What's a good 3-day itinerary for San Diego?

Start at Balboa Park before 9 AM, when the eucalyptus canopy still holds the night's cool and the paths are nearly empty. The San Diego Zoo opens at 9 AM. The first two hours are the best, before the school groups arrive, and Africa Rocks is worth 45 minutes on its own. The zoo has been here since 1916, and the layout climbs hillsides, so wear decent shoes. By noon, walk south through the park's Spanish Colonial Revival buildings to the San Diego Museum of Art, open since 1926. Lunch at The Prado, inside the park, runs about $18 to $24 per plate. Warm chips and salsa, cold beer, shade from the pergola. The Timken Museum of Art next door is free and takes about 30 minutes. That leaves time for the Botanical Building and its lily pond before 4 PM. End the evening with dinner at Tribute Pizza in North Park, a 10-minute drive east. About 8 km of walking for the day, all flat.

Day 2 moves to the waterfront and downtown. The USS Midway Museum opens at 10 AM and needs about 2 hours. The flight deck sits right on the harbor, and the wind off San Diego Bay smells like salt and engine grease. Walk north along Harbor Drive to Little Italy for lunch. Filippi's Pizza Grotto on India Street has been open since 1950, and the line moves fast. A large cheese pizza runs around $16. Mind you, Little Italy is stronger for lunch than dinner these days, so save the evening for the Gaslamp Quarter. Head 15 blocks south in the late afternoon, when the brick facades throw long shadows across 5th Avenue and the sidewalks warm underfoot. Dinner at Juniper and Ivy on Kettner Boulevard currently runs about $22 to $38 per plate. The neighborhood gets loud after 10 PM on weekends. About 10 km on foot.

Day 3 needs a car or the 30 bus, a 35-minute ride from downtown to La Jolla. Start at Children's Pool on Coast Boulevard, where harbor seals rest on the sand about 10 metres below the seawall. Walk north along the Coast Walk Trail above the sea caves to La Jolla Cove. The water currently sits at about 19°C. Lunch at The Taco Stand on Pearl Street runs $4 to $6 per taco. Arrive by 11:30 AM before the line builds past the door. In the afternoon, head to Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma, established in 1913 at the tip of the peninsula. The tide pools below the Old Point Loma Lighthouse are best at low tide, so check the NOAA chart for your dates. Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, 3 km north on the return, is the right place to end the day. The sandstone ledges face due west. About 10 km of walking plus 50 km of bus and car transit.

Mid-August temperatures here currently sit around 21°C in the morning and reach 26°C by afternoon, with humidity near 83% at the coast. You might notice a marine layer, a low fog that tends to burn off by 10 AM most mornings. Sunscreen matters more than a jacket. The MTS Green Line trolley connects the airport to downtown in about 12 minutes for $2.50, and a 1-Day Regional Pass costs $6 for all buses and trolley lines. San Diego International's Terminal 1 reopened its western expansion in 2024, so arrivals feel less cramped than they used to. The city scores 9.5 out of 10 for family friendliness (see /research/family-friendliness/), which tracks with the stroller-friendly paths at Balboa Park and the gentle wading at La Jolla Shores, a 5-minute walk east of the Cove.