San Diego - City of Sails. Torrey Pines Beach near San Diego Low Price Airfare Calendar
The ocean is to the right, the Mexican border is to the left, and the dazzling blue sky is overhead. San Diego is not familiar with either grayness or undertones, because under its hot sun all the colors seem a little brighter than in any other city in the world.
San Diego is called the city of parks and beaches for a reason: there are about 190 park areas, 26 of which are located right next to the ocean, and the beaches stretch along almost the entire 70 miles of coastline. Rows of well-kept suburban cottages and neat flower beds border the largest US Navy base, with nuclear-powered cruisers peacefully cruising around the area. But even their presence does not escalate the situation; sometimes it seems that this city is completely unknown to any worries and unrest. The oldest city on the West Coast of the United States does not give away its secrets and continues to smile sunnyly at all its guests.
Flights to San Diego
Departure city
Enter your departure city
Arrival city
Enter your city of arrival
There
!
Back
!
Adults
1
Children
Up to 2 years
0
Up to 12 years
0
Find a ticket
Calendar of low prices for air tickets
How to get to San Diego
There are no non-stop flights from Russia to San Diego. Typically, planes flying here make two stops in London and Los Angeles or Dallas (British Airways), Amsterdam or Los Angeles (KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Delta Air Lines).
The international airport is located five meters north west of San Diego's central business district. It is convenient to get there by bus (for a two and a half hour trip you will be charged $13-14).
Hotels in San Diego
City
Enter the name of the city
arrival date
!
date of departure
!
Adults
1
Children
0
up to 17 years oldFind a hotel
Prices for a bed in a shared room in San Diego start at $25 per night. Suitable option - Buckner - R.K. Hostel. The hostel is located one kilometer from the San Diego Convention Center, almost ten kilometers from the aquarium and four kilometers from the airport.
A standard double room with two double beds at the Mission Valley Resort costs about $50. The hotel is located one and a half kilometers from the historical part of the city, and the drive from here to the international airport takes about 15 minutes.
An excellent single room at the Rodeway Inn San Diego Beach Seaworld Area will cost a little more: about $55. The hotel is located within walking distance of Mission Bay Park. If you're willing to put up with the buzz of a busy promenade and a string of restaurants for the sake of being close to miles of sandy beaches, head straight here.
Shopping in San Diego
All shopping guides to San Diego mention the Valley Shopping Center in the Mission Valley area. It is impossible to list the range of goods (the list is endless), and their prices are not exorbitant, but quite humane.
In the very center of tourist San Diego, there are wonderful souvenir shops that offer a huge selection of soap, medicinal herbs, flowers and other pleasant little things.
When looking for souvenirs, do not neglect the shops located in museums or art galleries. For example, Mingei International Museum Collector's Gallery has a store that sells books and inexpensive jewelry. You do not need to pay to enter such stores.
Beaches of San Diego
One of the best beaches in California is located in the suburbs of San Diego: La Jolla Shores stretches all the way to the Torrey Pines State Forest. The southern part of the beach is quite rocky, making it difficult to swim here. A public area with umbrellas and sun loungers is located in its central part. And in the northern part of La Jolla Shores, one of the oldest centers for studying the oceans is based - the Oceanographic Institute, created in 1903.
Coronado Beach is located within San Diego. It is not so large compared to other beaches (it stretches for two and a half kilometers), but its clear waves and clean white sand have earned it the reputation of one of the best beaches in the United States.
Ocean Beach is more appreciated by surfers than anyone else. It is located 11 kilometers from the center of San Diego and borders Mission Beach to the north. The waves here are quite high, so the north-eastern part of the beach, with courts, a stadium, a promenade, showers and other attributes of a resort holiday, is more suitable for more or less calm swimming.
Torrey Pine Beach was on my “must visit” list for several years, but our routes always ran either away from it or past it (towards San Diego). And so, having decided to take a tour of the beaches of South Orange County, we accidentally stopped at Torrey Pines. Well, by chance, after making just a short detour of 40 miles.
Torrey Pine Beach is only 15 miles from downtown San Diego, so you can combine visits to both places in one trip.
