travel tips | san diego (eng.)

TRAVEL TIPS

VISÃO GERAL ATRAÇÕESTRANSPORTE COMPRAS ONDE FICAR ONDE COMEROVERVIEW ATTRACTIONSTRANSPORTATION SHOPPING WHERE TO STAY WHERE TO EAT

Elected one of the best places to travel in 2016 by the National Geographic Traveler Magazine, San Diego offers attractions that are known worldwide. With a pleasant climate and over 100 km of beaches surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, it's located 190 km far from Los Ange-les and quite close to the Mexican border. With nearly 1.4 million inhabitants, it's the second largest city of California and the eighth largest of the whole United States.

Known as the California's cradle, San Diego was discovered in 1542 by the colonizer Juan Cabrillo, who has decreed the place as part of the Spanish Empire. Decades later, in 1769, priest Junípero Serra leaded the first mission to colonize that place. Nowadays, the Old

Town of San Diego celebrates this heritage and preserves the several historical points and monuments, open for visitors.

In addition to the wonderful beaches, San Diego offers attractions for the whole family. One of the most desired places by the travel-ers is SeaWorld, a huge aquarium and marine zoo where the tourist may be face to face to dolphins, sharks, and other different marine species.

Children can even appreciate many other attractions, such as LEGOLAND, a mandato-ry visit for them. The gorgeous amusement park of the toy brand offers fun for children of all ages. If you like culture, you cannot miss

OVERVIEW

DUFRY TRAVEL TIPSSAN DIEGO

Balboa Park, the biggest urban culture park in America, which covers 15 museums, beautiful gardens, in addition to the famous San Diego Zoo, with over 4 thousand animals, including giant pandas.

If you want to relax and enjoy the nature, San Diego offers different types of beaches: with cliffs, wonderful pools of corals, and amazing reefs. If the trip is for two, the ideal place is Coronado, with its exuberant, peaceful beach-es, or even Ocean Beach, known as the desti-nation for hippies. But if you want to have fun, you'll find it in Pacific Beach.

San Diego nightlife lies in Gaslamp Quar-ter. With bars in building roofs, several night clubs, live music and restaurants, the fun goes through the dawn. Capital of handmade beer in America, San Diego shelters great brands and an enviable number of breweries, besides its highlight in producing wine.

The official language is English, but due to its proximity to Mexico and the great amount of Latins in the city, Spanish is also wide-ly spoken. In most of the local business, the attendants communicate in both languages. As in the whole US, you'll need the visa to visit the country.

With mild temperatures and a little rain, the climate in San Diego is generally pleasant along the year. The best months to travel are April to October, when the chances of rain are virtually zero.

During the summer (June to August), the temperatures range from 20°C to 25°C, and it's when the city hosts many tourists, thus

increasing hotel fees. The winter (December to February) in one of the least severe in the US, with temperatures ranging from 9°C to 19°C during December, the coldest month.

Climate in spring (March to May) is general-ly quite pleasant, with temperatures ranging from 15°C to 17°C. During fall (September to November), the thermometers read from 17°C to 19°C. Traveling during this period is a good option, since the climate is pleasant, the rain is little and the sky is commonly fairly blue. Even so, we recommend you to carry a light coat in your luggage, since it can get colder at night.

The public transportation in San Diego is composed by Trolley and bus lines, both from MTS (Metropolitan Transit System). The passen-ger may use the same ticket when boarding both means of transportation. However, if you want to explore the city, we recommend you to rent a car to reach the different beaches and attractions, that are quite far away one from another.

Car The best option to move in San Diego, since the tourist point are quite far from the large

highways and roads that link one area to another. To rent a car, the visitor only needs to submit his/her driver license (including the home country one) and passport. In the Inter-national Airport there is a Car Rent Center with several options and facilities for those who don't want to waste time.

Bus Easy to find in most of the metropolitan region, such as North Country, La Jolla, and near the beaches. At bus stops, there are information on time and routes. If you're riding a bike, you can still use the bus as a means of transportation, since every bus has a room for people to carry

TRANSPORTATION


bikes. Line 992 works in 10 to 15 minute regular intervals between the airport and downtown.

Taxi The taxi cabs charge an initial rate plus an increment per mile traveled, besides rates for luggage, extra passenger (from the second one) and stand-by.

Bike A good transportation choice to explore the city. The best places to ride a bike are Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Coronado, and Mission, since there are many flat areas. It's possible to rent bikes (monthly or short term) in share stations spread over San Diego (DecoBikes).

Trolley Optimal choice for those who are hosted downtown , in Mission Valley or in the Easy region of the city. It's some sort of surface subway with three distinguished lines: Blue, Orange, and Green Lines. The unit ticket can be bought in terminals. To board, you just need to approach the card to a totem available in each station, and the ticket value is discounted. It's possible to use the Trolley several times a day. There is even the option to use the Old Town Trolley, that passes only through the main tourist areas in San Diego, making 11 stops.

