Enjoy the stunning San Diego Embarcadero!
In the slide show above, you're viewing pictures of the San Diego Embarcadero and it's attractions. Passing by you in the slides, you'll see photos of the Maritime Museum, Star of India sailing ship, the Army Tugboat Museum, a Hornblower harbor cruise ship...and an even larger cruise ship bound for ports beyond the borders of the USA! You'll see pics of San Diego waterfront high rise hotels, plus some of Seaport Village's shops and restaurants...and more.
On this page, you'll discover the excitement, beauty and fun you'll enjoy when you visit the Embarcadero. It's one of San Diego's "can't miss" attractions!
Things to do on the San Diego Embarcadero
San Diego's Embarcadero is stunningly beautiful. Simply described, the San Diego Embarcadero is a popular scenic section of waterfront located adjacent to the downtown area. While many love the Embarcadero for its beauty...and sweeping views of the huge San Diego Bay...others enjoy visiting the San Diego Embarcadero for its many tourist attractions.What can you do at the San Diego Embarcadero?
* Enjoy some of San Diego's loveliest scenery and views!
* Shop and dine at the unique and attractive Seaport Village!
* Discover San Diego's maritime history while touring military and historic vessels!
* Take a harbor tour or dinner cruise!
On this page, we'll talk about some of the many possibilities you'll have for planning a fun-filled day at the San Diego Embarcadero. You'll also get the contact information you need to answer any further questions you might have about these attractions.
The San Diego Maritime Museum
Natural beauty isn't the ONLY thing you'll encounter along San Diego's Embarcadero---you'll discover "lore of the sea," as well! And, there's no better place you could choose as a starting point to learn about sailing history than at the San Diego Maritime Museum.Sitting right alongside of the pedestrian pathway which connects all of the Embarcadero's attractions, you won't have a difficult time finding the Maritime Museum. You'll easily spot the several masted "tall ships" surrounding it!
You can actually board and tour these beautiful classic sailing ships! Seeing them is included as a part of your admission fee to the Maritime Museum.
The ships you can tour are---
1.) The Star of India, which you can see in a photo at the top of this page. Isn't she a beauty? The Star of India is billed by the Maritime Museum as being the world's oldest working ship. She was originally built in 1863 on the Isle of Man, one of the isles of the "British Isles." Her story is quite interesting; you can read all about the Star of India's history on the San Diego Maritime Museum's website (a link is below.) Or, to see many colorful photos, please visit the Star of India page of this website.
2.) The H.M.S. Surprise is another "must-see" ship at the San Diego Maritime Museum. (You can see it in the photo just above to your left.) This ship is the very one upon which Russell Crowe and his colleagues filmed "Master and Commander," one of the hit films of 2003. (It took in almost $100 million in US ticket sales alone!) The San Diego Maritime Museum is now the permanent home of this magnificent vessel...which is actually a detailed replica of 24-gun frigate from Great Britain's Royal Navy during the period of the 18th century. Yes, you can actually board and strike a pose by the same captain's helm where Russell Crowe stood! In fact, if you're headed this way, viewing "Master and Commander" again to refresh your memory will make boarding the HMS Surprise even MORE special.
3.) The Berkeley 1898 Steam Ferry is not only an exhibit at the museum...it serves as the museum itself! When you're shopping in the museum store, or viewing the museum's exhibits, you're actually ABOARD the Berkeley! The Berkeley served as an operating San Francisco Bay ferry for over 60 years. You can read her interesting history on the Maritime Museum's website...the link is just below.
5.) The Medea was originally built as a private steam yacht in 1904...and continues in this social function even today. The Medea is used for "wining and dining" donors and potential donors to the museum...and occasionally used to impress celebrities and politicians!
6.) The Pilot is an aptly named craft...because it is a "pilot boat." (Pilot boats help steer incoming vessels into their proper spots in the harbor.) This 1914 pilot boat was once an actual working pilot boat in the San Diego bay harbor. (Note: Rides aboard The Pilot are an extra-fee activity at the museum which is not included with general admission.)
