Balboa Park

Balboa Park: the nation's largest urban cultural park. Home to 15 major museums, renowned performing arts venues, beautiful gardens and the San Diego Zoo, the Park has an ever-changing calendar of museum exhibitions, plays, musicals, concerts, and classes.

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1549 El Prado (at Park Blvd) San Diego , CA 92101 United States

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Keywords:

gardens architecture picnics trails flowers museums sunsets people watching park spacious free Wifi hiking biking casual roses free admission coffee tours comfortable cute
Evelina Prodanova

It is a little paradise, beautiful gardens and architecture , full of free things to do, street artists to enjoy as well as interesting museums . There is a free concert on organ at 2 pm every Sunday

Bethany Rivera

Must visit place in San Diego! Beautiful Gardens , Architecture , fountains , Museums and even free organ concerts some evenings! Beautiful photo ops too. Thank you Samuel Rivera Photography !

The Most Interesting Man in the World

According to my good friend Nayang in Botswana, there’s a meerkat wandering this place that stole his nana’s wedding band. So if you see a meerkat with a ring, grab him and contact me immediately.

Silvano Senzamici

The Central Park of San Diego for my people back east to understand the enormity of this place. So many places to lounge or activities to find. A dog park , zoo , museum , restaurants , and so much more.

Richard Revilla

For San Diego this park has it all. Museums , restaurant , concert hall , gardens trails and of course the world famous zoo .

Stacey Rumpf

Great way to spend a day. You really do need at least one whole day to explore. Wear comfy shoes and be prepared to enjoy a wonderful blend of plant life, flowers , art , exhibits and more.

Tiffany Madden

We enjoyed the park on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. While there were a lot of people we did not feel stressed from the crowds or hurried.We will definitely return.There is so much to see! beautiful

Rachyl

Every 1st-4th Tuesday is a different free museum for San Diego residents and military ! HAVE TO HAVE ID AS PROOF ! One can go to the same museum once a month and ALWAYS discover something new&amazing!

Karlos Soto

Amazing place to walk around. As a photographer , I was able to get some amazing shots. If you’re taking engagement shots, choose a weekday, weekends are too busy.

Michael Carroll

Amazing place to spend an enjoyable and casual day. Every time I am here I feel like I am in Northern California. So much to do here with 17 great museums or just relax and explore the park .

Annie Downing

I really enjoy this park . Everyone is playing Pokemon Go on the tram so good luck finding a spot to sit. The park is pretty packed with Pokemon Go players so just be aware. Beautiful park still...

Jenna Rose Robbins

So many treasures to explore. The museums alone will take you days to get through. At sunset , the buildings glow for picture-perfect photo ops. You don't need to spend much to enjoy a day here.

Andrea Newland

The architecture in this park is amazing..love the splash of color inside the park (umbrellas) easy to run through and would love to check out the museums next time...great street performers too..

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Get the 7 days pass plus the zoo . Totally worth it. Plan your time for 3 days. 1 day for the zoo and 2 days for the museums . Beware some museums are closed for Mo & Tu.

Mohammed

Great place to spend a whole day wandering around.

Jason Bellows

Fantastic city park ; amazing architecture , great vendors. Could easily spend a day just wandering and exploring.

Kimberly Q

Probably my favorite place here in San Diego. If you're a SD resident/active military definitely take advantage of the Free Tuesday museum admissions. There's always something new to discover here

USA TODAY

Download the travel guide and spend days in this city park 's various museums -- don't miss the world's fastest jet at the Air & Space Museum ! Read more

Blan Saag

If you’re in San Diego You definitely should go. It’s absolutely beautiful. A lot of places to go. Highly recommended

T

Really the best park . Free parking and beautiful architecture

Maureen Puckett

As always the perfect place for family walks .. Between nature and art , I love this wonderful place. The history of the park alone is incredible!

Pepsi

This could possibly be one of San Diego's most attractive and beautiful regions. Visit Sundays or Tuesdays to avoid the crowd and be sure to check out the San Diego Zoo !

Soojung Lee

Museums , good walking, coffee/beer breaks! Love every corner of this park .

