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Shopping Overview

A mélange of historic districts, homey villages, funky neighborhoods, megamalls, and chic suburbs make up the shopping areas of San Diego. Malls and shopping areas are outdoors; the architecture, such as that of Horton Plaza or Seaport Village, is often creative and you can enjoy the legendary sunny weather at the same time. In the beach towns, cruising the shops provides a break from the surf and sun. Hillcrest and the Gaslamp Quarter are known for their hip stores, La Jolla's Prospect Street and Girard Avenue for world-class boutiques, and the quaint village of Coronado for its gift shops. If you poke around some of the smaller neighborhoods -- Del Mar, Solana Beach's Cedros Design District, Carlsbad's upscale outlet mall, and Julian -- you may turn up some real finds.

Most major malls, many in the Westfield chain (and that includes Horton Plaza, although locals still refer to it as Horton Plaza rather than as Westfield Horton Plaza), offer merchandise you can find nearly anywhere. For San Diego-related memorabilia, browse the gift shops at attractions like the zoo, Wild Animal Park, and the Plaza del Pasado and Bazaar del Mundo Shops in Old Town. You can also pick up a real-live San Diego keepsake at the flower nurseries around Carlsbad and Encinitas, and along inland farm trails.

Establishments are usually open daily 10-6; department stores and shops within the larger malls stay open until 9 on weekdays. Just about all will ship your purchase for you domestically or internationally. Sales are advertised in the San Diego Union-Tribune and in the Reader, a free weekly that comes out on Thursday. Also, check out the Web sites www.signonsandiego.com and www.sandiegoinsider.com for more details on local shops and sales. Click on the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau's Web site (www.sandiego.org) for shopping coupons.