Find the current weather conditions and forecast for the area of San Diego you will be visiting today. If you are making your first visit to San Diego, you should learn more about San Diego weather so you are prepared for your trip. For example, you will want to bring a light jacket or windbreaker if you plan to watch a baseball game downtown, especially if you are visiting from an area where you are used to a lot of heat and humidity.
Weather Forecasts for San Diego:
San Diego is known for having the best weather in the United States and one of the best climates in the world. It rarely gets too hot, never gets too cold, and averages only 10 inches of rain a year.
Even during the winter, San Diego can have perfect beach weather. When these perfect days occur, the local Union Tribune newspaper enjoys publishing pictures that contrast the weather between San Diego and the rest of the country.
Avoid Two Visitor Surprises:
Latest Traffic Updates: Visit the CALTRANS or SANDAG web sites or Call 511.
Right Turn on Red Lights: Allowed unless otherwise noted.
Cell Phone Use While Driving: Must use a hands-free device.
Park & Ride Lots: Map of lot locations and related information.
San Diego Traffic Overview
San Diego is a relatively modern city. Most of the area’s development took place after the interstate highway system was built. As a result, the width of highway construction was not constrained by earlier development, allowing the system to include at least 4 to 5 lanes going in each direction. Combined with the state highway system, most of San Diego can be reached in a short driving time from anywhere else in San Diego. If you ask someone how long it will take to get from point A to point B, the typical response will be 10 – 20 minutes. With the following exceptions and notes about common traffic choke points, that response should be quite accurate.
San Diego’s Lindbergh Field is the most tourist friendly airport in the country. The San Diego airport ranks #2 in the United States for customer service and is conveniently located adjacent to the tourist attractions in downtown San Diego. Flying non-stop to San Diego is a convenient option for most visitors, including those coming from New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, and Maui.
San Diego Transit Trip Planner – Plan your trip throughout western San Diego County on public transit.
Route Maps & Timetables – Select specific route maps for the Trolley, Coaster, Sprinter, MTS Buses (south of Del Mar, including most San Diego attractions) or NCTD Breeze Buses (Del Mar north to Oceanside).
Trolley Map , Coaster Map, Sprinter Map
Downtown Transit Map – Includes the Gaslamp Quarter, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, and Airport.
Expanded Transit Map – Includes Mission Bay, Old Town, Coronado, and Cabrillo National Monument.
Overview on San Diego Transit
Public Transit in San Diego is decent but not great for travelers. Buses, Trolleys, and Trains are generally clean and safe and as a group serve most of the major attractions. The local transit service offers a very helpful Transit Trip Planner, which is described below.
However, travelers that prefer to avoid buses will have a harder time relying on mass transit. Many attractions, especially those outside of Downtown San Diego, are not accessible by the Trolley. Some are accessible by trains but they run on a limited schedule. Continue reading below to find which major attractions are served by the Trolley and Trains in San Diego. You can then decide if you want to rely on transit to make the most of your experience in San Diego.
There are many resources for foreign visitors in San Diego. While traveling far from home, take comfort that there are many people from your country who now live in San Diego. They host cultural events and provide San Diego resources for fellow emigrants and visitors to San Diego.
You can find San Diego resources from the internet links below to help make you feel at home or find assistance if you need help. Come visit San Diego. It is a great international city where you will feel welcome and experience travel that you will remember for a lifetime.
There are several locations where foreign visitors can convert currency in San Diego. The main currency exchange company in San Diego is Travelex, the world’s largest retail operator. There are two locations at the San Diego Airport and several more throughout San Diego County. Their details and a currency converter are provided below.
Features: Get your cameras ready for taking lots of pictures in San Diego County. Learn what to expect, where to look for great photo opportunities, and where to go to address any camera problems you may have while visiting San Diego.
Smoke Free advocates have been successful at encouraging most attractions in San Diego to go Smoke Free. Maintained by the American Lung Association, the Smoke Free San Diego web site lists all of the Smoke Free zones in San Diego. They also note the number, and sometimes the location, of designated smoking areas. Below, you will find an overview of what to expect in San Diego for smokers and non-smokers.
Find your favorite radio station sorted by music format, news station, talk show, sports team, or Spanish language broadcast. Print it out and take it along for your drive through San Diego. Also, help keep this up-to-date by submitting changes using the form below.
It takes a little while for visitors from other time zones to get familiar with the San Diego TV times for their favorite shows and programs. I will describe some of the TV broadcast times below for network news, cable talk shows, sports, and prime time programming.
Stay current on the latest happenings in San Diego with our Daily Newspapers, Business Periodicals, Weeklies, and Monthlies. Most are available in print and online with the links below.
San Diego Magazine was the first city-focused lifestyle magazine in the country. Since its start in 1948, the magazine has continued to prosper as the most popular San Diego lifestyle magazine. However, there are now several San Diego lifestyle magazines published on a monthly basis. Each has a different focus which is described below.
San Diego offers a number of airports for private plane travel. Below, you will find general location information, Google Maps, and web site links for each of the airports.
Yellow Cab of San Diego – 1-619-234-6161 – Picks up in the City of San Diego, La Jolla, El Cajon, and nearby areas, but not Coronado.
Yellow Cab of North County – 1-760-722-4214 – Picks up in the North County area of San Diego including Oceanside, Carlsbad and Escondido.
Yellow Cab of Coronado – 1-619-542-1926 – Picks up on Coronado.
Orange Cab of San Diego – 1-619-223-5555 – Picks up in the City of San Diego, El Cajon, and other nearby areas, but not Coronado.
