San Diego Family Vacation (4 Day Itinerary with a Toddler)

Wondering where to take your family this summer? This San Diego family vacation itinerary is based on our recent 4-day trip exploring La Jolla, beaches, and kid-friendly attractions with our toddler.

San Diego, California, is one of the best family-friendly beach destinations in the United States, offering the perfect mix of outdoor adventure, relaxation, and kid-friendly attractions. We recently visited San Diego to celebrate our toddler’s second birthday and returned home with some of our favorite family travel memories. From world-famous attractions and stunning beaches to scenic coastal trails, biking paths, and year-round sunshine, San Diego has something for every member of the family. Whether you’re traveling with toddlers, young kids, or grandparents, it’s a destination that makes it easy to balance adventure and downtime.

For our trip, we stayed in La Jolla Shores, a charming beachside neighborhood just north of La Jolla Cove. Our Airbnb was within walking distance of La Jolla Shores Beach, making it easy to enjoy beach playtime, good food and sunset strolls with our toddler. The location was also an excellent base for exploring some of San Diego’s top family attractions, including the San Diego Zoo, Mission Bay, Torrey Pines, Scripps Pier, and La Jolla Village.

If you’re planning a San Diego family vacation with young kids or toddlers, here’s our complete 4-day itinerary.

Where to stay in San Diego with kids?

San Diego has several beautiful neighborhoods. You can choose based on what exactly you want to do with your family.

1. La Jolla

La Jolla is one of the most popular places in San Diego with the beautiful La Jolla cove, La Jolla Shores and coastline. We stayed at this gorgeous Redwood Cottage in La Jolla Shores. There are many vacation rentals in the area, cute cafes and restaurants. Being able to walk to the beach with a toddler was amazing! La Jolla Village is only a 10 minute drive from here for essentials such as groceries and many more restaurants.

2. Mission Bay

Mission Bay is ideal for families who want an active vacation. There are miles of biking and walking paths, playgrounds and parks. You will be close to both the beach and Mission Bay which has calmer waters. Many resorts here are family-friendly.

3. Coronado

Coronado is perfect for a classic Southern California Beach Getaway. Beautiful sandy beaches, walkability to places, small town charm makes it easy to explore with young kids.

4. Pacific Beach

Pacific Beach offers a fun mix of beach life, dining, and entertainment. Families will appreciate the easy beach access, oceanfront boardwalk, and abundance of restaurants. While the area is known for its nightlife, it can still be a great option for families who want a more energetic atmosphere and plenty of dining choices nearby.

5. Del Mar

For a more upscale and laid-back coastal escape, consider Del Mar. This charming beach town offers beautiful ocean views, a picturesque downtown, excellent restaurants, and gorgeous beaches. It’s a great choice for families seeking a luxury beach vacation while staying close to attractions like Torrey Pines and La Jolla.

For families visiting San Diego with young kids, I highly recommend staying in La Jolla Shores. Its central location, walkability, beach access, and proximity to many of San Diego’s top attractions made it the perfect home base for our trip.

Our 4-Day San Diego Family Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in La Jolla Shores

We kicked off our San Diego family vacation by checking into a beautiful Redwood Cottage in La Jolla Shores, located just 20 minutes from San Diego International Airport. Tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood, it was the perfect home base for traveling with a toddler. The spacious backyard and patio quickly became a favorite spot for our little one to run around.

After settling in, we headed to La Jolla Shores Beach, one of the most family-friendly beaches in San Diego. Known for its wide stretch of soft sand and gentle waves, it’s an ideal spot for young kids to play safely by the water. We spent the evening building sandcastles, watching surfers, and soaking in the laid-back beach atmosphere. We even caught a glimpse of athletes training for an upcoming triathlon, which was fun to watch from the shore.

If you’re visiting La Jolla Shores, be sure to stay for sunset. The golden light over the Pacific Ocean is one of the best ways to end your day in San Diego.

For dinner, we stopped by Dough Momma Pizzeria, a local favorite known for its delicious pizzas. Outside seating was great with a little kid. After a relaxing evening by the beach and a great meal, we headed back to our cottage, feeling excited about exploring more of San Diego over the next three days.

Day 2: San Diego Zoo and Scripps Pier Sunset

No San Diego family vacation is complete without a visit to the world-famous San Diego Zoo. Home to thousands of animals from around the globe, it’s easily one of the best things to do in San Diego with kids. If zoos aren’t your thing for ethical reasons, I’ve included a few alternative family-friendly places at the end of this guide.

Our toddler absolutely loved the experience. His favorite animals were the lions, giraffes, giant pandas, koalas, cheetahs, and flamingos. But nothing made him laugh more than watching the monkeys. Seeing his excitement throughout the day was one of the highlights of our entire San Diego trip.

