4 Best Day Trips to San Diego from Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the city of artists, San Francisco is the city of bohemians, and Sacramento is the city of conquerors, but San Diego is all of these at once. Located on the Pacific coast, its opulence represents the Californian spirit and pays homage to it with its large parks, art galleries, and numerous museums.

Visiting San Diego is one of the best things to see and do on your trip to Los Angeles. Separated by almost 200 kilometres, it is possible to visit it on day trips that include visits to other nearby cities such as Santa Barbara and La Jolla.

Below, I will tell you about the best options for exploring San Diego on one of the excursions from Los Angeles.

On these excursions with round-trip transportation and hotel pick-up in Los Angeles, you'll embark on a journey to Southern California, where you'll discover San Diego on a guided tour of its historic centre and iconic sites such as Balboa Park, home to the local zoo.

In San Diego, you'll discover a city with a Latin atmosphere, just a few kilometres from the US-Mexico border.

On the way back, you will also visit Coronado Island , home to the renowned Coronado Hotel, which has been used as the setting for several famous films and is considered the largest wooden building in the United States.

If you visit Los Angeles in the summer, you can watch a clear sunset over the Pacific on the return trip from San Diego and enjoy the mild climate, ideal for boat trips in the city

Interesting details

• Price of the excursion... Approximately £200 per person, including round-trip transportation with hotel pick-up, expert local guide assistance, and boat ride to Coronado Island.
• Duration of the excursion... Between 10 and 12 hours.
• Advantages of this excursion... It is one of the most complete day trip options for visiting San Diego from Los Angeles.

Group trips are very common on the Californian coast, so a private excursion to visit San Diego from Los Angeles can be a good option if you are travelling with other people.

On these tours, you will discover the historic heart of the city and other iconic sites, such as Little Italy and Balboa Park, home to the zoo and 17 museums.

On these private tours , you can also visit Santa Barbara, located just outside Los Angeles, one of the most exclusive places on the West Coast of the United States, especially in the Montecitos area .

You will have the assistance of an expert local guide throughout the visit and will travel in the comfort of a private vehicle, which is more comfortable than the hop-on hop-off tourist buses in Los Angeles or public transport.

On the way back to Los Angeles, you can also choose to visit Coronado Island for an extra cost to see the Coronado Hotel and enjoy one of the best views of San Diego. This private option is also ideal if you are visiting Los Angeles with children.

Details of interest

• Price of the excursion... Approximately £200 per person in groups of 10 visitors, including round-trip transfer with hotel pick-up in a private vehicle and the assistance of an expert local guide.
• Duration of the tour... Between 8 and 10 hours.
• Advantages of this tour... This is the most cost-effective and convenient option if you are travelling in a group because, in addition to seeing San Diego, you will also visit Santa Barbara.

On this comprehensive day trip from Los Angeles, you'll discover San Diego from the perspective of its main attractions.

You'll visit Balboa Park, the Coronado Bay Bridge, the Gaslamp Quarter and take a guided tour of the historic city centre on a trip that starts with a train ride from Los Angeles to Oceanside, where you'll board a bus to San Diego.

On these excursions , you can also visit La Jolla, a town halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego that is known for its beaches, golden sunsets and turf races. The return trip is by bus to Oceanside, where you will take the train back to Los Angeles.

On your return to Los Angeles, you can visit some of the city's best museums or take a helicopter tour, which is one of the best things to do in the city at night.

Details of interest

• Price of the tour... Approximately £175 per person, including train and bus transfers to and from San Diego and the services of a local guide.
• Duration of the tour... Between 10 and 12 hours.
• Advantages of this tour... It is the best option for exploring the Californian coast and La Jolla.

If you're looking for an affordable option or are touring the California coast on your own in a rental car, a self-guided tour could be the best way to travel the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to San Diego.

With this option, you can drive at your own pace and modify the itinerary suggested by the audio guide.

On these self-guided tours, you can start your trip in Los Angeles and head to San Diego, learning about the history and secrets of the places you visit along the way.

When you arrive at your destination, you'll explore the historic centre, Balboa Park and its unique features, as well as the outskirts of the city that marks the border between Mexico and the United States.