The Coronado Ferry is a great way to visit Coronado while enjoying San Diego Bay and the downtown skyline views. The Ferry is operated by San Diego Harbor Excursions and runs hourly each way throughout the day. It takes only 15 minutes to cross the bay from either the Fifth Avenue Landing behind the Convention Center or the Broadway Pier to the Coronado Ferry Landing Marketplace. The Hotel del Coronado is 1.5 miles from the Coronado Ferry Landing and can be reached by foot, bus, pedicab, or taxi.
A pedicab is a three or four wheeled bicycle carriage usually powered by a college student, many of whom are visiting from overseas. The pedicabs can generally carry two to four guests. They are a great option for getting around the crowded Gaslamp Quarter and East Village streets on weekend evenings. They are also a good choice to take to the San Diego Padres baseball games at Petco Park. You will see them around the downtown area and at major events. Cost depends on the number of passengers and generally ranges from $15 – $30 for a mile ride. You can also call one of the pedicab companies listed below to arrange for a tour.
Zipcar provides cars that can be rented by the hour or by the day. They have two locations in San Diego – the UCSD campus, which is near La Jolla Shores, Torrey Pines, and University City and the UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest, just a few miles north of downtown San Diego. Check for new San Diego locations on the Zipcar web site. You must apply to be a Zipcar member in advance. Learn more about Zipcar. If you are looking for Flex Car, the company was acquired by Zipcar.
A Segway is a personal transport vehicle. As long as you can stand comfortably, your motorized Segway will take you around town at about 6 – 9 mph. You can take a guided tour on Segways around San Diego or rent them for your own use. Listed below are the local Segway companies and the tours they offer.
Location: Oceanside (39 miles / 40 minutes North of Downtown San Diego); 1st Visitor Center in San Diego County when heading south on highway I-5 from Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
Hours: Generally open daily 9AM – 5PM.
Services: Professionally trained staff to assist with San Diego vacation plans, brochures, maps, and discount tickets.
Host: Oceanside Chamber of Commerce
Printable Oceanside Visitor Guide – 102 Things to Do – 2 pages.
Google Map
Location: Carlsbad (36 miles / 35 Minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: Generally open 9AM – 5PM Weekdays, 10AM – 4PM Saturdays, and 10AM – 3PM Sundays.
Services: Professionally trained staff and volunteers to assist with San Diego vacation plans, brochures, maps, and discount tickets.
Host: Carlsbad Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Printable Carlsbad Visitors Guide – 39 pages.
Google Map
Location: Escondido (33 miles / 35 minutes Northeast of Downtown San Diego); 1st Visitor Center in San Diego County when heading south on highway I-15 from San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
Hours: Generally open 8:30AM – 5PM Weekdays only.
Services: Professionally trained staff to assist with San Diego vacation plans, brochures, maps, and discount tickets.
Host: San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau
Request Visitor Guide for North County San Diego – 160 pages.
Google Map
(Read insider details…)
Location: La Jolla (13 miles / 20 minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: Generally open 10AM – 4PM on weekends and 11AM – 4PM on weekdays; Extended Hours during Summer.
Services: Professionally trained staff and volunteers to assist with San Diego vacation plans, brochures, maps, and discount tickets.
Host: San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau
Printable San Diego Visitor Planning Guide – 175 pages.
Google Map
Location: Mission Bay (7 miles / 8 minutes North of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: Generally open 9AM – 5PM with Extended Hours during Summer.
Services: Professionally trained staff to assist with San Diego vacation plans, brochures, maps, and discount tickets. Self service kiosk available for after hours tourists seeking maps, brochures, and information on accommodations and restaurants.
Host: Private Entity Established in 1969 – Oldest, Largest, and Most Visited Information Center in California
Google Map
Location: Coronado (6 miles / 15 Minutes South of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: Generally open 9AM – 5PM Weekdays and 10AM – 5PM Weekends.
Services: Professionally trained staff to assist with San Diego vacation plans, brochures, maps, and discount tickets.
Host: Coronado Historical Association
Printable Coronado Visitor Guide – 24 pages.
Google Map
Location: Alpine (35 Miles / 35 Minutes East of Downtown San Diego)
Hours: Generally open 10AM – 7PM.
Services: Professionally trained staff to assist with San Diego vacation plans, brochures, maps, and discount tickets.
Here are the Emergency Phone Numbers in San Diego for Medical, Health, Police and Natural Disaster Emergencies. There are also links to local emergency web sites that provide additional details and resources. As with most other cities, San Diego offers 9-1-1 service for Life Threatening Emergencies.
If you have a Medical Emergency, call 9-1-1 for an Ambulance. For other health care issues that need medical attention while you are visiting San Diego, you can get help at an Urgent Care Center. Listed below are Urgent Care Centers that are a part of the larger Medical Care Systems in San Diego.
If you have problems with your glasses or contact lenses when visiting San Diego, help is available. Here is a list of Optical Shops with Optometrists who can help you on a walk-in basis or who can schedule an appointment on short notice.
When visiting from out-of-town, it is hard to know where to start when you have a dental emergency. The last thing you need to do is spend time searching for a dentist who will take you as a walk-in. You can do a Google Search for Emergency Dentists but once you call around to the list of dentists provided by the Google Results, you find most do not accept walk-in appointments. After culling through the lists, here are some places to start when looking for San Diego Dentists who do accept walk-in patients or offer emergency care.
If your cat or dog gets sick when visiting San Diego, there are several 24-hour emergency animal hospitals available to assist you. Many of them are listed below to help you quickly find a veterinarian to treat your pet.
Find out what the locals know.
Top 10 Reasons San Diego is more than just a leisure destination.
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Hi: 62° F 53.0° Lo: 49° F |
Inland:
Mountains: 63° / 43° 51° / 37° Desert: Waves: 74° / 45° 4 Feet |