7.) The B-39 Soviet Submarine is odd fit with the other ships of the San Diego Maritime Museum...but a very interesting one. This 1970's sub actually served in the Soviet Pacific Fleet---tracking US vessels! If you've never been aboard a submarine, don't miss this opportunity. It's truly amazing how people can actually live cramped within these small spaces!
San Diego Maritime Museum prices, discounts & coupons
San Diego Maritime Museum ticket prices: Adults (age 18 and over) cost $14 per ticket. Seniors age 62+ cost $11. Kids (age 6 thru 17) cost $8. Babies and young children age 5 and under are admitted free. In addition to general admission tickets, you can also get packages which include either a 1/2 hour ride on a harbor pilot boat, or a 3-hour ride on a sailing ship.San Diego Maritime Museum discounts: (1) Active Military members get a military discount ticket priced at $11; simply show your military ID at the ticket booth. (2) Internet discount: If you purchase your tickets online from the museum's website, the Adult discount price is $12; the Senior & Military discount prices are $10 each; and the children's discount ticket costs $7. These are print-at-home tickets, and you must have a printed receipt to show the ticket booth the day your arrive at the museum. The museum does not mail tickets. Please see the Internet Special page of the museum's website for details. (3) Entertainment Book coupons: If you have the 2009 San Diego edition of the popular Entertainment Coupon Books, you have a valuable discount coupon, and may not even realize it! With the Entertainment book's coupon, you can buy one adult ticket and get one adult's FREE ticket to the San Diego Maritime Museum! If you don't know about these great coupon-stuffed books (with editions all over the USA,) you may use the following link to view the Entertainment Book website for complete details.
San Diego Maritime Museum Address & Contact Information
The San Diego Maritime Museum phone number is: 616/234-9153.The San Diego Maritime Museum address is: 1492 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101...a PERFECT address for the maritime museum. ("In Fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue," get it?)
Directions to the San Diego Maritime Museum: The San Diego Maritime museum is located on the Embarcadero, which lies just west of the downtown area. You may use the following link to view a Google map to the San Diego Maritime Museum. If you use the satellite view of the map, you'll see a nice aerial photo of the Maritime Museum's ships---almost as if you were ready to make a helicopter landing!
San Diego Maritime Museum Hours of operation: The San Diego Maritime Museum opens daily at 9 am, 365 days per year. The museum closes at 8 pm during the fall, winter and spring. During the busy summer tourist season (beginning with Memorial Day and ending with Labor Day every year,) the museum stays open an hour later, making its closing time 9 pm.
San Diego Maritime Museum website: To learn more about the San Diego Maritime Museum, including details about its exhibits & upcoming special events, or to purchase tickets from their website, use the following link to view the
San Diego Maritime Museum Official Website.
USS Midway Museum
USS Midway Museum Hours of Operation: The USS Midway Museum's opening time is 10 am and its closing time is 5 pm (last entry allowed at 4 pm.) The Midway Museum opens 363 days per year; it's closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
USS Midway Museum ticket prices and discounts
USS Midway Museum Prices: Tickets for the Midway Museum cost $17 for adults. Ticket prices for Seniors age 62+ run $13 each. Children and teens (age 6 thru 17) cost $9 per ticket.
USS Midway Museum Discounts: You can get cheaper prices for your USS Midway Museum visit if you're eligible for one of the following special deals: (1) Active Military Members: current members of the military get their ticket for the USS Midway Museum FREE upon showing their military ID cards at the ticket window! (2) Retired Military discount: You can get your USS Midway Museum ticket for only $10 when you show your ID at the ticket booth. (3) San Diego Go Card: If you'll be touring a number of San Diego attractions, you may want to think about getting a San Diego Go Card multi-attraction discount ticket. The USS Midway Museum is a member of this program...and so is Legoland, the San Diego Zoo, Hornblower Cruises, Knott's Berry Farm (in Orange County) and many others. Buying a comprehensive pass can save big bucks. You may use the following link to get more information from the San Diego Go Card website. (4) ARES Travel Discount: If you're simply looking for a discounted 1-day ticket, the ARES Travel Agency (So Cal discount specialists) has a print-at-home price that can save you money. Adult tickets are $15; Senior tickets are $13 and Youth tickets are $8. If you're interested in this special savings, here's a link to the USS Midway Discount Tickets page of the ARES Travel website.
