Beaches & Bluffs San Diego's Ultimate Coastal Driving Tour
Description
Drive San Diego’s coastline on a self-guided scenic tour from Torrey Pines to Cabrillo National Monument, passing iconic beaches, coastal cliffs, and oceanfront neighborhoods along the way. This GPS-triggered audio tour guides you stop-by-stop, with commentary that plays automatically as you reach key viewpoints and landmarks. Start at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and follow the coast through La Jolla, Pacific Beach, and Ocean Beach, with highlights including the Torrey Pines Gliderport, La Jolla Cove, Mount Soledad, and Sunset Cliffs. Along the way, you’ll get sweeping ocean views, local insights, and recommendations for places worth pulling over to explore. This flexible, self-paced tour lets you explore on your own schedule, whether you want to stop frequently or enjoy the drive straight through. For the best experience, plan to start earlier in the day to avoid heavier southbound traffic.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We'll tell you about San Diego's coastal climate and show you the best place to stop to snap an iconic picture of Torrey Pines State Beach.
We'll tell you about Torrey Pines Natural Reserve and recommend an easy hike if you're interested in stopping. Admission is free but parking is not, however free parking is available along the beach.
We'll point out Torrey Pines Golf Course including why you might want to pull in and stop.
Watch paragliders run off the edge of the cliff at Torrey Pines Gliderport and decide if you want to go up on a tandem flight of your own!
We'll drive right by San Diego's Birch Aquarium and point out the entrance for those interested in stopping.
Get the inside scoop on things to do in La Jolla Shores.
Learn about La Jolla as you drive along Coast Blvd. We'll share recommendations on restaurants, attractions and more.
Enjoy the spectacular panoramic views from atop Mt Soledad as we point out all the major landmarks visible from the top.
Drive through the quaint neighborhood of Bird Rock and stop for a coffee at a famous San Diego coffee roaster.
Get an overview of what makes Pacific Beach one of the top beach destinations in San Diego.
Drive through Mission Beach as we point out what makes it different from Pacific Beach. Hear about Belmont Park before deciding whether you want to stop and ride the historic wooden roller coaster.
Drive through Ocean Beach including Dog Beach and the OB Pier. Hear about some local restaurants and other happenings in this funky San Diego neighborhood.
Drive down Sunset Cliffs Boulevard as you hear more about this local San Diego attraction.
Enjoy the views from the tip of Point Loma as you drive past the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. If you got an early start, you can drive to the very end of the road and visit Cabrillo National Monument (admission not included) before they close at 5:00 PM. If you decide to visit, you can enjoy some of the best views of San Diego and Coronado Island or take a short hike down the Bayside Trail.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(14)
We didn’t look at the date that preloaded when we bought the tour. It was for a same day, but it got ordered for 2 days later. Couldn’t get a code, so we booked directly with the operator.
Thanks for the review! Glad it worked out and you ended up enjoying the tour.
So much fun with so much to see. Being able to stop and see the places then pick up right where you left off was great!
Glad you loved it! This driving tour was inspired by the route I would take friends and family on who were visiting San Diego for the first time. Happy to hear you took advantage of the flexibility to stop and explore along the way!
This is a very low cost way to see a lot of San Diego. Some of the most beautiful views and options to explore. Plan to spend the whole day with stopping and checking things out. Clear directions to get from place to place. We all had a blast on this excursion.
We're so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Safe travels!
This driving tour was the perfect way to get a good feel for the coastline and communities near San Diego. We would love to do it again now that we know what to expect, and we would allow more time to stop along the way. Although the information says you can spend around 3 hours driving straight through, based on our experience, we would plan an entire day around the tour. We started after lunch in La Jolla and missed the last stop at Cabrillo National Monument because we arrived after it closed (although the information was very clear about the closing time). We appreciated that the tour took us off the beaten path and we saw things we would have never found on our own. We also liked that it provided suggested places to eat, visit, and shop along the way, which we kept track of for future reference. Although the audio directions were easy to follow, the app settings did not seem to work (e.g., I could never get the audio to repeat although it seemed to have that functionality). Still, any quibble with the app is not a reason to skip the tour if you like driving around an area to learn about it. On this tour you'll see beautiful scenery and interesting sights.
We're so glad you enjoyed the tour and had a great time! Don't forget it never expires, so you can revisit it anytime. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, it's much appreciated.
The tour was fun, informative, and flexible! It was the right mix of sight seeing, driving, and walking around!
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for leaving a review!
It is not a full GPS system and that's a problem. And the navigation controls if you skip a site are clunky. You can do just as well or better if you just take the time to plan the sites you want to visit and just use your own GPS. The narration provided is interesting, but the navigation aspect of it needs improvement. If you do decide to use this app, you need to have a designated navigator familiar with the app. It's not like a GPS.
We're glad you found the narration interesting! The problem with enabling GPS is that it doesn't always take you on the specific roads we want you to take on the tour, meaning you would miss some of the scenic parts of the drive. For that reason, we intentionally disabled the ability to fully navigate using the app. As for the controls for skipping a site, there's right/left arrows, allowing you to flip through the sites like pages in a book. Alternatively, you can view the route map and tap on the next map pin. If you have a suggestion on how that might be improved, or any other suggestions or ideas, please contact us at support@drivesanddetours.com. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
It is fairly ok, but not great. This is NOT a substitute GPS. If you make a wrong turn, you need your own GPS to get back on track. Do not even attempt to park at the busy beach at La Jolla. It ain't happening. You actually don't need the guide even though the price is right. Just pick your spots in advance and use your own GPS. The nav controls on the app are clunky. Do NOT miss Cabrillo Nat Mon. Arrive at least by 4pm. It is pretty much only of interest to adults.
We appreciate your detailed review! Our app isn't designed to replace your trusty GPS, but it does add a sprinkle of history and fun facts to your journey. And yes, parking at La Jolla can be a bit like finding a unicorn. 🦄
We really enjoyed this tour. It’s well organized and gives a lot of details without being boring for the kids. Highly recommend!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
I’ve taken several of these tours and I was so glad to see that they also had one of the bluffs. The views were incredible. The information was interesting. Definitely check out this tour if you are in the area.
Thanks for the review! It sounds like you took a couple of our tours, we're thrilled that you enjoyed them! For future reference, the tours can also be found directly in our app, although the best price is usually here on Viator or TripAdvisor. Thank you!
It was a first time using the app for a tour. The download and play was simple and greatly added to our trip. I can't imagine going on another trip without this. Well done!
We're glad you enjoyed the drive! Appreciate you taking the time to leave us a review.
