The Business District, The Opera House and Golden Hall music venues are located here, as well as the offices of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. You can enjoy dining in Little Italy, shopping at Horton Plaza, taking in an opera at the Civic Center, exploring an aircraft carrier at the Harbor, a delicious variety of dining, and dancing in the Gaslamp Quarter, all in the space of a few dozen city blocks.
Finding your way around downtown San Diego by car is fairly straightforward however, some recommend visiting by taxi or public transit as San Diego has an excellent trolley and bus network that will take you virtually anywhere you want to go. If you do drive yourself, be prepared to navigate a few tricky one-way streets, and, once you get where you're going, you'll have to find a place to park or hire a valet service to find one for you.
Be sure to have plenty of cash and change handy for the many self-pay lots and parking meters around town. Romantic, horse-drawn carriages and bicycle-powered rickshaws called pedi-cabs operate on the streets around the Gaslamp Quarter which are great way to go as well.
The Downtown area is close to the international airport, cruise ship terminal, Balboa Park museums and world-renowned San Diego Zoo. However, none of San Diego's big attractions—its famous beaches, museums, zoos and amusement parks—are located downtown.
