Los Angeles > San Diego
When done exploring Los Angeles (if ever) we continue to SAN DIEGO. When leaving Los Angeles from the Santa Monica area take the 10 Freeway EAST to the 5 Freeway SOUTH towards SAN DIEGO. When you have time, make a short stop in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and especially the smaller town of Laguna Beach (you could even get a hotel around here and add a day to your tour). Take a walk around these picture perfect Californian beach villages with their little boutiques, small diners and clean and beautiful beaches.
Going further south you will have some astonishing views over the Pacific Ocean almost continuously on your right. Normal driving time (without stopping) from LA to San Diego would be less then 2 hours.
When staying overnight in San Diego (recommended) it would be wise to reserve a room in advance. This town is known for its trade fairs and (international) conventions and sometimes runs out of hotel beds faster then you can say “Do you have…”. One of our favorites is the RED LION HANALEI HOTEL 2270 HOTEL CIRCLE NORTH. You can look up this hotel and check availability and rates here. Of course you can find a place to sleep for prices ranging between $49 and $500 a night, depending on your budget. When searching for the perfect hotel for you, simply click on your preferred listing (best value, quality or price). This applies to finding and booking a hotel or motel in all the cities you will visit during this tour, so we won’t repeat these steps. We don’t want to bore you.
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In San Diego you could visit Horton Plaza Shopping Mall Downtown San Diego for some nice open air shopping, or pay a visit to Old Town San Diego and get some ‘real’ Mexican Food while drinking a great Margarita. Of course San Diego is also famous for two major attractions: The San Diego Zoo and Sea World. Doing both will take you about two days to visit and both are worth it. You can get tickets directly from our TravelDesk section. We’ve highlighted already two available tours below, but a lot more options are available. Just hit Tours&Tickets and click on San Diego.
San Diego Zoo
Literally thousands of wild animals and with many on the endangered species list, it is no wonder that the World Famous San Diego Zoo is just that-- World Famous! The animals range from the timid shrew to the mightiest elephant and has just about every creature in between. The call of the wild awaits you!
Located in beautiful Balboa Park, the 100-acre world-famous San Diego Zoo was founded by Dr. Harry Wegeforth in 1916. Today, the San Diego Zoo cares for over 3,800 animals of 800 species. Its collection of animals, as well as its plant collection of 6,500 species, is acknowledged as one of the finest in the entire world. The San Diego Zoo is a must for the entire family. Book tickets to the San Diego Zoo.
Sea World
A day at Sea World is a day filled with adventure, discovery, and surprise. From spectacular, high-energy shows and fascinating animal attractions to colorful gardens and tranquil aquariums, the fun and action doesn't stop.
Sea World is known everywhere for its amazing marine mammal shows such as: Shamu and Baby Shamu the Killer Whales. Here you can feed a sea lion and even pet a dolphin. Sea World has acres of activities from watching shows and a water park for the children.
The newest attraction, Pirates 4D is a surprise-filled comic tale of a hopeless pirate and its wacky captain. Also take adventure to the extreme. At Shipwreck Rapids you'll scream and shout as you tumble through rapids, whirl under waterfalls and drift alongside turtles. Book tickets to Sea World.
Last but not least, you could go for a nice diner while enjoying some of the historical parts of San Diego in the GASLAMP QUARTER (from 4th and 5th streets). Sidewalk cafes and open air restaurants, jazz clubs, late night dancing, resident artists and micro breweries all contribute to the festive spirit of the area. Shops and galleries of every variety are scattered throughout the 16 square block district.
Done this all? Wow, you’ve really had a memorable stay in San Diego! Before we drive into the desert, we would like to close off with a famous local saying, used often by the San Diego Visitors Bureau to attract weekend tourists from LA, going: “Two days in San Diego, is like two weeks out of LA!”
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