Getting Around San Diego

Car
Like many cities in American, the most effective way to get around San Diego is to drive. The city is a sprawling place that has a lot of distance between popular tourist attractions. The best and fastest way to get between them is to rent a car and drive.

Tourists can get a rental car at the airport. All the major rental car companies have a presence at the airport, and most of them are also happy to pick renters up in other areas of the city as well. Parking is ample in the city. Most of the downtown area and along the seafront has metered parking. Those who will be driving a lot may find it best to buy a prepaid parking meter card.

Bus
The Metropolitan Bus System does travel throughout San Diego, but many parts of the city get very infrequent bus service. The bus is fairly efficient for tourists as most popular tourist attractions have a bus stop that is serviced every 15 minutes. Those who need to take the bus out to the suburbs will find it to be a nightmare. The routes to the suburbs are very slow and service is infrequent. The bus does run very quickly around downtown, so those who will be staying in that area will most likely find the bus suitable.

Trolley
The trolley is a very good option for tourists. It runs every 15 minutes most of the day. That slows down to every half hour in the evenings and on weekends. The trolley runs from 5 AM until midnight every day of the week. Tickets need to be purchased before boarding the trolley at the vending machines that are found at every trolley stop.

Walking
The pleasant weather can make walking desirable for tourists, but the sprawling nature of the city means that it is simply not practical in most areas of the city. People who will be staying just in downtown or along the seafront may find walking a good idea, but even these areas are fairly spread out.

Bicycle
Those who want to take advantage of the beautiful San Diego weather will find that riding a bike is much more feasible than walking. The downtown area and the seafront are both very bicycle-friendly. The outskirts of the city are very hilly and not as pleasant to bike around. Cyclists should be sure to get a good bike lock to avoid theft.