughly an hour and a half drive from San Diego. After wrapping up dinner we made the drive back to San Diego to settle in to our second hotel of the trip.
Day 3 | Hiking
Mission Trails Regional Park
Roughly 20 minutes from downtown San Diego is Mission Trails Regional Park, a preserve which is one of the largest urban parks in the US. There are many hikes to choose from but given its proximity to the city, you definitely won’t have the trail to yourself! We hiked a 6-mile out and back route that took us to the peak of Cowles Mountain, and then continued on to the neighboring Pyles Peak.
With nearly 2,000 feet of elevation gain the hike was not easy, but it afforded us great views of the surrounding areas once we were at the top. While Cowles Mountain was very crowded, hardly anyone continued on to Pyles Peak. This was a nice introduction to hiking in San Diego.
Need to Know
- Fees: No fee for trail use.
- Parking: There is a small parking lot at the trailhead for Cowles Mountain. However, there is plentiful parking along Golfcrest Drive if you don’t get a spot.
- Note: When we visited the public bathrooms at the trailhead were closed.
Cabrillo National Monument
In the afternoon, we made our way back to San Diego to check out Cabrillo National Monument at the southern tip of the Point Loma peninsula. The monument commemorates the first landing of a European expedition on what would later become the West Coast of the United States. This was completed by Portuguese explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo.
Thanks to its high location, the monument offers fantastic views of the San Diego harbor, Coronado, and the nearby Naval air station. You can check out the Visitor Center for exhibits, visit the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, and walk along some short hiking trails for more great views. Another popular area, which you must drive to from the Visitor Center, are the Point Loma Tide Pools. You’ll want to visit at low tide which occurs twice a day. Be sure to check the tide charts, available on the National Park Service website before your trip.
Need to Know
- Hours: Open daily 9am-5pm. Note the gates will be closed outside of these hours.
- Fees: $20 entrance fee per vehicle. Free if you are a holder of an America the Beautiful Pass. We can’t recommend this annual pass enough! For $80 per year you are covered for entry fees into all national parks and lands managed by the US Forest Service and more.
- Parking: Plentiful at the Visitor Center but NOT at the tide pools. We recommend arriving well before low tide to secure a spot. We actually never got to visit the tide pools because we could not find parking.
Breweries & Dinner
To round out our day, being as we were in one of the craft beer capitals of America, we visited two side-by-side breweries recommended to us by our hostess at Stone Brewing. We sampled delicious IPAs from both Seek Beer Co. and GOAL. Brewing, enjoying the spacious outdoor patio.
On the hunt for fresh fish tacos, Mitch’s Seafood did not disappoint. Specializing in fresh seafood from local fisherman, this casual eatery is right on the water. We sat outside at the bar rail overlooking the harbor as we devoured our ceviche and fish tacos.
Day 4 | Balboa Park
San Diego Natural History Museum
A gem of San Diego, Balboa Park is home to everything from walking trails to top museums and even the San Diego Zoo. Given the predicted rain, we opted for an indoor day and visited the San Diego Natural History Museum (“The Nat”). With exhibits focused on local California flora and fauna, plus a giant screen theater, we ended up spending much of the day here. In addition to exploring on your own, we’d highly recommend engaging with the numerous volunteers. In our experience, they were all retired teachers or scientists and they contained a wealth of knowledge that enhanced the exhibits. They were very friendly too! We’d also recommend seeing at least one of the films which are included in your admission (we saw two!).
Need to Know
- Hours: Open 10am-7pm Monday-Thursday, 10am-10pm Friday, 10am-5pm Saturday, and Sunday. Hours may change seasonally so be sure to check the website for current opening times.
- Fees: $24/adult.
- Parking: There is ample free parking at locations around Balboa Park.
With the rain having let up, we explored the rest of Balboa Park on foot, stopping for an ice cream treat at the cafe located outside of the Space Center near a beautiful fountain. There is plenty to see and do in Balboa Park, so take your pick!
