Getting There By Air:San Diego International Airport (SAN) Tel: (619) 400 2400.
Website:
www.san.orgSan Diego International Airport is located at Lindbergh Field, less than 10km (6 miles) from downtown San Diego. While it is not the largest airport in California (Los Angeles International and San Francisco International are more than twice its size), it is filled with public art and handles close to 300 flights per day, including connecting flights from most US hubs.
Many of these connecting flights use the airport’s Commuter Terminal, a five-minute drive from the two main terminals. A red shuttle bus travels between the three terminals.
Approximate flight times to San Diego: From London is 13 hours 35 minutes; from New York is 6 hours; from Los Angeles is 50 minutes; from Toronto is 6 hours 30 minutes and from Sydney is 15 hours.
Airport facilities: Facilities include ATMs, money exchange kiosks, over 30 food and beverage establishments and several gift and newspaper stores. Wi-Fi access is available throughout the three terminals. All of the major car hire operators have offices at the airport, including
Avis,
Budget,
Hertz and
National.
Transport to the city: San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (tel: (619) 233 3004; website:
www.sdcommute.com) operates a regular bus service that connects the airport terminals with the Downtown quarter and provides easy connection to bus, train and trolley services within the city. Bus 992 leaves for Downtown approximately every 10 minutes, connecting bus, trolley and Coaster train services to outlying areas of the county. Additionally, most of the major hotels in San Diego’s Hotel Circle and surrounding areas offer an airport shuttle service, either free or for a nominal cost.
Express Shuttle of San Diego (tel: 1 800 900 7433; website:
www.xpressshuttle.com) offers a shared shuttle service.
Getting There By Road:Southern California has an excellent network of interstate and state highways. Interstates are designated by an ‘I’ and a corresponding number. Speed limits on interstate highways vary from 96kph (60mph) to 112kph (70mph). Urban speed limits are generally 40-48kph (25-30mph). Traffic drives on the right. U-turns are legal in the State of California, unless posted otherwise, as is turning right at stoplights. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08%. The minimum driving age is 16, with restrictions. Children under the age of six years or less than 22.39kg (60lb) must be carried in a child restraint seat.
California does not require International Driving Permits. It accepts all foreign driving licenses. Car insurance is mandatory in the state of California.
The local automobile association is
Automobile Club of Southern California (tel: 1 800 400 4222 for roadside assistance, and 1 877 428 2277 for membership services), a regional affiliate of the
American Automobile Association (website:
www.aaa.com). There is a reciprocal service agreement between the
AAA and the UK
AA.
Emergency breakdown services: ACSC (tel: 1 800 400 4222) or
Good Sam RV Roadside Service for RVs and travel trailers (tel: 1 800 842 5351).
Routes to the city: San Diego is California’s most southern coastal metropolis. It is the hub of three major interstate highway systems - I-5 (running north-south from the US-Canada border to the US-Mexico border), I-15, which begins in San Diego and runs northeast to Las Vegas, Nevada, and I-8 East, which also begins in San Diego and connects with I-10 outside of Phoenix, Arizona. San Diego also has an east-west corridor, which was designed to accommodate the increased rush-hour traffic to suburban areas east of San Diego. The four-lane State Route 56 (SR 56) highway, also called the Ted Williams Parkway, has helped ease much of the congestion on San Diego’s main easterly corridor, the I-15. The I-5 is the connecting artery for most of California’s large cities - Los Angeles and San Francisco are both directly north of San Diego via I-5.
Approximate driving times to San Diego: From US-Mexico border - 45 minutes; Los Angeles - 2 hours 30 minutes; Phoenix (Arizona) - 5 hours 40 minutes; Las Vegas (Nevada) - 5 hours 45 minutes; San Francisco - 8 hours 45 minutes.
Coach services: Greyhound (tel: 1 800 231 2222; website:
www.greyhound.com) operates buses throughout the USA, as well as to numerous destinations in Canada and a limited number of locations in Mexico, from the Greyhound Terminal (tel: 619 515 1100), 120 West Broadway, at First Street. Tickets for specific destinations can be purchased at the terminal before departure.
Getting There By Rail:Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245; website:
www.amtrak.com) operates from Santa Fe Station, 1050 Kettner Boulevard, corner of Broadway. Facilities at the station are limited to a snack bar, vending machines, phones and washrooms, but the architecture (in Spanish Mission style) is magnificent.
