Tourist office San Diego, USA
The San Diego Tourism Authority, the destination marketing organisation for the San Diego region, keeps no walk-in tourist information office of its own and points visitors to 14 centres run by other organisations across San Diego County, from Balboa Park to Borrego Springs. In the city, at least 4 points run by other bodies help visitors in person: the Balboa Park Visitors Center, the Robinson Rose Visitor Information Center in Old Town, the Cabrillo National Monument Visitor Center and the information desks at San Diego International Airport.
Tourist information points in San Diego
The San Diego Tourism Authority sends visitors to centres run by other organisations rather than to an office of its own. In the city, help in person comes from a nonprofit in Balboa Park, two park agencies and the airport authority.
Balboa Park Visitors Center
Location: 1549 El Prado, inside the House of Hospitality in Balboa Park
Opening hours: every day 09:30 to 16:30, with the exception of major holidays
Not run by the San Diego Tourism Authority: it is run by Forever Balboa Park, a nonprofit, whose staff and volunteers lead public tours each week.
Robinson Rose Visitor Information Center
Location: 4002 Wallace Street, in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00; the park's museums are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas
Not run by the San Diego Tourism Authority: it is run by California State Parks, which manages the historic park.
Cabrillo National Monument Visitor Center
Location: 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive, at Cabrillo National Monument
Opening hours: weekdays 10:00 to 16:00, weekends 10:00 to 17:00; the park is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day
Not run by the San Diego Tourism Authority: it is run by the National Park Service, and rangers and volunteers answer questions and suggest what to do.
Information Desks at San Diego International Airport
Location: San Diego International Airport
Opening hours: no opening hours are published for the desks
Not run by the San Diego Tourism Authority: the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority runs the airport, and volunteer Airport Ambassadors staff the desks.
Visit San Diego in detail
Visit San Diego in detail
The San Diego guide on Tourist Office gathers the things to do in San Diego in one place, starting with a one day route that runs from the Maritime Museum of San Diego and the USS Midway Museum through Seaport Village and the Gaslamp Quarter to Balboa Park.
It then ranks the big sights, from Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo to SeaWorld, Old Town and the Hotel del Coronado, picks out what costs nothing, such as La Jolla Cove, Mission Beach Boardwalk and Sunset Cliffs, and lists the concerts and games coming up.
Public holidays in San Diego to plan around
On a public holiday, offices, museums and transport in San Diego may close or switch to holiday hours. The 11 federal holidays under 5 U.S.C. 6103 apply to federal offices. The City of San Diego keeps a 2026 list of 11 City holidays: the federal days except Columbus Day on 12 October, which is not on it, plus 31 March, which the City Council renamed Farmworkers Day on 21 April 2026. City libraries also close on four observed days, 4 July, 27 November, 24 December and 31 December. California Government Code section 6700 names further state holidays, such as Native American Day on the fourth Friday of September, that are not on the City list.
National holidays in the United States 2026
- 1 January New Year's Day
- 19 January Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- 16 February Washington's Birthday
- 25 May Memorial Day
- 19 June Juneteenth National Independence Day
- 3 July Independence Day, observed on the Friday as 4 July falls on a Saturday
- 7 September Labor Day
- 12 October Columbus Day
- 11 November Veterans Day
- 26 November Thanksgiving Day
- 25 December Christmas Day
Local holidays in San Diego 2026
- 31 March Farmworkers Day, local
The Balboa Park Visitors Center closes on major holidays, Cabrillo National Monument closes on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day and stays open on other holidays, and the museums of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park close on Thanksgiving and Christmas. These calendars cover public offices only and do not set the hours of museums, shops or restaurants.