Are you ready for the ultimate girls weekend in San Diego!? This guide is jam-packed with fun ideas that are actually worth doing! Yes, I have personally tried and tested all of these ideas many times!!
Being born and raised in Las Vegas, I visit San Diego constantly, so I am constantly looking for fun things to do with my best friends. I have visited San Diego on bachelorette parties, girls trips, birthday weekends, and mother-daughter getaways!
San Diego is such a fun city, filled with things that are fun for any type of traveler. Like wine tasting? There is a small wine region right outside of San Diego! Like Culture? Head 30 minutes south to hit the boarder of Mexico to learn about a new culture. Like relaxing on the beach? Kick back and relax at one of San Diego’s many beaches!
Okay here we go… get ready for the ONLY girls trip to San Diego guide you will ever need!! 🙂
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The Best Ideas for a Girls Weekend in San Diego
Rent a Duffy Boat
San Diego is the perfect place to rent a boat with friends because they have a huge bay to explore! There are a few duffy boat rentals in the marina that will rent to you by the hour for a fair price. You are allowed to bring whatever alcohol and food you want as well!
If you are wondering what a duffy boat is, think of it as a golf cart on the water! It is a small, electric boat that is perfect for just putting around the marina. I would DEFINITELY recommend booking this in advance, because these boats will sell out most weekends. Click here to book!
TIP: Not all boats have Bluetooth speakers, so make sure you bring your own! This will come in handy for getting ready and the beach too! 🙂
Click here to learn how to edit photos like I do! 🙂
Take a day trip to Temecula for Wine Tasting
Temecula wine region is only one hour inland from San Diego, making it the perfect day trip! This area has over 30 wineries to try and will be far more affordable that other California wine regions (cough cough, NAPA).
I have been wine tasting in this area a few times now, most recently on a bachelorette party for my best friend! We rented a party bus to pick us up from our hotel in San Diego and spent a few hours wine tasting in Temecula. If you are looking for a party bus rental, make sure you check out Top Dog Limos! They offered to take pictures of us on the bus and at the wineries, decorated the bus for the bachelorette party, and gave recommendations for wineries!
If you don’t want to worry about booking a party bus, figuring out the wineries, making the reservations… just sign up for a tour! This company will pick you up in San Diego and plan your entire day for you.
If you are interested in going wine tasting in the area, be sure to check out my guide on wine tasting in Temecula for winery recommendations! 🙂
Recommended Read: Day Trip to Santa Barbara!
Like these cute, platform sandals? You can buy them on Amazon here!
Have a photo opp with the Seals at La Jolla Cove
La Jolla is a beautiful, cliff-side area of San Diego where you can hike down to secret beaches, kayak through coves, see seals in their natural habitat or go shopping at cute boutiques!
If you plan to visit this area, just make sure you are not entering / exiting during rush hour traffic! There is only one way into the town, which causes the road in to get very backed up!
Want to see the sea caves up close? Here is a kayak tour that will take you through the caves and onto the beaches with the seals!
Recommended Read: What’s in a travel bloggers camera bag?
Enjoy a sunset picnic at Sunset Cliffs
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is the most beautiful spot to disconnect from the world and just enjoy some girl time with friends! Even though this area can get busy during a good sunset, it will never feel crowded because the area is huge!
To get to this area, you will need to rent a car or Uber since it is a 20 minute drive from both Pacific Beach and Downtown San Diego. Once you arrive, you can just park anywhere along the street and walk out to the cliffs.
TIP: Don’t forget a bottle of wine (or a few bottles), a wine opener, and a beach blanket to lay on!
Recommended Read: A Couples Guide to San Diego!
Rent a table at El Perez Beach Club
El Perez Beach Club is a rooftop club that overlooks Pacific Beach! It is such a fun spot to rent a table with friends, listen to good music, and share giant cocktails!
If you do not want to spend the money on a table, you can also walk in and just grab a drink at the bar. Click here for their drink menu!
Pssstt… Don’t forget to follow me along on Instagram! 🙂
Day trip to Carlsbad, California
If you are traveling to San Diego during the spring months, doing a day trip to Carlsbad is an absolute must! They have the famous flower fields that are only open for a couples months of the year.. which is a total “instagrammers” paradise.
In this area is also a lot of beaches, an adorable downtown area, cute boutique shopping, and endless wine bars. For more ideas in Carlsbad, be sure to check out my Spring Itinerary to Carlsbad!
Like how this photo was edited? It was edited in ONE CLICK using my presets!
Race goldfish at PB Shore Club
At PB Shore Club, a beach bar in Pacific Beach area, they host a fun event every night from 8pm – closing…. Gold Fish Races! Two people will race a goldfish to the end of a long fish tank by just using a straw to blow into the water, and the bar crowd gets very rowdy, ha 🙂
The prizes differ every time, but last time I was there they gave the winner open bar for the night!
Stroll Through the Farmer’s Market in Little Italy
Every Saturday morning from 8am-2pm, you can stroll through the adorable district of Little Italy to shop for local produce, fresh flowers, and tons of unique souvenirs! The farmers market is huge.. AKA hard to miss with a mile full of tents and food trucks.
