21 Best Day Trips From San Diego CA (2025)
Are you looking for a list of the best day trips from San Diego? This article’s for you.
San Diego is one of my favorite Southern California cities, from the amazing restaurants to the beaches, and warm weather. It’s also in a prime location, near Los Angeles, gorgeous beach towns, and dozens of attractions.
To help you plan an epic day trip, I’m going to cover all of the best places to visit near San Diego. From desert getaways in Joshua Tree to forest retreats in Big Bear, there’s something on this list for everyone!
Here are 22 amazing day trips from San Diego CA.
Joshua Tree
Distance from San Diego: 160 miles/2-3 hours
Joshua Tree is one of the best day trips from San Diego if you love the desert. This is a national park in the desert that spans nearly 800,000 acres. It has beginner-friendly hiking trails, campgrounds, and amazing stargazing opportunities.
I recommend spending at least one night in Joshua Tree or Palm Springs, so you can return to the park at night to stargaze.
Laguna Beach
Distance from San Diego: 70 miles/1-1.5 hrs
Laguna Beach is one of the most gorgeous beach towns in California. It has turquoise blue beaches with powdery white sand, and beautiful coastal hiking trails.
If you want to set up a picnic on the beach, or hike by the ocean, this is the place to go.
Treasure Island Park is an amazing oceanfront park, with picnic areas, picturesque coves, and tide pools for exploring.
Crystal Cove State Park is another excellent state park with miles of secluded beaches, coastal hiking trails, restaurants, and charming beachfront cottages.
Palm Springs
Distance from San Diego: 140 miles/2-2.5 hrs
If you’re seeking a desert getaway, head to Palm Springs. Palm Springs is a beautiful desert city with spa resorts, museums, and a downtown plaza lined with boutiques and restaurants.
In Palm Springs, you can ride the world’s largest rotating tramcar up to Mt San Jacinto, try a date shake, stroll downtown, or simply relax by your hotel pool.
It has great desert oases for hiking, and is less than an hour’s drive from Joshua Tree National Park.
Palm Desert
Distance from San Diego: 120 miles/2-2.5 hrs
Palm Desert is a beautiful desert resort city, 14 miles east of Palm Springs. It’s home to many top-notch spa resorts with pools, a family-friendly zoo, desert hiking trails, and excellent shopping centers.
From Palm Desert, you can go on a Jeep tour to the San Andreas Fault, and it’s only a 45 minute drive from Joshua Tree’s South Entrance.
La Jolla
Distance from San Diego: 14 miles/20 minutes
If you’re looking for a short day trip from town, head to La Jolla. In La Jolla, you can visit La Jolla Cove, go kayaking, or hike at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve.
La Jolla Cove is a turquoise blue cove in the heart of La Jolla that’s surrounded by sea lions and seals. It’s within walking distance to restaurants, cafes, and a viewpoint of La Jolla’s seven sea caves.
If you’re up for an adventure, you can also go paragliding over the coast from the Torrey Pines Gliderport.
The glider airport is located north of La Jolla Cove, near the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, and another great place for a coastal hike.
Temecula
Distance from San Diego: 60 miles/1 hr
If you’re a wine enthusiast, go on a day trip to Temecula. Temecula is a premier California wine growing region, with rolling hills, dozens of vineyards, and a charming rustic downtown.
In Temecula, you can go on a trolley wine tour, hot air balloon ride, or visit museums and antique shops in Old Town.
Anza Borrego State Park
Distance from San Diego: 85 miles/1.5-2hrs
The Anza Borrego State Park is the largest state park in California, spanning over 600,000 acres, with hiking trails and campgrounds.
In the park you can see slot canyons, wildflowers bloom (March-April), a giant metal sculpture garden, and potentially even bighorn sheep! It’s far out in the desert like Joshua Tree so it has the perfect dark skies for stargazing.
Point Loma
Distance from San Diego: 10 miles/15 minutes
Point Loma is a peninsula just a few miles west of downtown San Diego that’s perfect for a day trip. In Point Loma, you can visit the Cabrillo National Monument and Sunset Cliffs Natural Park.
The Cabrillo National Monument is a serene park with a visitor center, monument, lighthouse, coastal hiking trails, and tide pools.
It’s located at the tip of the peninsula and has an amazing view of the San Diego harbor.
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is an oceanfront park with rugged sandstone cliffs, beaches, sea caves, and tide pools. It’s a great place to hike by the ocean, or enjoy a sunset picnic.
Santa Monica
Distance from San Diego: 130 miles/2-3 hrs
Santa Monica is a lively beach city, with one of the most famous piers in the United States. The pier has an amusement park, street performers, and is lined with restaurants and gift shops.
You can easily spend a day strolling the pier, and shopping in the downtown plaza. Additionally, it’s within a 20 minute drive of Venice Beach, another iconic beach with a skate park, basketball courts, and a historic district with man made canals.
Annie’s Canyon (Solana Beach)
Distance from San Diego: 20 miles/30 minutes
Annie’s Canyon is a unique slot canyon located in Solana Beach, less than 30 minutes north of San Diego.
It’s an easy 1.5 mile hike, where you’ll climb through a sandstone slot canyon, and it only takes around an hour.
This is the perfect morning or sunset hike, and you’ll have a nice view of the San Elijo lagoon throughout.
