10 Things to do in San Diego at Christmas

Christmas is one of the most joyful times to visit San Diego, when the mild weather is ideal for exploring its beaches and green spaces, and doing activities such as ice skating, tasting its typical gastronomy, buying Christmas gifts and enjoying outdoor shows.

During the Christmas season you will find many things to see and do in San Diego to celebrate with your family or friends. You will have at your disposal a great variety of shows, Christmas musicals, children's games and illuminated gardens that will surprise you. Here are some of the most interesting options for you to enjoy during your stay in San Diego during the Christmas season.

Balboa Park is one of the largest parks in San Diego, where you will find many museums, stores, bars and restaurants, theaters, gardens and a zoo. In this park, they light a Christmas tree during the first days of December and illuminate the whole place with Christmas decorations.

Food stands and craft markets are also set up, and there is live music, various activities and public shows. Among the activities on offer are those of the Family Zone, which offers free public shows and games for children, such as drawing booths or treasure hunts.

For teenagers and adults, there are places with craft beer and traditional food, usually in the Plaza de Panama. Undoubtedly, visiting Balboa Park is one of the best things to do in San Diego in December, for the great variety of outdoor shows, plays and cultural events that take place there.

On the other hand, Balboa Park is characterized by hosting many San Diego museums, which have free admission during Christmas. For example, the Museum of History, which exhibits films and musicals for a low price; the Air and Space Museum, which offers recreational and educational activities for children; and the Automobile Museum, which exhibits an interesting collection of cars and motorcycles.

Coronado Island is actually a peninsula located 20 minutes from downtown San Diego, where the Coronado Hotel is located, a very popular and luxurious hotel that offers the only ocean view skating rink from mid-November to early January in San Diego.

The island is ideal for enjoying a sunset coastal walk and has one of the best beaches in San Diego, Coronado Beach. The entire peninsula is often decorated with lights, Christmas trees and even bonfires on the beach.Supaseo Maritime is one of the most beautiful in San Diego.

As for the Hotel Coronado, it is a hotel built in 1888 that has been declared a Historic Site. It offers different activities and Christmas shows, so I recommend you to check their schedule of events before you go.

In San Diego there are many skating rinks, some permanent, but the opening of the rinks is doubled during the second half of November until January 1st due to the festive atmosphere of Christmas and New Year. They are suitable for all ages and also for beginners. In addition, around the slopes you will find places to have lunch or dinner.

Interesting facts:

• Hours: from 11 a.m. onwards.
• Address: The Coronado Hotel is located at 1500 Orange Ave. Coronado, CA 92118, on Coronado Island which is located 20 minutes from San Diego.
• Admission fee: from 20 € per person for about 2 hours, including skate rental.

Little Italy is a traditional Italian neighborhood located near downtown San Diego, where you will find a festive atmosphere at Christmas time. It is one of the most visited places in the city, which is usually included in the San Diego city tours by streetcar. At Christmas, you can't miss the Little Italy Market, where farmers offer products from their farms and orchards, such as fruits, plants, meats and fresh fish, in its more than 150 stalls.

During the month of December, a huge Christmas tree is set up at the Little Italy Market and children can have their picture taken with Santa Claus. If you arrive between December 2 and 4, you can witness the Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

The entire neighborhood is decorated with nutcrackers and Christmas lights on the trees, and there are shows, live music and various holiday-themed activities. Some of the most popular places to see Christmas decorations are Piazza Basilone and Piazza della Famiglia. You will also find several flea markets for gift shopping.

Interesting facts

• Location: Little Italy Market. 600 W Date St, San Diego, CA 92101.
• Hours: from 4 pm.
• Admission: free.

The San Diego Botanical Gardens is a site with some 29 themed gardens and about 5,300 species of plants. From November 17 in San Diego, through January 1, the garden is illuminated and decorated to celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve, and offers shows, musicals and concerts.

One of the most incredible events in the city is the Lightscape, an international event that has become very popular in the city. During Christmas, more than one million lights are installed in the gardens, which are filled with displays, light tunnels and artistic sculptures. In addition, there are nighttime shows such as the Fire Garden, the Cathedral of Light and the Star Tunnel.

An important recommendation is to buy your ticket in advance, as Lightscape is a very popular event in the city. Without a doubt, visiting the Botanical Garden is one of the best things to do in San Diego at night, from which you can take the best pictures with your family and friends.

Interesting facts

• Location: Quail Gardens Drive and, Ecke Ranch Rd, Encinitas, CA 92024.
• Hours: from 5pm to 8:30pm, except Christmas Day.
• Admission: about 27 € per person.

One of the best times to sample the gastronomy of the historic Gaslamp Quarter is during the Christmas and New Year's Eve holiday season. The neighborhood is known for the wide variety of foods it offers, from meat and fish to vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes.

In this neighborhood, you can sample the most exquisite dishes in some of the best restaurants in the city, which is why it is where many of the gastronomic tours of San Diego take place. Among the festive dishes offered at these restaurants are herb-roasted turkey, rack of lamb, red onion quesadillas, lobster and black truffle risotto.

Some recommended bars and restaurants where you can sample holiday fare include The Smoking Gun, which is noted for its smoked meat dishes and craft cocktails; and Café 21, which offers vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. Other notable bars include Tin Fish, the Meze Café and Grill and Bolillo tortas. Don't forget to make reservations in advance if you decide to dine at any of the restaurants in this neighborhood.

