Bordering Mexico, San Diego and its 1.4 million inhabitants, was first inhabited by Amerindians before the Spaniards, then the Mexicans claimed possession before it was sold to the United States.
Historically linked to the shipbuilding industry, tourism and university life, the agglomeration is organized on roughly the same urban and multipolar model as Los Angeles, with a series of neighborhoods, the names of which are all displayed in neons at their entrance, all separated by wide freeways, and enjoys a fabulous coastline up to La Jolla, a true postcard of California.
To discover
Trips to the United States: tours, hotels and tailor-made stays from our partners
The arrival
GETTING AROUND AND VISITING
Located just 6 kilometers from the center, San Diego International Airport can reach Downtown in a quarter of an hour.
In addition to booking a rental vehicle, the simplest solution for getting around the city, you can opt for Uber or Lyft, whose prices from the airport to the center vary between 30 and 40 €.
From Los Angeles to the north, it takes about 2h15 to reach the La Jolla district, and add an additional 30 minutes to reach Downtown and its flagship Gaslamp Quarter.
MORE INFORMATIONS
Explore San Diego:
sandiego.org
Right now
THE EXHIBITION TO SEE
Picasso: drawings and prints
With 17 museums, a zoo that attracts all families and some fabulous gardens, Balboa Park concentrates an important part of the cultural life of San Diego.
Among the flagship museums, the
San Diego Museum of Art
and its ornate Plateresque facade – an architectural style somewhere between Gothic and Renaissance art – has some masterpieces of Italian and Spanish art (El Greco, Goya, Ribera…).
Until January 29, 2023, the museum is hosting the exhibition
Picasso: drawings and prints
which unveils 17 astonishing works on paper, all chosen from the museum's permanent collections, generally hidden from the public due to the extreme sensitivity of the paper medium.
Portraits, and faces for the most part, revealing a new facet of the master.
San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, CA 92102, USA.
Such.
: + 1 619 232 7931. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Wednesday.
Adult rate: $20.
Free for children under 17.
THE GOOD TABLE
Juniper & Ivy
Under a huge wooden frame, Juniper & Ivy serves a menu of dishes to share.
James Tran
South of
Little Italy
, one of San Diego's liveliest neighborhoods, follow the star with 30,000 light bulbs illuminating the sky, and reach the restaurant of chef Anthony Wells, a Californian cuisine expert, renowned for appealing to best farmers and fishermen in the region.
Under a huge wooden frame, Juniper & Ivy serves a menu of dishes to share, small portions sublimating seasonal vegetables in gourmet and creative pairings.
At all the tables, you can taste the whole roast duck with spices, the
whole fried
snapper , and the hanger steak with aioli is a pure delight.
The bar under neon lights like the counter facing the kitchens are the perfect alternatives in the event of a full room.
A la carte: €70.
Juniper & Ivy, 2228 Kettner Boulevard, Little Italy, San Diego, CA 92101, USA.
Such.
: +1 619 269 9036.
THE HOTEL IN VIEW
Hotel del Coronado
Renovated recently, the Hotel del Coronado is a must.
Press picture
On Coronado Island, accessible by ferry or car from Downtown, this sacred monument of California is surrounded by white sand beaches, sumptuous villas and a marina.
Launched in 1885, the construction of a hotel wanted by the wealthy entrepreneur Elisha Babcock, erected a beautiful Victorian building, revealed to the world thanks to the filming of the cult
Some Like It Hot
, starring Marilyn Monroe.
Renovated recently, the hotel seduces at the entrance with its lobby, with its wooden frame and gleaming varnish, and its reception counter reminiscent of that of the
Grand Hotel Budapest
and its 900 attached pompom keys.
A luxury resort, The Del, as the regulars call it, has 78 villas and cottages planted facing the ocean, 3 swimming pools with cabanas and jacuzzis, a spa where you can wrap yourself in seaweed, 3 restaurants, a dozen shops where find surfboards, evening dresses and down jackets branded with the hotel's name, and since October 2022, a brand new building, The Shore House, with architecture reminiscent of the Victorian soul of the original building.
75 residences and suites are rented there with living room, kitchen and bedrooms, overlooking the huge swimming pool in shades of blue and white, and the beach where you can learn the basics of surfing, which are legion here.
Room from €1300 at The Shore House.
From €649 in the historic building, The Victorian.
Hotel del Coronado, 1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118, USA.
Such.
: + 1 619 435 6611.
Day 1: walk in La Jolla, between ocean and museums
Morning
In La Jolla, the Geisel Library is the main building housing the campus libraries of the University of California, San Diego.
Alexis Chenu / Le Figaro
About twenty minutes from Downtown, La Jolla and its bourgeois seaside resort look overlooks the Pacific on 11 km of coastline.
