Mission Bay, just north of downtown, has an extensive shorefront park with two family amusement facilities Sea World and Belmont Park.

The Old Town section of San Diego to the northeast includes six square blocks of historic buildings restored to their colonial splendour. There are a lot of restaurants, clubs, boutiques and souvenir shops in the Old Town area. A bit further north along the shore lies the beautiful seaside community of La Jolla with its up-scale shops and exclusive hillside homes.

Any trip to San Diego should include a visit to the beaches on Coronado Peninsula and a stroll through the historic Coronado hotel. Balboa Park can occupy several days of sightseeing in the numerous museums and the world renowned Zoo. A trip to old town San Diego including a tour of the Junipero Serra museum and the reconstructed Mission San Diego will occupy another day. For the more adventuresome, there are fishing excursions, hot air balloon rides, and even air combat experiences.

The main shopping district in downtown centres on the architecturally unique Horton Plaza Shopping Centre and the Gas Lamp Quarter. Small shops and boutiques are also found along the Embarcadero especially at the Fisherman's Village. There are numerous small shops in the Old Town district. The more serious bargain hunters will wish to visit the suburban Mission Valley Shopping Centre and Fashion Valley Shopping centre in Mission Valley, the Grossmont Centre in La Mesa or the La Jolla Village Square.

The Mexican City of Tijuana is just ten miles south of downtown San Diego. It is famous for its bargain shopping and wild nightlife. Many native handicrafts, especially leather goods, silver jewellery, pottery and hand woven textiles are available in numerous shops and from thousands of street vendors.

When driving into Mexico, you may be required to purchase additional auto insurance and the traffic delays at the border crossing can sometimes be quite long. It is easier to take the tram from downtown San Diego to the border and walk across to Tijuana. You can also drive to the border and park your car in one of the large parking lots on the US side, then take a bus to downtown Tijuana. Be careful when purchasing food and drink from street vendors as the standards of cleanliness are sometimes far less than you may expect.