Car hire in San Diego

Visit and enjoy San Diego Beaches, Museums, Parks and many more with Budget car hire

San Diego, California

San Diego is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the sea, or to start your California trip. However, it’s not only the sun, beaches and surfing that make the seventh most populous city of the US worth to visit. In San Diego there are plenty of things to do, whether you are going for a weekend trip or for a long vacation.

From all San Diego’s tourist attractions, the weather and the beaches are the most well-known ones; many visitors enjoy them throughout the year, thanks to the average temperature of 21º C. With Budget car rental you can easily get to some popular beaches, such as Coronado Beach, Mission Bay, Pacific Beach or Solana. On Coronado Beach, for instance, you will find the Hotel del Coronado; a hotel built in 1888 and designated Natural History Landmark. It’s a luxury Victorian-style resort, built almost entirely of wood. It was the largest hotel in the world when it opened. This hotel has hosted many US presidents, as well as the cinema starts such as Charles Chaplin, and Marilyn Monroe on “Some Like It Hot” filming.

San Diego’s parks are another great attraction to see. Balboa Park is the biggest cultural park in the USA. There you can enjoy beautiful landscapes and long walks, but it also comprises a variety of cultural attractions - museums, theatres, restaurants and shops. Some of the most popular museums on Balboa Park are San Diego Museum of Man, San Diego Art Museum and San Diego Natural History Museum. In San Diego Museum of Man you will find some appealing permanent exhibitions about the Maya’s civilization and a collection of the Ancient Egyptian heritage. Finally, Balboa Park is home for the famous San Diego Zoo. It’s one of the most famous zoos of the United States, with more than 4.000 animals of around 370 different species; from antelopes and koalas to giant pandas. Another popular park is the amusement park of Belmont, located on Mission Beach. It features the oldest roller coaster in the US, the Giant Diaper. It is an ideal place for both children and adults.

Another place you will easily get to by car is the seaside community of Point Loma. There you will find the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, from which you can enjoy the amazing San Diego view. There is also the national monument of Cabrillo and a wonderful natural park. The monument is devoted to the first European who arrived to, what later will be known as, the West Coast of the United States.

San Diego is also a great place for a variety of sports such as surfing, golf, fishing, sailing and outdoor walks.

Book your car online to save time upon arrival; then all you will need to do is to choose the essential extras, such as a GPS unit, child seat, maps or additional insurance cover.

Where to go from San Diego: route ideas

The Interstate-5 connects San Diego to the other cities on the West Coast, including Los Angeles and San Francisco. To get to Las Vegas, Nevada you might take the Interstate 15. I-8 takes you to Phoenix, Arizona. Choose it also if you wish to get to Cleveland National Forest, and then take S2 Highway to arrive to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Note that the best time to visit it is spring, when the majority of the desert plants are blooming.

When driving from San Diego, Los Angeles is approximately 2.5 hours away, driving to Las Vegas will take you almost 6 hours, and you will need around 9 hours to get to San Francisco.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Budget. We offer one-way car hire, so you can go on a trip around the US or even to Canada, and you won’t have to return the car at the same pick-up location.

Budget Rent A Car: San Diego stations