The perfect itinerary for 36 hours in San Diego

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Oceanside cliffs and beaches along Point Loma Peninsula, in San Diego. Photo / John Francis Peters, the New York Times
This is how you make the most of 36 hours in San Diego, the South Californian city that’s a stone’s throw from the Mexico-United States border, writes Freda Moon.

Dripping with flowers, adorned
in murals and fronted by gorgeous beaches, San Diego in the United States is almost too pretty to be taken seriously. It excels at being underrated and overlooked.

But that’s changing fast, as new hotels, restaurants and arts institutions, including the US$85 million ($143m) Rady Shell, the San Diego Symphony’s summer stage, add depth to a city already flush with arty neighbourhoods.
Despite the changes, tradition holds strong in the “birthplace of California” (San Diego was the first permanent European settlement on the West Coast). The beloved Balboa Theatre, a former vaudeville venue, turns 100 this year, and Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ — the world’s largest outdoor pipe organ, over a century old — continues to draw crowds for free public concerts (every Sunday at 2pm).
READ MORE: Planning a trip to California, US: What to do in LA for first-timers
4.30pm | Enjoy happy hour
Start at one of the city’s best happy hours (3pm to 5pm, weekdays) at Ironside Fish and Oyster Bar. This Little Italy mainstay, with a giant papier-mache octopus above the dining room, hasn’t raised prices for its beautiful, fresh oysters (US$1 each) since it opened in 2014. There are other snacks, including a fried shrimp taco with spicy aioli (US$6), and a seasonal selection of US$8 cocktails. Don’t leave Little Italy without a scoop (starting at US$5.85 for a two-flavour cup) at Bobboi Natural Gelato, whose Sardinian chef, Monica Maccioni, studied at Universita del Gelato in Bologna. Exotic flavours are ever-changing, but one of the more traditional options, the pistacchio della California — made with organic nuts from Santa Barbara — is both rich and refreshingly herbaceous.
5.30 pm | See a waterfront show
Walk the waterfront en route to the Rady Shell, a gleaming white, hornlike concert venue that opened in 2021. Along the 3.2km stroll, admire the Maritime Museum’s Star of India — the world’s oldest active sailing ship, built in 1863, and the massive USS Midway Museum, housed in the longest-serving US aircraft carrier of the 20th century. Alternatively, hop on a pedicab for a wind-in-your-hair ride (US$10 to US$50, by distance). The Rady Shell, an acoustic dream in a peninsula park on San Diego Bay, hosts the San Diego Symphony as well as mainstream pop acts. Opt for either a table up front or, for a more affordable option, a bring-your-own-blanket or lawn chair spot on the lawn (tickets start at US$30).
9pm | Sneak away to 1920s Japan
Make reservations for a late post-show dinner at Callie, a splurge-worthy restaurant in the East Village, a 20-minute walk away, that celebrates Southern California ingredients with a Mediterranean-meets-Middle Eastern menu. Opened in 2021, Callie is a homecoming for chef Travis Swikard, who spent a decade in the kitchens of Daniel Boulud’s famed New York City restaurants. Try the kanpachi (greater amberjack) served on a vibrant green splash of zhoug-like hot sauce and dusted with black lime and avocado (US$29), or the local uni (sea urchin) on toast with jamon Iberico (US$29). After dinner, head around the corner to Bar Kamon. Hidden behind an unmarked door inside a Japanese bakery, this cocktail bar evokes 1920s Japan with dim lighting, rice-papered walls and whisky-centric drinks.
8am | Rise, shine and dine
Get to Cocina 35 Brunch early to beat the crush of multigenerational families celebrating milestone birthdays at the first full-service restaurant from this long-running local Mexican cafeteria chain. Cocina 35 has a following for its five varieties of chilaquiles (starting at US$21), crispy fried tortillas in a red or green chilli sauce with assorted toppings. Or skip brunch and head to Ocean Beach for a California burrito, one of San Diego’s quintessential dishes (carne asada, french fries, guacamole and more, US$15), to go from Mike’s Taco Club, a counter-service spot with bottle caps on the walls. Eat at the beach while watching the surfers and seagulls before walking south of the neighbourhood’s famous pier to explore tide pools full of sea anemones, crabs and more (best at low tide).
