Neighborhood 48H guide
Del Mar: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
Powerhouse Park above the beach, lunch at Jake’s and the Del Mar racetrack.
Del Mar is a small, upscale beach city about 20 miles north of downtown. Its village sits above the sand at Powerhouse Park, and the Del Mar racetrack runs a summer season and a fall Bing Crosby Season.
Photo gallery
Photo: Seojoohyun · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Don Ramey Logan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
A calm beach village with ocean-view dining, between San Diego and North County.
Who it's for: Couples and travelers who want a quiet, upscale beach base.
Pros
- Quiet beach village
- Ocean-view restaurants
- Racetrack seasons
Cons
- Far from downtown
- Expensive
- Car needed
48H in Del Mar
Beach park, oceanfront lunch, the track.
10:00 – Powerhouse Park
Lawn and beach access at the foot of the village.
12:30 – Jake’s Del Mar
Oceanfront lunch next to the park.
14:00 – Del Mar racetrack (in season)
The 2026 Bing Crosby Season runs Nov. 6–29 on selected days.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
Eat
See / do
See / do
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd
Seaside racetrack; the fall Bing Crosby Season runs Nov. 6–29, 2026.
Official site / map →
Outdoors
Outdoors
Powerhouse Park
1658 Coast Blvd
Bluff-top lawn and beach access in the village.
Photo: Seojoohyun · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
L’Auberge Del Mar
1540 Camino Del Mar
Luxury hotel in the village above Powerhouse Park, with a spa.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Del Mar.
The City of San Diego requires a short-term rental license, and Coronado and Del Mar have their own stricter rules. Look for the license number on the listing before you book.
Browse vacation rentals in Del Mar on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in San Diego
- Gaslamp Quarter — The lit Gaslamp arch, a Padres game at Petco Park and the USS Midway on the waterfront.
- Little Italy — The Saturday Mercato, India Street’s restaurants and Waterfront Park by the bay.
- La Jolla — Sea lions and clear water at La Jolla Cove, George’s ocean terrace and the Birch Aquarium.
- Pacific Beach — Crystal Pier’s cottages, the boardwalk and breakfast at Kono’s.
- Mission Beach — The Giant Dipper at Belmont Park, the boardwalk and kayaks on Mission Bay.
- Coronado — The red-turreted Hotel del Coronado, a wide sandy beach and the ferry to downtown.
- Point Loma / Shelter Island — The Old Point Loma Lighthouse at Cabrillo, Point Loma Seafoods and skyline views from Shelter Island.
- Old Town — Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, the Whaley House and tortillas at Old Town Mexican Café.
- Ocean Beach — Hodad’s burgers, Sunset Cliffs at dusk and the Wednesday farmers market on Newport Avenue.