Making our way over to North Park where our Airbnb was located, we stopped at North Park Beer Company at their flagship location. We sampled some delicious beer and ordered wings from Mastiff, a kitchen embedded within the brewery.
We also did a quick visit to the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge. Located in the Bankers Hill neighborhood, it is a 375-foot-long pedestrian bridge spanning over Sessions Canyon below. We spent just 15 minutes walking across and back, but this was a unique oasis in the city and could easily be connected to a longer walk.
We did a bit of grocery shopping and then settled in to our Airbnb, opting for a pizza, Netflix, and chill night. Which, by the way, the old me would have been against. I typically feel guilty not eating out or exploring all day every day when we’re on vacation. I could watch a movie and eat a frozen pizza at home. But, I’ve recently come to embrace the restorative power of doing something relaxing and comforting, so our night was perfect.
Day 5 | Disneyland
There are a million blogs and websites about Disneyland and how to spend one day most efficiently, so I won’t attempt to re-create those here. What I will share is our experience visiting on a Wednesday in February and some tips and tricks that worked for us.
Having been to Disney World several times together, we were really excited to finally visit the West Coast Park. Just an hour and a half drive from San Diego, this was an easy day trip.
- Buy your tickets early and make a park reservation: On Disney’s website, you will need to both purchase a ticket and make a park reservation for the day you want to visit. You can check the availability of reservations for your desired park (Disneyland Park or Disneyland California Adventure Park) online. With certain limitations, you can modify the date of your park reservation ahead of time. We took advantage of this when heavy rains were predicted for our original reservation date.
- Download the Disneyland app: This is absolutely essential for a visit. Ahead of time you can link your tickets and reservations and make subsequent changes if necessary. Once in the park you can find the map with your real-time location along with current ride wait times. You also use the app to make Lightning Lane reservations.
- If you only have one day, considering purchasing Genie+: To make the most of our visit, we opted to pre-purchase Genie+. This allowed us to select Lightning Lane arrival windows all day long and unlimited Photo Pass photos (professional photos like the one above and on certain rides). Once you enter Disneyland for the day, you can make your first Lightning Lane reservation and continue to do so, one ride at a time, all day long. This helped us save time by being able to hop from ride to ride without waiting very long. One thing we really benefited from during our visit was that if a ride closes or breaks down during your arrival window, you receive a Multiple Experience pass, which you can use immediately for another ride. I think we ended up using about 5 of these to our benefit!
- Bring a battery charger for your phone: The Disneyland app will really draw down your battery, so it’s best to have a backup on hand.
We arrived at the Disneyland parking garage right around 7:30am and made our way to the tram that would take us to the security screening and park gates. We timed it perfectly, arriving in the park just as the ropes were about to drop. All of the shop owners on Main Street U.S.A. were outside and waving to everyone. I know it’s cheesy, but it made everything feel so special. Disney magic!
Star Wars Rise of the Resistance was our absolute priority for the visit, so we made a beeline to the ride. Us and everyone else at the park! While the line felt like it snaked on forever, the ride entrance opened promptly at 8am and we kept moving the entire 45 minutes it took to actually begin the ride. It definitely lived up to the hype for both of us and I’m so glad we got to experience this epic attraction!
We spent the rest of the day having an absolute blast exploring rides new and old to us based on prior Disney World visits. Aside from Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, other favorites were Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Pirates of the Caribbean, and (surprisingly to us) the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. We were disappointed with the Matterhorn Bobsleds, especially as compared to Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom in Disney World. We enjoyed all the snacks like Blue Milk from the Star Wars land and Dole Whips from the Tiki Juice Bar. Lunch from Bengal Barbecue and dinner from Cafe Orleans rounded out our day. We walked around until we dropped, not departing until close to 10pm just after the evening light show.
