San Diego Flights and Travel Guide

What will you get from a flight to San Diego? A little bit of everything. Whether you're in the mood for sun, surf, sailing or snorkeling, you won’t regret booking flights to San Diego. 

San Diego is California’s first city, discovered in 1542 when Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay. Today, San Diego maintains its naval integrity as one of California’s busiest sailing ports and a U.S. Navy hub. Tourism keeps this city afloat - thanks to cheap flights to San Diego - and provides a major boost to the city’s economy every year. Book flights to San Diego for some of the best swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing and sailing in the nation. While you’re there, head to famous tourist attractions like Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo.

Visitors arriving on San Diego flights will immediately feel at ease in the nation’s seventh-largest city. Its neighborhoods rival that of tourist-packed San Francisco, but when you book a flight to San Diego you’ll find the city’s Spanish-Mexican heritage honored. If you've got some time to spare while you're here, add a few extra days to your San Diego flight and take a side trip to one of California's nearby cities.

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San Diego Climate

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When to Fly to San Diego

There is no bad time to book flights to San Diego. The warm climate makes San Diego a year-round destination spot.

Peak Season:

May to October. Sailing is at its peak and many festivals take place in San Diego.

Off Season:

November to January is the best time to take a cheap flight to San Diego.

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Getting Downtown San Diego

San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Distance: 2 miles northwest of San Diego
Drive time: 10 mins

Shuttle vans, buses and taxis leave from one of three islands in front of the terminals. The cheapest option downtown is Metropolitan Transit System Flyer Route No. 992, which departs every ten minutes between 5am and 12:50am, and will drop you at most downtown businesses and hotels. The fare is about $2.

Taxis departing from the airport are subject to regulated fares, which work out to $10 or so. Limousines are also available.

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Getting Around San Diego

Although you can make it to lots of attractions by foot, the easiest way to see the city is by car. There is a good choice of rental companies at the airport including Avis, Dollar and Hertz.

The bus is good value in San Diego- $2.25 for a transfer ticket (good for 90 minutes).

The San Diego Trolley is great, particularly if you're staying downtown or plan to visit Tijuana. The Blue Line travels from the Mexican border north through downtown and Old Town, with some trolleys continuing into Mission Valley. Tickets, valid for two hours, range from $1.25 to $3.

The Coaster rail commuter service travels between the downtown Santa Fe Depot station and the Oceanside Transit Center, with stops at Old Town, Sorrento Valley, Solana Beach, Encinitas, and Carlsbad. Fares range from $3.75 - $5.25 for a one-way regular fare.

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San Diego Insider Information

• The Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island is the largest wooden structure in the United States.
• The San Diego Zoo is home to a pair of giant pandas, and when Hua Mei was born here, she was the first baby panda born in the Western Hemisphere since 1990 (she is now in China).
• Deep theater discounts are available at the ARTS TIX booth downtown in Horton Plaza Park, where day-of-show tickets are available on a cash-only basis. Events include theater, concert and dance throughout the city.
• Each July, Mission Bay is home to a San Diego original, the Over-the-Line Tournament. This beach softball event dates from 1953 and is renowned for boisterous, anything-goes behavior.
• And for the holidays, kids of all ages gather in the lobby of Loews Coronado Bay Resort, where the Cat in the Hat gives regular readings of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) is one of San Diego's most treasured native sons.

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San Diego Airports

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Passport/Visa

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Entry Requirements

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