Last updated: November 2026
San Diego was the final stop on our California road trip, which took us from San Francisco to Yosemite and Palm Springs. We drove down from Palm Springs on a Friday and flew home from San Diego on the Monday, so we had three nights over a long weekend with our 22-month-old, R. We managed sea lions in La Jolla, a long pram walk through the city, the zoo and a surprisingly successful morning at LEGOLAND.
One thing to know before you go: San Diego is very spread out. It is not like the more central, walkable city centres of Boston or New York (you can see the difference in our Boston city break with kids guide), so where you base yourself really matters.
Below we cover what we did day by day, what it cost, and where I would stay next time, so you can decide whether San Diego is right for your family.
Don’t have time to read everything? Here is where to start looking.
Where to stay in San Diego with a toddler
La Jolla Shores worked really well for us and I couldn’t recommend it more. We stayed in a rental in a calm, nice surfy-vibe area, with Kellogg Park playground and the beach a short walk away for a morning or evening stroll. It’s also close to the famous sea lions and seals, and the lovely neighbourhood of La Jolla Village. Allow roughly 25 to 30 minutes to Balboa Park and downtown, and 35 to 40 minutes to LEGOLAND, depending on traffic.
If you would rather have a beachfront hotel than a rental, the Hotel del Coronado is the one I would look at first. It puts you right on the beachfront in Coronado, within walking distance of Orange Avenue and its ice cream shops. It’s a gorgeous historic building and we loved the atmosphere of the hotel when we popped in for a peek.
Our rental: a three-bedroom cottage in La Jolla Shores
We stayed in a lovely three-bedroom cottage in La Jolla, with one bedroom set up with bunk beds and another with a sofa bed in. It was a five-minute walk to the beach and very close to a few restaurants and a small shop, as well as a decent playground.
It had several small outdoor seating areas and also had parking for one car, a kitchen and laundry, which made the stay simple with a toddler.
A family of six can sleep there comfortably for about £300 a night, which I thought was good value. See the cottage we stayed in →
Our hotel pick: Hotel del Coronado
We nearly stayed at the Hotel del Coronado, so I spent time wandering the grounds and looking at the pool area to see what it offers families. The details below come from the hotel’s own website, which I checked in November 2026.
Where you can stay: the Del is really several places to stay on one stretch of beach. The original 1888 building is called the Victorian, and there are more modern rooms and suites in the Cabanas, which sit around a central pool, and the Views, which have direct access to the Pacific. For more space, Shore House has private oceanfront villas and Beach Village is a gated community of beachfront cottages and villas. The villas and cottages are described as having full kitchens, fireplaces and verandas, which is what I would look at for a family who want a base that feels more like a rental. The hotel also offers a guaranteed connecting rooms option for families travelling together, and it lists free cribs and infant beds.
The kids’ club: the Ocean Explorers kids’ club is for ages 5 to 10 according to the hotel’s website, with half-day and full-day sessions and an underwater theme. For younger children the hotel also lists a private childcare service run by a third party.
Beyond the club, there is a nightly beach bonfire with s’mores, bike hire to ride around Coronado and a Cabana Pool.
There are around ten places to eat and drink across the hotel, including Veranda for breakfast and dinner, Nobu, Serẽa for sea-to-table dinners and weekend brunch, the Sun Deck, ENO Market & Pizzeria, a Beach & Taco Shack, SunLife Organics for smoothies and bowls and Sundaes for gelato and paletas.
To compare other bases, see other popular accommodation in San Diego.
Our San Diego itinerary with a toddler
Friday: Julian on the way down
We drove down from Palm Desert via Julian, a gold rush era mountain town, and stopped for pie and a walk around the shops. Julian began in 1869 when gold was found in a creek nearby, which sparked San Diego County’s only major gold rush. Today it is a small mountain town about an hour from San Diego, famous for its apple pie, with a compact Main Street of old-fashioned buildings that takes around 30 to 45 minutes to walk.
