Guide Note

San Diego is the second largest city in California and it's situated on the southern coastline of the state, not far from Tijuana, Mexico. Many visitors choose San Diego as a vacation destination because of it's less-stressful atmosphere then near by Los Angeles.

Fast Facts

1. Country: United States
2. State: California
3. County: San Diego
4. Mayor: Jerry Sanders
5. City population: 1,256,951 (2006)
6. Currency: U.S. dollar
7. Area code: 619, 858
8. Time zone: PST

San Diego is home to a few very popular theme parks and zoos. One of the three Sea World's is located in San Diego. It's a perfect place to take the family to experience some of the best mammal habitat that California has to offer. There are also rides, shows and movie entertainment.

The San Diego Zoo is the largest in the world and is claimed to be "world famous." There are many exhibits, shows and even a "rare" collection of plants. To experience a birds-eye view of the park, be sure to take a ride on the gondola, or even for a land view, take a guided tour on one of the buses that move through about 75% of the park. Don't forget to visit the Giant Panda exhibit because it's said to be the largest outside of China.

Also operated by the same owners of the San Diego Zoo is the San Diego Wild Animal Park, about 30 miles away from the zoo. Housed in this park are over 400 species of about 3,000 animals. The animals are native to many parts of the world, including Africa, Asia and Australia. It is said to be one of the "largest" attractions in all of California for tourism. Some of the more popular "enclosures" hold animals such as Grevy's zebras, Przewalski's wild horses and kiangs. The park is also home to a botanical garden, which has many attraction with in itself.

There are a large variety of activities in San Diego because of it's beautiful climate and proximity to the ocean. There are "miles" of beaches for swimming, sunbathing and surfing. Farther out in the open waters one can go sailing, whale-watching and even scuba diving.

On land, golf is a popular sport. There are over 90 courses, public and private, to choose from. San Diego has actually been named "One of the Top 50 Golf Destinations in the World" by Golf Digest.

When planning your trip, please see the pages on San Diego Hotels, San Diego Restaurants and San Diego Tours.