Meet at the top of the cliffs of
Torrey Pines Citypark & Gliderport
, a popular spot for hang-gliders (175 euros per jump) like surfers juggling the waves of Black's Beach, a 3.2 kilometer black sand beach, where swim at the foot of the cliffs.
500 meters away, you have to visit the
Salk Institute
, the brutalist masterpiece of architect Louis Kahn (1965) offers sumptuous perspectives on the sky and the ocean.
An address chosen a few months ago by Nicolas Ghesquière, the artistic director of women's collections at Louis Vuitton, who made it the scene of his cruise collection.
An architectural stroll that can continue to
the Campus of the University of California
(UCSD) where the astonishing
Geisel Library stands,
which you can browse freely, and end with a passage in front of the
Mormon Temple
and its Gothic church. spectacular, all in plaster and white marble.
Lunch break
George's at the Cove offers three distinct restaurant and bar concepts - a fine dining restaurant and two casual bars - with stunning ocean views.
Alexis Chenu / Le Figaro
About ten minutes by car, we reach "La Jolla Village", populated by art galleries, sometimes kitsch, fashion boutiques and bars, and bordered by a promenade lined with beaches and rocks where dozens of seals and cormorant colonies.
We have lunch with an ocean view, at
George's at the Cove
, a restaurant with a
rooftop
where you can order mussels marinières, fish tacos and vegan burgers (dishes between €16 and €35).
The service is always meticulous and the clientele, Ralph Lauren at heart, shows off in white polo shirts and long dresses.
Afternoon
Contemporary Art Museum Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla.
Press picture
On foot, you can reach the
Museum of Contemporary Art of San Diego
(MCASD), which has a site in Downtown (temporarily closed), and the other in La Jolla, reopened in 2021 after 4 years of work.
The building holds behind a facade with a modernist line, 5000 square meters of art galleries, some offering views overlooking the ocean and the sculpture of surfboards imagined by the artist Nancy Rubins on the south facade of the museum .
In addition to the popular works of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein or Cindy Sherman, the permanent collections include the creations of the "Light and Space" movement born in the early 1960s in California, with, among others, the solar creations of Robert Irwin, Larry Bell and Craig Kauffman.
Until January 29, 2023, the museum hosts the exhibition dedicated to Alexis Smith, an artist exploring the
Evening
The Jeune et Jolie restaurant was crowned with a first Michelin star in 2021. Press photo
Going north from La Jolla, near the Legoland amusement park, the small town of Carlsbad has the restaurant
Jeune et Jolie
, crowned with a first Michelin star in 2021. The table, led by restaurateur John Resnick (also the head of nearby restaurant
Campfire
, a wood-fired kitchen under a rusty shed) and French chef Eric Bost, is worth a visit.
Inside, a pretty restaurant with pink banquettes, lined with paintings and lithographs, where you can let yourself be carried away by an illuminating Franco-Californian menu in four acts (from €105) with scallops, frog legs or turbot à artichoke and yellow wine.
Day 2: Barrio Logan and Little Italy
Morning
Chicano Park in Barrio Logan, a predominantly Chicano or Mexican American and Mexican community in central San Diego.
Stacy Keck/San Diego
Head for Barrio Logan, south of Downtown and adjoining the San Diego naval base, the historic district of the Mexican community, today in full rehabilitation.
The tour usually starts at
Café Moto
, where you can taste the best coffee in town, and continues at
Chicano Park
, located just under the vertiginous Coronado Bridge, where you can discover the diversity of Chicano street-art, before going through art galleries. including
Bread & Salt
and
BasileL Gallery
, dedicated to contemporary art and emerging artists.
Lunch break
In terms of Mexican cuisine, you must visit
Las
Cuatro Milpas
, declared the oldest Mexican restaurant in San Diego (1933), which offers popular cuisine (count around €15 per person).
Homemade tortillas are prepared there and order
pork
tacos, burritos, tamales and the best rice and beans in the area.
Afternoon
Every Wednesday and Saturday we come to the Little Italy market to find all the seasonal products.
Dan Audick
A 5-minute drive away, the
Little Italy
district , over which planes bound for San Diego's central airport fly over, offers a number of Italian grocery stores, restaurants and bars, neighbors to some of
the most popular
condos
. in town, and lining up for more than a kilometer.
Every Wednesday and Saturday, the Little Italy Mercato is held here where you can find all the seasonal products.
Then you have to go take a look at the
Our Lady Rosary Church
(1923), with impressive Spanish architecture and whose rich interiors have recently been restored.
Each year, the neighborhood hosts its Art Walk (next April 29-30, 2023), a festival bringing together hundreds of California artists.
With an Italian ice cream in hand, you can walk to
Amici House
, a historic house in the neighborhood, and finish with a stop at Amici Park and its popular dog park.
Evening
New, the upstairs bar
Coco Maya
offers an elegant terrace with a view of India Street, the main artery of Little Italy, the tattooed bartender Alexis taking care of the preparation of spicy cocktails.
