You can find great things to do alone in San Diego, CA. Solo travel in San Diego is incredible. It's one of the best cities in the United States for that!
There are many activities during which you learn more about the city.
Furthermore, there are lots of places where you can go for a relaxing hike through nature. During these activities, you can also see a lot of beautiful things along the way!
Besides that, you can be very active in the city! For example, you can beach volleyball!
Solo travel in San Diego is perfect if you want to make new friends or enjoy the city by yourself.
You find the best things to do alone in San Diego below!
Table of Contents
1. Attend a Lecture at UC San Diego: Great Thing To Do Alone in San Diego That’s Very Interesting
You can attend a lecture at UC San Diego! This is one of the most interesting activities for solo travel in San Diego.
There are lots of great lectures about a variety of subjects. There are lectures that are very interesting for everyone!
This is a great way to learn something new when you are visiting the city.
Also, you attend the lectures with other people, which makes it possible to make some friends! So this is also one of the best things to do alone in San Diego if you want to meet others.
Besides that, visiting this place itself is great as well. This is a well-known university that is definitely worth visiting when you are in the city
2. Join a Hop On Hop Off Narrated Bus Tour
Seeing the city during a tour is another one of the best things to do alone in San Diego.
A great way to see the highlights of the city is by doing a San Diego hop on hop off narrated bus tour!
Old Town Trolley Tours is a company that offers these tours, and I recommend doing so during a solo trip to San Diego.
The orange and green trolleys are a great way to move around while you get a lot of information about the sights.
Furthermore, what's great is that the buses run often. This makes it possible to discover the sights at one of the 11 stops and then board the bus again to go to the next stop!
Not only is this a very fun experience during which you'll learn a lot about the city, but it is also very helpful. That's because you'll get a better sense of what there is to do and see in the city. This makes the remaining time of your trip much more convenient!
3. Do a Kayaking Tour in La Jolla: Fun Thing To Do Alone in San Diego If You Want To Be Active
Another one of the best solo activities in San Diego is to go kayaking through a tour.
A great place is La Jolla. This is an area next to the ocean that is beautiful! You find here a lovely coastline with a lot of nature next to it.
You can do a guided kayaking tour in La Jolla, which is amazing to experience. This is definitely one of the most fun things to do alone in San Diego!
During this tour, you'll kayak in a group along the coastline of La Jolla and you'll go to the caves you find there.
Also, during the Sunset Original Kayak Tour, you'll see the sunset from the water, which is beautiful to see! This tour takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to complete!
What's great is that this is an experience that is great for everyone. You get paddling instructions beforehand.
Another great thing about doing a kayaking tour is that it is with a group of other people. This means it is a great way to meet new people and to make some new friends!
4. Relax at Balboa Park
One of the best things to do alone in San Diego is to relax at Balboa Park.
Balboa Park is a great park in the city where you can find a lot of beautiful nature.
This nature makes it a great place for a relaxing stroll! This makes it possible to come to yourself, which is great during solo travel in San Diego!
Furthermore, there are many different gardens and walking paths, which means it is a fun place to go to!
Also, there are lots of interesting things to do and see in Balboa Park when you are traveling alone in San Diego.
You find several museums in the park that are very interesting.
Besides that, there are many structures in Balboa Park that are wonderful to see! For example, you can see Casa del Prado here. This is a complex with several buildings. The city created these buildings for the Panama-California Exposition.
The architecture of the buildings is great to see when you are alone in San Diego. When you are traveling solo, you can completely focus on seeing the buildings, which is great!
Also, there are many events at the park that are great to attend when you are in the city.
At these events, you can also meet a lot of new friends, which is a great experience! That makes your solo trip to San Diego much better!
That's why I recommend checking beforehand if there is an event you can attend. That way you can go here when you are visiting San Diego!
5. Do a Walking Tour
Doing a walking tour is a great way to get to know the city.
Together with a group and a local guide you'll explore some parts of the city while getting a lot of information.
This makes it one of the best things to do alone in San Diego to explore the city!
One of the best walking tours in the city of San Diego is the Gaslamp Thursday Walking Tour.
During this tour, you'll walk through the historic Gaslamp area.
