Downtown San Diego is a truly beautiful city with some of the best tourist attractions in California. This vibrant city is packed with the right amount of colors, tastes, sounds, and adventure for anyone looking for a fun-filled day or nightlife experience.
In this guide, we provide a carefully curated list of exciting things to see and do in Downtown San Diego.
For a One-of-a-Kind Daytime Experience
Catch San Diego’s old-fashioned trolley car to some of Downtown San Diego’s cultural attractions, including the San Diego Zoo, Petco Park, Spanish Village Art Center, and Balboa Park.
For Authentic Local Flavor
If you’re looking for a great place to wine and dine in Downtown San Diego, we strongly recommend visiting San Diego’s Little Italy district, which is located north of downtown. It is well-known as a hub for celebrity-chef restaurants, Italian foods, large outdoor patios, craft brew stops, and urban wineries.
Here are our top picks from there:
- Waterfront Bar & Grill
- Princess Pub and Grille
- Pali Wine Co.
- Filippi’s Pizza Grotto
- Mimmo’s Italian Village
For a Memorable Nightlife Experience
Gaslamp Quarter, where modern skyscrapers meet Victorian-era architecture, is the place to go if you want an unforgettable nightlife experience in Downtown San Diego.
The 16-square walkable blocks of Gaslamp are lined with more than 100 of San Diego’s finest music venues, wine bars, hot nightclubs, restaurants, beer pubs, symphony halls, underground lounges, sky-high rooftop bars, and jazz clubs.
You’ll find a spot that pleases your unique kind of party animal without the need for a long and tiring search.
For Some Retail Therapy
If you wish to indulge in retail therapy, check out Downtown San Diego’s shopping complex, Seaport Village. The village spans over 14-acres of land and is packed with local shops, fashion and beauty stores, art galleries, pizza shops, seafood markets, fine-dining restaurants, eateries, household decor stores, tasting rooms, etc.
Seaport Village is adjacent to San Diego’s Bay and Tuna Harbor, so you’ll get to shop till you drop while admiring a lovely view of the waterfront.
The Horton Plaza in Downtown San Diego is the best place to go if you’d love to do some outdoor shopping.
For Some Entertainment
Located east of Downtown San Diego is Barrio Logan, the heart of San Diego’s Mexican-American culture. You can explore the historic Chicano Park, which houses the world’s largest collection of Chicano murals, or visit the many art galleries, cultural restaurants, and music venues.
And if you go South, you’ll arrive at East Village, the largest urban community in Downtown San Diego. It is the best place to go if you are looking for a bustling social scene with many luxury hotels, underground lounges, high-energy clubs, playgrounds, and all kinds of exciting games.
Watch a live theater performance at Lyceum Theater. Go for an outdoor concert by San Diego’s Symphony at Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Or, check out the Embarcadero to shop, savor a delicious seafood gourmet, watch beautiful water wildlife, hop on an explorative harbor cruise, or catch up on rich Maritime history in Downtown San Diego.
The Capital of Craft Brewing
Your trip to Downtown San Diego would be incomplete without getting a taste and feel of the city’s rich wine and local craft beer culture. After all, San Diego is the birthplace of many well-known breweries and is home to over 150 independent craft breweries.
Check out some tasting rooms like Ballast Point Brewing, Carruth Cellars Wine Garden, Bottlecraft Beer Shop in Little Italy, San Pasqual Winery in Seaport Village, or Stone Brewing Tap Room in East Village.
Downtown San Diego has a bit of everything for everyone. Whether you are a lover of arts, culture, history, music, delicious foods, great-tasting beer or wine, or retail shopping, you’ll have the life of your life exploring the urban city.
We hope this guide has helped you plan your next visit to Downtown San Diego!
BaM Body and Mind San Diego
At BaM Body and Mind Dispensary, we love San Diego and all that Southern California offers. Stop by our store located at 7625 Carroll Road to get top quality cannabis products including flower, concentrates, edibles, tinctures, topicals, vapes, and more. Our friendly and knowledgable budtenders are happy to help you find the perfect products to suit your needs. Whether you’re getting ready to explore San Diego, or winding down your day, BaM Body and Mind Dispensary is here to supply you with quality, legal cannabis products.