What is this place famous for? Because a very rare tree grows here - Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana), in fact, after which this beach is named. Only this place and the island of Santa Rosa (not far from Santa Barbara) can call themselves home to this rare pine tree in the USA, which once covered vast territories, but is now forced to fight for its existence. In appearance, Torii pine does not differ from the usual California pine trees, although I am far from an expert in pine trees.
What is Torrey Pines State Reserve? This is a small area of 8 km², consisting of a coastal mountain where hiking trails pass and, in fact, the beach itself.
Parking
Like all other popular beaches in California, parking for free at Torrey Pines is quite difficult, but not impossible. Free parking is located along the road immediately next to the beach. It's small, but if you stop and wait a few minutes, you can find a seat.
To enter the paid parking lot (there are 3 of them: on the north side along the road, on the south side and in the middle there are large parking lots with toilets and water) you need to pay 12 dollars on weekdays and 15 on weekends.
Trails
8 miles of well-maintained trails are available for anyone who gets bored just sitting on the beach. All trails start on the south side of the beach just past the parking lot.
If you are lucky (or unlucky), on the trail you can meet foxes, skunks, coyotes, hares, lynxes, and raccoons, which live in the local island of wildlife.
The trails here are very simple walking ones, or, as one of my friends says, mattress trails. But, going up, you can get great pleasure from the beautiful views of the beach, cliffs, and the golf club, which is located on the south side, over which hang gliders soar.
I liked the Broken Hill Overlook, which has something of Bryce Canyon in it.
Descent down to the ocean
Beach
The beach here is very unusual for California: it is quite flat, so during high tide the water reaches the rock. It’s a very unusual feeling when you go 50 meters into the ocean and still reach the bottom. On other beaches, it is enough to walk a few meters to go headlong under the water. Due to the fact that the bottom is shallow and there are large stones at the bottom, quite high waves are formed here.
Despite the fact that during low tides the beach becomes very wide, you still feel comfortable here, unlike Huntington Beach and other similar beaches. The coziness of this place is given by the rocks that rise above the ocean and add a romantic touch to a walk along Torrey Pine.
Nice big Flat Rock on the south side of the beach. During high tide it is covered with water.
The central part of Torrey Pine beach, which is located near the parking lots, is usually crowded and noisy.
On the north side of the beach, if you wait a little, you can watch the famous Amtrak passenger train passing between LA and San Diego.
Despite the fact that I’m not a big fan of beaches, I really liked Torrey Pine, probably because it’s not really a beach, but more of a walking place. Most of all I liked the southern part of Torrey Pine (closer to the golf club), where there are practically no people.
The most beautiful beaches in San Diego
I think no one will deny that the beaches of San Diego play a big role in the life of every local resident and are the center of attraction for hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world. There are 33 beaches in the city, 70 miles of pristine and beautiful beaches. For tourists and local residents, the beach is one of the most favorite places to relax. We will tell you about the most popular of them and help you figure out why they are interesting and good.
You can swim in the ocean all year round, but from September to April the water is very cold, so it is only suitable for extreme sports enthusiasts and those who are not afraid of low temperatures. In the summer, from mid-May to mid-August, the swimming season usually starts and everyone can swim.
The most popular beaches are Coronado, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Torrey Pines and La Jolla.
Pacific Beach
One of the most popular places for young people and students. A huge beach where you can not only sunbathe and try surfing, but also play volleyball and meet a lot of young people. The Boardwalk connects Pacific Beach to Belmont Park, where one of the oldest wooden roller coasters still exists today. You can walk to the park, which takes about 30 minutes, or rent a bicycle, roller skates, or Seagway.
Also in Pacific Beach, every Tuesday there is a Farmer’s Market, where you can cheaply buy organic fruits and vegetables, as well as a lot of other things, from jewelry and flowers, to soap and various aroma oils. During the fair, local restaurants serve food in tents right on the street.
This beach is famous for its Taco Tuesday, which takes place every Tuesday when local establishments offer tacos and alcoholic cocktails at a very good price. Taco Tuesday takes place all over the city, but in Pacific Beach the fun continues until dawn. Most likely all bars and restaurants will be crowded this evening.
