With kids · San Diego · United States
San Diego with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
San Diego is one of the most family-friendly cities in the US: the zoo and Safari Park, calm-water beaches at La Jolla Shores, Coronado and Mission Bay, and hands-on museums in Balboa Park. Distances mean a car or rideshare helps with small children. Top picks: San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park and USS Midway Museum. Families usually base themselves in Coronado.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 8
- Best area for families
- Coronado
- Rainy-day options
- 3
- Busiest months
- July–August
Best things to do with kids
Zoo · Balboa Park
1.San Diego Zoo
One of the best-known zoos in the world occupies about 40 hectares of canyons on the north side of Balboa Park, with habitats for koalas, polar bears, elephants and great apes. The Skyfari aerial tram crosses the park, and a guided double-decker bus tour gives a useful overview of the hilly grounds.
Arrive at opening, ride the bus tour first to get your bearings, then walk the canyons before the midday heat.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Buying tickets online saves time at the gate on weekends and in school holidays.
- Iconic
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Park · Balboa Park
2.Balboa Park
Built largely for the 1915–16 Panama–California Exposition, Balboa Park lines El Prado with Spanish Colonial Revival buildings housing museums including the San Diego Museum of Art, the Museum of Us, the Fleet Science Center and the Natural History Museum. The Botanical Building with its lily pond, the Spanish Village Art Center and the Japanese Friendship Garden are all within a short walk of each other.
Walking the gardens and El Prado is free; pick two museums for a day rather than trying to cover them all.
- Time needed
- Half a day to a full day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Kids
- Art
- Outdoors
Museum · Embarcadero
3.USS Midway Museum
The aircraft carrier USS Midway served from 1945 to 1992 and is now moored on the downtown waterfront. Visitors explore the flight deck lined with restored aircraft, the island bridge, crew quarters and engine rooms, often with commentary from volunteer veterans.
Go up to the flight deck first while it is cool, then work through the lower decks; the self-guided audio tour is included.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
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Waterfront · La Jolla
4.La Jolla Cove
A small sheltered cove below sandstone cliffs, part of a protected underwater park where snorkellers see bright orange garibaldi and leopard sharks gather offshore in summer. Sea lions haul out on the rocks beside the cove, and harbour seals use the nearby Children's Pool, especially during pupping season.
Keep a respectful distance from the sea lions and seals; rangers and signs mark the closed areas.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Photo spot
- Kids
- Iconic
Aquarium · La Jolla
5.Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Run by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the aquarium has a three-storey kelp forest tank, seahorses, a shark reef and exhibits on ocean science. The terrace looks over the Scripps Pier and La Jolla Shores.
Pair it with a calm-water swim or tide-pooling at La Jolla Shores just below.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
- Views
Historic site · Point Loma
6.Cabrillo National Monument
At the tip of Point Loma, this National Park Service site commemorates Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's 1542 landing, the first European expedition on the US West Coast. It has the restored 1855 Old Point Loma Lighthouse, wide views over the bay and downtown, and rocky tide pools on the ocean side.
Check the tide tables and visit the tide pools at low tide, usually best in winter afternoons.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- History
- Kids
- Nature
Theme park · Mission Bay
7.SeaWorld San Diego
The marine theme park on Mission Bay combines aquariums and animal presentations with roller coasters and water rides. Families with young children use the Sesame Street area, while thrill seekers head for the coasters.
Check the day's show and ride schedule on arrival and plan around it; queues are shortest early and late.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Active
Waterfront · Mission Beach
8.Mission Bay and Belmont Park
Mission Bay is a large man-made aquatic park with calm water, grassy shores and paths for cycling and paddleboarding. On the ocean side at Mission Beach, the small Belmont Park amusement area keeps the Giant Dipper, a wooden roller coaster dating from 1925.
Rent bikes and ride the ocean-front boardwalk from Mission Beach to Pacific Beach.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Active
Rainy-day ideas
- USS Midway Museum — Go up to the flight deck first while it is cool, then work through the lower decks; the self-guided audio tour is included.
- Maritime Museum of San Diego — Ask about short bay cruises on the museum's historic boats, which leave from the same dock.
- Birch Aquarium at Scripps — Pair it with a calm-water swim or tide-pooling at La Jolla Shores just below.
Where families should stay
$$$$ · Best for families, beach, quiet stays and luxury
Coronado
Coronado sits on a peninsula across the bay, reached by the 3.4-km Coronado Bridge or a short ferry from downtown. Its broad beach in front of the 1888 Hotel del Coronado regularly appears on US best-beach lists, and Orange Avenue has cafés, ice-cream shops and bike rentals. It is quiet in the evenings and popular with families.
- Good
- Calm, safe-feeling beach base; Flat streets made for bikes; Ferry views of the downtown skyline
- Watch out
- Expensive; Little nightlife; Bridge traffic at rush hour
- Nearby
- Hotel del Coronado, Coronado Beach, Coronado Ferry Landing, Silver Strand State Beach
Family travel tips
- La Jolla Shores, Coronado and Mission Bay's sheltered beaches are gentler for young swimmers than the open surf beaches.
- The Fleet Science Center and the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park are good rainy-day or midday-heat options.
- Tide-pooling at Cabrillo National Monument works best at low tide; check the tide tables before you go.
- Book LEGOLAND and the zoo online ahead for school-holiday weekends.
- Pack layers: the coast can be grey and cool even in June.
Day trips for families
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (About 45 minutes by car) — The zoo's sister park in the San Pasqual Valley lets giraffes, rhinos and antelope roam large open enclosures, viewed from the Africa Tram, walking trails and optional caravan safaris.
- Carlsbad and LEGOLAND California (About 45 minutes by car or 1 hour by Coaster) — Carlsbad combines LEGOLAND California, aimed at children aged about 2 to 12, with the Flower Fields' spring ranunculus blooms and a walkable seaside village with a long beach promenade.
- Julian (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car) — A former 1870s gold-mining town in the Cuyamaca Mountains, known for apple pie, autumn apple picking and an old-west main street.
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (About 2 hours by car) — California's largest state park covers badlands, slot canyons and palm oases around Borrego Springs, plus more than 100 large metal sculptures of prehistoric animals at Galleta Meadows.
When to go with children
The best months overall are April–May and September–October. July–August are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is San Diego good for kids?
San Diego is one of the most family-friendly cities in the US: the zoo and Safari Park, calm-water beaches at La Jolla Shores, Coronado and Mission Bay, and hands-on museums in Balboa Park. Distances mean a car or rideshare helps with small children.
+What can kids do in San Diego?
San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, USS Midway Museum, La Jolla Cove and Birch Aquarium at Scripps.
+Where should families stay in San Diego?
Coronado: Wide sandy beach, the Hotel del Coronado and a calm small-town main street.