Day 6 | Hiking, Disc Golf & Axe Throwing
Mount Woodson Trail & Potato Chip Rock
A 35-minute drive from North Park led us to the Mt. Woodson trailhead at Lake Poway. We climbed up and along a ridge that provided great views of the lake below. Once we turned on to the trail for Mt. Woodson it became more exposed with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.There were a lot of interesting rock formations, including the infamous Potato Chip Rock. You can probably tell why from the picture! It’s a razor-thin piece of rock jutting out. If you’re comfortable with a bit of a funky scramble, you can go to the edge. It looks like a diving board to me! Beyond Potato Chip Rock there isn’t much but cell towers, nonetheless we ate a snack under the shade of some trees at the top before heading down. This 7.3-mile out and back hike took us 3.5 hours to complete, including breaks.
Need to Know
- Fees: No fee for trail use, but Lake Poway charges $10 for non-residents to park on the weekends. Free weekdays.
- Parking: There is ample parking right near the trailhead.
- Note: There were bathrooms right next to the trailhead.
Disc Golf at Morley Field
Located at the northern end of Balboa Park, Morley Field has a 19-hole disc golf course open to the public. To be clear, we are complete amateurs having only done disc golf a handful of times before. But we’ve always found it to be a fun way to spend some time outside doing something active. We arrived at our tee time and were greeted by a very friendly host who got us checked in, set up with rental discs, and explained the course. Although it felt intimidating with loads of professional-seeming disc golfers surrounding us, everyone was very friendly and we spent the next few hours making our way through the course. Mike accidentally got one of his discs stuck in the tree! The course is described as challenging and one cool thing is that employees change the pin positions each week, and there are 3 to 6 pin positions for each hole. We had a blast!
Need to Know
- Hours: Generally open sunrise (~6am) to sunset (~6pm). Advance booking of tee times is required online via their website.
- Fees: $5/pp weekdays and $7/pp weekends. Rental discs are available for $2.50 each.
- Parking: There a small, free parking lot just outside the disc golf course.
Wanting to take advantage of visiting as many breweries as possible, we sat outside at Pure Project‘s North Park beer garden in the late afternoon to enjoy a delicious IPA by the fire pit.
Axe Throwing
For some date night fun, we then headed over to AxeVentures for axe throwing. Every Thursday night they have dark-light night, which was a fun spin on the traditional axe throwing we have done in the past. Decked out in our brightest colors, we had fun trying to hit our targets for the next hour while we, the axes, and the target glowed in the dark. Mike had much more success than me!
Need to Know
- Hours: You can reserve a lane online via their website for both regular and dark light axe throwing. When we went, time slots were available at 6pm, 7:30pm, and 9:00pm.
- Fees: We paid $68 total for our lane.
We had an excellent dinner at Shank & Bone. Serving up Vietnamese dishes, their Brisket and Bone Bahn Mi and their Phở were mouthwatering. No reservations were needed and the service was fast and casual. Yum!
Day 7 | San Diego Zoo
We began our day by fueling up with breakfast and coffee at Better Buzz‘s flagship location in Hillcrest. We highly recommend their breakfast sandwich, avocado toast, and iced lattes!
The San Diego Zoo was another repeat attraction from our first visit. We loved it so much and spent another 6 hours there this time around! Located in the heart of Balboa Park, the zoo sits on 100 acres and is home to over 12,000 animals, some rare and endangered.
Visiting the San Diego Zoo was one of our favorite things to do in San Diego. The animal habitats are so natural at times we felt like we were in Africa and others a South American jungle. There were also really neat exhibits on reptiles and insects. We did a full loop around the entire zoo which took about 6 hours, with breaks. If you’re not up for as much walking, there is an Aerial Tram that traverses the zoo from one side to the other, as well as a 35-minute roundtrip guided, narrated bus tour. Both are included in your admission ticket.
We’d recommend arriving a few minutes before the zoo opens so you can study the map and develop a game plan for the day. You also get to watch the very fun opening ceremony!
