Coast & history day · California

Coronado and Point Loma day trip

Coronado and Point Loma

A day on both sides of San Diego Bay: a morning on Coronado's wide beach and at the 1888 Hotel del Coronado, lunch on Orange Avenue, then across the bridge to Point Loma for the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and the Cabrillo tide pools, timed for the afternoon low tide, and sunset over the sandstone arches at Sunset Cliffs.

Time
8–9 hour day
Driving
About 1¼ hours of driving in total
Best time
All year; best November–February
Updated
$4 USD

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Looking across the blue mouth of San Diego Bay from Point Loma to Coronado, with the red-roofed Hotel del Coronado on the shore, a Coast Guard helicopter low over the water and the city and hills behind in warm evening light
MARELBU · CC BY 3.0. January 2013 photograph from Point Loma; resized and displayed with crop.
Suggested times, not bookings

Your day at a glance

  • 8:45 amLeave downtown San Diego
  • 9:00 amCoronado Central Beach
  • 10:00 amHotel del Coronado
  • 11:45 amLunch on Orange Avenue
  • 1:45 pmCabrillo National Monument: lighthouse and bay views
  • 2:45 pmCabrillo tide pools
  • 4:30 pmSunset Cliffs Natural Park
Highlights

Worth the trip

  • Coronado's wide, flat beach and the turrets of the 1888 Hotel del Coronado
  • The 1855 Old Point Loma Lighthouse and the long view over San Diego Bay
  • Winter afternoon low tides at the Cabrillo tide pools, then sunset at Sunset Cliffs

What’s in the guide

Detailed stop guidance, rules, practical pitfalls, a route map, Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps links and weather alternatives. Read it online any time, or keep it offline in the Greg’s Guides app for iPhone and iPad. See an example guide →

Plan for the conditions

Expected seasonal weather

San Diego's coast is mild all year. From November to February days are usually clear and cool, often in the 60s, with occasional rain, big winter swells that can wash over low rocks, and chilly air by the water at sunset. Winter brings the best daytime low tides and the gray whale migration. In May and June the marine layer often keeps the coast gray and cool all day, and summer adds crowds while the low tides fall at night. Early fall is warm and often clear, with an occasional hot, dry Santa Ana day. The sun on the beach and the bluffs is strong even when the air is cool. These are seasonal expectations, not a forecast for your travel date; check the NWS forecast and surf conditions.

Admission and parking are separate. Check current conditions before departure.

A good day, in the bag.

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