San Diego itinerary: 1 to 7 days
Plans for one to seven days in San Diego, day by day: Balboa Park and Mission San Diego de Alcalá first, then the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and Little Italy, and Old Town, the Gaslamp Quarter and Mission Beach as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
San Diego in 1 day
Day 1
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
California's first Spanish mission, founded in 1769; the restored church, gardens and small museum are open to visitors.
Balboa Park
A 1,200-acre park with Spanish Revival buildings from the 1915 exposition, 17 museums, gardens, theatres and the San Diego Zoo.
San Diego in 2 days
Day 1
Balboa Park
A 1,200-acre park with Spanish Revival buildings from the 1915 exposition, 17 museums, gardens, theatres and the San Diego Zoo.
San Diego Zoo
One of the world's best-known zoos, with over 12,000 animals in naturalistic habitats on 100 acres of Balboa Park.
Day 2
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
California's first Spanish mission, founded in 1769; the restored church, gardens and small museum are open to visitors.
Museum of Us
Balboa Park's anthropology museum beneath the California Tower, called the San Diego Museum of Man until 2020.
USS Midway Museum
A Cold War aircraft carrier moored downtown, now a museum with restored aircraft on the flight deck and self-guided tours below.
San Diego in 3 days
Day 1
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
California's first Spanish mission, founded in 1769; the restored church, gardens and small museum are open to visitors.
Balboa Park
A 1,200-acre park with Spanish Revival buildings from the 1915 exposition, 17 museums, gardens, theatres and the San Diego Zoo.
Day 2
SeaWorld San Diego
Marine theme park on Mission Bay with aquariums, animal shows and roller coasters; allow a full day.
Day 3
Little Italy
Lively downtown neighbourhood of Italian restaurants, cafes and shops, with a large Saturday farmers' market, the Mercato.
USS Midway Museum
A Cold War aircraft carrier moored downtown, now a museum with restored aircraft on the flight deck and self-guided tours below.
Museum of Us
Balboa Park's anthropology museum beneath the California Tower, called the San Diego Museum of Man until 2020.
San Diego Zoo
One of the world's best-known zoos, with over 12,000 animals in naturalistic habitats on 100 acres of Balboa Park.
San Diego in 4 days
Day 1
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
California's first Spanish mission, founded in 1769; the restored church, gardens and small museum are open to visitors.
San Diego Zoo
One of the world's best-known zoos, with over 12,000 animals in naturalistic habitats on 100 acres of Balboa Park.
Day 2
SeaWorld San Diego
Marine theme park on Mission Bay with aquariums, animal shows and roller coasters; allow a full day.
Day 3
Little Italy
Lively downtown neighbourhood of Italian restaurants, cafes and shops, with a large Saturday farmers' market, the Mercato.
USS Midway Museum
A Cold War aircraft carrier moored downtown, now a museum with restored aircraft on the flight deck and self-guided tours below.
Museum of Us
Balboa Park's anthropology museum beneath the California Tower, called the San Diego Museum of Man until 2020.
Balboa Park
A 1,200-acre park with Spanish Revival buildings from the 1915 exposition, 17 museums, gardens, theatres and the San Diego Zoo.
Day 4
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Free state park recreating Mexican and early American San Diego, with restored adobes, museums, shops and demonstrations.
Belmont Park
A seaside amusement park at Mission Beach, home of the 1925 Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster.
San Diego in 5 days
Day 1
Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego
Downtown's historic district of Victorian buildings, now full of restaurants, bars and nightlife near Petco Park.
USS Midway Museum
A Cold War aircraft carrier moored downtown, now a museum with restored aircraft on the flight deck and self-guided tours below.
Balboa Park
A 1,200-acre park with Spanish Revival buildings from the 1915 exposition, 17 museums, gardens, theatres and the San Diego Zoo.
Day 2
SeaWorld San Diego
Marine theme park on Mission Bay with aquariums, animal shows and roller coasters; allow a full day.
Day 3
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
Large indoor model railway exhibit in Balboa Park, with detailed layouts of Southern California rail lines.
Mingei International Museum
Balboa Park museum of folk art, craft and design from around the world, reopened in 2021 after renovation.
Museum of Us
Balboa Park's anthropology museum beneath the California Tower, called the San Diego Museum of Man until 2020.
San Diego Zoo
One of the world's best-known zoos, with over 12,000 animals in naturalistic habitats on 100 acres of Balboa Park.
Day 4
Whaley House
An 1857 brick house museum in Old Town, once a courthouse and theatre, popular for its ghost stories.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Free state park recreating Mexican and early American San Diego, with restored adobes, museums, shops and demonstrations.
Day 5
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
California's first Spanish mission, founded in 1769; the restored church, gardens and small museum are open to visitors.
Hotel del Coronado
A historic wooden Victorian beach resort from 1888 on Coronado's beach, worth a stroll through its grand lobby and along the sand.
San Diego in 6 days
Day 1
Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego
Downtown's historic district of Victorian buildings, now full of restaurants, bars and nightlife near Petco Park.
Mingei International Museum
Balboa Park museum of folk art, craft and design from around the world, reopened in 2021 after renovation.
San Diego Zoo
One of the world's best-known zoos, with over 12,000 animals in naturalistic habitats on 100 acres of Balboa Park.
Day 2
SeaWorld San Diego
Marine theme park on Mission Bay with aquariums, animal shows and roller coasters; allow a full day.
Day 3
Hotel del Coronado
A historic wooden Victorian beach resort from 1888 on Coronado's beach, worth a stroll through its grand lobby and along the sand.