The tour takes about 90 minutes and takes place every Thursday afternoon. During it, you'll learn a lot about this particular area in San Diego, which is great to experience!
Also, you can talk to the others in the group that are doing the walking tour. This is a great way to meet new people!
6. Join a Book Club: Amazing Thing To Do Alone in San Diego If You Like Reading
One of the best things to do alone in San Diego is to join a book club.
This is a lovely activity if you like to read and make new friends at the same time!
Together with other people, you'll read the same book and discuss it afterward.
"San Diego Book Divas!" is a great group on Meetup.com where you can attend an event during which you'll discuss a book. This is a very interesting activity. Joining this group is great when you are traveling solo!
7. Hike up Cowles Mountain
Another one of the best things to do in San Diego is hiking up Cowles Mountain.
Cowles Mountain is a mountain that you can find in the San Carlos neighborhood.
The summit of the mountain is the highest point in the city, which is great to visit!
Hiking to the top of the summit is a great way to come to yourself during a solo trip to San Diego!
This hike is about 1.5 miles (or 2.4 kilometers) long and the total change in elevation is about 950 feet (or 290 meters).
This trail is a very popular trail that many people use every day! This means that you can meet new people here who are also traveling solo when you are in the city.
At the end of your hike up Cowles Mountain, you'll see a beautiful panoramic view of the city and the surrounding.
8. Participate in a San Diego Pub Crawl
Participating in a San Diego pub crawl is a great way to make new friends and discover the city's nightlife!
During a pub crawl, you'll go to several bars in downtown together with others. Each bar is different and has something different to offer. This is one of the most fun things to do alone in San Diego in the evening for sure!
The San Diego Pub Crawls Meetup group is a great way to do this! That's because this group organizes pub crawl events.
When you attend one of these events you pay one fee. With this, you get access to all bars, VIP entry, and more.
What's great as well is that during certain holidays, the people of the group dress up! For example, during Halloween, people come in costumes.
9. Do a Haunted San Diego Ghost Tour: Unique Thing To Do Alone in San Diego To See More of the City
Doing a haunted San Diego ghost tour is also one of the best activities for solo travel in San Diego. It is a spooky activity that is great to experience when you are doing a solo trip!
During such a tour, you will visit several locations in the city that are famous for their ghost stories.
Together with others in a group you'll discover these places and get to know the stories. This means that it is also a great way to meet new people!
A host tells you all the stories in a theatric way, which is great to experience! Also, besides the spookiness, it is also an experience with comedy!
During the tour, you'll go on board the "Ghost Bus" that starts in Old Town. From there you go to Herman Heights and after that, you visit some other places in the city. Each stop has something else to offer!
10. Do a Guided Tour to the Mexican City of Tijuana
Did you know that the city lies close to the border with Mexico? Next to the city, you find the city of Tijuana. This is a Mexican city that is great to discover!
During the tour "Discovering the real Tijuana", you'll cross the border and go to the city of Tijuana. You do this in a small group together with an experienced guide. This makes it perfect if you're looking for interesting things to do alone in San Diego!
During the tour, you'll learn about the history of the place and you'll visit lots of great places.
For example, you'll go to Friendship Park, Revolucion Street, and more places.
Also, you'll visit a local food court where you can try out the Tijuana cuisine.
The tour takes about 5.5 hours, which allows you to explore the city of Tijuana!
11. Hike With a Group
Hiking in and near the city is one of the best things to do alone in San Diego. That's why I also included this already in this list!
Hiking in the city is a great way to come to yourself and to discover new places.
But hiking can be even more fun when you are doing it with a group. This is amazing for solo travelers who want to make friends.
A great way to do this is with the San Diego Hike Mania Meetup group.
This is a group that organizes events during which you visit a place in the city. You then go hiking there with a group.
During this experience, you can make a lot of new friends, which is great if you are doing a solo trip to San Diego!
12. Go to a Talk at the San Diego Museum of Art
Attending a talk is also great for solo travel in San Diego.
A great place for doing that is the San Diego Museum of Art.
This is a great way to learn more about the exhibitions and the collection of the museum!
Also, it is great that is a large variety of talks at the museum. This means that there is always a talk that you like when you go here!