These tours last approximately 4 to 5 hours, but they are ideal if you are planning to stay in Los Angeles for a few days. If that is the case, here is a list of things to see and do in Los Angeles on a 3-day visit.

Details of interest

• Price of the tour... The self-guided tour costs approximately £10 and is charged per vehicle, not per passenger.
• Duration of the tour... Between 4 and 5 hours.
• Advantages of this excursion... It is the most economical option and allows you to travel at your own pace, especially if you are visiting Los Angeles for a short stay.

You can book excursions in advance online or once you arrive in the city.

If you plan to visit Los Angeles during Christmas or in the high season, I recommend booking excursions in advance to avoid last-minute price increases or tours selling out.

Keep in mind that you can also save time and money by booking tickets to attractions in advance if you want to visit some of the sites on the tour that are not included, as you can often get discounts or reduced rates.

The answer depends on the tour you choose, but keep in mind that the distance between Los Angeles and San Diego is about 200 kilometres, so all tours are full-day tours, except for the self-guided tour, which lasts between 4 and 5 hours, although you will need to add the return journey time to this.

Tours of San Diego that also include visits to other sites, such as Santa Barbara, La Jolla, Coronado Island and other cities on the Pacific Coast, last approximately 8 to 12 hours, so keep this in mind, especially if you are planning a short stay in the city or if you are planning to travel to Los Angeles in winter, when the days are shorter and it gets dark earlier.

On all the excursions , you will discover San Diego, one of the cities on the border between the United States and Mexico, and you will be able to explore the historic city centre, Balboa Park, home to the zoo, and the most famous neighbourhoods.

Most excursions also include visits to other cities located halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego.

For an additional cost, some tours also include a tour of Coronado Island, which is known for the Coronado Hotel, the largest wooden building in the United States. You can also experience the opulence of Santa Barbara, located just outside Los Angeles.

On the train tour, you can also visit La Jolla, a picturesque coastal town with beautiful beaches and golden sunsets, known for its turf races and summer homes.

San Diego is one of the most characteristic cities on the West Coast of the United States, so if you have the chance to take some time to explore it at your leisure, I recommend you do so.

This city will catch your eye with its colonial houses and historic centre, as well as the Latin atmosphere that fills its streets, as the border between San Diego and Tijuana is one of the busiest in the world.

I also recommend checking the best time to visit Los Angeles, and if you plan to travel during the summer or high season, book your tickets in advance as they tend to sell out or can increase in price if you book last minute.

The answer will depend on the excursion you choose, but full-day tours to visit San Diego and other cities halfway between Los Angeles cost on average between £150 and £200 per person, so they are not particularly cheap.

The cheapest option is the self-guided tour, which costs £10 per vehicle, not per person, although bear in mind that with this option you will only have navigation programmed for the tour you purchase.

If you buy your excursions in advance online, you can get discounts and, if you are travelling with children, in many cases you can get reduced rates, although the conditions will depend on each tour operator.

During the trip from Los Angeles to San Diego, you can visit some of the most iconic sites on the West Coast that are usually included in excursions, such as Santa Barbara, where you can take a tour of Hollywood celebrity homes, La Jolla and Coronado Island.

In San Diego, you can see the city's main attractions, such as the historic centre, Balboa Park and the most picturesque neighbourhoods of this Latin stronghold on the border between the United States and Mexico.

San Diego, along with Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco, is one of the main attractions on the US West Coast, so if you are visiting Los Angeles, you cannot miss this city, which is one of the landmarks of the Latino population in the United States.

It is also a city with a great colonial history, historic neighbourhoods and a large number of parks and gardens that will leave you in awe.

On the way between Los Angeles and San Diego, you can also visit other interesting cities, such as Santa Barbara, La Jolla and Coronado Island, home to one of the most unique hotels in the United States, built entirely of wood.

You can explore San Diego on your own, but on a guided tour you can save time and money and also have the constant assistance of an expert guide who will tell you about local history and show you the best places on the West Coast.

If you want to visit San Diego from Los Angeles on your own in a rental car , I recommend the self-guided tour, which will take you along the best roads of the California coast and to the most iconic sites in the city once you arrive at your destination.

On self-guided tours, you can also modify the itinerary to include stops in other cities that interest you along the way.