San Diego in southern California gleams like a slick, modern city, yet it’s (probably) the most laid-back one on the USA’s west coast. Its closeness to Mexico gives it a unique cultural heritage, and San Diego County's coastline – which undulates for 70 miles (113km) – is undoubtedly a big draw for visitors. Yet there’s plenty to do besides surfing and sunbathing, from exploring historic neighbourhoods and museums to taking in thrilling views and spirited nightlife. Here are our recommendations for a cool SoCal break – without even setting foot on the sand.

When the Spanish began widespread colonisation of California, they established the first European settlement at San Diego’s Presidio in 1769. Today, a six-block area known as Old Town San Diego marks the site of the original pueblo. It's bounded by Juan, Twiggs, Congress and Wallace streets and it's the oldest neighbourhood in San Diego.

The Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is a definite highlight of this area. It’s like an open-air museum, home to a mix of original adobes and restored or reconstructed Victorian buildings. Must-sees include the renovated and operational Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant dating to 1870 (pictured) and The Whaley House Museum. The latter was originally built by Mr Whaley, an early settler in San Diego. It’s also said to be the most haunted house in America. 

The 68-acre Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is a compact, otherworldly stretch of coastline that runs 1.5 miles (2.4km) north from Point Loma (west of downtown San Diego) to the laid-back Ocean Beach neighbourhood. The park features green space, unique rock formations and a sea cave and there are several ways to appreciate it. For an easy jaunt, the three-mile (4.8km) cliffside trail skirting the coast is easy to amble along, accessible from Ladera Street. At high tide, the area is a favourite spot for (experienced) cliff jumpers.

Alternatively, on a clear evening, make like a local: head to the cliffs around dusk, pick a comfortable spot and sit back to watch the fiery sun dip into the deep-blue Pacific Ocean. If you're lucky, you might spot pods of dolphins playing around in the water. However you choose to enjoy the park, steer clear of the cliff edges and keep an eye out for signs that warn of areas suffering from erosion. 

Love this? Follow our Facebook page for more travel inspiration

Uptown San Diego is emerging as the city's trendiest area, packed with cool bars, restaurants, shops, live music venues and theatres. Where University Avenue and 30th Street meet in the buzzy uptown neighbourhood, North Park is a great spot for bar hopping. It's home to several craft beer establishments such as Mike Hess Brewing, where locals play board games at long wooden tables, and Part Time Lover (pictured), a cocktail bar hidden inside a record shop.

Walking through the front door into Part Time Lover's low-lit, wood-panelled bar feels like entering another world. Order a Grave Robber or Tunnel Vision cocktail to sip at your table or while browsing for vinyl in the tiny shop at the end of the bar (pictured). Those up for continuing their night will find a year-round line up of live music at North Park's historic Observatory, as well as theatre shows at the lively West Coast Tavern, located within the observatory grounds. 

America is the spiritual home of the farmers’ market; open-air community events in which growers and artisan food producers gather to sell their produce. San Diego County is home to 5,000-plus farms, so its farmers’ market calendar is extensive. Regular events pop up around the city on any given weekday. For visitors, it’s a chance to explore San Diego’s different neighbourhoods and enjoy the city like a local.

On Saturday mornings, the Mercato Little Italy sets up in this lively Italian-American neighbourhood, filled with patio cafés, restaurants, pubs, galleries, shops and hotels. Coronado Island, with its quaint small-town atmosphere, offers shopping with a San Diego Bay backdrop every Tuesday afternoon, while the relaxed Ocean Beach Certified Farmers' Market on Wednesday evenings hosts live bands. 

These are California's most beautiful small towns and cities

America does theme parks like no other. The compact, historic Belmont Park at Mission Beach was developed in 1925 by a wealthy sugar magnate, John D Spreckels. Its centrepiece? A refurbished 2,600-foot-long (792m) whitewashed wooden Giant Dipper roller coaster. The sound of its old fashioned, tomato-red trains rattling 48 miles per hour (77km/h) along the tracks (and the passengers’ shrieks of enjoyment that follow) hang in the air around the park. 

