San Diego is one of my favorite cities to visit while in California. It offers beaches with piers and bonfires, seals and other marine life, parks, colorful artwork around the city, cool shops, so many people walking dogs, and great nightlife! If you are planning a trip to California, San Diego should be on your list!
Where to visit:
La Jolla Beaches
This area offers a bunch of beaches to walk along. La Jolla Cove is a really cool smaller beach surrounded by cliffs. There is Seal Rock where you can spot tons of seals bathing in the sun and enjoying their day, La Jolla Tide Pools which during low tide offers tide pools where you can view fish and crabs, and last but not least La Jolla Shores Park, which is a grass park a few feet from the beach great for walking around, playing games and having picnics!
Rainbow Tile Wall
While roaming the streets of La Jolla keep an eye out for the rainbow tile wall!
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Sunset Cliffs was my favorite area to visit for hiking and sight seeing. This park offers a hiking trail up to the top of the cliffs or a nice walk along the beach. I highly recommend taking the hike up to the top to watch the sunset, you will have a great view! You may even catch some para-gliders while you are out there!
Torrey Pines State Beach
This Beach is on the more rocky side so it is great for those looking to collect rocks! It is also very beautiful to watch the sunset there.
Mission Beach Pier
Take a stroll along Mission Beach, watch the surfers out in the ocean, people playing volleyball, and check out the pier! A great photo opportunity is walking underneath the pier towards the water, it's a really cool shot!
Explore the Gaslamp Quarter
Downtown you will find the Gaslamp Quarter. It is a great busy area to find restaurants, gelato shops, nightlife, and relaxing places to hangout!
Hillcrest Area
Walk uptown to find Hillcrest, the hot spot for the LGBTQ+ community. There you can find farmers markets, gardens, cafes, vintage shops, street art, restaurants, and bars!
Balboa Park
Balboa Park offers botanical gardens, all sorts of museums, science centers, the San Diego Zoo, gardens, live music, and more!
Along with the must see sights I decided to also add some fun shops and eateries that I thought earned their way onto the MUST DO's while in San Diego.
Shops:
When you are in the San Diego area, Pigment is a shop you just cannot miss. This unique store sells everything from plants, gifts, home decor, apparel, dishes, and more! If I could live in this store, I would!
**Explore the outside of their store for perfect photo shoot opportunities! They have hanging plants, colorful walls, and cute quotes!**
The Cat Cafe
If you love cats then this has to be on your list! The Cat Cafe offers you a beverage or pastry and entry to the cat area to play with all of the cats! If you have never been to a cat cafe before how it works is the center acts as a home for these pets and while you are there hanging out with them they are also all adoptable! They usually have kittens and cats of all ages who all have different names and different personalities that you will get to meet! Sometimes cat cafes will also offer events such as movie nights with the cats, yoga with the cats, or even paint nights!
Food:
Fig Tree Cafe
Fig Tree Cafe is a great place for breakfast and brunch!
Square Bar Cafe
Square Bar Cafe is a super fun cafe that offers crazy ice cream, milkshakes in light-bulb glasses, photo ops, and a happy tummy!
(Try the Taro flavor ice cream! It comes from a purple colored root!)
I hope this guide to San Diego helps you find great places to make memories, capture amazing photos, have great food, and have an awesome experience while traveling!
What are some of your favorite spots in the San Diego area?
I love the shot under the pier! This whole place feels hip and happy.