San Diego is a famously laid back city in Southern California, known for its surfing, golden beaches, perfect weather and easy-going vibes. San Diego has more than 15 beaches and every place has something different to offer. As always, we did not have all the time we wanted so we handpicked 4 beaches for our trip.
La Jolla Shores
The La Jolla Shores is a pleasant clean beach with a lot of people enjoying the different things about the beach. The water is clear, kids are building sandcastles, others are reading a book, college group is enjoying their bonfire, some are bathing in the and some are walking along the beach. We walked on the beach for some time and then took one of the spots to just sit, relax and enjoy the sunset. Undeniably, It is one of the best places in San Diego to go for the sunset.
Mission Beach
Surfers, swimmers, walkers, runners, volleyball and everything else that you would expect on a beach. A lot of people with tents, a lot of are taking their morning walk, you can practically see every kind of beach activity here. A paved, cement boardwalk runs for miles and miles along the beachfront. In one part of the boardwalk are Airbnb and holiday homes with the amazing views of the Pacific, another side is the restaurant, cafe and shop. It is a great place to walk or take a rental scooter or bike. The ideal time to come here is to enjoy a brunch with the views of pacific or in the evening for sunset. There is also ample parking (free and paid) located along the beach at parking lots or side streets. The famous Belmont Park is worth a visit for a step back in time. We went here for brunch and ended up spending more than 5 hours strolling around the beach.
Coronado Beach
Coronado Beach was suggested to us by one of my colleague who lived in San Diego for a long time. Coronado beach is huge, clean, family-friendly, dog-friendly and beautiful. Compared to Mission Beach (which has a boardwalk, shops and lots of vendors and a lot of crowds) and La Jolla Shores, Coronado is more relaxing, less crowded, and pristine.
Sunset Cliff Nature Park
Only after visiting Sunset Cliff you will understand why is it called so. You will be mesmerized by the cliffs and the waves crashing. Its the perfect site to watch the sunset over the Pacific ocean. It seems as if this place was created just to watch the sunset. There are plenty of small parking lots along the way. It can be extremely windy and I highly suggest wearing warm clothes especially if you want to watch the sunset.
The Itinerant Analyst 