Train Great choice for those who plan to explore San Diego coast from Downtown or to keep travel-ing to other important cities in California. The newest option is the metropolitan train system SPRINTER, which connects the tourist to Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, and Escondido.

Maybe the most difficult thing when traveling to San Diego is to decide what to do. The city offers the most varied activities: worldwide famous parks, outdoor programs, museums, a rich culture, lovely beaches, besides rewarded restaurants.

One of the main attractions in the city is Balboa Park. A few minutes from downtown, the tourist finds one of the best parks in the world, with 15 museums, matchless architec-ture, wonderful gardens, several recreational activities, in addition to San Diego Zoo. Among the museums, the highlights are Mingei Inter-national Museum, Museum of Photographic Arts, and San Diego Air & Space Museum. The best manner of starting the visit is in the Visi-tor Center, which offers brochures, maps, and free local guided tours.

Speaking of museums, USS Midway Museum attracts tourists from worldwide who are curi-ous to see the oldest aircraft carrier of United States Navy. The guided tour guides the visi-tors through the bedrooms, machine rooms, and the control tower.

Famous worldwide for its matchless beau-ty, the city beaches are an attraction for the whole family. With varied looks, the tourist finds sandy beaches, cliffs, reefs, and pools of corals. The most desired are the beaches of Coronado, refuge for couples, Pacific Beach, with many youths and university students, and La Jolla, which counts on kayak rental, surf lessons, and stand-up paddle. But if you want

ATTRACTIONS


calmness, you must go to the Ocean Beach, also called OB. Farther than other regions of San Diego, this beach is known for ist hippie, alternative style.

Another must see attraction is SeaWorld San Diego. In the water park, the visitors can see sharks, stingrays, besides feeling tiny clean-er fishes softly biting your hands. The place counts on an extended schedule, which varies according to each time of the year. That's why you must keep an eye on the official website, to stay in touch with everything. If you want refreshment in the hottest months, the Aquat-ica SeaWorld's Waterpark is a good choice, with its pools and attractions that make chil-dren and adults have fun.

With over 60 tanks of colorful marine life, Birch Aquarium at Scripps is one of the most wanted attractions. Located in La Jolla, it covers stun-ning coral reefs, sharks, jellyfishes, and several species of seahorses. An interactive museum presents discovers on the ocean, climate and the Earth to the tourists.

Considered California's "place of birth", the Old Town State Historic Park provides the tourists with a time travel, more accurately during San Diego colonial period, from 1821 to 1872. There are hundreds of shops and boutiques there, besides a number of restaurants. Downtown Old Town, its other known name, you'll see the Whaley House museum complex, formed by five historical buildings. A mandatory tour if you want to know the city's culture and origin.

Another remarkable program is LEGOLAND, the amazing Lego's amusement park. The interest-ing part of this park is that it has attractions for

children of all ages. Children up to 2 years old can enjoy attractions such as Swabbies Deck, Legoland Express, Playtown, Water Works & The Fountain Musical, among others. For chil-dren from 2 years old, the main attractions are Volvo Driving School, Aquazone Wave Racers, and LEGO Mindstorms Robotics. If you want it, you can even stay at Legoland California Resort Hotel.

San Diego nightlife is also amazing! With distin-guished styles and rhythms, it's possible to enjoy the night hearing funk, dance, house, besides Latin songs and the traditional coun-try music. If you want a lively nightlife, you must go to Gaslamp District. Located down-town, there you'll see the most wanted night

clubs, bars, shops and restaurants in San Diego, where the main city events are celebrated.

If you like live music, you must go to Rock Bottom, one of the most lively regions in the city, full of youths, clubs and bars. Great bands passed through there, such as Nirvana, Smash-ing Pumpkins and Lemonheads.

Another nice program is to visit the handmade beer breweries. With over 100 spread over the city, the visitor still finds pubs, bars and restau-rants that manufacture their own beer.

Whether for buying a souvenir or peaces to rearrange your closet, in San Diego you'll find shops for different types of products. With a wide range of outdoor shopping centers, luxu-ry shopping malls, outlets and boutiques, it's difficult not to find some product in the Cali-fornian city. So, you'd better have some room in your luggage! The most desired items are clothes, jewels, decorative and art items, cigars, beverages, and electronic devices.

If you like shopping and knowing a bit more about the city, there are many shops spread over the charming shopping districts. The most wanted ones are in Little Italy, Mission Hills, Hillcrest, Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village District, Old Town, Village of La Jolla and Cedros Design District. In these places, the visi-tor finds ancient items, art, appliance, furniture shops, restaurants and many bars.

In Newport Avenue sidewalk, in Ocean Beach, there is an outdoor market every week with flowers, fruits, and entertainment. The tour-ist will find there many antique shops with items that go all the way to the roof. If you like antique items, you'll love it.

Those who want great offers and cheap prices must visit the outlets. They offer sales of great brands known worldwide. The most wanted are Las Americas Premium Outlets, near the border with Mexico; Viejas Outlet Center, 30 minutes from downtown, Carlsbad Premium Outlets, with over 90 shops and open daily, located near the Museum of Making Music and La Jolla.