If you’re looking for somewhere in the desert to pair with San Diego, check out my Palm Springs post.
Saturday: Balboa Park, a walk to Seaport Village and the zoo
We parked in the Bea Evenson lot in Balboa Park, which cost $10 for the whole day. It is also less than five minutes’ walk from the zoo, whose own car park charges non-members $16 a day. Parking rules in the park are changing: the City charges until 31 December 2026 and has approved removing the charges from 1 January 2027, while the zoo has said it will keep charging for now, so check before you go. This was our biggest walking day – about an hour each way to the Seaport – so I appreciate not the easiest default plan for every family.
We spent time in Balboa Park first, with coffee and pastries in the Spanish Village Art Center, then wandered on past the Old Globe and the Alcazar Garden. It was a lovely walk through the park, and we also passed the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, little houses that each represent a different country, which were quite cool.
Balboa Park is free to enter and has a fair bit going on. Its Spanish-style buildings were not something I expected. They come from two world’s fairs, the 1915 to 1916 Panama-California Exposition and the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition, and the zoo began in 1916 with animals left over from the first.
The gardens are lovely to wander, and the Spanish Village Art Center is free to browse, with more than 200 local artists working there. The International Cottages date from the 1935 exposition, and the official site says the open houses run from noon to 4pm on Sundays, with lawn programs of music, dance and food at 2pm on Sundays from March to October, so check the day if you want to go inside. Near the zoo you will also find a 1910 carousel and a miniature train, which run on limited days outside the summer. If you only have a short time in San Diego, I would put it near the top of your list, and it pairs naturally with the zoo.
From there we walked down to Seaport Village for lunch, through downtown San Diego. It is a longish walk, but it worked well with a pram and gave us a proper feel for downtown. The route runs right under the flight path, so R, who loves plane spotting, was in his element. If your toddler will not nap in the pram or car, I would split the waterfront and the zoo across different days or with a nap at home in the middle.
We had lunch at Margaritas Kitchen & Cantina in Seaport Village and rode the Seaport Village carousel, then walked back to the car. The nachos at Margaritas were excellent and R loved his kids cheese quesadilla.
Seaport Village is a waterfront shopping and dining spot on San Diego Bay, open daily from 10am to 9pm. The carousel was hand-carved in 1895 and cost $6 a ride. It is touristy, but the carousel and the bay views make it a good halfway stop on a long walk, and the USS Midway and the Maritime Museum are along the same stretch of waterfront. If you drive rather than walk, the village lot is $8 an hour, with a discount when you spend $10 at a Seaport Village business.
After that we went to the zoo. It is big, world famous and pricey, but I can see why as there seemed like every kind of animal there – from zebras to a panda and a polar bear. We paid for a 1-Day Pass which was $78 for adults and $68 for children. Children aged 2 and under are free, so R got in at no cost. It is impressive in scale, and it was open until 9pm when we visited, possibly because it was Halloween weekend, so you can have a full day there and see the animals as it gets dark.
I did come away with mixed feelings about some of the animal spaces, as a few exhibits felt a little small for the size of the animal (the polar bear for instance). We had just been to the Living Desert in Palm Springs (which I cover in our Palm Springs guide), where the habitats felt more open, so that comparison was fresh. That is my personal impression rather than a judgement on the zoo’s conservation work which must be good to be as famous as it is.
The highlights for us was the open cable car ride over the park, which is fun, and the elephant enclosure which was a decent space. It was relatively easy with a toddler – there are some hills, but nothing we could not handle. As the entry price is high, I would make a full day of it, or an afternoon and evening, to get the most out of your ticket.
A ticket includes a guided bus tour and the Skyfari aerial tram. We skipped the bus tour, which looked good but is around 50 minutes, quite a commitment with a toddler, and we wanted to walk the park instead. The zoo also rents strollers, listed at $16 for a single.
