San Diego

[albones456]

Has anyone traveled to San Diego before? I'll be spending a long wkd there and I'm wondering if I need to rent a car. We'll be staying downtown and I don't know what the taxi/train/shuttle situation is. I'm sorry this isn't cruise related but consider it a compliment that this is the only travel forum I trust!

[killtheump]

You might get better answers on the West Coast Departure board.

[IDKaren]

San diego has a wonderful trolley system that from downtown csn take u anywhere you might want to go...taxis are plentiful also. You are close to Balboa park with SO many things to do! Close to the harbor and lots of fun stuff in downtown! Enjoy!:)

[BND]

We were there in 2007 and did not rent a car. We used taxis, train/trolley and buses to get everywhere. We went to the zoo, Sea World and out to dinner in a couple of different places in town. We also took the water taxi to Coronado and walked across the island the the Del Coronado Hotel. We stayed in the Manchester Grand Hyatt down near the Marina and Seaport Village for 4 days. Very convenient.

[sjb317]

Train was very cheap & easy to use when we were there two years ago. You might consider going to the "Old Town" area, lots of restaurants & tourist type shops.

 

Sherri:)

[Erik101]

Based on where you are staying, the only benefit you have to using a rental car would be if you wanted to visit other places where a car would be useful such as LA, Tijuana, etc. I stayed in La Jolla while in SD, did not have a car and found the bus very convenient.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Erik101

[spookwife]

Has anyone traveled to San Diego before? I'll be spending a long wkd there and I'm wondering if I need to rent a car. We'll be staying downtown and I don't know what the taxi/train/shuttle situation is. I'm sorry this isn't cruise related but consider it a compliment that this is the only travel forum I trust!

 

rent a car. the public transportation is spotty at best unless you are staying in say Gaslamp . you can walk to most things although Balboa Park( the Zoo, some nice museums, etc) you would need to drive or use the public transportation.

 

if you want to hit La Jolla, you will DEFINITELY need a car. same with the WAP/Safari Park ,which is about 45 minutes outside of Town, or Sea World.

[bowbiter]

Been there and had a rental car through work. Using the public transportation system was easier for the typical touristy things. Plus the weather is usually great so I enjoyed the excuse for extra walking.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app

[Splinter]

It depends on what you plan to do. The trolley (light rail) does not go "everywhere", in fact it goes to very limited locations. It does not go to the beach areas (including La Jolla and Coronado), Sea World, Balboa Park, the Zoo, or the Zoo Safari Park for example. City buses do, but can take some time.

 

If you only plan to see Old Town, Little Italy, the Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village, and the Midway/Maritime Museum, and are staying in a hotel quite close to the Embarkadero, Marina district, or Gaslamp, you don't need a car. Otherwise, consider renting a car just for one day when you want to go to the areas above. Cabs can get expensive pretty quick. That being said, a cab from the airport to a downtown hotel should not run you more than $15.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Splinter

[albones456]

Thank you all. Haven't chosen a hotel yet but flights are booked and we're definitely staying in the gaslamp district. Judging by your replies and research I've done, I think we'll get by fine without the car. Especially when I read that some hotels charge upwards of $30 a night to park. We've been discussing renting a sports car / convertible for the last day to cruise the coast

[Splinter]

That sounds like a good idea. Consider driving the 59 mile San Diego Scenic drive, or at least portions of it:

 

http://www.sandiego.org/articles/tours-sightseeing/san-diegos-59-mile-scenic-drive.aspx

 

And yes, parking at downtown hotels can be quite expensive.

[kenish]

We've been discussing renting a sports car / convertible for the last day to cruise the coast

 

Good idea- even if public transit goes where you need, sometimes the trip times are long and will consume valuable vacation time. SD Transit has a lot of trip planning websites to get an idea of the time and cost involved for comparison to driving.

 

If you're traveling before July, keep your car options open. The typical weather pattern is "May gray" and "June gloom"...a coastal overcast that rolls in during the evening and burns off from inland to the coastline in the morning. The burn-off doesn't happen along the beach until 10-11am at the earliest, and some days it never burns off. It can be 60 and foggy at the beach at noon, while 5 miles inland it's sunny and 85. No need to pay extra for a convertible if the weather isn't cooperating.

 

That said, our weather has been atypical this year (you probably heard about the fires and 100 degree temps last week which usually is September conditions). This week is more normal.

Edited May 20, 2014 by kenish