SHOPPING


Art and fashion catwalk, the streets of the beach district La Jolla shelter shops of interna-tionally known brands and galleries of famous fashion designers. It's also common to find there many artists that expose their works in public places, such as Spanish Village Art Center, in Balboa Park, or in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.

San Diego also offers distinguished outdoor shopping centers, such as Forum Carlsbad, Del Mar Highlands Town Center and Flower Hill Promenade. Other shopping options are, of course, the shopping malls. One of the most famous is the Horton Plaza Shopping, with over 140 shops and restaurants that offer a great offer of products.

CurrenCyThe official currency is the US Dollar, represent-ed by the abbreviation USD. The Dollar has 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollar bills, and 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cent coins, besides the 1 dollar coin.

In San Diego, the tourist easily finds many offi-cial currency exchanges. The banks generally offer good rating. We recommend you to carry part of the money in paper, so you'll not be charged with the credit card fees, neither with shopping exchange rates.

The products are not rated, but the state of California charges 8.5% tax over the total amount of every product. Thus, you need to pay attention when calculating, not to have a surprise at the end of the shopping.

With different types of accommodations, in San Diego the tourist finds hosting for all budgets: from hostels for backpackers to sophisticated hotels and resorts with exclusive suites in front of the beach.

HoTelsThose who want comfort and refinement must stay in hotels near Mission Bay and Corona-do seafront. La Jolla is also a place for those who want exclusive hotels, calmness and natu-ral beauty. Downtown you'll find rooms with better prices, besides being a region near many restaurants, bars, and the Balboa Park.

Bed and BreakfasTThe best option for those who want to feel like a city local. With accommodations ranging from US$100 to US$300 per day, the tourist finds charming, lovely inns: historical, picturesque houses in the waterfront.

Camping Optimum for those who want to have a closer contact to the nature and who want a bucolic trip. The traveler will find campings in differ-ent regions: near the mountains, deserts, lakes, or beaches. Some of them even near the main attractions in the city.

HosTelsWidely wanted by students and those who want to save money, most of the hostels are comfortable, safe, and accessible. It's possible to find basic rooms, with a good infrastructure and location, at fairly attractive prices.

WHERE TO STAY

oTHer aCCommodaTionsA good option for those who want to trav-el for a longer time is to rent a house or an apartment. With options all around the city, the accommodations are comfortable and have affordable prices.

With about 6,500 restaurants, San Diego cuisine has its own, irresistible flavor. It is no coincidence its restaurants won several culi-nary awards. So, it's common to come back from the trip with some extra pounds. But it worths it!

The cuisine strength is the seafood, many times fished a few hours before being served. If you visit the city you must taste abalone, a typical Californian shellfish, crab legs, besides huge shrimps, oysters and lobsters. Other typical dishes are the deboned meat and the delicious hamburgers.

The vicinity to Pacific and Mexico makes the city cuisine fairly rich: it varies from fresh seafood to the famous Cali-Baja cuisine, a combination of Mexican food and Mediterra-nean ingredients. Due to the large demand, we recommend you to previously book when going to restaurants.

Downtown you'll find typical dishes from Cali-Baja cuisine, such as lobster, pork skin

WHERE TO EAT


(chicarron) and the matchless fish tacos. In La Jolla, the tourist also finds Mexican special-ties, including seafood, besides relaxing while flavoring the best tequilas.

Typically Californian, the fillet with potatoes is also a must taste. There are several steakhous-es spread over the city that serve this dish. The cafes/restaurants are fairly appreciated by the locals. In the breakfast, it's common to see bagels with cream cheese, delicious muffins filled with blueberry and so on.

On Tuesdays, known as Taco Tuesday, the visi-tor finds typical Mexican dishes, such as taco, margaritas and Mexican beers at interest-ing prices. It's worth it to keep an eye on the participating restaurants and take this day to taste the Mexican cuisine.

The gastronomic center in Little Italy is fantas-tic. In this little Italy inside the United States, the visitor finds amazing restaurants, many snack bars, cafes and delicious ice cream parlors. Crowded in the weekend nights, the region is a meeting point for locals and tour-ists. After having dinner, a good walk is to visit the beautiful local art galleries.

Gaslamp Quarter gathers the best restaurants in the city, which attracts celebrities from New York, Los Angeles and other large cities. The 5th Avenue, the district's main avenue, is where you'll see most of the bars and restaurants in San Diego. It's possible to find Japanese, Italian, American, English dishes and any other kind of food.

1619911

COUNTRY CODE

CITY CODE

POLICE

FIRE DEPT

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LINDBERGH FIELD

TOURIST INFORMATION

+1 619 533 4300

+1 619 400 2404

+1 619 236 1242

To drink, a good choice are the Californian wines. California is one of the main world wine producers, and there are many wine markets in San Diego. it's also worth it to taste the wines produced in other cities, particularly Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, and Santa Barbara.

imporTanT numBers

travel tips | san diego (eng.)

Documents