USS Midway Museum
A Cold War aircraft carrier moored downtown, now a museum with restored aircraft on the flight deck and self-guided tours below.
Museum of Us
Balboa Park's anthropology museum beneath the California Tower, called the San Diego Museum of Man until 2020.
Day 4
Balboa Park
A 1,200-acre park with Spanish Revival buildings from the 1915 exposition, 17 museums, gardens, theatres and the San Diego Zoo.
Whaley House
An 1857 brick house museum in Old Town, once a courthouse and theatre, popular for its ghost stories.
Day 5
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
California's first Spanish mission, founded in 1769; the restored church, gardens and small museum are open to visitors.
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
Large indoor model railway exhibit in Balboa Park, with detailed layouts of Southern California rail lines.
Cabrillo National Monument
A national monument at the tip of Point Loma marking Cabrillo's 1542 landing, with harbour views, an old lighthouse and tide pools.
Day 6
Little Italy
Lively downtown neighbourhood of Italian restaurants, cafes and shops, with a large Saturday farmers' market, the Mercato.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Free state park recreating Mexican and early American San Diego, with restored adobes, museums, shops and demonstrations.
San Diego in 7 days
Day 1
Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego
Downtown's historic district of Victorian buildings, now full of restaurants, bars and nightlife near Petco Park.
Mingei International Museum
Balboa Park museum of folk art, craft and design from around the world, reopened in 2021 after renovation.
San Diego Zoo
One of the world's best-known zoos, with over 12,000 animals in naturalistic habitats on 100 acres of Balboa Park.
Day 2
SeaWorld San Diego
Marine theme park on Mission Bay with aquariums, animal shows and roller coasters; allow a full day.
Day 3
Hotel del Coronado
A historic wooden Victorian beach resort from 1888 on Coronado's beach, worth a stroll through its grand lobby and along the sand.
USS Midway Museum
A Cold War aircraft carrier moored downtown, now a museum with restored aircraft on the flight deck and self-guided tours below.
Museum of Us
Balboa Park's anthropology museum beneath the California Tower, called the San Diego Museum of Man until 2020.
Day 4
Balboa Park
A 1,200-acre park with Spanish Revival buildings from the 1915 exposition, 17 museums, gardens, theatres and the San Diego Zoo.
Whaley House
An 1857 brick house museum in Old Town, once a courthouse and theatre, popular for its ghost stories.
Day 5
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
California's first Spanish mission, founded in 1769; the restored church, gardens and small museum are open to visitors.
San Diego Model Railroad Museum
Large indoor model railway exhibit in Balboa Park, with detailed layouts of Southern California rail lines.
Cabrillo National Monument
A national monument at the tip of Point Loma marking Cabrillo's 1542 landing, with harbour views, an old lighthouse and tide pools.
Day 6
Little Italy
Lively downtown neighbourhood of Italian restaurants, cafes and shops, with a large Saturday farmers' market, the Mercato.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Free state park recreating Mexican and early American San Diego, with restored adobes, museums, shops and demonstrations.
Day 7
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve
A wild coastal reserve protecting rare Torrey pines, with trails along sandstone bluffs high above the Pacific and a beach below.
La Jolla Cove
A small cliff-ringed cove in a marine reserve, popular for snorkelling and swimming, with sea lions and seals on the nearby rocks.
Belmont Park
A seaside amusement park at Mission Beach, home of the 1925 Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster.
Mission Beach
A busy beach community on a sandbar, with a boardwalk for cycling and skating between the Pacific and Mission Bay.
Watch: San Diego in 3 days
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to San Diego
San Diego has mild weather all year, with September and October often the warmest and sunniest months. May and June bring coastal clouds, known locally as May Gray and June Gloom, that often clear by afternoon. Summer is the busiest season, with full beaches and higher prices, and Comic-Con fills hotels in late July.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in San Diego on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in San Diego on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in San Diego on GetYourGuide or on Viator
- From the airport: a private transfer in San Diego with Kiwitaxi
- Sightseeing pass: save on San Diego's top attractions with Go City
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for United States from Airalo
- Last day: leave your bags in San Diego with Radical Storage and keep sightseeing
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for San Diego
- San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld each fill most of a day; buy tickets online in advance, and check the zoo's included guided bus tour and Skyfari aerial tram.
- Most Balboa Park museums charge separate admission; several are free for San Diego residents on rotating Tuesdays, and the park's gardens are free daily.
- The San Diego Model Railroad Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the Mingei is closed on Mondays.
- The MTS Trolley Green Line links downtown and Old Town; buses or a car are easier for Mission Beach, SeaWorld and the Mission.
- The weather is mild all year, but May and June often bring morning coastal fog ('May Gray', 'June Gloom'); beaches are warmest from August to October.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Balboa Park: Mary Mark Ockerbloom, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Belmont Park: David S. Roberts, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cabrillo National Monument: Blervis, CC0
- Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hotel del Coronado: unknown author, Fair use
- La Jolla Cove: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Little Italy: unknown author, Public domain
- Mingei International Museum: Vgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mission Beach: Microsome at German Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mission San Diego de Alcalá: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Museum of Us: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Old Town San Diego State Historic Park: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0
- San Diego Model Railroad Museum: Captmondo, CC BY-SA 3.0
- San Diego Zoo: Jim1138, CC BY-SA 4.0
- SeaWorld San Diego: ZooFari, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve: User:Nauticashades ., CC BY-SA 3.0
- USS Midway Museum: preserveamerica.gov, Public domain
- Whaley House: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
