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Have a Green Vacation
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Bus and Trolley Let You Be Car Free in San Diego
If you visit San Diego and want to have ease of getting around without the hassle of driving and parking and to save our precious natural resources, we’ve got just the itinerary for you! All you need to do is book a hotel near a San Diego Trolley Station or major transit center (that covers almost every hotel in downtown, Old Town, or Mission Valley). Next, purchase a one, two, or three-day Day Tripper pass, be sure to have the spirit of adventure, and you’re ready to go! Note: Children five and under are free all the time, and two children 12 ride free with one adult on Saturday and Sunday.
AMTRAK takes you to the Santa Fe Depot and from there you can board the Trolley to points north, east and south. Trolley routes begin at 4:00 a.m. and service continues until midnight or later on weekends and for special events. Key bus routes also run later in the evenings. For an online trip, plan visit
www.sdcommute.com. To purchase your Day Tripper Pass visit (
www.sdMTS.com).
Day 1: Visit Balboa Park, the nation’s largest urban cultural park. Home to 15 major museums, renowned performing arts venues, beautiful gardens, and the San Diego Zoo. The Park has an ever-changing calendar of museum exhibitions, plays, musicals, concerts, and classes. For more information visit
www.balboapark.org.
From downtown catch a Route 7, 7A or 7B along Broadway or take a Blue or Orange Line to the City College Station. On Park Blvd, Route 7 stops at Presidents Way, in front of the Natural History Museum at the Rose Garden, and at Zoo drive. Once in the park, you can also board an internal park tram.
In Mission Valley, take the Trolley’s Green Line to the Fashion Valley Transit Center and board Route 120 that runs limited stop service to 4th & Laurel, just two short blocks to the entrance of the Park.
Day 2: Downtown, the Gaslamp, Embarcadero, Little Italy and PETCO Park (ride around downtown on Trolley’s Blue or Orange lines, or if you feel energetic, most downtown destinations are an easy walk from one another and you can visit historic neighborhoods, dine at great restaurants and enjoy great shopping at Horton Plaza or Seaport Village, see the new Museum of Contemporary Art or catch a concert at Symphony Hall. During the spring and summer you can catch a baseball game at PETCO PARK when the Padres or at home, or a Summer Pops concert on the Marina behind the Convention Center!
Day 3: Old Town State Historical Park or SeaWorld.
Take the Blue or Green Line to Old Town. Either walk one block east into San Diego’s birthplace or hop on a Route 9 which departs every 15 minutes from the West Side of the Transit Center for the ten minute ride to Sea World.
Day 4: Beaches – Coronado, Mission Beach, or La Jolla
San Diego is synonymous with sun, surf and sand. Visitors don't have to go far from downtown San Diego to hang ten and experience firsthand Southern California beach culture. And our bus and trolley routes are beach friendly. Surf boards (up to 6 feet) are welcome aboard.
Coronado, the Silver Strand and Imperial Beach – catch the Bay Ferry from the B Street pier (departs on the hour) 2 blocks west of the Santa Fe Depot in downtown and arrive at the Ferry Landing in Coronado. You can rent bikes, walk or catch a cab to the historic Hotel Del. Or you can ride a 901 bus (stops all along Broadway in downtown) which will take you across the bridge and into Coronado and then down the Silver Strand to Imperial Beach Pier where the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition takes place each July (
www.ci.imperial-beach.ca.us).
Mission Beach and Pacific Beach – take Trolley to Old Town and hop on a Route 8 or 9 that depart every 15 minutes on the west side of the Transit Center. In Mission Beach rent a surf board at Belmont Park, take a dip in the Plunge or ride the Big Dipper! Mission Beach and Pacific Beach are connected by a three-mile boardwalk crowded with inline skaters, skateboarders, runners, bikers and sun worshippers. The surrounding streets, stores, restaurants and bars bustle with activity.
From Old Town take Route 35 to the Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma and the "gnarly" surf spots of Sunset Cliffs and the edgy hippie hangout Ocean Beach, home of the Ocean Beach Pier, Dog Beach and Ocean Beach Antique District.
La Jolla – ride the Blue or Green Line to Old Town and catch the Route 30 express to La Jolla. La Jolla, located approximately 20 minutes north of downtown San Diego, is a seaside village nestled along seven miles of gently curving coastline. Its name (pronounced La Hoya) translates to "the jewel" in Spanish and is an appropriate description of this multi-faceted hamlet where visitors enjoy spectacular scenery, outdoor recreation, world-class shopping, fine dining and an eclectic mix of museums, theatres and art galleries. You can also kayak the sea caves of La Jolla Cove with Hike Bike Kayak San Diego (
www.hikebikekayak.com) or dive/snorkel in San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park, the first coastal underwater preserve on the West Coast (
http://scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/ocean/uwpk).
Alternate Day 4: Mission Valley is a great place to “Shop ‘till you Drop” or catch an exciting college or professional football game at Qualcomm Stadium in the fall. You can tour San Diego State University or take a nature walk along the San Diego River or take side trips to interesting neighborhoods.
Take the Green Line from Old Town to any of the great shopping centers along the Mission Valley area like Fashion Valley, Hazard Center, Mission Valley, Rio Vista, and Fenton. You can walk along the San Diego River on trails from Hazard Center to Rio Vista trolley stations.
During the fall- the San Diego Chargers and San Diego State University (SDSU) Aztecs play their homes games at Qualcomm Stadium. SDSU is just a two Trolley station ride away from Qualcomm. And the University is a beautiful place to sightsee and offers on-campus cultural and arts events throughout the campus and there are sporting events and concerts at Cox Arena.
To visit some of San Diego’s older, walkable communities take Route 120 south from Fashion Valley Transit Center to the center of the trendy Hillcrest neighborhood at 4th Avenue and University. The Mission Hills neighborhood is a few blocks north and west along Washington Street. And the Northpark community is east on University via Route 10 to 30th Street. All offer great restaurants.
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Itineraries