A good option if you are especially interested in gastronomy is to take a guided tour, as it is usually conducted by expert guides who will surely make the best recommendations for you to enjoy during your stay, especially if it is 5 days or more in San Diego.

Legoland is a theme park located on the outskirts of the city, which during the holidays is decorated to celebrate the holidays, and is ideal to visit with the family. There, the world's largest Lego Christmas tree, about 10 meters high, is assembled, and children can make a wish to Santa and enjoy different games, shows and musicals created especially for them.

The park has several attractions and games for children from 3 to 12 years old mostly. There are usually elves and different characters that interact with the children and with whom they can take pictures. Santa Claus also appears on occasion and surprises the little ones. Without a doubt, it is one of the best things to do in San Diego with children. In addition, at dusk, there are fireworks shows.

Legoland has food stands, bars and restaurants for lunch. They also offer toys, gifts and candy in the shape of fun Lego figures. Keep in mind that it is best to buy your ticket in advance, as it is a very popular park at this time of the year.

Interesting facts

• Location: One Legoland Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92008.
• Hours: daily from 9:30 am to 10 pm.
• Admission fee: about $90 per person.
• How to get there: Legoland California can be reached by bus in about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Sea World is a water park that offers many attractions and shows for children at Christmas time, such as caroling shows and ice skating shows. In addition, the park has more than 100 Christmas trees and is decorated with lots of lights for a festive atmosphere.

These events begin on November 17, so you can enjoy the holiday atmosphere at SeaWorld throughout December in San Diego. Among the most popular Christmas events are the fireworks shows that take place at the end of the day.

In addition, at SeaWorld, children can enjoy fun rides such as the roller coaster, and various water games. It is also a marine zoo, so several species of animals can be seen there, such as orcas, sea lions and otters.

The park is located in Mission Bay, an artificially enclosed bay with beautiful beaches, where you can enjoy water sports and cruises around San Diego. Don't forget to buy your entrance ticket to the park in advance, as it is a very popular site all year round.

Interesting facts

• Location: 500 Sea World Dr., San Diego, CA 92109.
• Hours: daily from 10 am to 7 pm.
• Admission fee: about $90 per person.

At Christmas, a good option is to embark on a cruise in San Diego and enjoy a multi-course dinner and even free drinks. These cruises along the coast allow you to see the most interesting places in the bay, such as the Colorado Bridge, the USS Midway aircraft carrier and the Maritime Museum, which are not to be missed in the 1 or 3 day itineraries in San Diego.

At Christmas time, typical Christmas dishes of the city are usually served with meat and fish of your choice. Many cruises even feature Christmas carol serenades to liven up the evening, or other shows with live music. They also usually welcome you with a glass of champagne or cider to toast.

Undoubtedly, dining on a cruise ship is a very good option to celebrate the holidays in the city, since the ship is decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments, and the atmosphere becomes very festive, with music that invites you to dance. Other highly recommended cruises are the gray whale watching cruises, not to be missed if you are in San Diego between September and March.

Interesting facts

• Duration: 2 hours approximately.
• Cost of the tour: about 110 € per person.

Another option if you're visiting the city with kids is to explore the San Diego Zoo Safari Park at Christmas time, as the site is decorated with Christmas trees and offers shows for the whole family. There you can sample traditional treats and celebrate with music and various entertainment shows.

This safari-style zoo can be toured by cable cars, streetcar, bus or car, from which you can see animals roaming free in large tracts of land. You can tour the zoo freely using these transports with a map, or take a guided bus tour, which often provides interesting facts about the animals.

During the Christmas season, Santa Claus can be seen in the park and live Christmas music is played. You can also see a large Christmas tree and explore a colorful forest. Celebrations are held from the second half of November and throughout the month of December, with the exception of public holidays. Although if you go at any other time, you'll always find fun activities you can't miss such as the Fall Festival if you visit San Diego in October.

Safari Park is located about 30 miles from downtown San Diego on San Pasqual Valley Road. You can also visit the San Diego Zoo at Balboa Park, which is close to downtown and offers special holiday decorations and events.

Facts of Interest

• Location: San Diego Zoo, Safari Park 15500 San Pasqual Valley Rd Escondido, CA 92027-9614.
• Days and Hours: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 7 pm.
• Admission fee: from 66 € per person. Parking costs about 15 € per car.

During the Christmas season, you will find interesting flea markets to visit in San Diego to buy your Christmas gifts, Christmas ornaments, crafts and souvenirs, and take advantage of the festive food and drink tastings they usually offer. Some of the main flea markets in San Diego are Little Italy and the Flea Market in Northpark.

The Little Italy Flea Market is a farmer's market that sets up holiday gift and craft stores during the Christmas season, in addition to food and craft beverages. There you will find a huge selection of fruits, meats, fresh fish, eggs, honey, vegetables, plants and much more.

The Vintage Flea Market is a street market with stalls where you can find crafts, gifts and Christmas decorations to give to your family or friends. It is located in the Northpark neighborhood, 15 minutes from downtown.

Keep in mind that a good option to get around the city of San Diego is to take a tourist streetcar, as it has stops at the main attractions of the city. Another fun and different way is to drive a GoCar, if you have a driver's license.

Interesting facts

• Location: Little Italy Market: 600 W Date St, San Diego, CA 92101; Vintage Flea Market, 3000 N Park Way, San Diego, CA 92104.
• Hours: starting at 10 am.