You’re Not Doing San Diego Right Unless You Do These Five Things

If you love travel (or travel shows), San Diego can be the kind of place that tricks you into thinking you could live there. The breeze smells like sunscreen and salty air, the mood stays two notches shy of relaxed, and the fish tacos really are that good.

But the trick to making your trip count—whether you’re there with a van full of kids or just tagging along on someone else’s school break—is knowing how to lean into what San Diego does best without burning out on beach crowds or overpriced distractions. It’s not just a beach town.

It’s not just a zoo town. It’s not just the city you hit after Disneyland. San Diego holds its own if you let it. Here’s how to give it a fair shot.

Start Slow, Then Go Slower

You could hit the ground running with every kid-friendly attraction on Google, but San Diego is built for a different tempo. Try resisting the urge to make your first morning a checklist parade. Let everyone wake up when they wake up. Sip coffee on a balcony or a courtyard. Open the door and let the breeze wander in. Then walk to breakfast, even if it’s farther than you’d usually walk.

The best parts of this city show up when you give them room to unfold. There’s a kind of quiet pleasure in wandering a residential street lined with succulents and sea-weathered fences, or stumbling across a little park where locals bring their dogs in the morning. No one’s saying skip the tourist spots. Just don’t skip the pause between them. That’s where the trip actually starts to feel like something.

Let the Food Lead You Around

San Diego takes its food seriously, but not in a white-tablecloth way. You’ll find pockets of incredible meals all over the city, from hole-in-the-wall taco joints to waterfront markets, but the real trick is to follow your taste buds like a compass. This city tells its story through flavor, and the chapters are all over the map.

If you’ve never tried one of those San Diego walking food tours, this is the place to say yes. It’s not gimmicky here. Think of it more like a rolling lunch party that gives you an excuse to taste your way through neighborhoods you probably wouldn’t explore on your own. Little Italy, North Park, Barrio Logan—each one brings its own vibe, and when you’re not worried about finding parking or picking the right place, you actually get to enjoy what’s in front of you. Kids love the samples, and adults love the fact that no one’s stuck looking up menus on their phone every two blocks.

Skip the Overload, Find the Overlook

Yes, the zoo is incredible. Yes, the museums in Balboa Park are worth it. But don’t cram your trip full of nonstop activities just because the city offers them. Kids get overwhelmed fast, and so do adults who thought they could out-plan exhaustion. Try balancing big ticket stops with quieter spots that don’t scream for attention.

Torrey Pines has trails that even little legs can handle, and the view at the top shuts everyone up in the best way. Sunset Cliffs have nothing to do but be beautiful, and that’s kind of the point. A long afternoon at the beach followed by sandy feet and something simple for dinner often trumps a full day of back-to-back attractions. That’s the key to an affordable San Diego trip too—you don’t have to shell out for every headliner to come away with a standout experience. Some of the best memories are built in places that cost nothing but time.

Spend a Day Letting La Jolla Show Off

It’s not exactly a secret, but La Jolla’s still worth its own day. If you only swing through for a sea lion selfie and a quick loop around the cove, you’re cheating yourself. Let it breathe. Let yourself wander the cliffs, poke into art galleries, watch the paragliders float like slow-moving birds over the bluffs. There’s a rhythm in La Jolla that’s different from the rest of San Diego. A little more polished, sure, but not in a pretentious way—more like a coastal town that got really good at being coastal and never bothered trying to be anything else.

The tide pools grab younger kids’ attention for ages, and you don’t need to schedule anything formal to enjoy the day. Bring snacks. Or don’t—there are plenty of great little spots to eat with a view. But do bring a sweatshirt. That marine layer likes to roll in right around when you start thinking, “I should’ve packed a sweatshirt.”

Let the Daylight Stretch—Then Put It to Bed Right

Evenings in San Diego don’t need reservations. A stroll down a pier, a casual walk around Seaport Village as the sun goes pink, or just letting the kids run around a grassy patch while you watch the light change—these are the kinds of moments you end up talking about later. And for families, they matter. They’re where the tired squabbles fade, the moods lift, and the day settles into something worth remembering.

If the kids are up for it, a beach bonfire or twilight splash in the waves feels like something out of a movie. If not, an early dinner and some quiet time back at your hotel or rental can be just as good. Not everything has to be an event. Sometimes, just sitting still with tired feet and full bellies counts as doing it right.

Worth Every Minute

San Diego doesn’t try to impress you. It just is what it is—and it’s pretty fantastic when you stop trying to force it to be anything else. The trick isn’t to pack every hour or outsmart the crowds. The trick is to trust that the city will show up for you if you show up for it. Let the days stretch out. Let the kids lead. Follow your appetite. Go somewhere new because you feel like it, not because it was top-ranked in a search.

You can do San Diego fast. Or you can do it well. If you ask around, the people who keep coming back will tell you—slow wins every time.