And for dinner, the modern
Seneca
trattoria perched on the 19th floor of the Intercontinental embarks on the deck of a yacht, with a terrace with a view and star lasagna.
Best after dinner option,
Convoy Music Bar
lost in the middle of a shopping center about ten minutes from Little Italy is worth the trip.
To enter, follow the red “On Air” neon sign, hit the lion's head, and be guided to the counter.
A remix of Tokyo-style “Listening Bars”, the place with the air of a music recording studio serves Old Fashioned and whiskeys galore with David Bowie, Sade and Bill Withers to listen to on high quality vintage vinyl and stereo.
Address Book
RESTAURANTS AND BARS
Cafe Moto, 2619 National Avenue, Barrio Logan.
Such.
: + 1 619 239 6686.
Campfire, 2725 State St, La Jolla.
Such.
: + 1 760 637 5121.
Coco Maya, 1660 India St, Little Italy.
Such.
: + 1 619 233 3898.
Convoy Music Bar, Convoy St. Tel.
: + 1 858 301 6300.
George' at the Cove, 1250 Prospect St, La Jolla.
Such.
: + 1 858 454 4244.
Young and Pretty, 2659 State St, Carlsbad.
Such.
: + 1 760 637 5266.
Juniper & Ivy, 2228 Kettner Boulevard, Little Italy.
Such.
: +1 619 269 9036.
Las Cuatro Milpas, 1857 Logan Avenue, Barrio Logan.
Such.
: + 1 619 234 4460.
Mediterranean Room, 1132 Prospect St, La Jolla.
Such.
: + 1 844 602 5048.
Seneca Trattoria, 901 Bay Front Ct. Tel.
: + 1 619 877 8642.
TO DO
Amici House, 250 W Date St, Little Italy.
Such.
: + 1 619 233 6898.
BasileL Gallery, 2070 Logan Gallery, Barrio Logan.
Such.
: + 1 858 361 9052.
Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Avenue, Barrio Logan.
Such.
: + 1 619 851 4083.
Geisel Library, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla.
Such.
: + 1 858 534 0134.
San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, 700 Prospect St, La Jolla.
Such.
: + 1 858 454 3541.
Our Lady Rosary, 1668 State St, Little Italy.
Such.
: + 1 619 234 4820.
Salk Institute, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla.
Such.
: + 1 858 453 4100.
Mormon Temple, 7474 Charming Drive, La Jolla.
OR SLEEP ?
Kimpton Alma San Diego
In the Gaslamp Quarter, the former Hotel Paloma has become the Kimpton Alma.
Press picture
In the Gaslamp district (Downtown), where historic buildings, Victorian buildings and skyscrapers mix, the former Paloma hotel and its 20-storey tower saw the Californian hotel group Kimpton settle in October 2022, its 211 rooms and suites, its warm lobby with tattooed decor, adorned with surfboards, and equipped with a bar at the entrance.
True contemporary and spacious nests, the suites on the upper floors offer sublime views of the city, are equipped with work spaces, terraces and offer yoga mats to each guest.
The house has a swimming pool on the 4th floor, with graffiti walls, with adjoining bar, a café where breakfast is served and a restaurant, The Desmond, where chef Jason Neroni signs an excellent menu tinged with Japanese accents,
like the oysters with miso and yuzu butter or the Unagi-style smoked trout fillet.
Lovers of blues, rock, funk, the hotel has a neighbor, the
House of blues,
a concert hall where the best artists in the country perform here.
Room from €140 per night.
Kimpton Hotel Alma San Diego, 1047 Fifth Avenue, San Diego.
Such.
: + 1 619 515 3000.
Hotel La Valencia
Iconic hotel in the La Jolla district, facing the ocean, La Valencia and its Spanish architecture.
Press picture
An iconic hotel in the La Jolla district, facing the ocean, La Valencia and its Spanish architecture, opened its doors in 1926, attracting all the cream of Hollywood in search of anonymity.
Quickly nicknamed "Pink Lady" in homage to its pink paint, the hotel has grown over the years.
Its 1950s swimming pool, surrounded by palm trees, is of ultimate beauty, the series of villas built 20 years ago in the gardens, equipped with fireplaces in case of frost, bathtubs and terraces, offer some heavenly views and its new Mediterranean Room restaurant, raves about its octopus and roasted cauliflower shawarma.
All the families of San Diego, nostalgic for the place, book here the time of a weekend, others get married there, come for a night of love or, just
relax there.
The hotel patio at breakfast is a must, as is the house cocktail served on the doorstep each evening.
In 2023, La Valencia should also reopen its bar The Whaling Bar, the lair of a certain Gregory Peck, a former faithful of the hotel, and whose soul still lives there.
Room from €590.
Hotel La Valencia, 1132 Prospect St, La Jolla.
Such.
: + 1 855 476 6870.