At a glance
Scan the table to match a trip to your weekend. Schedules change, so check before you go.
| Trip | Getting there | Best for | Start with |
|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | Pacific Surfliner train. By car, about 120 miles. | Museums, galleries and historic districts | Downtown LA and the Arts District |
| Anaheim, CA | Pacific Surfliner train. By car, about 96 miles. | Disneyland Resort and a market hall | The Disneyland Resort |
| San Juan Capistrano, CA | Pacific Surfliner train. By car, about 66 miles. | A mission and an old-town district | Mission San Juan Capistrano |
| Santa Barbara, CA | Pacific Surfliner train. By car, about 217 miles. | Beaches, wharf and a walkable downtown | MOXI and the Funk Zone |
| Temecula, CA | Bus, with trips from 1 hour 20 minutes. | Wine country | The old town square |
| Palm Springs, CA | Bus, with trips from 5 hours 50 minutes. By car, about 123 miles. | A mountain tram and desert hiking | The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway |
| Julian, CA | Drive: about one hour east of San Diego. | Apples, gold-rush history and hiking | The self-guided history walk |
Trips by train
Los Angeles, CA
Downtown LA's museums, historic districts and Arts District, on a direct train from San Diego.
- Getting there. The Pacific Surfliner runs 13 daily round-trip services between San Diego and Los Angeles. By car, Los Angeles is about 120 miles and 2 hours 25 minutes from San Diego without traffic.
- Day one. Explore Downtown Los Angeles's culture. See a performance at the Music Center or Walt Disney Concert Hall, or visit The Broad and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Grand Avenue. LA was founded downtown in 1781, and El Pueblo de Los Angeles marks the historic heart.
- Day two. Spend the day in the Arts District and nearby neighborhoods. Look into galleries such as Hauser & Wirth and the Arts District Co-Op, see the street art, then walk through Little Tokyo and Chinatown.
- Worth knowing. Check the opening days of each museum before you go, and look at the Pacific Surfliner's alerts page for track work on your dates.
Anaheim, CA
The gateway to the Disneyland Resort, a train ride north of San Diego.
- Getting there. The Pacific Surfliner runs from San Diego through Anaheim. Anaheim Station is at 2626 E. Katella Ave. By car, Anaheim is about 96 miles and 1 hour 55 minutes from San Diego without traffic.
- Day one. Spend the day at the Disneyland Resort, which the station page names first among Anaheim's attractions. Honda Center and Angel Stadium are nearby if there is a game or a show.
- Day two. Visit the Anaheim Packing District, built around the Anaheim Packing House, one of the last remaining citrus packing warehouses in Orange County, now a market hall. The district also has a 2-acre Farmers Park.
- Worth knowing. The Packing House is at 440 S. Anaheim Blvd, not at the station. Merchants set their own hours, and the district is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Pets are not permitted.
San Juan Capistrano, CA
A mission town with an old-town district a short walk from the station.
- Getting there. The Pacific Surfliner stops at San Juan Capistrano Station, at 26701 Verdugo St. By car, it is about 66 miles and 1 hour 20 minutes from San Diego without traffic.
- Day one. Visit Mission San Juan Capistrano, known as the Jewel of the California Missions, with its museum, chapel and gardens. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with admission sold until 4:45.
- Day two. Walk the Los Rios Historic District for a glimpse into life in early California, then browse the antique and specialty shops and the cafes. Across the tracks from the station is Zoomars Petting Zoo.
- Worth knowing. The mission is closed Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and closes at noon on Good Friday and Christmas Eve. Hours can change, so check its online calendar for your date.
Santa Barbara, CA
Beaches, a wharf and a walkable downtown, with the station two blocks from the sand.
- Getting there. The Pacific Surfliner runs five daily round-trip services between Santa Barbara and San Diego. Santa Barbara Station is at 209 State Street. By car, it is about 217 miles and 4 hours 15 minutes from San Diego without traffic.
- Day one. Walk from the station to MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation, a 3-minute walk, then to the Funk Zone, a 5-minute walk, with its converted warehouses, mural-lined alleys, boutiques and craft beer. Finish at West Beach.
- Day two. Stroll Stearns Wharf, shop and eat along State Street, and visit the Santa Barbara Mission.
- Worth knowing. Those walking times are from the Santa Barbara station. Check the train times and the return before you book.
Trips by bus
Temecula, CA
Wine country about an hour north of San Diego.
- Getting there. Greyhound runs between San Diego and Temecula, with trips from 1 hour 20 minutes, and boards at San Diego stops including Old Town, UC San Diego in La Jolla and Downtown/Seaport Village. Visit Temecula Valley puts the valley approximately 60 minutes north of San Diego on I-15.
- Day one. Start at Temecula's historic town square, surrounded by vineyards and rolling hills. The valley has nearly 50 wineries, from Akash and Danza del Sol to Peltzer.
- Day two. Visit Europa Village, which has the ambience of small wine-region villages of France, Spain and Italy and offers accommodations. Or try ballooning in the hot air above the valley, or a hike.
- Worth knowing. The valley has three wine trails: Rancho California, Calle Contento and De Portola. To leave the itinerary and the driving to someone else, Grapeline Wine Tours offers curated full-day excursions. Check how you will get from the bus stop to the wineries.
Palm Springs, CA
A mountain tram and desert hiking, reached by a long bus ride.
- Getting there. Greyhound runs from San Diego to the Palm Springs, Indio and Coachella Valley area, with trips from 5 hours 50 minutes. By car, Palm Springs is about 123 miles and 2 hours 30 minutes from San Diego without traffic. Check the exact stop and the weekend return before you book.
- Day one. Ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the world's largest rotating tram car. The approximately ten-minute ride climbs over two and a half miles along the cliffs of Chino Canyon to Mountain Station, at 8,516 feet.
- Day two. Hike in Mt. San Jacinto State Park, which has over 50 miles of trails, and visit the State Park Visitors Center and natural history museum at the top. Two restaurants and observation decks are at Mountain Station.
- Worth knowing. The bus listing covers the whole Palm Springs-Indio-Coachella Valley area, so confirm where it stops and how you will get from there to the tram. Check operating conditions and weather before you go up.
A trip by car
Julian, CA
A gold-rush town in the mountains known for its apples.
- Getting there. Visit Julian puts the town approximately one hour east of San Diego. Check current roads and weather before you leave, since Julian has four seasons and snow in winter.
- Day one. Pick up the self-guided history walk map at Town Hall and make your way through downtown, past the old Julian jail. Julian's gold rush ran from 1870 to around 1900, and the town is still known for its apples and apple pie.
- Day two. Hike a casual path around Lake Cuyamaca or take on Volcan Mountain, or tour a gold mine. Gold mine tours are available daily.
- Worth knowing. On weekend days local businesses host hayrides and a rock wall, and there are two hard cider tasting rooms. Fall is apple season, with fruit stands, homemade cider and U-pick. Wynola, three miles west, has restaurants, antiques and activities.
