Traveling to San Diego during the COVID-19 pandemic

I recently had a trip to San Diego and I did not plan as thoroughly as I normally do for a trip because I was really unsure of what to expect. Right before the trip, San Diego county shut down all indoor dining, bars, breweries, and indoor activities (gyms, etc.). I wasn’t sure if beaches would be open but I still packed hoping they would be. I tried my best to see what was still open, and what activities I could do but not all business websites are updated with the correct information during this time. Here’s what I learned!

Prepare for Outdoor Activities

San Diego has beautiful weather, so this is not a problem at all! I pretty much spent most of my time at the beach, but I did some nature walks, kayaking, and walking around downtown.

Here’s what is open:

• BEACHES!
• Hiking
• Outdoor walking trails
• Outdoor dinning (not all restaurants, call to make sure)
• Parks
• San Diego Zoo outdoor exhibits
• Sea World Zoo Days – Animal exhibits, BBQ and local brews (food and drinks included!). Fridays-Sundays only
• Shopping with limited hours (masks required everywhere indoors)

Pack accordingly!

I flew to San Diego, meaning I wasn’t able to pack beach chairs or umbrellas, but here is what I did pack:

• Swimsuits (I packed 4, no need for that many but I wanted variety)
• Good walking shoes (my favorite travel shoes are Vessi linked HERE)
• Sunscreen
• A Hat (or two)
  • Floppy
  • Baseball Cap made for ponytails/messy buns (I LOVE mine!)
• Travel Towel (big enough to use as a blanket, linked is what I use and it’s perfect!)
• Packable Beach bag or backpack
• Outfit to wear over swimsuit (even though seating is outdoors, restaurants require clothes to be worn)

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Beaches

The beaches in San Diego are OPEN, but they are really crowded in certain areas. Walk further down the beach to get to the less crowded areas! Here are the beaches I went to:

• Mission Beach
  • There is FREE parking by Belmont Park and across the street! It gets packed so you may have to wait for people to leave or I recommend getting there early or late to find parking easily.
  • Belmont Park has an outdoor shopping area with many beach type shops and restaurants.
  • Walk or bike along the “board walk”, its a cement walking/biking path that goes from Mission Beach to Pacific Beach (PB).
    • Bike rental shops are at Belmont Park, or there are many electric scooters in the area too that you can rent using an app.
  • Don’t go to the beach right in front of Belmont, its WAY too crowded, walk further down towards PB.
  • Public restrooms available at Belmont and closer to PB

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• Pacific Beach
  • Parking is harder to find and you may have to pay to park (I recommend parking at Belmont park in Mission Beach and walking or biking to PB)
  • The beach right in front of the main PB area is crowded so walk further down to get a less crowded spot.
  • There are many restaurants and shops in this area and I like these more than the Mission Beach ones because there are more local spots and not really a “mall” type of feel.

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• Coronado Beach
  • I LOVE Coronado Island, it is so beautiful and has a friendly “small town” type of feel.
  • Take the Coronado Ferry from downtown SD or take a Lyft/Uber or drive over the Coronado bridge.
  • Parking can be a little hard to find by the beach, parking is free but you may have to drive around a bit to find a spot (get here early or late)
  • There are many shops and restaurants along the main road Orange Avenue.
  • There is an outdoor shopping mall on the Bayside of Coronado as well!
  • Hotel Del Coronado is BEAUTIFUL and worth seeing.
  • Public restrooms are located on the beach.
  • This beach was not as crowded as Mission or PB and I think it’s prettier, the sand literally sparkles!

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• La Jolla Beach
  • Parking is hard to find! Get here early and you can find street parking for free.
  • The beaches are pretty packed especially around La Jolla cove so I personally would avoid this area for hanging out on the beach.
  • I would go here for water activities! Sea Caves Kayaking tour or Snorkeling tour, read all about my experience HERE.
  • There are shops and restaurants by both the low (La Jolla Underwater Park) and high (La Jolla Cove) part of La Jolla.
  • Public restrooms are a little harder to find (unless you go to a restaurant). There were Port-a-Pots up by La Jolla Cove
  • Enjoy walking walking around taking in the views and seeing the Sea Lions!

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Activity Recommendations

• Go to the Beach
• Boat Ride or Jet Skis on the Bay
• Kayaking/Paddle Boarding
• Hiking (Many trails/walking paths along the beach)
• Shopping (Many outdoor malls and shopping areas)
• Golf (I don’t golf but there are many beautiful golf courses that are open)
• Eating (I’ll do a separate for where I would recommend eating)
• I will do a separate blog post of what to do in each area of San Diego. I started to write it here but it was getting way too long!

Happy Exploring!