Sunday: sea lions, San Diego Old Town and Coronado
We drove to see the sea lions and seals in La Jolla, which was very cool, and had a coffee in La Jolla Village. It is clearly affluent and quite trendy, but a bit sleepy on a Sunday morning.
The sea lions rest on the rocks at Point La Jolla, just south of the Cove, and the harbour seals are a short, paved walk away on the beach below Children’s Pool. It is free, and you watch from the paths, but you get a great view. We arrived pretty early and parked right on the road, but when we got back to the car it was pretty full the cove end. Parking near the Cove and Children’s Pool tends to fill up by mid-morning, so aim to arrive before 9am and watch for timed limits. There is a garage in the village if the street is full.
We then went to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. We had not planned our visit around Día de los Muertos, so finding it full of music, dancing and food among the historic buildings was a lovely surprise.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park re-creates the town as it was between 1821 and 1872, when it changed from a Mexican pueblo into an American settlement, with historic buildings on display like a blacksmith shop and a schoolhouse, and plenty of lively Mexican restaurants around the plaza. It’s widely considered the first permanent European settlement in what is now California. Admission to the park and its museums is free, and so is parking in the park’s lots, although as the event was on we ended up parking on a street about a 10 minute walk away.
The Día de los Muertos celebration takes place on 1st and 2nd November each year, with altars, folklórico dancing and a street market.
After R’s nap at our La Jolla cottage, our afternoon was spent at Coronado where we went for a walk and a sundae at MooTime Creamery, which is very popular and always has a queue apparently. One sundae is enough for 2 or 3 of you in my opinion!
Coronado is a flat, walkable island reached by the Coronado Bridge, or by ferry from the Embarcadero. The Hotel del Coronado has been welcoming guests since 1888, and its red-roofed Victorian building and beachfront are open to wander. Orange Avenue has shops and ice cream, and the beach is wide and sandy. Parking is free along Ocean Boulevard and on side streets a block or two from Orange Avenue, while Orange Avenue itself is metered and the Hotel del charges for parking.
Monday: LEGOLAND California
Our flight home was at 6pm, so we had to leave LEGOLAND at 2pm, which made for a shorter day than I would have liked. It was a great way to fill our final morning, and I would happily have stayed longer.
LEGOLAND was surprisingly good for a toddler. I had wondered whether it would be worth visiting before R turned two, but it was one of the biggest surprises of the trip. We only had the morning because of our flight, but from what we saw there was plenty to fill a full day, with more for older children.
The submarine ride, LEGO City: Deep Sea Adventure, was the highlight: we watched fish and sharks through the glass and R was completely absorbed. We also went on the truck ride on the DUPLO Little Dino Trail twice, took the Coast Cruise boat ride past the miniature cities made out of LEGO in Miniland USA and found plenty to do between rides, with a train, a carousel and loads of play parks.
Should you take a toddler under two to Legoland? Based on our visit, yes, particularly if you are happy to build the day around a smaller selection of rides and play areas rather than trying to cover the whole park. Check the official height and accompanying-adult requirements before going, as these vary by ride.
It is quite a pricey day out but I do think worth it. Basic parking was $40, and food is not especially reasonable, though that is to be expected at a theme park. Both the zoo and LEGOLAND offer refillable drink cups, which are a good idea if you plan to drink a lot. At LEGOLAND the one-day cup is listed at $23.95.
What we missed and would do next time
- USS Midway Museum: we nearly went on the Saturday but ran out of time because of the zoo. The museum’s website lists it as open daily 10am to 5pm with last admission at 4pm. Online tickets are $39 for adults and $29 for ages 4 to 12, and children aged 3 and under are free. Strollers are allowed on board, but it involves a lot of walking and ladders. There is a Junior Pilot Program where children can earn pilot wings, and parking on Navy Pier is $20 for up to six hours.
- Birch Aquarium in La Jolla: a potential wet-weather option. Tickets need reserving in advance, and children under 3 are free.
