Old Town
A free state park, layered local history, and better food choices just beyond the adobes.
Start here
12 in total
Neighborhood GuidesThe 7 Best Things to Do in Old Town San Diego, Ranked7
MexicanThe 10 Best Margaritas in San Diego, Ranked10
Arts & Culture6 Haunted Places in San Diego With Documented Histories6
Date NightThe 9 Best Anniversary Restaurants in San Diego9
Sushi & JapaneseThe 8 Best Omakase in San Diego, Ranked8
Sushi & JapaneseThe 12 Best Sushi Restaurants in San Diego, Ranked12
Every list that covers Old Town
Updated as places change
7 rankedNeighborhood GuidesThe 7 Best Things to Do in Old Town San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
10 rankedMexicanThe 10 Best Margaritas in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 24
6 routesArts & Culture6 Haunted Places in San Diego With Documented HistoriesUpdated Aug 2
9 rankedDate NightThe 9 Best Anniversary Restaurants in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
8 rankedSushi & JapaneseThe 8 Best Omakase in San Diego, RankedUpdated Aug 2
12 rankedSushi & JapaneseThe 12 Best Sushi Restaurants in San Diego, RankedUpdated Aug 2
10 rankedThings to DoThe 10 Best Guided Tours in San DiegoUpdated Aug 2
12 rankedRestaurantsThe 12 Essential San Diego Dishes, RankedUpdated Jul 30
9 rankedBars & NightlifeThe 9 Best Sports Bars in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 27
20 rankedThings to DoThe 20 Best Things to Do in San DiegoUpdated Jul 27
12 rankedMexicanThe 12 Best Mexican Restaurants in San DiegoUpdated Jul 24
10 rankedCheap EatsThe 10 Best All-You-Can-Eat Restaurants in San Diego, RankedUpdated Jul 23
The neighborhood itself
17 verified places · 8 eat & drink and 4 things-to-do listsBegin with Old Town State Historic Park; its free museums and 1820s–1870s buildings are the neighborhood’s clearest reason to come. Add Whaley House or El Campo Santo if you want more history, then walk over to Heritage Park for its Victorian houses.
Lunch can stay simple at Old Town Mexican Cafe’s tortilla window. For a longer meal, choose Tahona for mezcal and Oaxaca or plan ahead for Sushi Tadokoro, which does not take walk-ins. On a busy weekend, the trolley is easier than circling for a space in the four-hour park lots.
If you only do 5 things
1Old Town State Historic ParkparkKnow before you go
Parking: the free park lots cap at four hours and fill by late morning on weekends — the trolley drops you closer anyway
Transit: Old Town Transit Center is the best car-free hub in the city — Blue/Green trolley, Coaster, buses, 18 daily Amtrak stops
Holidays: park museums close Thanksgiving and Christmas; winter weekdays end at 4pm
Where they are — 17 verified places
The index
Ranked places pulled from all 12 listsFrom 2021 through 2023, Sushi Tadokoro in Old Town held a Michelin star, and the careful sushi behind it is still the reason to go.
Tahona calls itself the first mezcal tasting room in the city, and it pours more than 120 expressions of mezcal from its spot on San Diego Avenue in Old Town.
El Agave opened in Old Town in 1996, and tequila is the whole story here.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is where every Old Town visit should begin.
The Mormon Battalion Historic Site, at 2510 Juan Street in Old Town, is the free stop that works best for families.
When Thomas Whaley began building his house on May 6, 1856, he said it would be "the handsomest, most comfortable and convenient place in town or within 150 mil…
El Campo Santo Cemetery, at 2410 San Diego Avenue in Old Town, takes about ten minutes to see and is one of the quietest stops in the neighborhood.