Ride the Red Trolley

If you're staying in and around downtown San Diego, the iconic bright red trolley will take you in and around the city. The San Diego Trolley provides convenient services from key locations downtown, including the Santa Fe Depot and the San Diego Convention Center, crisscrossing through downtown and out to various locations like Old Town, Mission Valley, El Cajon, Santee and San Ysidro, which is on the Mexican border.

There are three trolley lines (UC San Diego Blue, Orange and Sycuan Green) that service the downtown San Diego communities and beyond, covering 53 miles of double-track railway and 53 stations total. Trolley and bus adult fares are inexpensive and children aged 5 and under ride for free. Trolleys run an average of every 15 minutes, 7 minutes during peak and 30 minutes during off-peak hours.

For current information on Bus and Trolley Service, visit the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System.

Old Town Trolley

Another fun way to travel to the main tourist areas of San Diego is on an Old Town Trolley Tour. The Trolley stops at 11 places including Old Town, Seaport Village, Gaslamp Quarter, Coronado, Little Italy and Balboa Park. You can either ride on the full two-hour narrated historic tour, or hop on and off at different stops throughout the day. They also offer and combination options with their land-and-water SEAL Tours.

Coastal Trail Rides

The Santa Fe Depot, located in downtown San Diego on Kettner Blvd and Broadway, is the main hub for Pacific Surfliner, providing various coastal train services from downtown San Diego to Oceanside and beyond.

There are plenty of connecting services from the Oceanside station, including the SPRINTER inland rail that travels east to Escondido. You may also ride the Pacific Surfliner train to San Diego from Solana Beach and Oceanside plus Anaheim, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and many places in between.

For Amtrak schedules and information, visit Pacific Surfliner.

Hop on the Coaster

The North County Transit District's COASTER trains connect downtown San Diego and Old Town with coastal communities throughout the county including Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside. These trains offer visitors car-free access to some of the most charming beach communities in the region, as well as a relaxing ride with breathtaking coastal scenery. There are more than 20 trains that run on weekdays with additional service on weekends. The entire COASTER route from Oceanside to the Santa Fe Depot downtown takes about an hour. An adult round-trip fare from downtown San Diego to Oceanside is inexpensive and children aged 5 and under ride for free.

For COASTER schedules and information, visit COASTER.

Take the Sprinter

The east-west SPRINTER light rail train system that connects Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos and Escondido. The 22-mile long rail system runs along the Highway 78 corridor, serving 15 stations, and running every 30 minutes. Adult one-way fares are inexpensive and children aged 5 and under ride free. A regional day pass, valid on the SPRINTER, Trolley and buses throughout the county, is also available.

For SPRINTER schedules and information, visit SPRINTER.