San Diego is a Southern California city that sits on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Well known for its beaches and amazing weather, it’s a perfect stop on your trip through SoCal! We fell in love with San Diego’s lively neighbourhoods, beautiful water views, and welcoming gaybourhood. It’s a great destination for LGBTQ+ travellers and is definitely safe for lesbian women and female same-sex couples. If you’re looking for a California destination that is sunny and warm with lots to do, be sure to add San Diego to your list. Keep reading for our full lesbian travel guide to San Diego!
What To Do
Visit the Gaybourhood
Experience the heart of gay culture in San Diego! Hillcrest is the local gaybourhood located North of Balboa Park. It’s full of gay-friendly shops and restaurants, LGBTQ+ nightlife, vintage clothing stores, and a weekly Farmer’s Market. You’ll also find a rainbow crosswalk at Normal St and University Ave, don’t miss it!
Explore the Gaslamp Quarter
This downtown neighbourhood is where the nightlife is! Spend your evenings in the Gaslamp Quarter for great cocktail bars, lounges, and clubs, along with amazing dining. This historic pocket of the city has a great energy, and if you visit during the daytime you can also check out plenty of boutiques or enjoy Horton Plaza Park.
Check Out Little Italy
This pedestrian friendly San Diego neighbourhood is a must visit. Full of trendy restaurants and bars, it’s the perfect spot to eat, drink, and people watch on a patio. There’s also a weekly Farmer’s Market if you’re looking for fresh produce and handcrafted goods!
Go to Balboa Park
San Diego’s biggest and most well known park space Balboa Park should definitely be on your list. Spanning 1200 acres in the middle of the city, it is home to the San Diego Zoo, California Tower, and 17 museums and cultural centres. There is so much to do here, check out the website to plan your visit!
Enjoy the Beautiful Beaches
San Diego sits on a gorgeous stretch of the California Coastline. Be sure to visit some of its most beautiful beaches during your stay. Some of the most popular spots are located further out of the city, so if you have a vehicle to go exploring, take advantage! The best beach spots in San Diego include Blacks Beach, La Jolla, Encinitas, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Del Mar, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, and Pacific Beach.
Visit the Embarcadero
Be sure to get down to the city waterfront and stroll along the Embarcadero. A popular cruise ship port, this area has plenty of shops and eateries. The views of the ocean are beautiful and there is plenty of green space to relax!
Experience Coronado Island
Across the bay from San Diego sits Coronado Island, which can be accessed by bridge or ferry. Coronado Beach is one of the most beautiful in the country, and the small town offers perfect laid back beachy vibes. Spend a day in Coronado to admire the beautiful homes, explore the charming downtown shops, stroll the beachfront boardwalk, and visit the longstanding Hotel del Coronado (built in 1888).
Go to the Spruce St Suspension Bride
This perfect hidden gem is right in the middle of the city! A suspension foot bridge hangs over a beautiful valley in a quiet San Diego neighbourhood. Come here for a lovely walk away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Where to Stay
There are so many great places to stay in San Diego! You will definitely have plenty of options between big hotel resorts, boutique hotels, Airbnbs, and vacation rentals. You will likely want to stay somewhere central in the city, and there are plenty of hotel options in great locations. We stayed at Hotel Z, a Staypineapple hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter and we loved it! It was a perfect location for exploring both on foot and by car, and the hotel also had a shuttle we could take around town. If you’re interested in hotel accommodations in San Diego, we recommend using a tool like Hotels.com if you’re booking in advance. It’s easy to search within a certain price range, filter for the amenities that you like, and narrow down a specific location in the city. They also have a great reward system, for every ten nights you book you receive one night free. If you’re looking for great deals on last minute accommodations try Hotel Tonight. Their app is extremely user friendly, and you can find some amazing deals if your plans are flexible. Sign up via our link and receive $30 off your first reservation! If you’re looking for a quieter location to stay in San Diego and you don’t need to be right downtown, we recommend checking out accommodations on Coronado Island or in the North County. These will give you more of a relaxed beach town feel, but you will still be close to everything going on right in the city. In these areas there will be some hotels, and Airbnb would also be a great option. We found plenty of home listings at reasonable prices that would be perfect accommodations for a San Diego trip. If this is your vibe, it’s definitely worth taking a look to see what’s available during your stay. This is also a great option if you’re looking for private accommodations with laundry or a kitchen. If you’ve never used Airbnb before, click here to set up a profile and save on your first stay!