9.30am | Cruise to an island
Take the Flagship Ferry to Coronado, a beachy island city in San Diego Bay, for a quick cruise along the waterfront (US$8). Rent some wheels at Holland’s Bikes and Beyond to ride the island’s 9.5km of bike paths through charming neighbourhoods of bungalows and Craftsman homes to the powdery white sand of Coronado Beach. From there, travel along the boardwalk for a glimpse of the 1888 Victorian Hotel del Coronado, or “the Del”, which is undergoing a US$160m renovation set to be completed next northern spring. A non-guest can buy a day pass to visit the hotel’s beachside, Olympic-size Cabana Pool, which is heated year-round (starting at US$75 per adult, US$35 per child).
2pm | Visit the barrio
In Barrio Logan, a historic Mexican American neighbourhood, Chicano culture is celebrated in bilingual bookstores, galleries, street-art supply stores, record shops and new-school taquerias. First, get in line at Las Cuatro Milpas, an institution since 1933, which serves homestyle food from another era. While this counter-service restaurant is known for its rolled tacos, it’s the chorizo con huevos (US$5), a soupy mix of spiced sausage, egg and beans beneath a sheen of chilli oil, and the burrito-size tortillas, rich in lard and a delicate crust of flour, that you’re unlikely to have elsewhere. Then, cross Cesar Chavez Parkway to Chicano Park. Established in 1970, after a 12-day occupation of the site at the height of California’s Chicano civil rights movement, this national historic landmark features more than 100 outdoor murals — the country’s largest collection — depicting cultural figures central to the neighbourhood.
3.30pm | Hit the heights
Walk uphill on Cesar Chavez to Bread and Salt (closes at 4pm), a former bread factory converted into a community art centre, with galleries, studios, a cafe and sculpture garden. This experimental space, in Logan Heights, is a place to wander and be surprised. Afterwards, go next door to Mujeres Brew House, a rare brewery owned by women in a city filled with great beer. Serving micheladas (a beer cocktail, typically with some combination of Clamato or tomato juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce and lime) and a line-up of refreshing cervezas. Mujeres’ brightly hued patio often features a taco cart and live music.
5pm | Fill your suitcase
For Southern California-style souvenirs, head to Bad Madge and Co, an exuberant vintage shop in South Park that leans heavily into a 1960s and ‘70s riot of colour in its clothing offerings and a midcentury housewares aesthetic that includes an impressive collection of ceramic tiki glasses. Opened in 2015, Verbatim Books, in North Park, is a warehouse-size used-book store that has become a local institution. It’s a mural-adorned cathedral to literature, with soaring ceilings and quirky corners that feel like altars (one to Stephen King, another to vintage Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew). On the next block is Pigment, a colour-themed gift and decor shop with a DIY succulent-arrangement station that evokes year-round sunshine.
8pm | Get a taste of Spain
Mabel’s Gone Fishing has the unfussiness of a neighbourhood restaurant, but with a citywide following that demands reservations. With its long, perpetually packed bar, where gin and tonics (US$16) and tapas (from US$9) are king, this sultry Spanish-style restaurant is date night incarnate. Sit at the chef’s counter if you want to sweat while watching onions char and fish sizzle in glistening oil in the restaurant’s frenetic open kitchen. The menu changes based on the availability of local seafood and seasonal produce, but the Basque cheesecake (US$16) is a reliable end-of-meal hit.
10pm | Bowl at the bar
Across the 30th Street, Part Time Lover is a surprise. Behind a facade that only nods at what’s inside, this beautiful, low-lit listening room and bar has a rich wood interior with Art Deco and Craftsman detailing. The in-house record store, at the back of the bar, supplies an eclectic mix of music for the hi-fi system. Then, end the evening with a game at the retro-fabulous Lafayette Hotel, where the Gutter offers a two-lane bowling alley (US$50 per group, up to six people), along with shuffleboard, a pool table and cocktails.
8am | Hike among wildflowers
In South Park, pick up a breakfast sandwich — a cheddar-and-garlic-chive gougere (a savoury French pastry) with a fried egg and arugula (US$11) — and coffee to go from Secret Sister, so you can hit the trails early. Add a sourdough doughnut, with seasonally changing flavours (local passion fruit is a favorite, US$5), for a mid-hike pick-me-up. Then, drive to Oakoasis County Preserve, about half an hour from downtown’s skyscrapers. The preserve’s partly shaded 4km loop has just enough elevation change to offer a modest workout, with an ever-changing landscape that includes wildflowers, oak trees and a meandering creek. About halfway, there’s a detour to a large boulder where you can sit above the chaparral and look out over San Vicente Reservoir.
