Getting around San Diego

Hi

I will be arriving in San Diego Friday 4th July and staying for 3 or 4 days before moving up the coast. I have been looking for some reasonably priced accomodation near the Gaslamp area but the majority that i have found (and liked) don%26#39;t seem to say much about parking or if they do is fairly expensive just to leave your car there.

My question then is, is it easy to move around san diego on public transport? Hoping to go to Sea World, Balboa park and then the beach. Also, i have heard %26#39;the trolley%26#39; mentioned in other posts...what is this???

Thanks in advance

Getting around San Diego

Most downtown hotels charge for parking. You will find this true in most large cities. There are also parking garages scattered around downtown where you could park for less money. My husband and I have found the garage at 6th and K,(between the Omni Hotel and the Gaslamp Marriott) to be very reasonable.We parked from 2PM overnight until 10AM for $12.Ironically, we found out that the lowest level of the garage is where the Omni valet parking at $30per night, is located .

You can easily access our lightrail electric train ,that we call the trolley,from downtown,Little Italy,Old Town and parts of Mission Valley. To get to the beach,Balboa Park,and Sea World you%26#39;d have to use buses or a combo of lightrail and bus depending on where you stay. WE also have a great hop on hop off bus made to look like an old fashioned trolley car which you can access from OldTown,downtown,Coronado.See:www.trolleytours.com

Our public transprtation system is NOT at all like the tube in London as you cannot get around to all parts of the city by using it.

It goes from downtown south to the border,north to OldTown,then east past Fashion Valley mall and some other shopping malls ,past our football stadium to our local state university. For any other location you need to transfer to a bus.

Getting around San Diego

Thanks for the advice

Yes we don%26#39;t have the best public transportation, but depending on where you%26#39;re staying it might meet you needs.

Check out www.sdcommute.com It has a trip planner feature where you enter your start and end points by address or landmark (popular tourist attraction or facilities like hospitals), and it will tell you how you can get there by bus and/or trolley.

For instance I tried Horton Plaza, a shopping center in the heart of the Gaslamp as my starting point and used the Catamaran Resort%26#39;s address 3999 Mission Blve which parallels the beach as my end point in Pacific Beach and you can get there on the 30 bus without any transfers. Lots of casual restaurants and small shops in that area and Mission Bay is right across the street. Good location for outdoor activity.

From there you could easily connect to a bus to take you to Sea World since it%26#39;s in the vicinity, or starting from Horton 2 buses will get you there. The 30 and 8.

Horton to Balboa Park one bus route 7

Horton to Hotel Del Coronado which is a must see in a beautiful area on a beautiful beach one bus the 901

BTW you don%26#39;t have to be a guest to enter the hotel, shop or eat at their restaurants. Their outdoor sundeck is fun on summer weekends when Ron%26#39;s garage band is playing classic soft rock. Seat yourself and have a drink, burger or hang out.

Considering it%26#39;s a big beach holiday you might be smart to skip the car if you can get away with it since traffic will be heavy and beach parking will be tough to find anyway.

There is a main trolly station downtown and many transfers happen in Old Town which is also a tourist attraction with several restaurants.

Not sure about holiday hours so check the sight and feel free to post again if you need more info or addresses.

Forgot to mention all those routes were less than an hour. Also see the recent post titled ';Bus Passes'; for some scoop on single and multi day bus /trolley passes. I was surprised how economical the passes are

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