About San Diego

From balmy beaches with a laid-back attitude to a gleaming modern image, San Diego offers much for the tourist to enjoy. Situated on the Southern California seacoast, San Diego is the second largest city in the state, with 1.4 million residents (2020), and has long attracted travelers for its ideal climate, miles of beaches, and location on the Mexican border right across from Tijuana. But there's much more here than surfer culture and a quick hop across the border. A rich maritime and military heritage lives on in San Diego, which is home to the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy. The city has also become known for its part in the wildlife conservation movement, owing to the presence of the world-renowned San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Natural scenery abounds from rocky tidepools and seaside cliffs to desert hills and canyons inland. San Diego is a proud city that never seems to cease growing, and though the city has a strong identity m

Source: Wikipedia

Essential Information

Currency

United States dollar (USD)

Symbol: $

Language

English

Phone Code

+1201

International dialing code for United States

Driving

Drive on the right

Standard for United States

Region

Americas

North America

Connectivity

The most common area code for San Diego Metropolitan area, including downtown, the south bay and the eastern suburbs is 619. North of I-8/Mission Valley uses 858, and the far northern suburbs (Escondido,Oceanside,Encinitas, etc.) use 760. The area code must be dialed with the phone number in all areas, i.e., 10-digit dialing is mandatory. Be sure to look when dialing a phone number that may be in a different area code. Most public telephones and hotel phones have the area code next to the phone

How to Get to San Diego

Transportation options and arrival information

See also:San Diego International Airport

Getting Around San Diego

Local transportation and navigation tips

The San Diego metropolitan area is large and sprawling. Car travel is the most efficient way of navigating the city and county. If you want to "see it all", rent a car. For less ambitious itineraries, public transportation may be used with enough planning and time allotted for travel.

Safety in San Diego

Moderate Safety (Global Peace Index: 2.44)

About the Global Peace Index: Global Peace Index measures peacefulness on a scale of 1 (most peaceful) to 5 (least peaceful)

San Diego is considered to be one of the safest cities in California. Though crime is present, violent crime is on an overall decrease, but property crime still exists. Avoid walking in Southeast San Diego or Barrio Logan (near or under the Coronado bridge) at night. If you do or must, avoid walking down dark alleyways or approaching unknown people. Most people do not encounter any problems if they avoid buying illegal drugs or patronizing sex workers. In addition, gangs are not as present as th

Source: Institute for Economics & Peace (2022)

Where to Stay in San Diego

Accommodation tips and recommendations

San Diego offers a wide range of accommodation and a wide range of price levels. If you don't mind splurging, there are luxury highrise hotels inDowntownand many beachside (and bayside) hotels and lavish resorts along the coast inCoronado,Ocean Beach,Point Loma(along the bayside),Mission Beach/Bay,Pacific Beach, andLa Jolla.