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No 3 Balboa Park, Hillcrest, UCSD Medical Center.

No 7, 7A, 7B Balboa Park, Zoo, Hillcrest.

No 8/9 Old Town to Pacific Beach, SeaWorld.

No 11 Hillcrest, Adams Ave Antique Row.

No 30 Old Town, Pacific Beach, La Jolla, University Towne Centre.

No 35 Old Town to Ocean Beach.

No 901 Coronado.

Car

All the big-name car-rental companies have desks at the airport, and lesser-known ones may be cheaper. Shop around – prices vary widely, even from day to day within the same company. The airport has free direct-phones to a number of car-rental companies – you can call several and then get a courtesy bus to the agency. Rental rates tend to be comparable to LA.

Note that many car-rental companies do not allow you to take their vehicles into Mexico.

For contact information on the big-name companies, Click here. Smaller agencies include California Rent a Car (Map; 619-238-9999, 800-995-5353; www.californiarent-a-car.com; 904 W Grape St) and West Coast Rent a Car (Map; 619-544-0606; 834 W Grape St), both in Little Italy, and Fox Rent a Car ( 619-692-0300, 800-225-4369; www.foxrentacar.com; 2727 Kettner Blvd) near the airport.

Taxi

Taxi flag fall is $2.40, plus $2.60 for each additional mile. Established companies include the following:

American Cab ( 619-234-1111)

Orange Cab ( 619-291-3333; www.orangecabsandiego.com)

Yellow Cab ( 619-234-6161; www.driveu.com)

Train

Coaster commuter trains ($4 to $5.50) serve Santa Fe Depot downtown to North County, with stops including Old Town, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside. Buy tickets from vending machines at stations, and validate them before boarding; machines give change.

There are 11 daily trains in each direction Monday to Friday; the first trains leave Oceanside at 5:18am and the Santa Fe Depot downtown at 6:33am; the last ones depart at 5:30pm and 6:46pm, respectively. On Saturday, there are four trains only, and no Sunday service. Contact North San Diego County Transit District ( 619-233-3004, from North County 800-266-6883; www.gonctd.com) or www.sdcommute.com

Trolley

There are three main trolley lines. From the transit center across from the Santa Fe Depot, Blue Line trolleys go south to San Ysidro (Mexico border) and north to Old Town Transit Center, with peak period service through Mission Valley to Qualcomm Stadium. At other times the Green Line runs this section of the route from Old Town, including to Mission San Diego de Alcalá. The Orange Line connects the Convention Center and Seaport Village with Downtown, but otherwise it’s more useful for commuters. Trolleys run between about 4:15am and 1am daily at 15-minute intervals during the day, and every 30 minutes in the evening. The Blue Line continues limited all-night service on Saturday. Fares vary with distance but peak at $3 each way. Tickets are dispensed from vending machines on the station platforms and are valid for three hours from the time of purchase. Machines give change.

Kid tip – on Saturdays and Sundays, up to two children can ride the trolley for free with each fare-paying adult.

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CORONADO & THE BEACHES

Whoosh – here comes a skateboarder. And there goes a wet-suited surfer toting his board to the break, while a Chanel-clad lady lifts a coffee cup off a porcelain saucer. San Diego’s coastal communities offer all that and more.

The city of Coronado, with its landmark 1888 Hotel del Coronado, sits across San Diego Bay from Downtown, accessible via a long bridge or a short ferry ride. At the entrance to the bay, Point Loma has sweeping views across sea and city from the Cabrillo National Monument. Mission Bay, northwest of downtown, has lagoons, parks and recreation from waterskiing to camping and the world-famous SeaWorld. The nearby coast – Ocean, Mission and Pacific Beaches – epitomizes the SoCal beach scene.

Other sections of this chapter cover La Jolla and San Diego’s North Coast. San Diego’s Downtown sights are covered in the previous Downtown & Around section, as are tours, and festivals and events that encompass greater San Diego.

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