USS Midway address & contact information
USS Midway Museum phone number: 619/544-9600
USS Midway Museum address: 910 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. Here's a Google map to the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, California. If you use the satellite view of this map, you'll see a good aerial photo of the USS Midway ship.
USS Midway Museum website: You can learn the details about what you'll see on your visit by using the following link to the
San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum official website.
San Diego Embarcadero Harbor Cruises
Would you like to enjoy a San Diego bay excursion? Why not take a Harbor Tour cruise? One and two hour cruises leave the San Diego Embarcadero regularly throughout the day...and dinner tour cruises are available in the evening.Basically, if you take a one-hour cruise, you can choose to see either the north or the south ends of the San Diego Bay harbor.
If you take the 2 hour cruise, you'll see both halves, the north AND the south ends of the bay.
What will you see on the 2-hour cruise? The sights include---
1.) US Navy ships and submarine base
2.) Navy Seals training base
3.) The America's Cup harbor
4.) The North Island Naval Air Station
5.) Beautiful marinas of Harbor and Shelter Islands
6.) Cabrillo National Monument area and Point Loma
7.) Wildlife, including seals, sea lions, pelicans, and more
Actually, it's "just plain beautiful" being out on the water. One thing to remember---it's usually quite windy when you're on a boat in the bay! Dress accordingly!
Hornblower Dinner Cruises: Evenings on San Diego Bay are lovely. What better way to enjoy this natural beauty than by taking a Hornblower dinner cruise? Hornblower Cruises also provide live music...and there's dancing, too!
Hornblower Cruise Prices and Discounts
Cruise prices for harbor tours, brunch tours and dinner tours are as follows:Hornblower Harbor Tour prices: (daytime tours)
Adult tickets: $20/1 hour; $25/2 hour
Seniors & Military: $18/1 hour & $23/2 hours
Children age 4-12: $10/1 hour & $12.50/2 hours
Hornblower San Diego Harbor Tour discounts:
1.) ARES Travel Co's special deals: ARES Travel always has some sort of a "special deal" going for Hornblower Cruises. Sometimes it's just a few dollars of of the regular ticket price; other times it's more substantial (like a "buy an adult ticket, get a child's ticket free," for example.) Here's a link to the Hornblower Cruise Deals page of the ARES Travel website so you can check out what the current discount is at this time. This will be a print-at-home ticket offer, so be sure you use a computer with a printer!
2.) San Diego Convention & Visitor's Bureau $5-off coupon: The SDCVB has a print-at-home coupon good for $5 off on Hornblower San Diego Harbor Tours. You may use it for 1 hour, 2 hour, or Sea Lion Adventure tours. Here's a link to the Hornblower Harbor Tour discount coupon page of the SDCVB website.
Hornblower Cruises with meal service:
1.) Saturday & Sunday Brunch Cruise tickets cost $49.95
2.) Sunday thru Friday Dinner/Dance Cruises cost $66.95
3.) Saturday Dinner Dance Cruise costs $72.95.
Hornblower Dinner Cruise discounts: You can save money on a San Diego Hornblower Dinner Cruise with the following special. Hornblower Sunday Brunch discount coupon: The San Diego Visitor's Bureau has a coupon good for $5 off per person on Hornblower Cruise's Sunday Champagne Brunch. To print this coupon, use the following link to the Hornblower Sunday Brunch coupon page of the www.SanDiego.org website.