Alex Hennessey

Great for a stroll-- cool old Mexican/mission style architecture and interesting street performers

romy jon

Take a quick glance at a map of Barcelona and you’ll notice how the city fans out towards the mountains from a nucleus of entangled streets. Read more

El Doosty

Best place to relax , take in some sunshine, people watch , enjoy dogs being happy, feel a jetliner fly overhead, have a picnic , exercise...you get it.

Eddie V's Prime Seafood

We could spend days in Balboa Park! The park is filled with phenomenal museums , beautiful gardens , the San Diego Zoo , outdoor activities and so much more.

Softub

Packed with history, beautiful architecture , amazing cafes , and restaurants ; Balboa Park offers something for everyone. It's perfect for couples, friends, families, and dogs--yes, there's a dog park .

Luke

Beautiful public space for a stroll, happens to be where the zoo and museums are, too

Paige C

I'll definitely have to come back to check out the beautiful gardens - but this park is beautiful and has so much to see!

Melodie Tao

My favorite place in San Diego! For natives AND tourists ! Enjoy something new each time: Hike on the trails , IMAX at Ruben H Fleet, theatrical performances , lunch at the Prado, museums galore, etc Read more

Julie Cummings

Lots of walking. You can take a free tram ride on the south side of the park to save some steps. You'll definitely want to bring a camera !

Mary S

Tons of museums , gardens , etc could spend a whole day here! Love the architecture .

Esra

Come early to find a parking place???? Museums and international cottages needs to be visit????????????

Tammy McCray

My favorite park as a child and still is pretty amazing. Free parking . Come to just walk around or visit one of the many museums .

Colin Lee

Biking around the park saves a lot of time. $7 per hour. We enjoyed the botanical garden and the bonsai clubs bonsai exhibition

Arthur Mitchell

Came into it's own as the location of the 1915 Panama–California Exposition , which created the architectural landmarks for the park . It is home to over a dozen museums and the World Famous SD Zoo .

WATSON

Beautiful. Amazing. Cool architecture & museums . Going here all the time.

Connie Chiu

Beautiful and clean park filled with many many different things to see and do, including be museums and gardens .

Julia Shevchenko

Enough pretty archetecture and wonderful gardens to stoll for free for hours. Lilly pond and Botanical garden is free.

Duyen Fenston

Largest urban park in San Diego - free museum Tuesday

Arthur Mitchell

Came into it's own as the location of the 1915 Panama–California Exposition , which each created architectural landmarks for the park . It is home to over a dozen museums and the World Famous SD Zoo .

JimmyGotUps

Huge and beautiful park . Check out the tea place, gardens and many museums .

peter parker

Balboa Park, located in the heart of San Diego, California, is a top pick for anyone seeking a mix of cultural enrichment and outdoor beauty. Read more

Zhanna

A piece of art . Architecture , nature, everything makes your heart ❤️ beat faster

Tim Ingmire

Prepare to spend lots of time here - you could easily spend several days visiting the park and the various museums / zoo .

Melanie George

A must see! First time for my husband and I. So glad we didn't miss it! Get the app to navigate :)

Amanda Gianninoto

Such a beautiful park ! There is so much to see here!

David Hornbrook DDS

Balboa Park at 15 minutes drive to the west of La Mesa dentsit Hornbrook Center for Dentistry

Jenn Michele

Love everything about it. Hiking trails , gardens , museums , people watching , food + drink.

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Excellent park for families to enjoy. The animals healthy and well fed. Recommendation for the bus ride sitting on the right side as the animals look better. Recommended - Jenny V Martinez R

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Love this place at dusk, the lighting is incredible! - Pelin Güvenç Kefel

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Super relax place. Great atmosphere and positive vibes! Beers are icy cold too!!!! - Sasha Davila-Chang

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Great park on the water. No BBQ but great for kids and dogs - Mohammad Fakhouri

8.8
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The Prado at Balboa Park

Surprisingly kid-friendly for lunch. Ditto on calamari, mahi tacos and sangria! One of best restaurants in SD - Erin Fredrick

8.4
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Japanese Friendship Garden

it's a great walk, but it can get crowded (especially on free museum day) - Joey Hernandez

9.1
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Spreckels Organ Pavilion

Beautiful outdoor setting with excellent pipe organ concerts on Sunday afternoons and, in the summer, on Monday evenings. - K Koenigs