OLD TOWN
Where San Diego started, and the transit hub that gets you everywhere else.
STAYING HERE
BEST FOR
A half-day of history on foot, and the easiest free ride in from the airport.
WATCH OUT FOR
The restaurants on the main drag are built for visitors. The state park itself is free; the margaritas around it are not.
GETTING AROUND
Old Town Transit Center is one of the best-connected points in the county: Green and Blue Line trolleys, the COASTER, Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, MTS buses, and the free San Diego Flyer from the airport all stop here. You do not need a car in Old Town, and parking is the worst part of driving to it.
BUYING HERE
THE NUMBERS BEFORE THE OFFER
Median sale price
$940,000
Homes.com12 mo to 2026
ANSWERS THAT APPLY HERE
17 TIPS ABOUT OLD TOWN
Where to stay in San Diego: the best area for your trip, with hotel picks and prices
No car and first trip: Downtown or Little Italy. Beach vacation: Mission Beach, Pacific Beach or Coronado. Splurge and scenery: La Jolla or Del Mar. Tight budget: Old Town or Mission Valley, on the trolley.
Where to Stay · 11 min · checked 2026-10-03
The best sports bars in San Diego, by type: big-screen bars, dives, upscale lounges and the ones with good food
Novo Brazil and The Bullpen for giant screens, Bub's and Tom's Watch Bar by Petco, Harbor Town and Time Out for a neighborhood feel, Nason's for a nicer room, and Dirty Birds or Sandbar when the food matters.
Sports · 11 min · checked 2026-10-03
MCRD San Diego graduation guide: Family Day, Gate 5, ID rules and the schedule
Enter at Gate 5, 2200 W Washington St, from 6:30 a.m. Thursday's Family Day starts with the 8:15 a.m. Motivational Run, then liberty on the depot until 5:30 p.m. Friday's ceremony runs 10 to 11:30 a.m. Adults need REAL ID.
Military · 10 min · checked 2026-10-05
Living near Naval Base Point Loma: gates, neighborhoods and 2026 rents
Point Loma, Liberty Station and Ocean Beach put you 3 to 5 miles from Gate 6 on Rosecrans. Old Town and Mission Hills suit the NAVWAR Old Town Campus, and Clairemont trades a longer drive for lower rent.
Military · 10 min · checked 2026-10-05
Things to do after Marine graduation in San Diego, and what new Marines can and can't do
Family Day liberty stays on the depot. After Friday's ceremony, Marines start 10 days of leave on their orders. Nearby: Liberty Station, Old Town, Shelter Island, Cabrillo, the USS Midway (free for active duty), Seaport Village and OB.
Military · 10 min · checked 2026-10-05
Where to watch soccer in San Diego: Premier League pubs, Liga MX bars and San Diego FC
Bluefoot and Fairplay in North Park, Shakespeare Pub in Mission Hills and Princess Pub in Little Italy for Premier League mornings; El Chingon and South Bay bars for Mexico and Liga MX; 80+ official pub partners for San Diego FC.
Sports · 10 min · checked 2026-10-03
Where to watch your NFL team in San Diego: fan-club bars for every team we could find
Steelers at Break Point, Packers at Miss B's, Bears at 710 Beach Club, Vikings at Garage, Browns at The Tilted Stick, Bills at The Local PB, Chiefs at Kansas City Barbeque, and 14 more teams' home bars.
Sports · 10 min · checked 2026-10-03
Hotels near MCRD San Diego for graduation: 12 picks by area
Closest: Liberty Station's Homewood Suites, Courtyard, Hampton Inn and TownePlace; Harbor Island's Sheraton and Hilton; Old Town Inn and Western Inn for budget and Marine-family rates; Shelter Island for a splurge.
Where to Stay · 9 min · checked 2026-10-05
San Diego's most haunted places, and the real history behind the ghost stories
Start in Old Town: the Whaley House stands where a man was hanged in 1852, and El Campo Santo has graves under the street. Then the Hotel del's 1892 mystery guest, the 1863 Star of India and Villa Montezuma.
Hidden San Diego · 6 min · checked 2026-10-06
10 free things to do in San Diego that are actually worth it
Balboa Park's gardens, the Sunday organ concert, Sunset Cliffs, La Jolla's seals, shore whale watching, Mount Soledad, Old Town, Chicano Park, the Little Italy Mercato and Liberty Station. The usual catch is parking.
Free · 6 min · checked 2026-10-03
Día de los Muertos in San Diego 2026: where to go, and what's free
Old Town is the heart of it: altars, a street market and a candlelit procession to El Campo Santo cemetery, mostly free, October 31 to November 2. Barrio Logan, Sherman Heights and the San Diego Museum of Art hold free celebrations too.
Events & Holidays · 5 min · checked 2026-10-06
Presidio Park: the hilltop where San Diego began in 1769
Above Old Town, free 40-acre Presidio Park marks where Spain founded its first mission and fort on the West Coast in 1769. The Serra Museum there opens weekends 10 to 4 for a suggested $10 donation, with views to the ocean.
Hidden San Diego · 3 min · checked 2026-10-06
Where to mountain bike in San Diego, by skill level (and what's closed right now)
San Diego rides year-round, from flat fire roads to a 10-mile backcountry descent. Pick a trail by skill level below, check what's closed, stay off trails for 48 hours after rain, and carry more water than you think.
Outdoors · 7 min · checked 2026-10-07
COASTER vs. Amtrak: which train to take up the San Diego coast
For trips inside San Diego County, take the COASTER — it stops at eight stations from downtown to Oceanside for a flat $6.50 from October 1, 2026; take the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner if you're going beyond Oceanside or want a café car, and note that COASTER day and monthly passes work on the Surfliner between Oceanside and downtown.
Getting Around · 6 min · checked 2026-09-29
How big is the earthquake risk in San Diego, and do I need earthquake insurance?
Real but slow-moving: the Rose Canyon fault runs right under La Jolla, Old Town, downtown and Coronado and is capable of about a magnitude 6.9 quake, which it produces on average every ~700 years; standard homeowners and renters policies don't cover earthquake damage, so coverage means a separate policy, usually through the California Earthquake Authority.
Safety · 6 min · checked 2026-09-29
Do I need a car in San Diego?
For downtown, Old Town and the border, no. For the beaches, Balboa Park or Coronado, the Trolley does not go there — every one of those is a bus, usually with a transfer at Old Town.
Getting Around · 6 min · checked 2026-09-09
The cheapest way from the airport to downtown
MTS Route 992. It's $3.00 for adults ($1.50 reduced), runs every 15 minutes seven days a week, and takes about 15 minutes to Santa Fe Depot downtown.
Getting Around · 5 min · checked 2026-09-08
Official Realtor of San Diego Tips
Jocelyn Villatoro
Lead Agent, Josh Kim Team
DRE #02104648
Jocelyn Villatoro is the Lead Agent for the Josh Kim Team and has been successfully selling real estate in San Diego since 2019, with 8 years of experience.