3.) Hornblower Internet Discounts: If you think ahead to check Hornblower's website before your tour, you can sometimes get "internet specials" by using a special coupon code that you'll find on their website. Use the link to the Hornblower website in the section below to see if they're running any internet specials at the time you wish to take a cruise.
San Diego Hornblower Cruise address & contact information
The San Diego Hornblower Cruise phone number is: 619/686-8700. You can also use the toll-free Hornblower Cruises phone number, 1/888/HORNBLOWER.
The San Diego Hornblower Cruise address is: 1066 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. Here's a Google map to the San Diego Hornblower Cruise dock on the Embarcadero.
Hornblower Cruise Website: For further information about the company's tours, please use the following link to view the www.Hornblower.com website, which is the Hornblower Cruise Company's official website.
San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal
In the photo to your right, you see a large ocean liner! The San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal lies along the Embarcadero! So, when you're strolling along the Embarcadero enjoying the attractions & beautiful views, you'll also get to see cruise ships bound for exotic adventures. Of course, in these days of terrorism, you can't just go and explore the cruise ship terminal like in days of yore. Only ticketed passengers may enter. Nevertheless, as you stroll along the Embarcadero, you'll find it interesting to view these sleek ships as they await the boarding of their passengers bound for a Pacific Ocean cruise.
The San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal address is 1140 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. Here's a Google map to the San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal that you may use in planning your route.
The San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal phone number is (619) 686-6200.
The San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal's website is www.SanDiegoCruisePort.com The Cruise Terminal's official website is a fountain of information. If you're heading off to a fun cruise, you'll need it to find out up-to-the-minute cruise security regulations; the cruise line's schedule; and parking information (because you can't leave your car on the terminal's dock while you're out on your cruise.)
The Coronado Ferry
There's still another way to see the beautiful San Diego Harbor that we haven't yet talked about---you can ride the Coronado Ferry! Departing regularly throughout the day from the Broadway Pier, the Coronado Ferry will take you across the bay to the charming town of Coronado. At the ferry landing itself, there's a shopping center, restaurants, and a quiet little beach and park. Or, you could catch a cab to the town's little center, where you'll find still more shops, more restaurants, a cutesy strolling area...and the famous Hotel Del Coronado.The Coronado Ferry/Broadway Pier address is 1050 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101. The Broadway Pier is located at the intersection of North Harbor Drive with W Broadway. Here's a Google map to the Broadway Pier so you may plan your route.
Coronado Ferry Website: For more information about taking a ferry ride to Coronado, you may use the following link to view the Coronado Ferry Schedules from the City of Coronado website.
San Diego Embarcadero -- Seaport Village
Depending on how you look at the matter, it's either a blessing or a curse...but the fact is that you CAN'T see all of San Diego's Embarcadero in just one day!Between touring the museums, the floating craft, and taking the cruises, we've ALREADY talked about more activities than you'll have time for in a one-day visit to the Embarcadero. The next activity we'll chat about could easily take up a whole day's visit just by itself! That's the cute Seaport Village shopping and dining complex at the south end of the Embarcadero.
It's called a "village" because it IS a village...a collection of cute, often quaint, little buildings strung together by sidewalks, bridges, and attractive landscaping.
One side of Seaport Village sits directly on the waters of San Diego Bay---and has quite a stunning view! The other side of Seaport Village has not-so-beautiful...but VERY practical...parking lots. You'll rarely have to worry about finding a place to park here!