- New Children’s Museum downtown: indoors and hands-on, with a baby and toddler area on the ground floor according to local guides. In American Children’s museums are essentially fun children’s centres with role play zones. We visited one in Charleston and another in Myrtle Beach.
- Waterfront Park: free, with a splash pad, grass, harbour views and a shaded playground.
- Comic-Con Museum: we spotted it in Balboa Park and may have gone in had we stayed longer. The museum’s website lists it as open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and closed on Mondays. Children under 6 are free, ages 6 to 12 are $15 and adults are $30 (checked November 2026). The website does not mention a dedicated area for young children, so with a toddler I would treat it as a short stop rather than a full visit.
- San Diego Air & Space Museum: also in Balboa Park, and one I would look at if you have a plane-obsessed toddler like R. The museum’s website lists it as open daily 10am to 4:30pm, with special hours from November to January, so check before you go. Adults are $35, ages 3 to 11 are $22 and children aged 2 and under are free. It also lists a simulators and interactive area, plus a sensory map and a kid-friendly social story, which could help if your child finds busy museums a lot.
- San Diego Model Railroad Museum: another Balboa Park option, and a good fit for a train-loving toddler. Its website lists it as open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm, with a Toy Train Gallery among the permanent exhibits. The page I checked did not list ticket prices, so look at the website before you go.
- SEA LIFE Aquarium at LEGOLAND: LEGOLAND’s website lists free entry to the SEA LIFE Aquarium with a theme park ticket, with close encounters with sharks, octopi and rays and touchpools. We only had the morning, so this is one for a longer day at the park than we managed. Opening times change by day, so check on the day.
Practical tips: getting around, parking and costs
We kept food fairly simple rather than planning our days around restaurant bookings. Seaport Village was an easy lunch stop during our waterfront walk, and MooTime Creamery in Coronado was a fun afternoon treat. Having a shop and places to eat near our La Jolla cottage also made evenings much easier, but we ordered takeout on 2 of our 3 nights there.
San Diego can look straightforward on a map, but the drives between La Jolla, Balboa Park, Coronado and LEGOLAND add up. Having a car was essential, especially when working around naps. I would budget separately for attraction tickets, parking and food, as those extras are all quite expensive.
San Diego with a toddler: our scores
Each score is out of 5:
1. Getting there: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are direct flights from London, although it is a fairly long flight. We flew from San Diego to London Heathrow and it took 10 hours overnight.
2. Pramability: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There were pavements almost everywhere we went and the long walk through downtown worked well with a pram, but you will want a car for the main sights.
3. Adult fun factor: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Balboa Park’s architecture, the beaches and walks around La Jolla, and the different neighbourhoods – plus all the formal attractions – meant we all had a great time.
4. Cost: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It is a slightly more expensive trip, as the attractions and zoo cost quite a bit, but I found our rental was a good price for what you get, with a family of six able to sleep comfortably for about £300 a night.
San Diego with a toddler: FAQs
Yes, particularly if you enjoy a mix of outdoor stops and big attractions. We found plenty that worked at 22 months, but I would recommend a car and a realistic plan for naps because the main sights are spread out.
It is pricey, and I had mixed feelings about some enclosures after the Living Desert, but the cable car and the bridge were fun and the paths were manageable with a toddler. It stays open late, so I would make a full day, or an afternoon and evening, of it to get the most out of the ticket price. Check the closing time for your date.
It was for us at 22 months. The submarine ride, miniature-city boat trip and play areas gave us plenty to enjoy, although I would check the ride restrictions and the total cost, including parking and food, before booking.
We loved our three-bedroom cottage in La Jolla Shores for the space and the easy naps. If you want a beachfront hotel instead, the Hotel del Coronado is the one I would look at first, although I have only visited, not stayed.
If you are planning the whole road trip, here are our guides to San Francisco with kids, Yosemite with kids and Palm Springs with kids.
Allie, Jack & R x
