I am travelling in Dec. with my husband and 7 year old son to San Diego. Been reading comments on how unfriendly this city is for pedestrians. Want to stay in Old Town... is this a pedestrian friendly area? Also- some great deals in Hotel Circle but I would definitely need a car for that area, right? Was looking at the Days Inn Suites on Rosecrans (they have shuttles to Zoo, Airport and Sea World) - know anything about it? Also looking into Quality Inn/Suites Harborview... could we walk to the harborfront from there? Not interested in the beach-won't it be too cold? Thanks for any help and general info you could give me!

While meeting friends at the Days Inn, I was impressed with this budget hotel. It was clean and nice. You could walk around this area but it can get "seedy" at night. You wouldn't want to walk to Old Town from there, but it's about a 5 mintue drive. Don't know the other hotels.

Q: Why would you spend the $ to visit a place and not explore as much as possible? I'd certainly invest in a rental car for a day or so at the least. San Diego is geographically huge and has tons to explore. Search this forums for loads of info.

The water will be cold, but December weather should be warm and clear making the beaches spectacular for walks, exploring, etc.

Old Town is a nice place to visit for the evening - dinner and some strolling around the stores. But you definitely shouldn't plan on staying in this area without a car. You will need to get out and see all that San Diego has to offer - a difficult task without a car.

Thanks for all the help... How's the public transport? Any reliable buses and taxis? Know about the trolleys- sounds like a neat idea to hop one and enjoythe ride somewhere! We are looking into Old Town and Downtown. Hope to stay there w/o a car for a few days and then rent a car and head over to the Wild Animal Park and then to Legoland the next day. Has anyone ever watched the Parade fo Lights? Stumbled upon it and found that we'll be there during that time.. Where should we go to see it (i.e best spectator spots)? Also any of the downtown hotels have a view or rooftop we could watch it from or is it too far? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

San Diego is not really known for having much in terms of public transportation. And you really won't see many taxis around town. I'd suggest either spending the money to rent a car or take the trolley tour for a day, so you can more of the area than just Old Town.

Sue: there are plenty of taxis in San Diego, but it is much more convenient to have a car. I think you may be referring to the Festival of Lights, which is at the Wild Animal Park, starting (I think) on December 8.

Try Padre Trail Inn on Taylor St. old town.Budget motel $70 but very clean and tidy.I,ts only about 400 yds.from Old town and right next to trolley into San Diego.Don,t miss Bazar Del Mundo in Old Town.Happy Trip

My Mom, kids, and I stayed at the Hacienda Hotel in Old Town a couple of years ago. A really nice place within easy walking distance of Old Town and surrounding area. They have an Acapulco restaurant on the premises. I would definitely recommend this hotel.

Sue...There is another trolley, that we use when we are in San Diego. It's an electric cable car. It has 2 or more lines. But it will get you from Old Towne to the Circle area and Qualcomm Stadium to Downtown and Seaport Village area. You can also get all the way to the California/Mexico border (FYI). It also goes north but have not taken that line. The cost depends on how far you are taking the trolley. Don't know if they have day passes or not.

Sue,
We just returned from SD for a week. I usually rent a car while my husband attends a conference but chose not to this time. We stayed down by the conv. center/Gaslamp and I did a lot of walking in the downtown area and near the harbor and Seaport Village. Very nice areas to walk. I also used the trolley. You can get a "day tripper" that is good on both the trolley and the bus for $5 a day or buy a 3-day ($10)or 4-day ($12) pass. Children are cheaper. Considering that parking at our hotel was $20 a day that is a great bargain and your son will get a kick out of it. You can travel to a lot of the popular spots such as downtown, Fashion Valley,some places in Hotel Circle, Coronado, Mexico border, Sea World, airport on either the trolley or bus.

I would stay at either places recommended in Old Town before considering Hotel Circle. It is just that, hotel circle. Had two little ones at the time and felt safe/pedestrian friendly (stayed at Hacienda).

Hello Sue, we recently went to San Diego on the Train from LA> Had no trouble getting a bus that went from downtown to Balboa Park where the zoo and many museums are. I feel San Diego has excellent public transport system, also we discovered the bus ticket was ggod for several hours usage.Joyce

Thanks to all of you for your help. We've decided to stay at the Ramada in Old Town. I found a great deal on "placestostay.com". We are very excited about being in this area, especially at the price we got. Thanks for the tips about the "other" trolley system- sounds like the day passes are a good deal. We have decided to rent a car after all but will still enjoy walking around Old Town. Thanks again to all of you for your great advice.