I would recommend either going to brunch in this area (there are TONS of cute brunch spots) or just sampling food throughout the market. Don’t forget to pick up some matching bracelets as a keepsake of your fun girls weekend in San Diego! 🙂
Go Bar Hopping in the Gaslamp District
Bar hopping in the Gaslamp District is TOO much fun! They have nightlife for any type of person.. sports bars, wine bars, country dancing bars, or nightclubs! This area is easily walkable, so I would recommend picking a few bars in the area and bar hopping between them.
Here are my top choices:
- Moonshine – A country bar with live music and a huge dance floor
- Onyx Nightclub – Club vibes where you can rent tables and dance on their large dance floor
- Vin De Syrah – Chic wine bar that is underground and has a speakeasy feel
- Patrick’s Gaslamp Pub – Fun sports bar that is Irish themed
TIP: Don’t forget to check out order a pack of Liquid IV’s to save you and your friends from a hangover!
Get Giant Strawberry Margaritas at Baja Beach Cafe
Baja Beach cafe is my ultimate favorite spot in all of San Diego! Located directly on the Pacific beach, they serve giant margaritas in any flavor you could imagine.
If you go during happy hour, they have a killer deal that’s 2-for-1 (the margaritas are slightly smaller, but equally as yummy!). Happy hour is M-F 4-8pm & again 10:30pm-12:30am. If you can’t make it during happy hour, I would still recommend going and just splitting a giant margaritas with your girls!
TIP: If you plan to go for sunset, make sure you get there early because this tiny beach bar fills up FAST!
Hit the Beach
There are several beaches in the San Diego area (Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, La Jolla), but I would say Pacific Beach is the nicest and easiest to access. There will be bike rentals along the board walk, tons of shopping, restaurants, and bars to hang out at.
I love grabbing a few beach blankets, some wine, and pizzas and doing a sunset picnic on the beach!
& the DOG Beach
If going to a regular beach isn’t enough, there are tons of dog beaches in the San Diego area! On my recent Girls weekend in San Diego, my friends and I went to bottomless mimosa brunch and then the dog beach… and let me tell ya… it was FUN.
For specifics, we went to The 3rd Corner or brunch and then to this dog beach! You can easily walk between the two, only 10 minutes apart. You can thank me later 🙂
Rent Bikes to Cruise Along the Boardwalk
There are tons of bike shops along Pacific Beach that will rent you beach cruises for CHEAP. Pacific Beach Bikes will let you rent the bikes for 1 hour for just $7 or 4 hours for just $15!
You can also rent them for multiple days if you want to avoid driving to the beach (beach parking is the WORST).
TIP: If your San Diego Girls trip consists of more than 3 girls.. I would make a reservation online to make sure there are enough bikes!
Take a Surfing Lesson
You and your girls can sign up for surfing lessons at any of the beaches in the area… If you don’t mind the freezing cold ocean that is 😉
Yes, the water will be COLD. but you will likely be wearing a wet suit and being very active / keeping your muscles warm! You will need to make a reservation in advance, and lessons cost anywhere between $70 – $100 per person.
Yoga on the Beach
Did you know there are free yoga classes right on the beach every Saturday + Sunday morning? These classes are taught by local instructors and just take tips / donations for teaching!
You can find the exact spot and time on a website called Meetup, where you can see how many people are attending. Here is the direct link to the Pacific Beach Weekend Yoga!
&& Don’t forget your light, foldable, travel yoga mat!
Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park
You could spend hours exploring Balboa park with tons of architecture, parks, events, and the best part… the Japanese Friendship Garden!
This 12 acre area is filled with flowers, creeks, bridges, coy ponds, & great photo opportunities! It costs only $12 to enter and you can book your ticket when you get there. 🙂
BONUS IDEAS:
- Day trip to Catalina Island! You will need to drive 1 hour north to Dana Point and then take a 1 hour ferry to Catalina Island where you can relax on the beach, hike, kayak, or go to wine bars!
- San Diego Zoo, located right in San Diego!
- Day Trip to Tijauana, Mexico! Only 30 minutes south of San Diego is the boarder of Mexico where you can go Tequila tasting. I would be very careful going with just your girlfriends since it is a high-crime city with a lot of sex trafficking. Instead, sign up for a tour so you know you will be safe!
- Champagne Brunch cruise! This 2-hour brunch cruise will give you bottomless mimosas, brunch, and beautiful views of San Diego.
- Wale Watching Tour – takes off right in San Diego.
- Have more than a weekend? Do a 7 day road trip down the entire California coast! Click here to read my California Road Trip Itinerary (7 Days)!
That’s a wrap! I hope this guide gives you tons of ideas on how to spend your girls weekend in San Diego! Living in Las Vegas my entire life, I come to San Diego many times a year since it is so close. I have done everything on this list AND some, but these are my absolute, must-dos!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend and if you have more ideas on things to do on a San Diego girls trip, drop them in the comments below so I can try them next time I visit. 🙂
Planning a trip to this area? Be sure to check out these guides:
- Couples guide to San Diego – 4 Day Itinerary
- Spring Itinerary to Carlsbad
- Wine Tasting in Temecula, California
- Day Trip to Santa Barbara!
- California Road Trip Itinerary – 7 Days along PCH!
Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
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