San Diego Travel Forum

i will be in san diego for 3 days mid september and would like to get the most out of the time.any suggestions for itineries please.would like to cross to tijuana also for a trip...good or bad idea?if good do i need a visa if on an EU passport(ireland). sea world or sandiego zoo ? or both? any advise most welcome

I personally would skip Mexico. There are plenty of nice things to do in San Diego. Between Sea World and the Zoo, I would choose the Zoo. Gary

Some areas you might wish to take a look at: Balboa Park, the Gas Lamp Quarter, the Old Town, and Coronado Island. There are also many different harbor cruises available. Gary

thanks for the information gary

I've been in SD 3 months ago and stayed with our friends who live there. They told us it would be no problem to get in Mexico, but with our Belgian passports we would not be able to get back in the US. You don't need to go to Tijuana to have a little Mexican taste though. If you like to take home some Mexican souvenirs, go to the Bazaar del Mundo in SD. I also keep a very good memory at our visit to Coronado Island and the hotel Del. A must when you like turn of the century styles. The Mission of Alcala is very interesting too. The inner courtyard is fabulous with lots of tropical plants and flowers.

You are welcome. I would second at least visiting the Del Coronado, (www.hoteldel.com). The building is on the National Historic Register, and scenes from several movies have been filmed there. They have several restaurants on-site. They also have a very good, (and expensive,lol), Sunday Buffet in the Crown Room. The dining room itself is worth a visit. Before I forget, the zoo is adjacent to Balboa Park. The Park also home to several small museums, several varying types of gardens, and numerous walking trails. Gary

thanks alot.may decide to skip crossing the border and concentrate on the sites in and around S D.

hotel del coronado sounds a must will check their site for rates.its towards the end of my trip with a few days in LA after and then home.will definetely take in the zoo so thanks for the advise once again.

A good web site that has San Diego, (and worldwide), coverage is: www.whatsonwhen.com. It lists festivals, music, museum exhibits, etc. If you wished to take in a sporting event, there are the San Diego Padres baseball team, the San Diego Chargers football team, and San Diego State University football team, which may have games while you are there. There is also the possibility of sailing or boat racing events as well. Gary

I recommend visiting Mexico. The whole point of travelling is to see new and different stuff, right? Although San Diego is different than Ireland, they are like two peas in a pod when contrasted with Mexico.

The suggestion of the Bazaar del Mundo as a substitute for Mexico is like saying that one could visit a bar in South Boston as a substitute for visiting Ireland.

If you want to see Mexico, Tijuana is the bare minimum. And even Tijuana has been rather Americanized. I'd recommend going though Tijuana, then twenty kilometers to Rosarito. The American influence is still there, but fading, and you can begin to see some of the real Mexico. This can easily be done in a day trip.

Check with your local Mexican consulate about using an EU passport. Don't rely on third-hand information from someone whose friend told him something.

definitly skip mexico. tijuanna is a pit and not worth your time (nobody attack me...i love mexico, tj is just not worth it at all and especially if you only have 3 days).
the sd zoo is great you could do a zoo/balboa park day and have dinner at one of the many fine restaurants in hillcrest or downtown.
or, if you've never been to a place like sea world...it's great. i love it there. it's pretty close to mission beach. if sea world is on their long summer hours, i often recommend going to sea world in the morning, then around 1 p.m. take off for a couple of hours on mission beach and have some lunch and a swim. then you could return to sea world for the late afternoon & evening. check out the show schedules right when you get in - the shamu show is worth seeing twice.
do either the zoo or sea world - not both considering you only have 3 days.
the second day, i'd do all the sights - just drive around and explore the sites - la jolla, go for a walk along the boardwalk between pacific beach & mission beach, take the ferry over to coronado and explore that area (i'm not a downtown or shopper type person so i won't comment on that.) enjoy sunset at cabrillo nat'l park or at sunset cliffs which is by ocean beach.
third day - keep free for now. you will learn while your there some other great places and you can make a decision once you get a feel for the city (drive up mt soledad, head to laguna beach for lunch and drive back along the coast, relax on a beach, go hang glidding off of blacks beach, hike through torry pines state park...etc...etc...fabulous city with tons to do) have fun

great feedback and much appreciated.may have a chance to cross into mexico from arizona so might give tijuana a miss.sea world sounds excellent and will be travelling to LA after SD so will check laguna then.i take it that you can use a day ticket for sea world to return in the evening? SD sounds amazing and wasnt on my original schedule so its nice to hear its a cool place.fred

thanks for the tip about rosarito.totally get the drift about authenticity and seeing the real stuff.will take on board your advice.many thanks
fred

Nothing wrong with Mexico, it's that Tiajuana is having some problems with crime elements and is in the news regarding this. Also the traffic to cross the border from the USA is not so bad, it's trying to return that it sometimes gets hectic. The idea of crossing from Arizona is better. Nogales is more interior for a better look at Mexico, although any border town is going to have it's problems. As for Irish, try the "Field" in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. This is a very authentic Irish Pub and after lifting a few, you might think you are in Ireland. The Gaslamp Quarter is best seen at night. See their website: www.thefield.com San Diego is a fantastic tourist city and you should be able to fill up 3 days just in San Diego. You have been given some great tips. Belmont Park in Mission Beach might be interesting with a wooden roller-coaster and a great sand beach. Check out the aircraft carrier at the harbor. Not many people see the inner workings of a true USA warship. Touristy but fun is the Seaport Village next door. All in all, San Diego has a lot going for it. Have a great time. You chose wisely.

thanks alot. i think i will go across the border at nogales i will be staying in tucson so i dont think its too far.SD sounds like a winner and am already wondering whether to cut my LA time and spend an extra day in SD. thanks for the tip on irish pubs...i have a rule ...when in rome. i never go to irish pubs abroad no matter how good,too much of a busmans holiday .
regards
fred

Nogales, Sonora, Mexico is about a one hour drive from Tucson, you will come to the USA Nogales, Arizona first, you are not in Nogales, Mexico till you cross the border. Make sure that your papers are in order to re-enter the USA. Sorry about the pub, but the windpipes must need a wee bit of suds and an Irish Pub is a great place to refresh. ;-)

dont get me wrong.the pub sounds great but where i live there is a pub for every person!but i will definetely be checking out the occasional margarita on my travels.

The Cove in La Jolla is a beautiful piece of coastline and holds some good views of the area wildlife. Although parking can be an issue sometimes. The tidepools on Point Loma are fun during low tide. While out there you can check out Cabrillo National Monument. It's a beutiful view of downtown and Coronado. Mt. Soledad is another place to get a great view on a clear day. Best part of these suggestions? Aside form a small fee to enter the National Park all are FREE!!!!! The Wild Animal Park is far better than the Zoo IMHO but it's a ways out of town. With little time the Zoo may be a better choice. Do yourself a favor, skip Mexico. The place is a mess. It simply is not worth the risk of being robbed, kidnapped etc. Worse yet the police are corrupt and you could end up having to pay them off to keep yourself out of jail. It's just not worth the bother.

thanks for the reply.much appreciated.Sd sounds great and tijuana sounds more of a headache than i think its worth.this is a the end of my trip through NM and Arizona and i would hate to end it on a bitter note so thanks again for the words of caution.

When you would go to La Jolla (tip of dkeller33), and you would be searching for a place to eat, I can advice the Karl Strauss restaurant. Strauss is a micro brewery with restaurants all over South California. They are all different, but this particular one is very nice and the food is good. http://www.karlstrauss.com/PAGES/Locations/Brewer_Restaurants/Start.htm#lj

cool martine, thanks alot