How to Get Around San Diego

We strongly recommend renting a car for your stay. Public transportation is not nearly as common as it is in most major cities, and most major attractions are more easily accessed by car. San Diego is a fairly easy city to get around, but most major attractions are still a few miles from one another. The main freeways include the following:

• Interstate 8 runs east-west and goes all the way through Mission Valley, which contains many hotels and shopping areas, past Old Town, and out to the Pacific Ocean
• Interstate 5 runs north-south along the coastline, all the way up from Mexico, through downtown San Diego, past the airport and harbor areas, Point Loma, Mission Bay and the major beach areas
• Interstate 15 runs north-south further inland and will take you up to the Wild Animal Park
• Highway 163 also runs north-south, eventually connects to interstate 15, and goes through Balboa Park and towards downtown San Diego

Most major car rental companies rent to passengers flying into San Diego International Airport and provide shuttles to their nearby lots. Affordable car rentals can also be found through a travel agent or through websites such as expedia or travelocity.
To find your way around San Diego we also suggest using driving directions available through Yahoo or Google

Map of San Diego

Rental car companies available at San Diego International Airport include:

Advantage Rent-A-Car
Alamo Rent a Car
Avis Rent a Car
Budget Rent a Car
Dollar Rent A Car
Enterprise Rent a Car
Fox Rent-A-Car
Hertz Rent A Car
National Car Rental
Thrifty Car Rental
West Coast Rent a Car