San Diego enjoys a fantastic location in southern California, and is within reach of many different attractions if you have a hire car. Staying in the city or on the beach is great fun for a couple of days, but if you have a week or more in the city, then exploring the surrounding area or taking a few San Diego tours is a great way of finding out more about the area and discovering some of its most charming sights.

A short distance to the south of San Diego is the Mexican border. In the town of Tijuana, you can discover an almost entirely different world to California. Many people travel south on a day trip and are stunned by the huge difference between the two cities. While San Diego is a wealthy and modern city, there are parts of Tijuana that are poverty stricken and falling down. There are positive sides to Tijuana of course, and many of the commercial San Diego tour companies will take you to the most interesting parts of the city including the Bullring and local museums to get a taste for the whole picture of the city.

If you fancy a change from the beach front lifestyle, there are many San Diego tours that offer you a chance to see an entirely different side of the state. A few hours drive inland from the coast you can spend a day or an overnight break in Palm Springs. This small desert resort began as a hideaway for the movie stars and industrialists of 1920s Los Angeles, and had a reputation for being a bit wild. These days, it is a great place to enjoy spa treatments, play golf and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the desert. Palm Springs is also a major artistic centre, and it seems as though almost all the shops in the city are selling locally painted pictures.

While San Diego itself is a quiet and laid back place to visit, its near neighbor to the north is anything but. One of the most popular San Diego tours is a trip north along the Pacific Highway to Los Angeles. With its fantastic shopping, as well as Attractions like Hollywood and Disney Land, as well as everything else including nightlife, culture, and beaches, Los Angeles is a great place to visit for a day or longer if you have the time during your visit to San Diego.