San Diego

Balboa Park, Point Loma and La Jolla Cove in four days

Day one. Give the morning to the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, arriving at opening before the heat and the school groups. After lunch, wander the Prado past the Botanical Building and the California Tower, and choose one or two museums, perhaps the San Diego Museum of Art or the Museum of Us. In the evening, eat in Hillcrest or North Park, just north of the park.

Day two. Walk the Embarcadero to USS Midway, then take the ferry from Broadway Pier to Coronado and walk along the sand to the Hotel del Coronado. Back downtown, finish in Little Italy or the Gaslamp Quarter.

Day three. Drive or ride to Old Town for the adobe buildings and Mexican-era history, then head west to Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma. Time it for low tide to explore the tide pools on the western side, and stay for sunset over the bay.

Day four. Spend the morning at La Jolla Cove watching seals and sea lions, then hike the cliff trails at Torrey Pines. With a fifth day, take the Blue Line Trolley to San Ysidro and walk across to Tijuana, or ride the Surfliner north to Los Angeles.

Balboa Park deserves a full day on its own. The city lists it at more than 1,000 acres (most sources say about 1,200), with 15 or more museums along El Prado and the San Diego Zoo inside its boundary, though the zoo is run separately from the city parks department. More than 14 million people a year come through. Walking the Spanish Revival arcades and gardens costs nothing; each museum and the zoo charges its own entry, and several museums close one weekday, so check before building a museum route.

On the downtown waterfront at Navy Pier, 910 North Harbor Drive, the USS Midway Museum fills the 1,001-foot carrier that served from the end of the Second World War to Desert Storm. Around 30 restored aircraft sit on the flight and hangar decks, and the ticket includes a self-guided audio tour narrated by former Midway sailors. Allow two to four hours.

Fish tacos, California burritos and Little Italy's Mercato

Baja California is next door, and the food shows it. The fish taco, battered white fish in a corn tortilla with cabbage, crema and salsa, is the local signature, sold at taco shops and beach stands along the coast. The California burrito puts carne asada and French fries inside a flour tortilla; its cousin, carne asada fries, is late-night fuel after the bars.

Old Town's restaurants lean towards Mexican plates in a historic setting, while the most loved taco shops are often unremarkable buildings in neighbourhoods like Barrio Logan and Mission Hills. Head across the border to Tijuana for street tacos with a different accent.

Little Italy, by the airport, has the most concentrated restaurant streets downtown, with Italian delis and newer seafood and Californian kitchens. Its Saturday Mercato farmers' market is one of the biggest in the region. Hillcrest, North Park and Kensington have the neighbourhood places locals use, and Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa is the area for Asian food.

Beer is a local pride: San Diego has dozens of craft breweries, many with tasting rooms in North Park and Miramar. Remember that alcohol sales stop at 2am.

June Gloom, Comic-Con and the winter whale migration

San Diego's climate barely moves. Highs stay between 19C in winter and 25C in August and September, and lows only drop to about 10C. Almost all rain falls between November and March, with February the wettest at about 56 mm; from May to September there is next to none.

That does not mean every summer day is sunny. In May and June, a low marine layer often covers the coast until early afternoon, known locally as May Gray and June Gloom. Inland areas burn off first. The sea is warmest in August and September, which is also when the beaches are at their best.

Each July, Comic-Con International fills the San Diego Convention Center and spills into the Gaslamp Quarter for several days. Badges sell out long before the event and hotel rooms downtown are booked months in advance, so plan other trips around it unless you are going.

Winter has its own draw: gray whales migrate along the coast roughly from December to April, and boats leave from the bay to watch them. December brings holiday lights to Balboa Park, and the weather stays mild enough for a walk on the beach at Christmas.