If you only have a couple hours and you want to see as much of San Diego as you can, then this is the route for you! The more time you have, the more locations you can stop at to explore.

The route starts off in the famous Old Town area of San Diego. You’ll be able to see historic buildings from when San Diego was founded. You’ll also see examples of Victorian houses that were relocated to Old Town as part of a preservation initiative.

Once you leave Old Town, the route will take you towards downtown and up W Laurel Street and then across the iconic Cabrillo Bridge into the famous Balboa Park. Here you can see numerous museums including the Natural History Museum, Comicon Museum, Mingei, and Air & Space Museum. Many of the gorgeous buildings were built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. The park is named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the first European to cross Central America and see the Pacific Ocean.

If you have time, we recommend parking and walking around the plaza and down El Prado. If you don’t feel like going into any of the museums, you can check out the Spanish Village Art Center located at the east end of El Prado and to the north. And don’t forget, the World Famous San Diego Zoo is also located here in Balboa Park, just north of the museums.

From Balboa Park, you will pass by the beautiful San Diego downtown and go across the Coronado Bay Bridge. The Bridge was opened in 1969 and at the time you’d pay $0.60 to cross the bridge each way. You no longer have to pay tolls. While you’re crossing the bridge, you’ll see a gorgeous view of Coronado and the Pacific Ocean in front, the San Diego downtown to the right, and the South Bay area to the left.

At the bottom of the bridge, the route will take you through a little slice of Coronado neighborhood heaven and then you’ll go past the Coronado Ferry landing. Folks can take the Ferry from here to two areas in downtown San Diego. There are lots of cute restaurants and shops here and you can park in one of the municipal lots to check out this charming area, complete with fantastic views of downtown San Diego.

The route will then take you down Orange Avenue. This is the main thoroughfare for Coronado. You’ll go past a park and hit the main commercial district for Coronado. We highly recommend parking here and checking out the shops, and the famous Hotel Del Coronado. You will probably find the Hotel Del very familiar as it was in numerous movies, including the classic, Some Like it Hot with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon. Once you get the Hotel Del, be sure to go to the beach. Coronado Beach is one of the best beaches in the world and if you look closely, you’ll see gold flecks in the sand by the water (it’s not really gold though but you’ll certainly feel rich walking through that fine sand).

On the way back to San Diego, the route will take you through more charming neighborhoods of Coronado before we pop back onto the bridge. The North Island Naval Air Station increases traffic to the bridge between 2-6pm, Mon – Fri, so try to avoid that commute time if you can. On the way back, you’ll see some of the mountains of San Diego County in front of you, in addition to Petco Park (home of the San Diego Padres), and the unique San Diego Public Library (look for the dome shape next to Petco Park).

On this final leg of the route, you’ll pass by lots of businesses that face the bay, including the convention center (where Comicon is held every year), and numerous hotels. As an option, you can take a quick detour through the Gaslamp before looping back on onto Harbor Drive. As you cross Kettner Blvd, you’ll see an entrance on your left for Seaport Village. There are lots of storefronts and restaurant options in Seaport Village, as well as boat rentals and other activities, so it’s definitely worth a stop.

You’ll continue down Harbor Drive where you’ll see the famous USS Midway and several ships that are now museums. If you sign up for a San Diego Bay boat tour, you will most likely be departing from this area. The Embarcadero is one of the most beautiful areas in San Diego County. The area is idealic, as you can see the beautiful bay and also watch planes land at the airport nearby. As the route finishes, you’ll pass by the Waterfront Park, which is next to the San Diego County Administration Building.

The route finishes in Little Italy. Some of San Diego’s best restaurants are located in this popular San Diego neighborhood. Try some gelato or relax at a café overlooking the piazza.

Enjoy the route and welcome to San Diego!