Neighborhood 48H guide
Pacific Beach: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
Crystal Pier’s cottages, the boardwalk and breakfast at Kono’s.
Pacific Beach (PB) is a lively, young beach neighborhood with a boardwalk, surf breaks, Crystal Pier and the bars of Garnet Avenue.
Photo gallery
Photo: Adbar · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Beach, boardwalk and nightlife in one walkable strip.
Who it's for: Surfers, groups of friends and bar-hoppers.
Pros
- Surf and boardwalk
- Lively bars
- Beachfront hotels
Cons
- Rowdy on weekends
- Parking is tough
- No trolley to the beach
48H in Pacific Beach
Breakfast, pier, surf.
08:00 – Kono’s Cafe
Breakfast burritos facing Crystal Pier.
10:00 – Crystal Pier
Walk out over the surf.
16:00 – Boardwalk ride
Bike or skate the boardwalk south to Mission Beach.
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
Crystal Pier
4500 Ocean Blvd
Wooden pier with cottages, reopened after storm repairs.
Photo: Adbar · CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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
Tower23 Hotel
723 Felspar St
Boutique hotel on the boardwalk with the JRDN restaurant.
Check rates on Expedia →Hotel · Expedia
Catamaran Resort and Spa
3999 Mission Blvd
Tropical resort on the Mission Bay side, a block from the ocean.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Pacific Beach.
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 Pacific Beach 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.
- 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.
- Del Mar — Powerhouse Park above the beach, lunch at Jake’s and the Del Mar racetrack.