Day Trips to San Diego from Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the city of artists, San Francisco the city of bohemians and Sacramento the city of conquerors, but San Diego is the city of all of them at the same time. Located on the Pacific coast, it represents the Californian spirit with its opulence and worships 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's possible to explore it on day trips that include visits to other nearby cities such as Santa Barbara and La Jolla.

Here are the best ways to get to know San Diego with one of the day trips from Los Angeles.

On these round-trip tours with hotel pick-up and drop-off in Los Angeles, you'll embark on a journey to Southern California, where you'll get to know 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 get to know a city with a Latin atmosphere, just a few kilometres from the US-Mexico border.

On the way back you'll also visit Coronado Island, home to the renowned Coronado Hotel, which was used as a set for several famous films and is considered the largest wooden American building in the country.

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 also enjoy the mild weather, ideal for boat rides in the city.

Details of interest

• Price of tour... Approximately 225 euros per person, including hotel pick-up and drop-off, expert local guide and boat ride to Coronado Island.
• Duration of the excursion... Between 10 and 12 hours.
• Advantages of this tour... One of the most complete day trip alternatives to visit San Diego from Los Angeles.

Group tours are very common on the Californian coast so a private tour of San Diego from Los Angeles can be a good option if you're travelling with others.

On these tours you'll get to see the historic heart of the city and other landmarks such as Little Italy and Balboa Park, which houses the zoo and 17 museums.

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

You will be accompanied throughout the tour by an expert local guide and you will travel in the comfort of a private vehicle, which allows you to travel more comfortably than in Los Angeles hop-on-hop-off tour buses or public transport.

On the way back to Los Angeles you can also choose at an extra cost to visit Coronado Island to see the Coronado Hotel and get 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 tour... Approximately 220 euros per person in groups of 10 visitors, including transfer to and from the hotel 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 comfortable option if you are travelling in a group because in addition to visiting San Diego you will also visit Santa Barbara.

On this full day tour from Los Angeles you will discover San Diego through the eyes of its major sites.

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

On these tours you can also see La Jolla, a town halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego noted for its golden beaches, golden sunsets and turf racing. The return is by bus to Oceanside, where you take the train back to Los Angeles.

On the way back 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 euros per person including transfers by train, bus to and from San Diego and the assistance of a local guide.
• Duration of tour... Between 10 and 12 hours.
• Advantages of this tour... This is the best way to see the Californian coast and La Jolla.

If you're looking for a budget option or are touring the Californian coast on your own in a rental car, a self-guided tour might 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 excursion from Los Angeles to San Diego, while learning the stories and secrets of the sites you visit along the way.

When you arrive at your destination, you'll see the historic downtown area, Balboa Park and its special 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 can be ideal if you are planning a stay of a few days in Los Angeles. If that's your case, here's a list of things to see and do in Los Angeles in a 3-day visit.

Details of interest

• Price of the tour... The self-guided tour costs approximately 10 euros and is charged per vehicle, not per passenger.
• Duration of the tour... 4 to 5 hours.
• Advantages of this tour... This is the most economical alternative and allows you the autonomy to manage your own pace, especially if you are visiting Los Angeles for a short stay.

You can book tours in advance online or book them once you are in the city.

If you plan to visit Los Angeles during the Christmas or peak season months I recommend that you book tours in advance to avoid last minute price increases or sold out tours.

Note that you can also save time and money by pre-booking attraction tickets in case you want to get into 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 bear in mind that the distance between Los Angeles and San Diego is about 200 kilometres, so all tours are full day tours, except the self-guided tour which takes 4-5 hours, although you'll need to add the return journey time to that time.

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

All tours will take you to San Diego, which is one of the cities on the border between the USA and Mexico, and will take you through the historic city centre, Balboa Park which houses the zoo and the most famous neighbourhoods.

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

For an extra 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, which is located just outside Los Angeles.

On the train tour you can also visit La Jolla, a picturesque seaside town with beautiful beaches and golden sunsets, and is known for its turf racing 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.

It is a city that will catch your attention for its colonial houses and its historic centre and also for the Latin atmosphere that fills its streets, since the border between San Diego and Tijuana is one of the busiest in the world.

I also advise you to check the best time to visit Los Angeles, and if you plan to travel during the summer months or high season, book your tickets in advance as they tend to sell out or can go up in price if you book at the last minute.

The answer will depend on the tour you choose, but full-day tours to San Diego and other cities halfway from Los Angeles cost on average between 175 and 225 euros per person, so they are not particularly cheap.

The cheapest option is the self-guided tour, which costs 10 euros per vehicle, not per person, although note that this option will only give you the scheduled navigation for the tour you buy.

If you buy your tours in advance online you can get discounts and if you are travelling with children you can often get reduced rates, although the conditions will depend on each tourist service provider.

On the drive from Los Angeles to San Diego you can visit some of the most iconic West Coast sites that are often included on tours, such as Santa Barbara, which is the equivalent of a tour of Hollywood celebrity homes, La Jolla and Coronado Island.

In San Diego you can see the city's main sites such as the historic downtown, Balboa Park and the most picturesque neighbourhoods of this Latin bastion on the US-Mexico border.

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

It is also a city with a great colonial history, with historic neighbourhoods and a wealth 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, which is home to one of the most special hotels in the United States, built entirely out of wood.

You can tour 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 the 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 a self-guided tour, which will take you along the best roads along the Californian coast and to the city's most iconic sites once you arrive at your destination.

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