Ocean Beach
In this place you can see the real California beach, which is so often depicted in various films. Hippies, tanned surfers, skaters, shops with strange herbs and powders and two-story vegan supermarkets.
There is also the famous dog’s beach, where you can take your four-legged friends for a walk, and a large number of volleyball courts.
The waves at Ocean Beach are slightly higher than at Pacific Beach, so there are a lot of surfers here. You can rent a surf and a suit at almost any surf shop, of which there are many, and they are all located near the beach.
Ocean Beach is also home to the famous Sunset Cliffs. A beautiful place with cliffs and beautiful views, as well as a couple of small, secluded beaches.
Ocean Beach, like Pacific Beach, hosts a weekly Farmers Market, only on Wednesdays. It is a little larger than in Pacific Beach, and in some ways even more interesting and tastier.
On the main street of Newport Ave, there are countless antique shops with very interesting things. Vintage jewelry and home goods, dishes and furniture - it can take a couple of hours to visit them. Keep in mind that they are open until 5 pm.
Mission Beach
In Mission Beach you can rent jet skis, and if you have a boat, you can take it out into the bay, as this place is equipped with a special boat ramp.
Mission Bay Park or Mission Beach is an ideal place for swimming, since the beach is located on a bay and the water there is much warmer than on the ocean coast. The bays are not so deep, so the water in them warms up faster.
Another plus of this beach is that there is almost no algae here. The disadvantages include a large number of people, difficulties with parking and the water may seem a little dirtier compared to other beaches.
Torrey Pines Beach
Torrey Pines Beach is fairly clean, with minimal algae on the shore and in the water. The ocean may be slightly colder than in Coronado or La Jolla. There are no shops or attractions nearby. The beach has a picturesque view, for which many come here. Nearby there is the Torrey Pines State Preserve, which itself is very beautiful with its canyons inside and towering cliffs above the ocean outside.
Next door to Torrey Pines is Del Mar State Beach. There is not much difference between them, except that Torrey Pines has a lot of pine trees.
Coronado Beach
One of the best beaches in the world is located on Coronado Island on the ocean side. Coronado Beach is much wider than the others (about 150 meters of sand separates the stone wall from the ocean). There are quite strong waves and cold water here, but from personal experience, in comparison with other beaches, the tan fades much faster here. It can get crowded on weekends. But most of the people mainly gather closer to the Del Coronado Hotel, so in search of privacy you can move to the north or move 30 meters away from the ocean to clean sand. The downside of Coronado beach is a large amount of algae.
La Jolla Beach
In the prestigious area of La Jolla there is a rather cozy La Jolla Cove, where there are no waves and many colorful fish. If the weather is good and the waves are not strong, then these fish can be clearly seen through the water. This beach is good for snorkeling
By clicking anywhere on our site or clicking “Accept”, you agree to the use of cookies and other technologies for the processing of personal data. You can change your privacy settings. Cookies are used by us and our trusted partners to analyze, improve and personalize your user experience on the site. These cookies are also used to target advertising that you see both on our site and on other platforms.The tourist infrastructure here is better developed, including the old city and modern skyscrapers, a strip of beautiful beaches along the bay, grand amusement parks and shopping centers with brand boutiques, wonderful restaurants and inexpensive cafes with a variety of cuisines and dishes from all over the world. Every traveler is sure to find something different in San Diego, from a good hotel to an unforgettable vacation experience.
Tourists planning to spend a vacation at sea are attracted by the city of San Diego with its sandy beaches, bright sun and mild climate with better weather than in San Diego, which is suitable for tourism throughout the year. And family travelers are primarily interested in visiting famous attractions such as the San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld.
Before traveling to this wonderful city of contrasts and a mixture of different cultures, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the basic facts about San Diego California, and read detailed background information on Wikipedia. We also visited here during one of ours, and in this article we have collected to help you everything that is desirable to know about San Diego - the most interesting and important information about the city and useful recommendations for tourists.