One specialty you won't want to miss at Seaport Village is the availability of great, fresh-seafood restaurants. Of course, just because you're visiting the waterfront doesn't mean you'll be in the mood for fish...but, no matter, you'll find plenty of other restaurants here, as well. Here are the dining choices you'll find at Seaport Village---
***The San Diego Pier Cafe, phone number 619/239-3968; for great bay views & delicious seafood.....The Harbor House, telephone number 619/232-1141; for steak, seafood and an oyster bar.....Buster's Beach House, phone number 619/233-4102.....The Edgewater Grill, telephone number 619/232-7581; steak, seafood, and a breakfast menu.....The Village Cafe, phone number 619/544-9444; soups, salads, sandwiches.....Margarita's Kitchen & Cantina , phone number 619/239-3899; Mexican Grill.....Greek Island Cafe, telephone number 619/239-5216; Greek main dishes, desserts and pastries.....San Diego Burger Company, phone number 619/239-7901; beef and buffalo burgers, plus kids meals a specialty.....Asaggio Pizza and Pasta, telephone number 619/234-2407; Italian food and sub sandwiches.....Seaport Village Deli, phone number 619/232-7616; sandwiches a specialty.....Marion's Fish Market Restaurant, telephone number 619/233-1143; fresh fish and sushi in a casual atmosphere.....Upstart Crow Bookstore & Cafe, telephone number 619/232-4855; coffees and pastries.....Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, phone number 619/595-0412; also low-fat frozen yogurt and fruit smoothies.....Seaport Cookie Co, phone number 619/231-8787; also coffee, muffins and brownies.....Seaport Village Popcorn Company, telephone 619/231-3946; lemonade a specialty.....Seaport Coffee and Fudge, phone number 619/239-3100; also chocolate candies & caramel apples made fresh daily.....Company of Nuts and Candy, telephone number 619/234-7688; chocolate & non-chocolate candies, including sugar-free candy
As you can tell from reading through this list of restaurants and snack shops, you won't go hungry when you visit Seaport Village!
You'll also find some interesting shops for browsing at the village. One of the most intriguing thing about shopping at Seaport Village is that you'll find one-of-a-kind shops and boutiques here! This is definitively NOT a place to do your chain-store shopping!
For the address, phone number and contact information of Seaport Village, see the links at the end of this page. For a current list of stores, plus further information about the enchanting Seaport Village, use the following link to access the
Seaport Village official website.
San Diego Embarcadero -- Gaslamp Quarter and Convention Center
When you stroll along the waterfront of the San Diego Embarcadero, you're not far from other famous San Diego attractions. One of these is the well-known Gaslamp Quarter.The original buildings of the Gaslamp Quarter, most of which remain today, were built during a period of time between the 1870's and the 1920's.
By day, the Gaslamp Quarter is a family-friendly shopping-and-strolling area for looking into cute stores and boutiques. By night, though, the area "heats up" and becomes the local "parent's night out" destination, full of interesting restaurants and night spots.
The Gaslamp Quarter boast of hosting 90 restaurants...and, yes, that's just the RESTAURANTS! The list doesn't even begin to cover the night clubs and specialty shops. If you're planning to visit San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, you'll want to browse through their very informative website for complete details. Please use the following link to view the www.Gaslamp.org site, which is the Gaslamp Quarter's official website.
The San Diego Convention Center sits directly to the side of BOTH the Embarcadero AND the Gaslamp Quarter! (Lucky are the conventioneers who get to attend meetings in San Diego!) The large and beautiful San Diego Convention Center can be seen from the patio of a Gaslamp Quarter restaurant's outdoor dining patio (in the photo to your right.)If you're planning to attend a convention in San Diego, California, you may wish to look over the convention center's website. You'll find it at www.sdccc.org
San Diego Embarcadero -- Map and Directions
The San Diego Embarcadero is long. You may wish to re-park to visit attractions which are far away from one another. Since we've already talked about directions to the San Diego Maritime Museum towards the northern end of the Embarcadero, I'll use the space here to show you a map of the southern end of the Embarcadero. We'll use Seaport Village as our reference point.The Seaport Village address is: 849 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101. The Seaport Village phone number is 619/235-4014. This is the telephone number for the Seaport Village office in Suite D of the property.
You may use the following link to view a
Yahoo map of the Seaport Village area of the San Diego Embarcadero.
Note: In the photo to your left, you can see a cute child crusin' the Embarcadero in his kiddie car. Now, doesn't he "have it made?"
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