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Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The public center for the renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography (of University of California, San Diego), this aquarium has many fantastic exhibits, with oceanic species from all over the Pacific Ocean displayed, as well as sharks, a tide pool, a large kelp tank, and a coral reef (with actual living coral). The museum also has some spectacular views of the ocean and La Jolla as well as some nifty tide pools where you can touch tide-pool animals.
Birch Aquarium is a public aquarium in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. It serves as the public outreach center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, with over half a million people visiting the aquarium each year.
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In north La Jolla, this beach has some of the gentlest waves of any beach in San Diego. The beach is notable for being near the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus and it contains the Scripps Pier. This is one of the only beach boat launching areas in La Jolla, so it's a popular spot for kayaking and surfing.
Near UCSD is this architectural monolith; the structure for this noted institution is built out of unfinished concrete and perched atop the cliffs overlooking the ocean. It is one of famed modernist Louis Kahn's most important works. Two symmetrical buildings stare at each other across a courtyard, the length of which runs a wide river which reverses into a pool and, through a small waterfall, down towards the dining hall seating area. The building is surrounded by a moat, and sports orange trees in the courtyard. In addition, many doors are deliberately unlabeled to encourage scientific exploration. The Salk gives tours, but you must schedule them (they are early in the morning).
Built on top of a sea cave, this gift shop offers tours of a small cavern open to the ocean.
Learn to hang glide.
A very popular beach for swimming, scuba diving and snorkeling, set against beautiful sea cliffs. In 2026, it was ranked by TripAdvisor as no. 1 in the United States and no. 7 in the world. The bluffs above the beach are grassy, making a great spot for picnics. Keep in mind that La Jolla Cove is part of the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve, so fishing, scavenging, or "swimming devices" (surfboards, boogie boards, inflatable mattresses, etc.) are not allowed. You may also find a very large number of sea-birds and animals flying, walking and lazing around the area in the daytime.
A prominent landmark just to the east of La Jolla, overlooking much of San Diego. The top of the mountain is adorned by the Mount Soledad Easter Cross and Veterans Memorial. It is home to many rabbits and couples. Sunrise and sunset are the two favorite times to go here. The twisty roads leading to the hill are full of plant life and give access to multimillion dollar hobbit homes which look much smaller from the street than from down below, as they are on a sloping hill. There are a few hairpin turns and tight bridges that are worth finding.