Furthermore, there are many different people who do the talks. There are curators from other museums, artists whose work is on display, and others!
Another great thing about the talks is that it is a way to make some new friends who have the same interests as you!
If you want to attend a talk, you can do so every third Friday of each month, except for July and August.
13. Take Part in a Cooking Class at Harvard Cookin’ Girl: Nice Thing To Do Alone in San Diego If You Love Food
Another lovely solo activity is doing a cooking class.
One of the best cooking classes in the city is the one by Harvard Cookin' Girl.
During these cooking classes, you'll cook something delicious, which is great! You can decide for yourself what you want to cook or bake, and chef Bibi teaches you how!
This is a great way to learn new cooking skills, while you make new friends at the same time! So it is definitely one of the best things to do alone in San Diego!
Also, it is a more fun way to have food when you are doing a solo trip to San Diego. Instead of eating alone, you can eat with others.
14. Play Beach Volleyball at Mission Beach
If you want to want to be active, you can beach volleyball!
During this activity, you can do sports while meeting new people and making some friends.
The San Diego Beach Volleyball League is a great place where you can do this.
Here you can play volleyball games, which is a fun experience.
Besides that, you can do volleyball classes here, during which you can learn how to play the sport. This is great if you want to improve your volleyball skills!
Doing these classes is also a great way to make some new friends when you are in the city! And after you know how to play, you can play matches, which is great as well!
15. Go Paintballing With a Group
Another one of the best things to do alone in San Diego is paintballing.
This is a great activity during which you compete against other people!
This makes it a great place to make new friends when you are in the city!
One of the best places for paintball is Velocity Paintball.
Here you have a lovely outdoor paintball field that is great for everyone!
Also, what's great is that you can get all the equipment you need here, so you can show up and play!
During open play, you play against others, which is a great activity when you do a solo trip to San Diego!
16. Learn How To Surf at the San Diego Surf School
Surfing in San Diego is a wonderful activity that is fun for everyone!
But before you can surf, you first need to learn how to do this!
One of the best places where you can do so is the San Diego Surf School. This is amazing if you're looking for a very fun and active activity.
Here you can do group surf lessons. During these lessons, there are 3 other students and an instructor.
This allows you to learn how to surf very fast! And besides that, it is a great way to meet new people! So it's also perfect if you want to make friends.
When doing these lessons, you can choose either Pacific Beach or Ocean Beach.
17. See Dolphins in the Wild From a Boat: Incredible Thing To Do Alone in San Diego If You Like Animals
The city lies next to the ocean. That means that you can see a lot of sea life when you are going here!
During the experience "Dances with Dolphins and Friends", you can explore the ocean! This experience is one of the best things to do alone in San Diego.
When you do this tour, you go on a boat trip that lasts 2 hours.
During this trip, you (almost always) see dolphins, which is great to experience! Also, there are sometimes whales, which is also incredible!
This tour is very interesting to do! But besides that, you can also meet new people here! You are together on a boat and have a lot to talk about, because of what you see!
This makes it great for solo travel in San Diego!
18. Do a Self-guided Scooter Tour of Coronado
Learning more about the city of San Diego is always a great activity!
One of the best ways to do this is through a self-guided scooter tour of Coronado!
During this, you'll explore the area of Coronado while riding a scooter!
The self-guided GPS tour starts in the area of Little Italy. This is in the city center.
From there you take a ferry to Coronado Island. Along the way, you'll see a lot of beautiful things, which is great! For example, you can get a view of the San Diego Harbor.
On Coronado Island, you'll discover Downtown Coronado. Along the way, you'll learn about the history of the place, which is awesome!
Furthermore, you ride along a lot of beautiful beaches.
19. Take Photos With a Group
If you like photography, you'll love this one of the things to do alone in San Diego for sure!
There is a Meetup group of people in San Diego that love photography and want to take photos together! This group is the Pacific Photographic Society.
This is a great way to become better at photography, and to make some new friends!
What's great is that the group is for everyone, so you don't have to have experience!
The group organizes events during which you go to a certain area in the city. You can then take photos at those areas.
