San Diego
What you need to know before you go
Visitors to San Diego can explore popular destinations like the zoo and the hip Gaslamp Quarter. Kids can let off steam at the Balboa Park Carousel, while art lovers can enjoy a relaxing stroll through Chicano Park, which features colorful murals and quirky sculptures.
Aspiring botanists will love Balboa Park’s Desert Garden, a 2.5-acre attraction with 1,300 plants, and the Japanese Friendship Garden, a 12-acre urban oasis complete with a tea garden and koi ponds. You can also relax Southern California-style with a tasting session at Bernardo Winery in Rancho Bernardo, the state’s oldest winery.
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More information about San Diego
The hardest part of a San Diego city break is deciding what to do. This Southern California beach town is well known for its expansive beaches and laid-back surf culture, but there's plenty more to do off the sand. Book a San Diego Hotel and enjoy the culture and flavours of this border city.
Sun and surf
In San Diego, the beach is a way of life, whether you’re sunbathing on a sandy stretch or snorkelling in La Jolla Cove. The mild weather makes every day a perfect day to enjoy the ocean. Active San Diegans surf, sail or bodyboard on the waves. Outside the water, there's plenty of golden sand for running, playing volleyball or just building a sandcastle.
Shopping alfresco
The warm weather makes outdoor shopping the norm in San Diego. The bayside shops of Seaport Village are a great place to kick off your San Diego city break. Pick up a new bathing suit, a new T-shirt or a floppy hat from one of the 50-plus stores here. Or head over to the post-modern Westfield Horton Plaza in the Gaslamp Quarter downtown for designer shops and urban colour.
Animals and theme parks
Set aside a day to visit the pandas, elephants and koalas in the San Diego Zoo. To see wildlife in more natural habitats, take the tram tour of the Wild Animal Park. Lovers of marine mammals get splashed by the animal antics of the dolphins and whales at SeaWorld. Families can enjoy the rides and attractions at Legoland California.
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