Is San Diego pretty walkable; have a good public transportation system? (Corona: rental car, rental)

[Z3N1TH 0N3]

I'm considering visiting San Diego in April or May for vacation. I'm trying to do it cheap. So far, I have a voucher from Southwest airlines of $75, so my flight is only going to be around $80 round trip. I'll probably stay in a hostel downtown, so that'll probably run a little under $200 for a week's stay. Next, I'm trying to determine if I need to rent a car. Google Maps would have one believe that the city is pretty walkable, but I want to be sure. Is it safe to walk downtown near the ocean at night? Near Balboa Park? I've been to places like Denver and D.C., where having a car was non-essential. Is San Diego in the same boat?

Thanks in advance for the responses.

[cruitr]

San Diego is spread out over many square miles. We're not a DC or NYC. Since you're here for a week, you'll need a car. Our public transportation is marginal at best and you'll waste hours just getting to the walkable and beach areas.

What hostel will you be staying at?

[Z3N1TH 0N3]

The hostel I've been looking at is Hostelling International Downtown on Market Street. It has some pretty good reviews. Do you know how that area is? Pretty safe?

I've been leaning towards getting a car just for the fact that I may want to drive upstate to seem some of the sites. Plus, now that I'm 25+, I'll qualify for a cheaper rate at most rental places.

[cruitr]

Hostelling International is in the Gaslamp area of town. Here are Yelp's reviews:
Hostelling International - Downtown San Diego - Gaslamp - San Diego, CA

Gaslamp is very safe. Of your week vacation, you can spend maybe a day or two walking around Gaslamp. The nearest beaches are a few miles away and you can't walk to them. You'll need a car to get there.

Parking a car in Gaslamp can be expensive. Ask the hostel owners if they know a cheap place to park.

If you drive north of San Diego, try to stay on the coastal highways. You'll pass thru lots of fun beach towns as you go.

[Z3N1TH 0N3]

Originally Posted by cruitr

Hostelling International is in the Gaslamp area of town. Here are Yelp's reviews:
Hostelling International - Downtown San Diego - Gaslamp - San Diego, CA

Gaslamp is very safe. Of your week vacation, you can spend maybe a day or two walking around Gaslamp. The nearest beaches are a few miles away and you can't walk to them. You'll need a car to get there.

Parking a car in Gaslamp can be expensive. Ask the hostel owners if they know a cheap place to park.

If you drive north of San Diego, try to stay on the coastal highways. You'll pass thru lots of fun beach towns as you go.

Cool, thanks for the advice.

[society619]

San Diego is very walkable compared to where I am now(Atlanta). I lived most my life there without a car and did just fine. Now this would also depend on how far you plan on traveling around the city but from Downtown MTS is pretty serviceable to alot of hot spots in San Diego. So I wouldn't advise a car unless you plan on traveling far north or east of the county.

[Tycho Brahe]

I spent 6 days in San Diego a few years ago and did not have a car. My time was split between a hostel in Ocean Beach and another in the Gaslamp district. I took a bus from the airport to Ocean Beach, and while there rented a bike from the hostel and biked around, including up to the Cabrillo Monument.

After a few days I took another bus from there straight into the gaslamp district. I walked around a lot and took the tram (whatever it's called) to get to farther places. Took a bus to North Park (not quite sure, wherever Bar Pink Elephant is) and to the Casbah. No issues. I did get a ride (friend/taxi) back to the gaslamp after going out late at night though, but I could have taken public transportation.

I feel that public transportation works quite well if you are simply visiting the city, but perhaps not as good if you are a resident. The better beach areas might be a bit too far with public transportation.

[Z3N1TH 0N3]

Originally Posted by Tycho Brahe

I spent 6 days in San Diego a few years ago and did not have a car. My time was split between a hostel in Ocean Beach and another in the Gaslamp district. I took a bus from the airport to Ocean Beach, and while there rented a bike from the hostel and biked around, including up to the Cabrillo Monument.

After a few days I took another bus from there straight into the gaslamp district. I walked around a lot and took the tram (whatever it's called) to get to farther places. Took a bus to North Park (not quite sure, wherever Bar Pink Elephant is) and to the Casbah. No issues. I did get a ride (friend/taxi) back to the gaslamp after going out late at night though, but I could have taken public transportation.

I feel that public transportation works quite well if you are simply visiting the city, but perhaps not as good if you are a resident. The better beach areas might be a bit too far with public transportation.

Thanks. I'm also considering going up to the L.A. area, so I may need to rent a car, if only for a couple days. I like the idea of riding a bike around town, as that is my main mode of transportation where I live. I'll have to check with the hostels to see if they have them available.

[bouncethelight]

You might want to consider getting a rental car for a few days, but maybe not for the whole week? Parking downtown - especially in the Gaslamp District - can be difficult to find, and it's expensive.

The day you fly in, you could take a cab downtown - it's not far, so it's a cheap ride. And when you get downtown you can walk west and see the ocean - it's not a beach, but you can see the water! There's a lot to do downtown, and you could easily spend a day or two just exploring the Gaslamp and downtown districts. And if you want to get out on the water, they have two-hour boat tours of the bay, that are about $20 - and they're fun!

Or if you want to get to Coronado, it's a 15 minute ferry ride away... Flagship Cruises | Coronado Ferry

If you want to spend a day at Balboa Park - where the zoo and all the museums are located - you can get there easily by bus or cab.

I'd definitely suggest waiting to rent a car until you're ready to visit the beach, and points north!

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by bouncethelight

... The day you fly in, you could take a cab downtown - it's not far, so it's a cheap ride. ...

Here's the public transportation website for San Diego: San Diego Metropolitan Transit System

Look at the MTS route 992. $2.25 to go from the airport to downtown.