20. Tour Balboa Park With a Segway: Great Thing to Do Alone in San Diego to Explore More of the City
One of the best solo activities in San Diego is walking through Balboa Park. But another one is seeing Balboa Park during a segway tour!
During this tour, you'll go to all parts of the park and see what it is all about!
What's great is that you do this tour with others in a group. Moreover, there is a professional guide that gives a lot of information. These things make this perfect for solo travel in San Diego!
Furthermore, the tour lasts about 2 hours.
Besides enjoying all the things at Balboa Park, riding a segway is very fun as well!
21. Do a Self Guided Tour of the City
A self-guided tour is one of the most interesting things to do alone in San Diego. During a self-guided tour, you can learn more about the city. And at the same time, you can come to yourself, which is great!
The San Diego self-guided tours by GPS My City are great!
One of their tours goes through the Gaslamp Quarter.
Here you can see a lot of beautiful buildings with great architecture!
Furthermore, you'll walk by a few iconic buildings, such as the Horton Grand Hotel.
Moreover, this self-guided tour takes about 1 hour. During the tour, you go to 8 sights and you'll cover a distance of about 0.9 miles (or 1.5 kilometers).
22. Join a Beach Yoga Class
One of the most relaxing activities is taking a San Diego beach yoga class.
This is an experience that takes place in a quiet area of La Jolla Shores.
There a yoga expert will lead a wonderful yoga experience through which you can relax. The yoga poses are great and the surrounding area is very beautiful.
In total, the experience takes about 1 hour.
23. Join a Goats Cuddling Experience: Lovely Thing To Do Alone in San Diego If You Like Cute Animals
Here's another one of the best activities during solo travel in San Diego.
You can do the "Cuddling with Goats at an Urban Farm" experience when you are in the city.
During this experience, you'll visit an urban farm in San Diego.
There, you can see, play, and cuddle with goats, which is a lot of fun.
Also, what's great is that you can get information about the goats during this experience.
24. Do a Tour of the California Tower
The California Tower is an iconic structure that you have to see if you're in the city.
You'll find this tower at Balboa Park and it has a beautiful design.
What's great is that you can do a tour of the tower. This tour is definitely one of the most interesting things to do alone in San Diego!
During this, a tour guide takes you to the top of the tower, from where you can enjoy an amazing view.
Also, you can learn new things about the tower during this 40-minute tour.
25. Do an Indoor Skydiving Experience
One of the most fun and exciting things to do alone in San Diego is to go indoor skydiving in San Diego.
During an indoor skydiving experience, you can get the feeling of skydiving. And you get this without jumping from an airplane. Instead, you'll float on a stream of air in a vertical wind tunnel. This is a great feeling to experience.
During this experience, you'll do two flights during which an instructor is present. And what's great is that you don't need any experience.
26. Join a Guided Coffee and Art Tour: Very Fun Thing To Do Alone in San Diego If You Love Art
You can do a "specialty coffee and art tour" during solo travel in San Diego. You have to do this tour for sure if you love coffee.
During this tour, you'll visit 3 different coffee shops in the North Park district.
At those coffee shops, you can do 5 coffee tastings. For example, you can sample cold brew coffee and coffee from several regions of the world here.
Also, while walking from one coffee shop to the next, a guide can show you great street art. And you can also learn about the history of North Park during this tour.
27. Learn Things By Yourself at the Maritime Museum
Looking for things to do alone in San Diego to learn new things? Then, you can go to the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
At this place, you can find a large collection of historic ships.
For example, you can see the Star of India at this place, which is a ship from 1863.
And you'll find many other vessels here that are very interesting to see!
28. Go to the Museum of Photographic Arts and Attend Exhibitions
Do you like photography? Then, visiting the Museum of Photographic Arts is amazing for solo travel in San Diego.
At this place, you can see interesting photography exhibitions by yourself. And you can see amazing photographs here.
When you go here by yourself, you can completely focus on the photographs. And this can give you a more immersive experience, which is great!
29. Paint Through a Meetup Group
If you like to be creative, this is one of the most fun things to do alone in San Diego. You can attend an event of the "San Diego Plein Air Painters Meetup Group"!
This is a group through which you can connect with other local painters and creative people in the city.
