Find out the perfect place where to stay in San Diego. Check out this tip and guarantee the perfect stay for your trip.
About the regions of San Diego
On the map below, you can see the city’s main regions and neighborhoods. There are a lot of them. Some of the areas we recommend you take a closer look at are: Downtown, Mission Beach & Pacific Beach, Coronado Island, La Jolla and Old Town.
Now, check out some of the characteristics of the city’s main areas.
Downtown: where the Gaslamp Quarter is located
The first tip in this article on the best area to stay in San Diego is one of the options we consider to be the main one in this city. We’re talking about the Downtown area, more precisely the famous Gaslamp Quarter.
Downtown, as the name implies, is the center of San Diego. One of the main advantages of staying there is that it’s close to a number of incredible tourist attractions, such as the USS Midway Museum, Petco Park, Little Italy, Seaport Village, the San Diego Air & Space Museum, etc.
Another very positive point is that this area has a lot of public transportation, so if you don’t have a car, you can get around on foot.
The only thing to consider is that the Downtown area is home to one of San Diego’s nightlife hotspots, the Gaslamp Quarter (an area full of restaurants, bars and nightclubs). So if you’re looking for peace and quiet, you may not get much in this neighborhood.
And because it’s the best area to stay in San Diego, hotels there tend to be a little more expensive. In other words, you’ll need to have a good budget for your stay in this area.
- Important tip: San Diego is a city with many tourist attractions, such as museums and tours. That’s why our tip is to always buy your tickets in advance. We buy everything on this website that has the best price.
Mission Beach & Pacific Beach area
Another option worth looking at in these tips on the best places to stay in San Diego is Mission Beach & Pacific Beach. That is, the coastal area on the left-hand side of the map above.
Staying in this area is great, as you have the beach at your disposal just a few meters from your stay. So if you’re looking for that, it’s well worth staying there. What’s more, as you’re a little away from the central area, you can find hotels with slightly more attractive prices.
It’s also worth knowing that this area is home to attractions such as the beaches, of course, and one of the city’s main attractions, the magnificent SeaWorld San Diego. This is a very valid option of where to stay for those traveling with children, for example.
And to get from Pacific Beach or Mission Beach to Downtown, it takes around 15 minutes by car. By the way, we highly recommend renting a car in San Diego, which is perfect for those who want to travel between Californian cities, see as many of the attractions of this destination as possible and, of course, go to the state’s many beaches.
It’s well worth it and, in our opinion, it’s an indispensable service on a trip like this. To find the best car rental, we know of a great rental comparison service that will provide you with the main options.
If you want to do the search, click here on Car Rental Comparator. In just a few seconds, you’ll have all the options for renting a car in San Diego from the best companies on your screen, and you can choose the cheapest one. You really will save a lot.
How to find great hotels, in the best areas and at unbeatable prices in San Diego?
To find the best hotel for your trip to San Diego, be sure to follow a few tips:
- Look for alternative areas. There are lots of cheap hotels that are further away from the tourist area, but which are located in very beautiful areas. Since you’ll need a car in California, it’s no problem to stay a few minutes away from the tourist attractions.
- San Diego also has great hostels, which are cheaper, for those who are willing to stay in a less comfortable place and are more suitable for young people.
Use the hotel finder: to find good hotels at incredible prices in the area you want and save a lot on accommodation, use this San Diego Hotel Finder. We always use it, as it’s the largest hotel booking site in the world, so it has unbeatable prices due to its strong negotiation. And there you can check out the opinions of tourists who have already stayed in the hotels, which helps a lot when evaluating each one.
Free cancellation: this search engine has a very strong partnership with the establishments and they offer free cancellation with almost all the hotels. This is wonderful, because the factor that will save you the most on accommodation is advance notice: the earlier you book, the cheaper you’ll pay.
So you can book your hotel now to guarantee the lowest price, and if you later find a better one or don’t want to stay there, just cancel it.
Extra tips: Coronado Island, La Jolla and Old Town
To complement these tips on where to stay in San Diego, we want to give you 3 extra tips:
Coronado Island: it’s a very family-friendly area with varying prices. The amazing thing about staying there is that it has a stunning beach (considered one of the best in San Diego) and the Hotel del Coronado (which has hosted many famous celebrities).
La Jolla: this is a very luxurious area, so expect sophisticated hotels full of services. Being close to Pacific Beach and Mission Beach, you can enjoy the whole beach area. The only downside is that it’s a little further from the center and the price of the hotels, which tends to be high.
Old Town: this is a very historic and cultural district of San Diego. Prices there are very attractive, perfect for those who want to save money on this part of their trip. There you can also find good souvenir stores, interesting museums and a nightlife full of delicious bars and restaurants.
After all, where is the best place to stay in San Diego?
As we said above, Downtown and Mission Beach & Pacific Beach are two areas that we recommend with our eyes closed when it comes to where to stay in San Diego. If you’re looking for a lively area with all kinds of shops, Downtown will be perfect.
For those who want to stay near the beach, the Mission Beach & Pacific Beach area is ideal.
We’ve created this personalized map with the 2 best areas for you to stay superbly located and close to everything. When you open the map, close it, enter the date of your trip, click on search and then click on show map to open it again.
It will open with the hotels and prices for your date of travel. We’ve already configured it to only show hotels with good guest ratings and reviews. Everything is now ready for you to book on the site we always use – it’s the most reliable and always has the best prices.
Save money on your trip to San Diego:
Saving money: do you want to plan your trip while making the most of your budget? Be sure to read our article on how to travel to San Diego cheaply, with all the tips to save the most, while still enjoying it!
Tickets: find out where to buy your San Diego tickets in the cheapest and safest way – for parks, museums and ticket combos. You can save up to 40%!
Car: if you are thinking about renting one this is the best website. It compares the price at all rental companies and finds unbeatable prices. You can save up to 30%!
Mobile chip: we always use this chip. It’s electronic (eSIM), you install it instantly and you can use your cell phone’s Internet anywhere in the world.
Hotels: our article on where to stay in San Diego. You will find out the best areas and how to save a lot on the hotel.
Travel insurance: medical care in another country is very expensive and it is extremely important to take out travel insurance for any trip abroad. This is the website we always take out our insurance on. Reliable and at a good price.
Transfer: do you need one from the airport to the hotel? Find out here how to book and for the lowest price!