Elsewhere, there’s an antique reproduction of a classic seaside carousel, an old-time photo booth and dressing-up wardrobe, bumper cars that light up for a night-time disco and shops stacked with San Diego souvenirs. For a view to remember, head for the sleek-yet-casual rooftop restaurant, Cannonball. It’s a peaceful spot for a laid-back Cali-inspired sushi lunch overlooking the champagne-coloured sands of Mission Beach. 

Check out these stunning historic images of theme parks in full swing

For brunch with a whimsical twist, Morning Glory in Little Italy is the place to be. It’s a favourite with the Instagram crowd who come to snap the over-the-top, pink, extravagant decor. The vibe is loud, bustling and a feast for all the senses. Out back is a Champagne vending machine; and the mirrored toilets are worth a snoop if only to sit on the heated lavatory seat. 

The menu is as bold as the decor. Traditional dishes like eggs Benedict do feature, but it’s the whackier delights people come for: fluffy yet squidgy Japanese soufflé pancakes with fresh berries and sweet cream, and heaped plates of steaming fried rice with pork belly and two eggs with runny yolks, to name just two. Not surprisingly, the queue just to put your name down for a table snakes along the street on weekends.

San Diego’s beauty is best taken in from above. There are several high spots around the city for a thrilling view. Watch the lush landscape, scattered with high-end homes, tumble down to the turquoise shore of La Jolla from the top of 822-foot-high (250m) Mount Soledad. The National Veterans Memorial, which honours 3,500 soldiers who recently served, can also be found here.

For uninterrupted skyline views, Coronado Island – a short drive or ferry ride from downtown San Diego – will impress. Stand on the shore closest to the downtown waterfront and you’ll see San Diego’s biggest high-risers, some taller than 300 feet (91m), including the city’s tallest: the 500-foot (152m), 34-storey, obelisk-shaped One America Plaza, reflected in the calm waters of the bay.

Discover more of California by road with our Central Coast road trip

San Diego’s fascinating maritime history is celebrated at the Embarcadero on the waterfront west of downtown San Diego. It's a working harbour, cruise ship port and modern waterside destination packed with shops and restaurants. You'd also come here to book and join a harbour cruise. Dominating the area is the USS Midway, a gargantuan US Navy aircraft carrier-turned-museum.

Onboard is an extensive collection of aircraft which pulls in the crowds. Visitors are invited to experience the pilots’ cramped quarters, sit inside a fighter jet cockpit, find out about ejector seats and ride a flight simulator. The flight deck makes a great spot for taking in the view of the downtown skyline and the San Diego Bay Bridge. Don't miss the guided tours led by retired naval officers.

It’s just a 30-minute drive from downtown San Diego to the town of Tijuana at the Mexican border in Baja California, for an easy day trip. There’s enough to do in Tijuana, but drive two hours onwards and you’ll reach the Valle de Guadalupe in Bajan wine country. En route, make sure to stop at the port city of Ensenada to try the outstanding street food it’s known for, such as zesty tuna ceviche on a crispy taco made fresh to order.

For wine tasting with a view, family-run Casa de Piedra is a top spot. The shady terrace overlooking the vines is made for sipping wine and shucking freshly caught Bajan oysters from its on-site outdoor kitchen, Conchas de Piedra. Leave room for a six-course tasting dinner at the nearby acclaimed Mexican farm-to-fork restaurant, Fauna, on the grounds of the Bruma boutique hotel and winery.

San Diego is home to the California Sea Lion and the Pacific Harbour Seal, both of which you can spot hanging out on the shores of La Jolla, San Diego’s swankiest neighbourhood. To tell the difference: sea lions are brown, walk on large flippers, are sociable, loud and live in groups. Harbour seals, meanwhile, are grey, have smaller flippers, are quieter and are often spotted alone.

Sea lions hang out all along the San Diego coastline, but you’ll find a large number at La Jolla Cove, also home to a rookery, where sea lions give birth and nurse their pups. A short walk along the shore from La Jolla Cove is a beach protected by a large breakwater (pictured), which seals have claimed as the perfect environment for giving birth to their pups. 

