🦭 Destination guide

San Diego

A mild city with a serious zoo. June can be gray in the morning. September and October are the warmer ocean months.

Best time to visit

When to go, written in our own words. Highlighted months are the ones we would book first.

Month	What we would expect
Jan	Fine for the zoo. The ocean is cool. Bring a layer for the evening.
Feb	Still a zoo month. Beaches are walks more than swims.
Mar	Wildflowers inland, mild in town. A good month that is not a secret.
Apr	A month we would book. Warm days, cool nights.
May	The marine layer starts to show up in the morning.
Jun	June Gloom is a real morning. The zoo does not care. The beach might.
Jul	Warmer, busier, and still not a humid Gulf day.
Aug	The ocean is finally pleasant. Hotels notice.
Sep	Often the warmest ocean month. A month we would book.
Oct	Still warm enough for Coronado. A good couple week.
Nov	Quieter. Evenings want a light jacket.
Dec	Holiday lights in the park and a zoo that still works in a sweater.

Value

Old Town hotel plus the zoo.

Moderate

Bahia on Mission Bay.

Deluxe

Hotel del Coronado, standard room.

Per person per day, computed from 3 public TopVacay trips in San Diego. Planning ranges from those itineraries, not a live quote.

Low$176

Middle$197

High$375

Old Town

The value hotel is the Hacienda, with a trolley toward the zoo.

Mission Bay

Bahia Resort is the moderate family stay, on the bay rather than the ocean.

Coronado

Hotel del Coronado is the deluxe couple stay. The ferry is the arrival in that plan.

Ranked by how many public trips here include them. Lodging, flights, and transfers are left out of the count.

Is the zoo a full day?

Yes for ages 5–9. These plans do not add a second museum after it.

Do we need a car?

The Old Town plan can use the trolley for the zoo. Coronado and La Jolla are easier with a car, and the car is not in the total.