TIPS
Local know-how for San Diego — where to go, what it costs, what trips people up — checked against the agency, the dataset or the law that decides it, and dated so you can see how fresh it is.
32 tips · showing 1–15
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.
City hotel tax11.75-13.75%
The big free holiday events in San Diego, December 2026
December Nights in Balboa Park (Fri–Sat, Dec 4–5), the Mission Bay Parade of Lights (Sat, Dec 12) and the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights (Sundays, Dec 13 and 20) are all free; the Holiday Bowl is Monday, December 28 at Snapdragon Stadium.
December NightsDec 4–5 · free
Why are fish tacos such a San Diego thing?
Because Baja California is next door. Fish tacos came north from the beach stands of Baja, and Ralph Rubio made them famous here after opening the first Rubio's in Pacific Beach in 1983.
OriginBaja California
5 beach walks worth doing in San Diego
Coronado Central Beach to Dog Beach, the Mission Beach to Pacific Beach boardwalk, La Jolla Shores to Black's Beach, Torrey Pines State Beach to Del Mar, and the Carlsbad seawall. Time the sand walks for low tide.
Longest3.2 mi
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.
Airport to downtownRoute 992, $3.00
Halloween in San Diego 2026: what's on, from toddler-friendly to genuinely scary
Little kids: SeaWorld Spooktacular, LEGOLAND Brick-or-Treat and the Zoo's HalGLOWeen, all included with admission. A real scare: Howl-O-Scream or Balboa Park's Haunted Trail. The Haunted Hotel and Scream Zone are off this year.
HalloweenSat, Oct 31
Where to have a beach bonfire in San Diego
In a city fire ring, first-come first-served, free. On the ocean beaches that means La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach by Belmont Park and Ocean Beach in summer — but Mission Bay has far more rings and keeps them year-round.
CostFree
Wreck Alley and the HMCS Yukon: San Diego's wreck dives, explained
Wreck Alley is a cluster of deliberately sunk ships about 2 miles off Mission Beach, reached only by boat. The star is the 366-foot Canadian destroyer HMCS Yukon, sunk in 2000 and lying on its side in about 100 feet of water.
HMCS Yukon366 ft long
Are San Diego beaches lifeguarded in winter?
Yes, but only at the City's permanent stations — Ocean Beach, South Mission, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, North Pacific Beach, Children's Pool, La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores — generally from 9 a.m. to dusk; the extra summer towers come down after the season.
Year-round stations (City list)8
Can you go metal detecting on San Diego beaches?
On City of San Diego beaches, generally yes: the city's beach rules don't ban detectors. State beaches set rules park by park, so call first, and Cabrillo National Monument bans even carrying one. Fill your holes.
City beachesGenerally OK
Can you ride an e-bike or scooter on the Mission Beach boardwalk?
No. Since 2020 San Diego has banned e-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards and other motorized devices on the Mission Beach and Pacific Beach boardwalk, Bayside Walk and the La Jolla Shores boardwalk. Pedal bikes are fine.
Banned sinceMarch 2020
Grunion runs in San Diego: when the fish come ashore, and when you can catch them
On spring and summer nights after the highest tides, from March to August. April through June is look-only; in March, July and August you can catch up to 30 by hand with a license. CDFW posts each year's dates in advance.
SeasonMar–Aug
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.
Venues20
When is stingray season in San Diego, and what do you do if you get stung?
Summer, especially June to August in warm water, though warm fall days count too. 2026 is near-record: lifeguards treated 1,200+ stings by mid-August. Shuffle your feet, and if you're stung, soak in hot water at a lifeguard tower.
PeakJun–Aug
Where can you borrow a free beach wheelchair in San Diego?
At lifeguard stations around the county. The City lends manual and power beach chairs free at Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla Shores, Ocean Beach and Mission Bay; Coronado, Imperial Beach, Del Mar and Oceanside have them too.
CostFree