Tips for Visiting the San Diego Zoo with Young Kids

If you’re visiting with young children, a little planning can make a huge difference:

1. Purchase your tickets online ahead of time to avoid long entry lines. If you’re using a Value Pass, double-check that your visit doesn’t fall on a blackout date. We made this mistake and had to spend extra time sorting it out at the ticket counter.
2. On weekends, try to arrive by 9:30 a.m. and head straight to the Skyfari Aerial Tram. The wait times increase significantly later in the day.
3. If you plan to bring your stroller onto the Skyfari, check the size requirements in advance. A compact travel stroller is usually the easiest option. There is a lot of walking to do so I highly recommend a stroller for young kids. At least to carry all the bags if kid refuses the stroller (this happened to us :D).
4. Don’t worry if you forget a water bottle. If you purchase a refillable bottle inside the zoo, you can refill it throughout the day.
5. San Diego weather was a bit intense even in May, so don’t forget sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats for everyone in the family.

There are several dining options throughout the zoo, making it easy to grab lunch without leaving the park. We especially enjoyed the food near the panda exhibit, where we found some delicious noodle dishes. After spending most of the morning exploring the zoo, we headed back to our cottage in La Jolla Shores around 2 p.m. for some much-needed downtime. One thing we’ve learned while traveling with a toddler is that building rest time into the itinerary makes the entire trip more enjoyable for everyone.

Later that afternoon, we made our way to La Jolla Village for a sweet treat. We stopped at Bacio di Latte for vegan gelato and their famous affogato, which was incredibly refreshing on a warm summer day.

To end the day, we headed to Scripps Pier for sunset. If you navigate to the Scripps Pier Trailhead, you’ll find a staircase leading down to a scenic cliffside viewpoint overlooking the ocean. Compared to some of San Diego’s more crowded sunset spots, this area felt peaceful and uncrowded. Most of the people we encountered were students from the nearby San Diego State University enjoying the view with their friends which took me back to my amazing Grad School days!

Between the dramatic coastal views, the iconic Scripps Pier, and the quiet sunset, this quickly became one of our favorite sunset spots in San Diego.

Day 3: Mission Bay Biking, Torrey Pines

Mission Bay is one of the most beautiful places in San Diego to go biking with your family. There are flat paths, beautiful waterfront views, several picnic spots, restaurants and cafes making this perfect for a bike day.

For our ride, we rented bikes from Ray’s Rentals in Mission Beach. Initially, we started biking along the oceanfront boardwalk, but we quickly realized that it was much more crowded than we expected. If you’re visiting with kids, I recommend heading directly to the Mission Bay Bike Path, which begins just behind the rental shop. Our toddler loved going biking with us. The ocean breeze was so soothing that it lulled him to sleep.

After our bike ride, we grabbed lunch near Mission Bay before heading back to our Airbnb in La Jolla Shores for some downtime.

Later that evening, we drove to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve for a short sunset hike. Known for its dramatic coastal cliffs and sweeping ocean views, Torrey Pines is one of the most beautiful places in San Diego to watch the sunset. There is a steep $25 fee though so go early if you want to spend more time. Or you can look for street parking in the area.

We hiked the Razor Point Trail with our toddler. It was a short one so I carried him on the hike and on the way back he was able to walk with his dad. If you are looking for a much shorter trail, check out the Guy Fleming Trail.

Day 4: A Slow Day in La Jolla Shores

Since we were staying in La Jolla Shores, we started our final day with breakfast at Caroline’s Seaside Café by Giuseppe. This oceanfront cafe is known for its stunning coastal views, and our table overlooked the iconic Scripps Pier. The food was delicious, but the scenery was what truly made the experience special.

After breakfast, it was an easy walk down to the beach, where we spent the rest of the morning playing in the sand and enjoying the ocean breeze. We also took advantage of the beautiful setting to capture some photos at Scripps Pier, one of the most photographed landmarks in La Jolla.

Back at our cottage, our toddler settled in for his afternoon nap while we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood. We picked up a couple of vegan ice creams from La Jolla Scoops. This was a particularly cloudy and windy day, so it also felt like the perfect opportunity to enjoy the hot tub at our Airbnb and unwind before our trip home.

As evening approached, we returned to La Jolla Shores Beach one last time. Watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean while our toddler played in the sand was the perfect way to end our San Diego family vacation.

Other Places to Visit in San Diego

If you have extra time during your trip, here are a few additional places worth adding to your itinerary:

1. Children’s Pool in La Jolla
2. Balboa Park
3. Cabrillo National Monument
4. Encinitas
5. Coronado Island

Final Thoughts

Our San Diego family vacation with our toddler exceeded our expectations. From beach days in La Jolla Shores and biking around Mission Bay to visiting the San Diego Zoo and watching spectacular sunsets along the coast, every day offered the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation. Traveling with a toddler often means slowing down and embracing a more flexible pace, and San Diego was the ideal place to do exactly that. The combination of beautiful beaches, outdoor activities, great food, and kid-friendly attractions made this one of our favorite California family getaways.

If you’re planning a San Diego trip with toddlers or young kids, I hope this itinerary helps you create your own unforgettable family adventure.

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