Travel Guide North America USA Western United States California Southern California San Diego
San Diego is Southern California's southernmost city, located along the coast just north of the Mexican border and along the Pacific coast. Weatherwise, it's one of the most perfect climates in the world, with few really hot or cold days, plenty of sunshine and the occasional rainshower to keep things green.
San Diego must have some of the world's most perfect climates. It rarely gets really hot or cold here. Average daytime temperatures vary from 19 °C during the December to March period to 25 °C in August and September. Nights vary between 10 °C and 19/20 °C respectively. The summer from May to September is dry and just a few days see rain at all. Average rainfall throughout the year is just around 275 mm (11 inches). Most of the rain falls from November to April with around 5-10 days of rain a month and precipitation averaging around 30 mm a month in November and December to around 60 mm from January to March, which are by far the wettest months, accounting for around two thirds of the annual amount.
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is just about 5 kilometres from downtown San Diego. Around 20 airlines serve San Diego, with the main destinations being Mexico City, Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Portland, Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Houston, Detroit, Honolulu, Memphis, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Salt Lake City, Denver, Maui, Boston, Albuquerque, Austin, Boston, Baltimore, El Paso, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, Oakland, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, St. Louis, Tucson, Washington, D.C., Charlotte and Philadelphia.
It's the second largest single-runway airport in the world, after London Gatwick Airport and is the largest metropolitan area in the USA without an airport being a hub or secondary hub for any airline.
If you are planning on flying to destinations in Mexico, it might be a good idea to check the Tijuana article.
The Pacific Surfliner operated by Amtrak travels between San Diego and Paso Robles stopping en route in places like Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. Trains are reasonably frequent, running every two hours or so and very comfortable. Just north of San Diego, the tracks travel right alongside the ocean providing really great views.
If you are coming from Los Angeles Airport, you can catch a Flyaway shuttle bus to Union Station (roughly 40 minutes, $7 one way). From there you can take Amtrak to San Diego.
3 main Interstates start in or near San Diego. The I-5 runs north through California and Oregon and Washington, the I-8 runs east towards Arizona and the I-15 goes northeast towards Nevada.
Greyhound has buses to other places in California. LuxBus serves Anaheim, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Check the Port of San Diego for options of organized trips or cruises. There is no regular passenger service.
Although San Diego is not a difficult city to get around by car, the traffic can be slow going during rush hours and parking can be expensive as well.
Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.
For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.
The Metropolitan Transit System provides buses in the wider metropolitan area of San Diego County. It also operates the San Diego Trolley which is of importance for both travellers as well as people commuting between Downtown and the eastern and southern suburbs. Standard one-way fares run from $1.25 to $3 depending on how far you go, and if you are planning to use them quite a few times, there are also publci transport passes (which include bus service) starting at $5. There is the choice between 2, 3 and 4-day passes, which give you unlimited excess on the metro and bus.
Trains travel between 5:00am-12:00am every day with varying frequencies: every 15 minutes, with service reduced to every 30 minutes for late-night, weekend, and holidays. It has 3 lines:
There are also boats travelling between various parts within San Diego. The most useful connection is between downtown San Diego or the Embarcadero and Coronado.
For a US city, San Diego is surprisingly walkable, and if you don't mind a bit of walking even the old town and the San Diego Zoo are within reach. At least it saves the hassle of finding out about public transport or car issues like parking. No matter what, downtown (including the Gaslamp Quarter) and the Embarcadero are easy for walking and you can walk from north to south or east to west within 10-15 minutes. Northeast from downtown, the Balboa Park connects the city to the zoo and botanical gardens, while more to the north/northwest, the old town is reachable by walking through Little Italy.
| Property | Address | Type | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAE Hostels & Hotel San Diego | 500 W.Broadway Street | HOSTEL | 74 |
| Banana Bungalow San Diego | 707 Reed Ave | Hostel | 84 |
| Hostelling International – San Diego, Point Loma | 3790 Udall St | Hostel | 89 |
| Hostelling International - San Diego Downtown | 521 Market St CA 92101 | Hostel | 85 |
| Lucky D's | 615 8th Avenue | Hostel | 87 |
| Old Town Western Inn | 3889 Arista Street | Hotel | 77 |
| San Diego's Ocean Beach International Hostel | 4961 Newport Ave. CA 92107 | Hostel | 87 |
| Super8Sea World Zoo Area | 445 HotelCircle South | Hotel | 30 |
| USA Hostels San Diego | 726 5th Avenue San Diego CA | Hostel | 91 |
| AAE Hostels San Diego Travel Inn | 425 W Main St San Diego, CA US | Hotel | 64 |
| St. Christopher International Hostel Downtown | 2420 India Street | Hostel | 71 |
| Vagabond Inn Hotel Circle | 625 Hotel Circle South San Diego, CA 92108 | Hotel | 100 |
| Marina Inn and Suites | 1943 Pacific Highway San Diego, CA 92101 | Hotel | 72 |
| Pacific Inn and Suites | 1655 Pacific Highway, San Diego,CA | Hotel | 77 |
| Harbor View Inn & Suites - San Diego | 550 West Grape Street | Hotel | - |
| Quality Inn Near Qualcomm Stadium San Diego | 5399 Adobe Falls Road | Hostel | 40 |
| Rodeway Inn - Pacific Beach | 4345 Mission Bay Dr | Hotel | - |
| Big 7 Motel | 333 Broadway Chula Vista | Hotel | 60 |
| Point Loma Inn and Suites | 2933 Fenelon St | Hotel | - |
| R.K.Hostel | 642 W. Hawthorn St. San Diego, CA 92101 | Hostel | 77 |
| Sun Harbor Motel San Diego/Airport | 1510 Rosecrans Street San Diego | Hotel | - |
| Heritage Inn San Diego | 3333 Channel Way San Diego CA 92110 | Hotel | 71 |
| Rodeway Inn | 5399 Adobe Falls Rd | Hotel | - |
| Pacifica Hotel | 551 Fourth Avenue San Diego | Hotel | 78 |
| Super 8 Seaworld-Airport | 3275 Rosecrans Street | Hotel | - |
See also International Telephone Calls
The US Postal Service is very good and well priced mail system. There are hundreds of big and small post offices in San Diego. If wanting to send a letter or postcard it is best just to leave it in a blue mail box with the proper postage. There are also private postal services like FedEx, UPS and DHL.
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Ask kikichi619 a question about San DiegoI've lived here since birth... I know all there is to know about holidays/festivals, great little restaurants, transit tips, etc.
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