11am | Brunch without booze
For lunch, drive to the coast for a revitalising, booze-free brunch at Atelier Manna in Leucadia. Its modestly sized outdoor dining room serves a mix of dishes with big, fresh flavours, including a gorgeous halibut ceviche topped with a tangle of herbs and chilli (US$23), and a thick slice of miche bread topped with boquerones (fresh anchovies) and a ramp dressing (US$18). In place of mimosas and Bloody Marys, Atelier Manna serves sophisticated mocktails it calls vitality tonics (from US$8). Then, walk up the hill to Leucadia State Beach, where you can climb down the cliff-clinging staircase to stroll on a shoreline of colourful pebbles while pelicans soar overhead.
12.30pm | Go green
One of the world’s great urban greenspaces, Balboa Park, at 485ha, is bigger than Central Park in New York and Millennium Park in Chicago combined. Best known for the exceptional San Diego Zoo, the park has 18 museums and dozens of other attractions. The Mingei International Museum (entry US$15, under-18 free) reopened in 2021 after a three-year, US$55m renovation; it celebrates global folk art and crafts, with exhibits highlighting practices such as tea services, beadwork, and quilting. It also has a piece by Niki de Saint Phalle, a French artist who spent her final years in Southern California and created the kaleidoscopic open-air mosaic installation Queen Califia’s Magical Circle in Escondido, a city 30 minutes north of San Diego (it’s worth a private tour on your drive out of town; schedule in advance).
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to San Diego with one stopover, with Delta, or Air NZ and United Airlines on Star Alliance codeshare basis.
DETAILS
visitcalifornia.com
Spend an afternoon in Barrio Logan, a historic Mexican American neighbourhood, for tacos at Las Cuatro Milpas, a remarkable collection of murals at Chicano Park, an innovative art gallery at Bread and Salt and micheladas at Mujeres Brew House.
Take the ferry to Coronado, an island city in San Diego Bay, to ride a bike to Coronado Beach and the Hotel del Coronado, a Victorian-era hotel with a star-studded history.
Mike’s Taco Club features an excellent rendition of one of San Diego’s distinctive dishes, the french-fry-and-carne-asada-filled California burrito.
The Rady Shell is a dynamic new waterfront concert hall.
Ironside Fish and Oyster Bar has one of the city’s best happy hours, with US$1 oysters and other seafood-centric snacks and drinks.
Bobboi Natural Gelato serves seasonally changing flavours in a gorgeous Little Italy shop.
Secret Sister is a tea shop and sourdough bakery ideal for a quick bite near Balboa Park.
Mabel’s Gone Fishing serves Spanish-inspired food and gin-based cocktails in a stylish North Park space.
Atelier Manna is quintessentially Southern California, offering patio-only dining with big, fresh flavours and sophisticated non-alcoholic drinks.
Cocina 35 Brunch attracts crowds for its Mexican breakfast staples, including five kinds of hangover-soothing chilaquiles.
Bar Kamon serves immaculate Japanese-inspired cocktails in a tranquil, low-lit space.
The Gutter offers late-night bowling in the wildly stylish Lafayette Hotel.
The 1926 La Valencia Hotel, a San Diego historic landmark terraced into the hills of La Jolla, is a worthy beachfront alternative to Hotel del Coronado during its renovation. Rooms start at about US$550.
With its gorgeous swimming pool, an over-the-top lobby and several restaurants, bars and nightlife spots (including a bowling alley and a live-music space), the Lafayette Hotel is much more than a place to sleep. Rooms start at US$228.
Humphreys Half Moon Inn, on Shelter Island, a man-made peninsula, is a family friendly resort with a large pool, lawns and a vibe that evokes mid-century Hawaii. Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, a 1400-seat outdoor stage belonging to the hotel, attracts touring acts from April to October. Rooms start at about US$200.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Freda Moon
Photos by: John Francis Peters
©2023 THE NEW YORK TIMES
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