Together with others, you can go to an area in the city during a meet-up and paint together.
Also, you can share new ideas and attend other painting events through this group.
30. See Movies Through a Meetup Group: Perfect Thing To Do Alone in San Diego If You Want To Make New Friends
Joining the "San Diego Movie Nights" group can be one of the best things to do alone in San Diego for you.
This group hosts meet-ups through which you can connect with others to see movies.
These meet-ups take place at various movie theaters in the city. And the group watches a lot of different types of movies.
It can be very fun to see a movie with others and then talk about it together. Through this, you can also make new friends in the city!
31. Learn New Things On Your Own at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum
The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is interesting to go to for solo travel in San Diego.
At this place, you can learn new things about the US Marine Corps.
You can see a lot of interesting objects at this place.
For example, there are historical aircraft, photographs, and all kinds of other objects.
32. Go to the Spanish Village Art Center and Take Part in Art Classes
Do you like to be creative? Then, going to the Spanish Village Art Center is one of the best things to do alone in San Diego.
This is an art center based in Balboa Park.
A lot of local artists have their studios here. And you can see interesting local art here.
Also, what's great is that you can do various art classes at the art center. These are amazing if you want to learn something during solo travel in San Diego.
For example, you can learn to paint, blow glass, watercolor, and much more here, which is very fun! After doing this, you'll have new creative skills.
33. Do an Experience at SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego is a place where you can learn about marine life.
And one of the best things to do alone in San Diego is to do an animal experience.
During these experiences, you can get very close to the animals.
There are various experiences to choose from. For example, you can see penguins, dolphins, and flamingoes from up close through this.
34. Play Soccer With a Group: Perfect Thing To Do Alone in San Diego If You Love Sports
Do you like soccer? Then, you can go to an event of the "San Diego Pick-Up Soccer" group during solo travel in San Diego.
This is a Meetup group that organizes soccer events in the city.
For example, there are practice events during which you can practice soccer.
Also, there are events during which you can play competitive games of soccer with others.
These meet-ups are a great way to be active, have fun, and make new friends at the same time.
35. Do a Falconry Experience
One of the most unique things to do alone in San Diego is doing a San Diego falconry experience.
During this 2-hour experience, you can see trained falcons and hawks flying in the sky.
Also, you learn to call and release the birds while wearing a glove.
Furthermore, you'll get a lot of information about the birds during this experience. And if you have any questions, you can ask them!
36. Play Jigsaw Puzzles With a Group
The "Pacific Puzzlers" group is a great group to join.
If you like jigsaw puzzles, joining this group is perfect for solo travel in San Diego!
The group hosts events during which you can do jigsaw puzzling competitions. These events take place at local bars in the city and they are great for socializing and meeting new people.
37. Attend Exhibitions By Yourself at the San Diego Automotive Museum
Visiting the San Diego Automotive Museum might be one of the best things to do alone in San Diego for you.
At this museum, you can find a collection of cars and motorcycles. These can be very interesting to see on your own if you like cars and motorcycles.
Also, there are exhibitions that focus on certain types of cars or other topics.
38. Join a Rescue Dog Walk: Very Nice Thing To Do Alone in San Diego If You Like Dogs
Here's one of the best activities for solo travel in San Diego if you like dogs.
You can do a "Rescue Dog Walk by the Bay" at Shelter Island.
This is an experience during which you'll go to a place with many rescue dogs. There, you can walk and play with the dogs, and you can give them treats.
39. Do a Self-Guided Tour of the Whaley House
The Whaley House is a historic Greek Revival house located in Old Town San Diego. This house was the home of Thomas Whaley.
Furthermore, the house was a courthouse and a theater.
Also, there are many reports of it being a haunted house. And many documentaries feature the house.
You can do a self-guided tour of the house and see it from the inside. If you're looking for interesting things to do alone in San Diego, this tour is great. During this, you can learn about the house's history and get a lot more information.
Also, it is possible to do a guided tour of the house of about 30 minutes. During this, a guide will give you information about the house, which is very interesting.
And it is possible to do a paranormal tour as well. During this, you'll visit the rooms where the Whaley family lived. And you'll learn about ghost hunting during this as well.
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