While on vacation, shopping is usually part of any travel itinerary. And while on business trip, shopping can be a great way to relax after a long meeting or bring back some nice gifts for your loved ones. When you are in San Diego, and you are done with your sightseeing for the day, you might want to go on a San Diego Shopping spree! Good for you, you are at the right place for that, San Diego has a lot of shopping opportunities!
San Diego Shopping in Boutiques
All the San Diego neighborhoods have a lot of diverse shopping opportunities, from hip clothing to antiques stores and comfy little book shops.
- Hillcrest, the Gaslamp Quarter, Downtown La Jolla all have very cute little boutiques with urban hip and chic clothing and a diverse choice of dress up style, and the perfect little black dress to go out. In Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach you will also find other great boutiques, but more beach oriented, stores carrying surf br ands and more laid back clothing style.
- You will have a unique shopping experience in Seaport Village and Old Town. These are great places to shop around, enjoy the sun and find nice little souvenirs and memorabilia of your trip . Seaport Village offers you a great shopping experience along the water, while enjoying the beautiful view of San Diego Downtown. In Old Town, you can experience the Mexican culture and cuisine without crossing the border. There you find a lot of specialty shops with different original gifts ideas, crafts and arts. Both places also offer a large choice of dinning possibility, so you can plan a full event-full day! All museums in Balboa Park also have gift shops with a lot of interesting items.
- If you are looking for some antique shops, the best place is Ocean Beach, along Newport Ave, Antique shops follow one another. Little Italy also offers a few nice accent furnishing stores. For accent furnishing store a little more upscale, La Jolla and the Gaslamp Quarter also have nice boutiques with original items.
San Diego Shopping Malls
Because of the beautiful weather surrounding you, you might hesitate going to the mall. But all San Diego Shopping malls are outdoor malls, so you can get a tan and go shopping!
- Fashion Valley is a two story mall where you can find all the usual mall stores and some of the more upscale ones, such as Bloomingdale, Rolex, Louis Vuiton and Burberry. There are also quite a few nice restaurants and of course a movie theater. Don’t worry about parking, there is plenty of space!
- Horton Plaza is the Downtown San Diego Shopping mall. You can park your car in the leveled parking lot and validate it at one the machines in the mall for 3 hours free parking. Make sure to remember which fruit/ vegetable is your level or you might be searching around for your car for a while. This 3 levels mall has an interesting structure, and is very colorful and stylish.
- UTC La Jolla is a great San Diego shopping destination. Mostly on one level, you can walk around the shops and rest by the fountain or on the terrace of the ice cream shop or Starbucks. You find a lot of diverse shops for all tastes. Benetton, the Apple Store, William Sonoma, Gap and the Body Shop are just a few examples.The food court has a lot of choices and in the middle you can even find an Ice skating ring!
San Diego Shopping Outlets
If you don’t mind getting behind the wheel and drive out of San Diego City for better prices, great deals and sales opportunities, great outlets can be found all over San Diego County.
- By shopping in the Carlsbad Premium Outlet, you automatically save between 25 to 65% of the normal prices. The Carlsbad Premium Outlet is another great San Diego outdoor shopping experience with numerous great designers and leading brands choices.
- Viejas Outlet Center is one the top San Diego shopping destination. You can find savings up to 70%. This outlet is nestled in the Indian reserve of Viejas, and you can therefore discover a little bit of the Kumeyaay Culture. The outlet also offers night entertainment, a casino and great dining options.
- San Isidro is home of the Las Americas Premium Outlet. It is the largest one in San Diego county with a beautiful setting.. Being right next to the border between the US and Mexico, you can also take advantage of the Duty Free shops, if you don’t mind waiting in line to cross the border. But remember to bring your passport!
San Diego shopping is easily accessible and offers you a lot of choices to match your needs. Have a great time shopping in San Diego!
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