Need to Know
- Hours: Hours vary by season, so check the website for the most current information. The zoo generally opens daily at 9am.
- Tickets: $74/adult for a one-day pass purchased at the gate. We recommend purchasing your ticket online ahead of time as tickets are slightly less expensive ($72/adult) and you avoid waiting in the ticket line. Note there are certain “Value Days” where tickets are $68/adult (see Value Day calendar online).
- Parking: There is ample free parking just outside the zoo gates in Balboa Park.
- Pro tip: We found the food at the zoo to be outrageously expensive. We packed a lunch (which is allowed) and brought refillable water bottles to save money.
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park: A 35-minute drive from the zoo, the Safari Park is an 1,800-acre wildlife park home to over 3,000 animals. Here visitors have the chance to see the animals in sprawling savanna habitats. We have not visited but it’s on our list and combination tickets can be purchased.
After relaxing and cooling down at our Airbnb, we headed to dinner at City Tacos where we promptly devoured shared guacamole and chips and three tacos each. This was a fast casual taco joint with indoor and outdoor seating, no reservations taken or needed.
To top it all off, we stopped for ice cream from Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream just around the corner. With a rotating list of flavors, ice cream lovers will not be disappointed. We got single scoop cups but they also have ice cream flights if you can’t pick just one or two flavors.
Day 8 | Surfing & Coronado
Pacific Surf School
Growing up in a beach town on the East Coast, I always felt surfing-adjacent. I spent a ton of time on the beach, but the waves felt too inaccessible for a beginner. It’s always been a dream of mine to try surfing, so this trip I finally made it happen!
Pacific Surf School offers 90-minute private lessons on Mission Beach for a reasonable price. I showed up and met my instructor, Zach, who got me outfitted with a wetsuit and rash guard. We spent about 15-20 minutes on land, where I learned the basics and technique. There was a lot of practice and repetition, but I thought of it like a formula. We then headed out to the waves and guess what? The formula worked! Following Zach’s instructions, I was standing up within 3 waves! Zach was very supportive the entire time, cheering me on and giving pointers throughout. The experience was exhilarating and tiring, but so rewarding and I’m really glad I finally did it!
Need to Know
- Lessons: Depending on your group size, lessons range from private to semi-private to group with varying costs. I was thrilled with my private lesson experience as the 1:1 instruction was very helpful. I paid $140 and booked online ahead of time on their website.
- Note: There was a bin on the beach under the Pacific Surf School tent where I left my belongings during my lesson. This was free and felt safe and secure as the instructors left their belongings in there too.
Since Mike did not have the same surfing dream, he watched the beginning of my lesson taking photos and videos and then set off to a local bar that was serving up Pliny the Younger. He waited in line and was able to get a pour of this very rare beer!
We then met up and walked over to Pizza Port, one of our favorite spots in San Diego. They have delicious pizza and brew their own beer. It was another place we were excited to repeat from our first visit.
Coronado
Just across the bay is Coronado, an island home to the famous Victorian Hotel del Coronado. Its red roof is a landmark and walking around outside or inside the hotel is a must-see in San Diego. We spent the afternoon walking along the paved coastal path. We started at the Hotel del Coronado and headed west before turning around and meandering back.
There is a lot to do in Coronado including a visit to the beaches (sunset is a particularly lovely time) and renting bikes to see even more of the island than on foot.
For our last night in San Diego, we headed downtown for drinks and dinner.
We sat at the open-air bar of Burgeon Beer Company and people watched, sipping on some very tasty beer.
We had dinner at Ironside Fish & Oyster, a hopping restaurant serving fresh oysters and seafood. We really enjoyed our meal but be sure to make reservations as it’s always packed!
We hope you enjoyed reading about our experiences in San Diego and that they gave you ideas for what to do (and beers to drink) in “America’s Finest City”. Cheers!