Where to Eat & Drink
San Diego’s food scene is impressive and was one of our favourite parts of visiting! There were plenty of amazing plant-based options which always excites us, but the culinary scene will surely please any foodie. Expect to find a lot of fresh produce and local seafood, along with Latin American influences. Our favourite spots and best recommendations for vegan eats include Kindred for brunch, a quirky space with amazing food and metal music. We love The Modern Vegan or Cafe Gratitude for lunch, both amazing plant-based options in casual spaces. And definitely don’t miss Donna Jean for dinner, a beautiful patio serving incredible vegan Italian dishes. Other recommendations include the Vegan Tacos food truck, Spoiled Vegans Cafe, and Modern Times (an absolute must)! If you aren’t solely plant-based, then you should also check out Little Italy where you will find everything from amazing street food to upscale dining like popular spot Juniper & Ivy. As well, be sure to try some fish tacos which cannot be missed in San Diego! Oscar’s Mexican Seafood is a great place for this. There really is something for everyone! With plenty of amazing dining options ranging from casual eateries to upscale restaurants, you’ll surely discover something you love in San Diego. For drinks, be sure to head to Hillcrest if you’re looking to go out in an LGBTQ+ space. If you’re looking for great beer, head to one of the many amazing breweries in the city! San Diego is known for its craft brewing scene and you will not be disappointed. Modern Times is our absolute fave, but other great spots include Stone Brewing, Resident Brewing, North Park Beer Company, Kairoa Brewing Company, Thorn Brewing, Pure Project, Bay City Brewing, Amplified Ale Works, and Ballast Point to name a few. If you’re looking for cocktails, don’t miss Prohibition Lounge or Rendezvous in the Gaslamp Quarter, and nearby You & Yours Distilling Co in the East Village. Enjoy!
Lesbian Friendly
The laws regarding LGBTQ+ people in California are some of the best in the US. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is banned, and same-sex couples have equal legal rights. San Diego is definitely a safe and inclusive travel destination, and we would consider it very welcoming to lesbian women! Similar to other LGBTQ+ travel hotspots in Southern California like LA and Palm Springs, San Diego has it’s own gaybourhood called Hillcrest. The heart of gay culture in San Diego, Hillcrest has great restaurants, bars, shops, and a rainbow crosswalk! We felt very safe and comfortable being an open couple in San Diego, and had no issues at all showing affection in public or taking couples photos in front of locals. We loved that the city feels welcoming, and the scene in Hillcrest is definitely thriving. The neighbourhood has an LGBT Community Centre that offers resources and events for the local community. If you’re looking to go out, Gossip Grill (such a good name) is the best women’s venue! They are a full restaurant and bar with a dance floor that hosts regular events, and is female focused. A perfect spot for LGBTQ+ women, and female same-sex couples! Many other gay bars in Hillcrest are also welcoming to women or have female events, so you will find plenty of LGBTQ+ nightlife is San Diego. If you’re looking for additional local events check out Eventbrite or Meetup for lesbian speed dating, mixers, dance parties, book clubs, rallies, and more. And of course there is the annual Pride Celebration in July! As you can see, San Diego is a great city for lesbian women and female couples. We had such a great experience and we love being able to recommend inclusive destinations with a great gay scene! If you’re looking for a fun getaway in Southern California that is lesbian friendly, be sure to add San Diego to your list.
How to Get Around
Walk
The different neighbourhoods of San Diego are quite walkable. We did a lot of exploring on foot and it was a great way to experience the city! If you’re able, spend some time walking around the different areas to explore.
Uber/Lyft
Both Uber and Lyft are available in San Diego and are a great option for getting around the city. If you’ve never used a ride share before, click the links above for discounts on your first rides!
Taxi
If you don’t want to use a ride sharing service, there are plenty of taxis available in San Diego. You can call a cab by phone or easily hail one on the street. Rates are reasonable but likely more expensive than using a ride share app.
Public Transportation
San Diego has a public transport system that includes bus service, trains, a trolley, pedicabs, and a waterfront shuttle. For information regarding rates and schedules, click here.
Rent a Car
A very convenient way to get around San Diego is to rent a car and drive! Having your own vehicle means you can get around the city, explore the North County, Coronado, and maybe even go to other parts of Southern California on the same trip. San Diego is only a couple of hours away from LA or Palm Springs. We rented a car for our trip from Hertz, which is the company we almost always use. They have a great loyalty program that allows us to earn points toward free rentals! Driving in the city was easy and parking was no problem.
Bike or Scooter Share
There are plenty of bike and scooter share companies in San Diego! These can be a great option if you’re going a short distance around town. Keep in mind that you cannot ride on sidewalks and need to feel comfortable using the bike lanes on the road.
Has anyone else fallen in love with San Diego? Let us know in the comments!
Be sure to read our articles for other Southern California destinations like Palm Springs and Joshua Tree!
Disclosure: Staypineapple generously hosted us for part of our stay at Hotel Z, their San Diego hotel. We are so happy to partner with them to share amazing boutique hotel accommodations with our audience! We highly recommend the Staypineapple brand (they are also dog-friendly!) and we can’t wait to check out more of their locations in the USA.
