San Diego

New York has its cabbie, Chicago its bluesman and Seattle its coffee-drinking boho. San Diego has its surfer dude, with tousled hair, a great tan and gentle enthusiasm; they look like they're on a perennial vacation, and when they wish you welcome, they really mean it.

San Diego calls itself ‘America’s Finest City’, and its breezy confidence and sunny countenance filter down to folks you encounter every day on the street. It feels like a collection of villages each with their own personality, but it’s the nation’s eighth-largest city and we’re hard-pressed to think of a more laid-back place.

What’s not to love? San Diego bursts with world-famous attractions for the entire family, including the zoo, the museums of Balboa Park, plus a bubbling Downtown, beautiful hikes for all, more than 60 beaches and America’s most perfect weather.

Explore San Diego

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Featured Story

The best hikes among San Diego’s incredible trails

6 min read — Published March 24th, 2021

Ligaya MalonesWriter

From urban hikes to backcountry adventures, San Diego is a year-round, all-inclusive outdoor buffet.

Latest Stories from San Diego

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout San Diego.

  • Wildlife Reserve

    Children's Pool

    Built in the 1930s behind a wave-cutting seawall, La Jolla’s Children’s Pool was created as a family beach but has since been invaded by herds of seals…

  • Aquarium

    Birch Aquarium at Scripps

    This state-of-the-art aquarium is a wonderous underwater world home to 5000 fish. Visitors can watch sharks dart, kelp forests sway, and even meet a…

  • Museum

    New Children’s Museum

    This interactive children’s museum offers interactive art meant for kids. Installations are designed by artists, so tykes can learn principles of movement…

  • Museum

    California Surf Museum

    It's easy to spend an hour in this heartfelt museum of surf artifacts, from a timeline of surfing history to surf-themed art and a radical collection of…

  • Historic Site

    Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

    On the site of San Diego's first European settlement, Old Town consists of a cluster of restored or rebuilt historic 19th-century buildings filled with…

  • Museum

    Maritime Museum of San Diego

    Next to the new Waterfront Park, this collection of 11 historic sailing ships, steam boats and submarines is easy to spot: just look for the 100ft-high…

  • Library

    San Diego Main Library

    A couple blocks east of Petco Park, the city's recent landmark is a beauty. Crowned by a steel-and-mesh dome, the futuristic, nine-story library features…

  • Cave

    Cave Store

    Waves have carved a series of caves into the sandstone cliffs east of La Jolla Cove. The one below the Cave Store, a shop selling vintage curios, is 200…

  • Zoo

    San Diego Zoo

    This justifiably famous zoo is one of SoCal’s biggest attractions, showing more than 3000 animals representing more than 650 species in a beautifully…

  • Museum

    USS Midway Museum

    The hulking aircraft carrier USS Midway was one of the navy’s flagships from 1945 to 1991, last playing a combat role in the First Gulf War. On the flight…

  • Observatory

    Palomar Observatory

    High on Palomar Mountain, at an elevation of 5500ft to avoid light pollution, the Palomar Observatory is simply spectacular – as large as Rome’s Pantheon,…

  • State Park

    Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

    This reserve preserves the last mainland stands of the Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana), a species adapted to sparse rainfall and sandy, stony soils. Steep…

  • Notable Building

    Spreckels Organ Pavilion

    South of Plaza de Panama looms the tiered benches, curved colonnade and ornate pavilion housing a 5017-pipe organ, said to be the world’s largest of its…

  • Historic Site

    Front St

    Old Town Front St’s turn-of-the-last-century storefronts and wooden sidewalks make for an attractive stroll – pick up the Historic Old Town Temecula…

  • Beach

    Coronado Municipal Beach

    Just beyond the ‘Hotel Del', this beach is consistently ranked in America’s top 10. Four-and-a-half miles south of Coronado Village is the white-sand…

  • Amusement Park

    Legoland California Resort

    A fantasy environment built largely of those little colored plastic blocks from Denmark. Many rides and attractions are targeted to elementary schoolers:…

  • Historic Building

    Hotel del Coronado

    One of the world's most iconic hotels, ‘The Del’ is an all-timber whitewashed architectural fantasy complete with conical towers, cupolas, turrets,…

  • Beach

    Mission & Pacific Beaches Boardwalk

    Central San Diego's best beach scene is concentrated in a narrow strip of land between the ocean and Mission Bay. There's great people-watching along the…

  • Monument

    Cabrillo National Monument

    Atop a steep hill at the tip of the peninsula, this is San Diego’s finest locale for history, views and nature walks. It’s also the best place in town to…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in San Diego.

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