These are the world's best wildlife experiences

The Point Loma Peninsula is a good surf spot, but it’s also where you’ll find Liberty Station, a historic sprawl of Spanish Colonial Revival-style buildings that were once home to a naval training centre. Revamped, it’s now filled with chic hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, small museums, art galleries, artists’ studios and other creative businesses.

Inside one building is the Liberty Public Market. It’s packed with independent outlets selling tempting artisan products such as handmade soaps, olive oil and local wine. Early-morning sustenance, meanwhile, can be found at Breakfast Republic. It’s famed for its Oreo cookie pancakes, chicken wing breakfast bowls, s’mores French toast and a rotating list of 20 beers on tap, available as samplers.

This distinctive area near the San Diego-Coronado Bridge is home to San Diego’s Mexican, Latinx, Indigenous and Chicano cultures. Gentrification is seeping in, but many of the businesses you’ll eat, drink and shop at here are still rooted in the community’s culture – and a good proportion of them are owned by women. For instance, Casa XoVi is great for Mexican gifts like Loteria cards, traditional embroidered dresses and enamel artwork, while Simón Limón is a one-stop-shop for beauty products and home goods. 

The action centres around Logan Avenue, where you can expect to see Low Rider cars hopping and Cadillacs cruising along here at the weekend. If you need a bite to eat, Barrio Dogg is an absolute must-visit for a hot dog in a fluffy white bun, topped with things like sour cream, salsa and roasted peppers, followed by a cold beer from the brightly-coloured Mujeres Brew House, a new Latina-owned craft brewery.

At the cultural heart of the Barrio Logan neighbourhood is Chicano Park, set underneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. It's distinctive for its 80 larger-than-life murals, which are painted by local artists onto the concrete piers of the bridge. You can browse them for free, along with further exhibits inside a new cultural centre.

Check out 50 amazing Californian attractions you cannot miss

Every year in April, the park is the setting for the Chicano Park Day festival, a celebration of the community’s resilience and determination. In the 1970s, the community fought back when promises to turn land underneath the freeway into a park were rescinded. They occupied the space for 12 days, which caught the local government’s attention. The park was soon officially created, with mural painting beginning in 1973. Thanks to its importance to the Chicano community, in 2017 the park was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Quaint Coronado Island, overlooking San Diego Bay, is home to the city’s legendary Hotel del Coronado, or ‘The Del’ as it’s nicknamed. This huge whitewashed timber architectural spectacle – complete with red turrets – was the largest resort of its kind in the world when it opened in 1888. It's one of the USA's few remaining examples of wooden Victorian beach resort architecture. 

These are the world's most charming historic piers and boardwalks

The hotel retains many of its original features, including a perfectly-preserved mahogany lobby (pictured), which guests are free to wander around. Not surprisingly, the hotel has hosted many famous guests, including Charlie Chaplin, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Madonna and Barack Obama. It also served as a backdrop for the 1959 film, Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe. If you're a fan of the film, memorabilia is on sale in the hotel gift shop.

The 1,200-acre historic Balboa Park and its ornate collection of buildings were originally developed for the grand Panama-California Exposition in 1915. Today, it's the setting for 17 museums and galleries, several beautiful landscaped gardens, walking trails and – perhaps most famously – the San Diego Zoo. To get your bearings, climb to the top of the California Tower and take in the view over the park and city, before tackling one of the cultural establishments.

The Spanish Village Art Centre (pictured) is a lesser-known highlight of the park, set within an early 20th-century recreation of a traditional village in Spain. Its quaint-looking buildings are home to artists’ studios and spaces where demonstrations, such as glass blowing, take place. Another hidden highlight of Balboa Park is Artifact at the Mingei International Museum, a casual restaurant serving eclectic global dishes, often created using ancient recipes.

For more information on visiting San Diego, go to sandiego.org or visitcalifornia.com.

Now discover the most underrated places in California