Rail services: Amtrak operates the
Pacific Surfliner train service stopping at multiple stations along California’s scenic west coast and offering 11 daily round-trip journeys between San Diego and Los Angeles, continuing to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. Journey time to Los Angeles is two hours 45 minutes.
Getting Around:Public TransportSan Diego Metropolitan Transit System (tel: (619) 233 3004
or 511; website:
www.sdcommute.com) operates three types of public transport within the County of San Diego. Public
buses and the
trolley operate daily throughout the city every 10 to 20 minutes, with buses generally operating from 0600 to 2400 and trolleys around 0400 to 0100 (times vary depending on the route).
The
Coaster train service provides increased transport to outlying areas, linking seven coastal communities as far north as Oceanside. Six Coaster trains serve the morning rush hour and six run during the afternoon rush hour, with two extra midday services. There are also four services throughout the day (approximately 0930-1930) on Saturday.
Day Tripper Passes give unlimited access to buses and the trolley for one, two, three or four consecutive days. Available from
The Transit Store, 102 Broadway (tel: (619) 234 1060).
The
San Diego-
Coronado Ferry (tel: (619) 234 4111; website:
www.sdhe.com) shuttles commuters and visitors between the Broadway Pier at the intersection of Broadway and Harbor Streets and the Ferry Landing shopping and dining center on Coronado. The
ferry leaves the Broadway Pier every hour on the hour and leaves the Coronado Ferry Dock every hour on the half-hour.
TaxisYellow Cab (tel: (619) 234 6161; website:
www.driveu.com) operates throughout San Diego County. It is best for visitors to request a taxi by telephone, although it is possible to hail them in the street in Downtown. A 10-15% tip is appropriate for good service.
Driving in the CitySan Diego is well laid out with several well-maintained highways that serve as major arteries to outlying districts. Highways are generally easy to follow, although California’s Interstate highways maintain high speeds and can be unnerving for first-time visitors. As in most Southern California cities, early morning (0630-0900) and late afternoon (1500-1900) are peak rush-hour times and driving during these periods should be avoided. Areas such as Downtown, Mission Bay, Coronado Bridge and the major beach areas are high congestion areas during rush hour - highways and major streets leading into these areas are usually heavily congested. The high occupant vehicle lanes (HOV) are designed for vehicles carrying two to three passengers or more (highways differ in their minimum limit of passengers). There are stiff fines for vehicles carrying less than the stated minimum number of passengers. Left lanes that are not HOV lanes are reserved for passing vehicles.
Public parking in the Mission Beach and Pacific Beach areas is usually at a premium on weekends and holidays. A few residential areas have signage indicating the days and hours that visitors are allowed to park on the street. Vehicles that do not obey the regulations may be towed away. Most hotels provide parking to guests for a fee. If you have abundant free time, it is best to use the bus, trolley or train to reach most areas. Public transport is not efficient, however, and doesn’t reach some popular attractions. If time and efficiency are issues, driving is the best way to get around.
Car HireCar hire agencies in the USA require a credit card or cash deposit when hiring out a car. The minimum age to hire a car is usually 25 years and the driver must be in possession of a valid driving license - an international driver’s permit is not required but is accepted. Some agencies (
Budget and
National specifically) will allow drivers aged 21-24 years to drive but will charge an extra fee of US$20-25 per day. Insurance is mandatory when driving and car hire companies normally carry their own optional insurance. Customers who have their own US car insurance are normally covered while driving a hired vehicle.
There are several major agencies located in the city. These include
Avis (tel: (619) 688 5000
or 1 800 331 1212; website:
www.avis.com),
Budget (tel: 1 800 527 0700; website:
www.budget.com),
Hertz (tel: 1 800 654 3131; website:
www.hertz.com) and
National (tel: (619) 497 6777
or 1 800 227 7368; website:
www.nationalcar.com).
Bicycle HireCycling is a popular past-time in San Diego and the city has no shortage of bicycle shops to accommodate this.
Bike Tours San Diego, 509 Fifth Avenue (tel: (619) 238 2444; website:
www.bike-tours.com), provides both bike hire and guided bike tours and is centrally located in the Downtown area. They also offer both standard scenic tours and trail bike tours within the San Diego County.
Cheap Rentals, at 3221 and 3689 Mission Boulevard (tel: (858) 488 9070
or 1 800 941 7761; website:
www.cheap-rentals.com), has all kinds of bikes (as well as skating and surfing equipment) for hire from their shops in Mission Beach, close to the boardwalk and parks.
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