Hollywood
Distance from San Diego: 130 miles/2-3 hours
Hollywood is the most famous area in Los Angeles, and a fun place to spend the day. If it’s your first time visiting, you can stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, see the Hollywood sign from the Griffith Observatory, and visit Madame Tussauds celebrity wax museum.
If you want to see all of Hollywood’s iconic sites and celebrity homes, you can join a sightseeing tour as well.
Big Bear
Distance from San Diego: 150 miles/2.5-3hrs
If you love fishing and skiing, go on a day trip to Big Bear. Big Bear is a small city tucked in the forest with a ski resort, beautiful lake, and downtown village with shops and restaurants.
There’s kayak rentals and fishing charters available on the lake, and gorgeous forest hiking trails if you want to enjoy views of the lake.
Catalina Island
Distance from San Diego: 60 miles/1 hrs (Dana Point Marina)
If you love an adventure, go on a day trip to Catalina Island. This is a beautiful rocky island located offshore, that’s accessible by a one hour ferry ride from Dana Point.
The island is only 22 miles long, with white sand beaches, and hilly areas with gorgeous ocean vistas. On the island, you can rent out golf carts to explore, and spot everything from American bison to the Catalina fox.
The island also has a charming downtown area with seafood restaurants, cafes, shops, and historic sites.
Huntington Beach
Distance from San Diego: 90 miles/1.5-2hrs
Huntington Beach is a lively beach town with a long pier, and downtown strip with restaurants and gift shops.
It’s a popular surfing beach, so you’ll likely see dozens of surfers as you stroll along the pier. The beach is perfect for going on long walks, and you can set up a bonfire to watch the sunset.
Newport Beach
Distance from San Diego: 80 miles/1-1.5hrs
Newport Beach is a fun beach town in Orange County that’s perfect for a family day trip. It has a popular pier with restaurants and donut shops, and a long sandy beach that stretches for miles.
It’s located on the Balboa peninsula, and if you drive all the way down the peninsula, you’ll be at the Balboa Fun Zone.
This is a small amusement park with rides, ice cream shops, and boat charters that offer whale watching tours.
Tijuana
Distance from San Diego: 18 miles/30 minutes
If you’re looking for something unique, go on a day trip to Tijuana Mexico. You can join a tour from San Diego to explore the city’s culture and history with a local guide.
From trying street tacos to tasting tequila, this is one of the most exciting day trips from San Diego.
Long Beach
Distance from San Diego: 110 miles/1.5-2 hours
Long Beach is a vibrant beach town, less than a 2 hour drive north of San Diego. In Long Beach, you can visit the famous Aquarium of the Pacific, watch dogs play off-leash at Rosie’s Dog Beach, or stroll the marina.
Long Beach’s marina is lined with restaurants, shops, and has a view of the iconic Queen Mary docked in the harbor.
This is a historic 1930s British ocean liner that now operates as a hotel and museum. You can tour the inside, or stay overnight in one of the supposedly haunted rooms!
Malibu
Distance from San Diego: 160 miles/2.5-3 hours
Malibu is home to some of Southern California’s most spectacular beaches. In Malibu, you can go for a long beach hike at Point Dume or El Matador State Beach.
These are secluded beaches tucked along the cliffs, with coastal hiking trails, sea caves, and soft clean sand. If you want to spend an entire day at the beach, Malibu is the place to go.
Dana Point
Distance from San Diego: 60 miles/1 hour
Dana Point is a peaceful seaside city, only around an hour east of San Diego. It has nice oceanfront parks, and a harbor with seafood restaurants and cafes.
From the harbor, you can go on a whale watching tour to spot whales, sea lions, and pods of dolphins.
Santa Barbara
Distance from San Diego: 220 miles/3-3.5 hours
Santa Barbara is one of the nicest cities in California, with Spanish Colonial architecture, tall skyline palm trees, and picturesque sandy beaches.
In Santa Barbara, you can visit the zoo, botanical gardens, stroll around the marina, or go for a long walk on Arroyo Burro Beach. It has a variety of amazing restaurants, wineries, and charming boutique hotels to stay at.
San Luis Obispo
Distance from San Diego: 310 miles/4.5-5 hours
If you want to stay somewhere unique, go on a day trip to San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo is home to the famous Madonna Inn, a historic California hotel with quirky architecture, and individually themed rooms.
It has an onsite spa, horse ranch, tennis courts, and a pink restaurant that serves huge slices of pink champagne cake!
Beyond relaxing at Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo is less than a 20 minute drive from both Morro Bay and Pismo Beach. In Morro Bay, you can spot sea otters, and see the iconic Morro Rock, a 581 ft volcanic plug tucked at the edge of the harbor.
In Pismo Beach, you can go hiking by the ocean, visit the monarch butterfly grove, or enjoy amazing cinnamon rolls from Old West by the marina.
Map of San Diego Day Trips
Summary
San Diego is an amazing Southern California city, with an endless amount of fun activities to offer.
If you want to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, I recommend going on a day trip to Joshua Tree, Big Bear, or the Anza Borrego State Park. These are peaceful places far out in nature that are less than a 3 hour drive from San Diego.
If you prefer a shorter drive, visiting Point Loma, La Jolla Cove, or hiking Annie’s Canyon in Solana Beach are all great options that are less than an hour’s drive!
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