Things to do in Downtown San Diego and the Gaslamp Quarter: Ships, Ballpark and Victorian Streets
A plain guide to downtown San Diego's waterfront museums, historic Gaslamp blocks, parks and easy ways to get around on foot or by rail.
8 Oct 2026
Downtown is the center of the city, right on San Diego Bay. It is made up of eight neighborhoods: the Gaslamp Quarter, East Village, Columbia, Marina, Cortez Hill, Little Italy, Bankers Hill and Core. Balboa Park lies just to the north, and the airport is about three miles to the northwest.
You will not find a wall of skyscrapers here. Because of the airport, buildings close to the runway are limited to 500 feet. That keeps the skyline mid-sized and lets you see the sky between the towers. This guide sticks to places that have been around a long time and should stay.
Walk the Gaslamp Quarter
The Gaslamp Quarter is a historic district of about 38 acres. It runs from Broadway down toward Harbor Drive, between 4th and 6th Avenues. More than 90 historic buildings stand here, and most date from the Victorian era. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Why go? Because it is a good street for slow walking and looking up. Names to spot include the Louis Bank of Commerce, the Backesto Building, the Yuma Building and the Old City Hall. Fifth Avenue was the main street that Alonzo Horton picked when he started building the city's new downtown in the late 1860s.
The name is a little bit of a trick. The area was called the Stingaree for decades, and it was known for saloons and rough living until 1916, when the whole neighborhood was torn down and renamed. The "Gaslamp" name came later, during the preservation work of the 1980s. The streets were really lit by arc lights, not gas lamps.
For the full story, visit the Gaslamp Museum at the Davis Horton House. It is the headquarters of the historical foundation and a good first stop to learn what you are looking at.
On the waterfront
The Embarcadero is where downtown meets the bay. Embarcadero Park is split into a north part and a south part, and the two shelter the marina. It is a pleasant place for a long stroll by the water.
The Maritime Museum of San Diego keeps a fleet of historic ships on the North Embarcadero. The Star of India was built in 1863 and is described as the world's oldest active ship. The steam ferry Berkeley dates from 1898, and the steam yacht Medea from 1904. The museum was founded in 1948.
The USS Midway Museum is a retired aircraft carrier at Navy Pier. The ship was commissioned in 1945 and left service in 1992. It opened as a museum in 2004. Inside you can see sleeping quarters, the engine room, the bridge and pilots' ready rooms, and you can climb into some of the aircraft on deck. There are more than 60 places to visit aboard on a self-guided audio tour.
Parks and open space
Waterfront Park is a 12 acre park that opened in 2014, on land that used to be parking lots. It has wide grassy areas, gardens planted with drought-tolerant flowers, a playground and an interactive water fountain. It sits in front of the County Administration Center, a Spanish Revival building finished in 1938 and nicknamed the "Jewel on the Bay." The sculpture fountain Guardian of Water, from 1939, faces the harbor.
Horton Plaza Park has a large fountain in the middle and is a handy meeting spot in the heart of downtown. The Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade runs along Harbor Drive.
Baseball and the East Village
Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, opened in 2004 in the East Village. Its designers saved the old Western Metal Supply Co. building and made one corner of it the left field foul pole. When there is no game, Gallagher Square, the grassy area beyond the outfield wall, works as a free community park. A statue of Tony Gwynn stands on the grounds. Stadium tours also exist, so check the team's site if you are curious.
Chinatown and old downtown
The first Chinese residents arrived in the 1860s, and the old Chinatown was part of the Stingaree. In 1995 the Asian Pacific Thematic Historic District was created to protect the buildings that remain. The San Diego Chinese Historical Museum tells this story in its own words.
Other old landmarks are worth a look from the outside. The Santa Fe Depot opened in 1915 and is still in use. The Spreckels Theatre opened in 1912.
When the weather turns
Downtown has plenty of indoor options. The Midway has rooms below deck to explore. The Maritime Museum and the Chinese Historical Museum are also good for a wet day. For more, see the Balboa Park museums, which are a short ride north.
A short trip away
Little Italy is a few minutes from the Embarcadero and has its own guide. Balboa Park, with its museums, gardens and zoo, borders downtown on the north side. Old Town, where the city began, is a few miles north and easy to reach by rail.
Getting around
Downtown is dense, and most of it is easy to walk. Just remember that it is a long walk from Little Italy to Petco Park.
The San Diego Trolley has three lines through the area. The Green Line runs from Mission Valley through Little Italy to the harbor, with stops near the convention center and Petco Park. The Blue Line runs through East Village, and the Orange Line links the eastern cities. The Coaster commuter train runs north along the coast, and the Santa Fe Depot serves Amtrak. The ferry landing and cruise terminals are also on the waterfront.
Good to know
Wear comfortable shoes. Downtown is spread out.
The Gaslamp Quarter is a historic district, so look for plaques on the buildings.
Check each museum's own website for current visiting details.
Airport noise is part of the setting, since the runway is close by.
A rail ticket can save you the trouble of finding a place to park.
Find local businesses
Planning a visit, or live nearby and need a hand with something? Browse the local businesses listed in the San Diego guide to find who serves downtown and the neighborhoods around it.
Useful links
About Downtown and Gaslamp: the town at a glance
Own a business in Downtown and Gaslamp? Claim or add your listing, free
By Thomas Hassett and Eric Andrews, Local Business America
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Wikipedia, "Downtown San Diego" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_San_Diego); Wikipedia, "Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslamp_Quarter,_San_Diego); Wikivoyage, "San Diego/Downtown" (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/San_Diego/Downtown); Maritime Museum of San Diego, "About" (https://sdmaritime.org/about/); Wikipedia, "USS Midway Museum" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Midway_Museum); Wikipedia, "Petco Park" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petco_Park); Wikipedia, "San Diego County Administration Center" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_County_Administration_Center); Gaslamp Quarter Association (https://www.gaslamp.org/); Port of San Diego, "Parks" (https://www.portofsandiego.org/experiences/see-and-do/parks); USS Midway Museum (https://www.midway.org/); San Diego Padres, "Petco Park" (https://www.mlb.com/padres/ballpark); San Diego Chinese Historical Museum (https://www.sdchm.org/); Balboa Park (https://www.balboapark.org/). Wikivoyage and Wikipedia text is available under CC BY-SA.