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Old 07-16-2018, 08:52 PM
 
8 posts, read 4,130 times
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Hi all,

My wife and I may be visiting San Diego from August 22nd-August 25th. We would be coming from Cleveland. While we would love to visit San Diego, our only concern would be only potentially having 3 solid days there (flight would arrive Wednesday around noon). Is that worth it for a first time visit?

There are some nice rates on some hotels it seems on HotWire in the downtown/gaslamp area. Would that be a good spot to stay? We would definitely like some nightlife but would want to make it out to the Zoo/Balboa + one of the beach spots during our stay.

Thanks!
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Old 07-17-2018, 10:16 AM
 
Location: San Diego
50,270 posts, read 47,032,885 times
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3 days is plenty. Downtown is poppin at that time and you can uber/lyft to the zoo or beach. Welcome to San Diego. Check the ratings on your hotel as there are some older ones that aren't that great depending on where it is located.
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Old 07-17-2018, 12:46 PM
 
Location: San Diego A.K.A "D.A.Y.G.O City"
1,996 posts, read 4,769,870 times
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You can pretty much see and do everything here in that time span. San Diego is more like a weekend getaway vs a week long getaway where there’s millions of things to do and see, such as L.A.

So you’re good.
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Old 07-17-2018, 01:12 PM
 
Location: Coastal San Diego
5,024 posts, read 7,574,371 times
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Start your vacation by taking the San Diego Trolley the first chance you get (budget about 3 hours): https://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego#home-section

It starts in Old Town (you can Uber there). The trolley will give you a general layout of the central SD area. If you see a place you like just go back the next day.

I just took my wife's family on the trolley last month. They really enjoyed it. We spent the whole day on the trolley because you get unlimited drop-offs and back-ons.
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Old 07-17-2018, 03:04 PM
 
Location: Encinitas
2,160 posts, read 5,852,864 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdlife619 View Post
You can pretty much see and do everything here in that time span. San Diego is more like a weekend getaway vs a week long getaway where there’s millions of things to do and see, such as L.A.

So you’re good.
Palm Springs is a weekend. Catalina Island is a weekend. San Diego? Come on. There's enough to do in the nation's 8th largest city to kill at least a week.
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Old 07-17-2018, 03:27 PM
 
Location: Coastal San Diego
5,024 posts, read 7,574,371 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Encinitan View Post
Palm Springs is a weekend. Catalina Island is a weekend. San Diego? Come on. There's enough to do in the nation's 8th largest city to kill at least a week.
I'm with you. My most recent visitors spent half-a-day at the Gliderport. They've never seen anything like that before. Add La Jolla Shores and the day was done.
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Old 07-17-2018, 04:03 PM
 
Location: SW King County, WA
6,416 posts, read 8,277,565 times
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3 days is plenty if you do a little bit of planning and know what you're doing. SD is fairly spread out, so having a car is pretty much a must. Generally speaking, you're better off being close to either the downtown or Mission Valley areas since they're centrally located and near most of the highlights SD is known for (Balboa Park/Zoo, Sea World, the beaches, the Gaslamp district, the hip central neighborhoods like Hillcrest/North Park/University Heights/etc).

And FWIW, I lived in SD for a few years and played weekend "tour guide" for plenty of people, so ignore anyone who says you need a full week to really experience it. It's not like it's NYC/London/Paris or anything...
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Old 07-17-2018, 05:02 PM
 
Location: Coastal San Diego
5,024 posts, read 7,574,371 times
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>> not like it's NYC/London/Paris or anything

Sacrebleu!
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Old 07-17-2018, 06:46 PM
 
1,798 posts, read 1,123,850 times
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3 days is possible if you are willing to skip major attractions. Pick & choose:

1-Day Each
- Seaworld
- Zoo
- Legoland
- Seaworld Aquatica
- Urban neighborhoods: Downtown (Embarcadero/Seaport Village/Gaslamp/Little Italy/Midway) + Hillcrest + North Park + others
- North Coast (Pacific Highway: Torrey Pines State Park, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside)
- San Diego coast (La Jolla/Mt. Soledad/Birch Aquarium, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach/Belmont Park, Point Loma/Liberty Station, Coronado/Hotel del/Bicycling)
- Historic California: Old Town, Missions (2 in SD County), ranchos, etc.
- Balboa (especially if you plan on going in museums)
- Tijuana
- Beer tour
- Mountain road trip (Laguna Mountains, Julian, etc.)
- Desert road trip

Additional half-to-full day experiences:
- watersports (kayaking, sailing, surfing, etc.)
- hiking
- indian casinos

These are special San Diego experiences, attractions, scenery, etc.
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Old 07-17-2018, 07:00 PM
 
1,798 posts, read 1,123,850 times
Reputation: 2479
Quote:
Originally Posted by 04kL4nD View Post
And FWIW, I lived in SD for a few years and played weekend "tour guide" for plenty of people, so ignore anyone who says you need a full week to really experience it. It's not like it's NYC/London/Paris or anything...
I'd say you need a full week to experience everything. However, I don't recommend people rush their way through San Diego because SD is the opposite of rushed and you just won't enjoy it. It's a perfect weekend destination, not because it only requires a single weekend, but because there are always a few deeper dives into experiencing the city. This is what attracts people to keep coming back.

I mean, there is literally no way you could do this in three days:

- Seaworld
- Zoo
- "Safari Park"
- Legoland
- Seaworld Aquatica
- Urban neighborhoods: Downtown (Embarcadero/Seaport Village/Gaslamp/Little Italy/Midway) + Hillcrest + North Park + others
- North Coast (Pacific Highway: Torrey Pines State Park, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside)
- San Diego coast (La Jolla/Mt. Soledad/Birch Aquarium, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach/Belmont Park, Point Loma/Liberty Station, Coronado/Hotel del/Bicycling)
- Historic California: Old Town, Missions (2 in SD County), ranchos, etc.
- Balboa (especially if you plan on going in museums)
- Tijuana
- Beer tour
- Mountain road trip (Laguna Mountains, Julian, etc.)
- Desert road trip

Additional half-to-full day experiences:
- watersports (kayaking, sailing, surfing, etc.)
- hiking
- golfing (SD has some amazing golf courses)
- indian casinos
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