Let's list the most interesting, in our opinion, facts about San Diego:
1. San Diego is located in the southwest of California, USA, on the Pacific coast, very close to the border with Mexico. Judging by the geographic location of San Diego on a map of the United States, it is one of the largest cities in the south of the country, and the neighboring city in Mexico called Tijuana is literally a stone's throw away (you can take the tram to the border).
- Life in San Diego is so calm and measured that many houses don’t even lock their doors. It is not customary to rush here, as in large cities.
- Homes in San Diego line wide streets and appear clean and tidy due to strict laws that encourage residents to carefully maintain their property.
- Time in San Diego is 10 hours behind Moscow in summer and 11 hours in winter.
How long is the flight to San Diego? Airplanes fly regularly from major cities in the USA, Mexico and Canada and there are direct flights, but you won’t be able to fly to San Diego from Moscow without transfers. You will have to take flights with 1-2 connections. First get to or, and then fly to local airlines San Diego airport, also known as Lindbergh Field. Travel time will be 18-20 hours.
Here are the three most popular bus and flight routes:
- Los Angeles – San Diego (distance 120 miles, travel time 3 hours)
- Las Vegas - San Diego (distance 330 miles, travel time 5.5 hours, flight 1 hour)
- San Francisco – San Diego (distance 540 miles, travel time 9 hours, flight 1.5 hours)
Read more:
3. Nice sunny and warm weather in San Diego observed almost the whole year. The mild Mediterranean climate and absence of hurricanes are one of the main advantages of San Diego compared to. In general, it is not very hot here, the air temperature in summer is very comfortable and is about +26-28°C (almost the same as on), and in winter – around +20°C. It rains in San Diego mainly in winter, and in summer it is dry and sunny, with a gentle, refreshing wind blowing from the ocean.
It is important to know: The water temperature in the bay is cool enough for swimming and swimming - no higher than +20°C. Therefore, if you are going to spend more than one day in San Diego, it is better to choose a hotel on the coast with a good pool, such as Marriott Marquis.
Good to know: The best areas of San Diego for tourists the following are considered: Downtown, GasLamp, Little Italy, Coronado, Old Town, Mission Valley, Ocean Beach, Pacific -Pacific Beach and the most prestigious - La Jolla.
7. San Diego Zoo located in Balboa City Park (this is the largest and most famous San Diego park, as ) and covers an area of about 40 hectares, which is home to many species of exotic plants and contains more than 3,500 animals, including the rarest such as the giant panda and the red panda.
Interesting fact: It was at the San Diego Zoo that a short video about an elephant was filmed, which became the very first uploaded to YouTube.
San Diego Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the world, the peculiarity of which is the absence of enclosures for each type of animal. It will take more than one day to watch it in its entirety. By the way, in this zoo you can not only walk, but also ride a bus or travel through the air on a suspended gondola.
San Diego Zoo ticket prices:
- 1-Day Pass – $56 (adult), $46 (children)
- Ticket for 2 visits – $89 (adult), $79 (children)
However, if you plan to visit San Diego's three main amusement parks (the zoo, the safari park, and the killer whale show in SeaWorld Aquarium), then it’s better to buy it right away for $149 A single ticket will be cheaper than separately.
8. known far beyond the United States. A long and well-equipped strip of coastline ideal for a beach holiday stretches for many tens of kilometers along the Pacific Ocean. Americans, Mexicans, Canadians and sometimes Europeans come here. While there are plenty of beaches for everyone, the question is, which San Diego beach is the best to choose?
Map of San Diego beaches
We visited some beaches in San Diego, and we generally liked them for their cleanliness and not as crowded as on. Despite the fairly cool water, it is pleasant to sunbathe on them, but the most interesting thing is to see beautiful sunsets on the beaches of San Diego. But swimming is not very convenient, unlike the ones we love so much, since there is no escape from the waves of the ocean.
In our opinion, the best beaches in San Diego are:
- Coronado Beach with clean sand without algae - an ideal place for families with children, as it is protected from the waves of the ocean by the Point Loma Peninsula;
- perfect for surfers and people who love active recreation and fun;
- La Jolla Beach with sandy bays, picturesque coastline and fur seals.
