Getting Around San Diego

Parking at the beaches, the trolley and the ferry, and what to bring for a coastal trip.

Before You Arrive

Parking, Transit and Packing

San Diego is a driving city, but most trips here are two or three neighborhoods wide. Park the car once, walk or ride the rest, and you avoid the part of the trip people complain about. Parking is the thing that catches visitors out. The beach neighborhoods fill by mid-morning on summer weekends, and Balboa Park started charging in January 2026.

Parking

Where to Park

The Beach Neighborhoods

Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach and La Jolla all tighten up on weekends and through the summer. Arrive early or expect to circle. Once you are parked, everything is walkable, so plan to leave the car where it is.

Free street parking, with time limits in the busiest blocks
Mid-morning onward is the hard part on summer weekends
No overnight parking on the coastal lots

Balboa Park

Paid parking started on 5 January 2026 and the City has it scheduled to run through the end of the year. Meters on the park roads are $2.50 an hour up to $10 a day, and the lots are priced by tier.

Lower Inspiration Point gives everyone the first three hours free
A free tram runs from Inspiration Point into the park, 8am to 8pm
Central lots run $10 for four hours or $16 for the day for visitors

Torrey Pines cliffs at dusk with lifeguard tower

Torrey Pines and the State Parks

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve charges for parking at the entrance and at the North Beach lot, and the free street parking on North Torrey Pines Road fills early. Gates open at 7:15am and close at sunset.

No dogs anywhere in the reserve
Park road and upper lot close the third Wednesday of each month until 1pm
Cabrillo National Monument is $20 per vehicle, valid seven days

Transit

Getting Around Without a Car

The Trolley
Three lines connect downtown, Old Town, Mission Valley and the border. It does not reach the beaches or the airport, so treat it as the downtown and inland option.
Fares
$2.50 one way with two hours of free transfers when you tap a PRONTO card or the app, and $6 for an adult day pass. Contactless cards and phones work at the reader.
From the Airport
Route 992 runs between both terminals and Santa Fe Depot downtown, every fifteen minutes for most of the day, about a fifteen minute ride.
The Free Airport Shuttle
The San Diego Flyer runs between the airport and the Old Town Transit Center at no charge, every twenty to thirty minutes, for onward transit riders.
The Coronado Ferry
Fifteen minutes from Broadway Pier to the Coronado Ferry Landing, hourly, $9 one way and free for under fours. Bikes ride free when there is space, and it beats the bridge and island parking.
Bikes and Scooters
The boardwalk between Pacific Beach and Mission Beach is flat and continuous, and rentals sit at both ends. Most guests park once and cover the coast this way.

Packing

What to Bring

Bring a light jacket even in summer. Coastal evenings cool off quickly once the sun drops, and the difference between the beach and inland can be ten degrees or more. Pack sunscreen and use it on the grey mornings too, because the marine layer burns through. Closed toe shoes with grip matter more than they sound, both for the tide pools and for the cliff trails. If you plan to surf outside of late summer, bring a wetsuit or plan to rent one, since the water stays cool most of the year.

Official Sources