Things to do in Old Town San Diego: Where the City Began
A plain guide to Old Town's state historic park, hilltop Presidio Park, Victorian houses and easy rail links in San Diego's oldest settled area.
8 Oct 2026
Old Town is the oldest settled part of San Diego. It is also the site of the first European settlement in what is now California. The neighborhood covers about 230 acres, and it is the best place in the city to step into the past.
In 1769 the Spanish founded a fort, called a presidio, and a mission here, led by Gaspar de Portola and Junipero Serra. A few years later the mission moved upriver, but the fort stayed on the hill. In the 1820s a town grew at the foot of that hill. Old Town stayed the heart of the city until the 1860s, when Alonzo Horton promoted a new downtown closer to the bay. By 1871 government offices had moved there.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
This is the main reason to visit. The state park is about 29 acres and was established in 1968. It tells the story of early San Diego, from the Kumeyaay people and the Spanish and Mexican years to the American frontier town. It focuses on the period from about 1821 to 1872.
The park has restored and rebuilt buildings, small museums and living history programs. Volunteers in period clothing show how people lived and worked. Five original adobe buildings are preserved. One of them, Casa de Estudillo, was built in 1827 and is a National Historic Landmark. There is also a working blacksmith shop.
Other stops include the Mason Street School, the first public schoolhouse in San Diego, and the San Diego Union Museum, a mid 1800s newspaper office and print shop. The Seeley Stables hold horse drawn carriages and western objects. The First San Diego Courthouse is a museum too. The Historic Plaza in the center is the place to sit and take it all in.
There is no charge to enter the state park or its museums. The park sits on the ancestral land of the Kumeyaay people, and an outdoor exhibit called Land of the First People shares that story.
Whaley House
The Whaley House was built in 1856 and is the oldest brick building in San Diego. It is a historic house museum, and it is also well known in the city for ghost stories. Come for the history of the family and the early town, and enjoy the stories as a bonus.
Presidio Park
Presidio Park covers about 40 acres on the hill above Old Town. This is where the first Spanish settlement stood. The fort was in ruins by 1835, and today the hill is a park with wide views of the river valley, the city and the Pacific Ocean.
Businessman George Marston bought the land in 1907 to protect its history. He had the park designed and gave it to the city in 1929. At the top is the Junipero Serra Museum, a Mission style building from 1925 with exhibits on colonial California. A marked palm tree is a California Historical Landmark, where Serra is said to have planted a tree on arrival.
The park has canyons, tall trees and flowering plants, so it is also a good place for a walk. Named spots include Inspiration Point, Palm Canyon, the Padre Cross and the Arbor.
Heritage Park
Heritage Park is a county park of nearly eight acres. It protects old Victorian buildings that were moved here to save them. There are six relocated houses in a mix of styles, including the Sherman-Gilbert House from 1887 and the Bushyhead House, built for an early sheriff and newspaper owner. Senlis Cottage, from 1896, is a historic house museum. Temple Beth Israel, finished in 1889, is a classic revival synagogue that was moved from downtown and has two period organs.
The park is a short, easy walk from the state park, and it makes a pretty place for photographs.
Mission San Diego de Alcala
A few miles away, up the river valley in Mission Valley, is Mission San Diego de Alcala. It was the first of the Spanish California missions, founded in 1769. It has gardens and a museum. It is a good add-on if the story of Old Town makes you curious about what came next.
For families
Kids tend to like Old Town because things are hands-on. Watching a blacksmith, stepping into a schoolhouse and walking through old carriage stables beat a lecture. Presidio Park has room to run, and its hilltop views give a good look at how the land lies.
When the weather turns
The state park's museums and historic buildings are good for a wet day, and so are the Whaley House and the Serra Museum. Heritage Park's buildings can be viewed when open, but the lawns are best in dry weather.
Getting around
The Old Town Transit Center is the hub. It connects city buses, the Green Line and Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley, the Coaster commuter train and Amtrak. That makes Old Town one of the easiest places in San Diego to reach without a car. The main roads nearby are Interstates 5, 8, 15 and 805.
Once you are in Old Town, the historic park, Whaley House and Heritage Park can be reached on foot. Presidio Park is a climb up the hill, so you may prefer a ride for that part.
Good to know
Old Town is a good fit for a half day.
The state park is free to enter, and events there vary, so check the park's website.
Stay on marked paths in Presidio Park.
Wear walking shoes. You will be on your feet for most of the visit.
The neighborhood has a lot of restaurants and shops, which is part of the visit.
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 Old Town and the neighborhoods around it.
Useful links
About Old Town: the town at a glance
Own a business in Old Town? Claim or add your listing, free
By Thomas Hassett and Eric Andrews, Local Business America
Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: Wikipedia, "Old Town, San Diego" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town,_San_Diego); Wikivoyage, "San Diego/Old Town" (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/San_Diego/Old_Town); California State Parks, "Old Town San Diego State Historic Park" (https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=663); Wikipedia, "Old Town San Diego State Historic Park" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_San_Diego_State_Historic_Park); Wikipedia, "Presidio Park" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidio_Park); City of San Diego, "Presidio Park" (https://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/regional/presidio); Wikipedia, "Heritage Park (San Diego)" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Park_(San_Diego)). Wikivoyage and Wikipedia text is available under CC BY-SA.