At the southern extreme of southern California is San Diego County, which stretches for 113km (70 miles) along the coast and is home to 2.6 million people. San Diego is, as one recent guide book pointed out, ‘a city with a mission, a region with a vision’. It boasts 6760 km (4200 miles) of country which encompasses the metropolitan sophistication of the city itself, the caves of La Jolla, the Golden Triangle, noted for its upscale shopping and dining, the flowers and wineries of North County, the mountain peaks of East County and the Mexican flavors of South Bay. Other temptations include the dazzling array of restaurants in Coronado, the sense of heritage and history exemplified by the Mission Valley, the vast aquatic playground of Mission Bay Park and the duty-free border zone of Tijuana.

America’s sixth-largest city is where California’s history begins. The local climate approaches perfection but there is more to the city than sun and sand. It is a place of character, rich in art and culture.

Downtown: This is a vibrant collection of neighborhoods, restaurants, shops and attractions stretching from the Bay to the Uptown district, including the residential areas of Hillcrest and Golden Hill. The original centre of commerce here was Old Town but by the turn of the century, New Town, founded by the New Englander, Alonzo Horton, had taken its place. The Gaslamp Quarter is the city’s historic district, a 16-block area of shops, galleries, coffee houses, theatre spaces and dozens of restaurants.

The San Diego Maritime Museum, anchored along Harbor Drive, is a good place to begin an exploration of the waterfront. Here, visitors can look at the Star of India, a century-old windjammer, the steam ferry Berkeley, and the luxury yacht Medea. The cruise ship terminal is a popular waterfront destination and excursion boats leaving from Pier B can take visitors on a tour of the bay.

The city’s maritime past is further commemorated in Seaport Village, a 14-acre waterfront shopping and dining complex which puts the visitor in mind of the days when cargo ships would embark on the perilous journey from New England, rounding Cape Horn.

Balboa Park is another reminder of the founder’s civic vision. It covers 1200 acres and contains some fantastic architecture, including 14 museums, art galleries, the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center, the Simon Edison Center for the Performing Arts, the San Diego Junior Theater, Starlight Bowl, sports facilities and the California Tower with its working 100-bell carillon. The Spreckels Organ Pavilion features concerts on Sunday afternoons (and Monday evenings in summer). The Park also houses the world-famous San Diego Zoo which houses 800 different species. The entire zoo is designed as a 100-acre tropical garden which can be visited on foot or on a guided bus tour.

Coronado: This is a quaint village, connected to the mainland on the south by way of a narrow sandbar known as the Silver Strand. The fascinating Hotel del Coronado, known as ‘The Del’, boasts turrets, tall cupolas and hand-carved wooden pillars. The downtown area here features dozens of boutiques, shops and restaurants and a large central park with a bandstand where concerts are performed each Sunday throughout the summer. The Silver Strand State Beach is particularly popular with families and offers camping and RV facilities. This place offers a great variety of fine restaurants. Seafood is a celebrated attraction.

Point Loma: From here, the onlooker is afforded a magnificent panoramic view of San Diego Bay, Shelter Island, Harbor Island, Coronado, the Embarcadero and downtown from the Cabrillo National Monument. It is also a great place to watch the annual migration of California gray whales. More than 15,000 make the journey from Alaska to Baja.

Mission Valley: If San Diego is the birthplace of California, then the Mission Basilica San Diego De Alcala is the birthplace of San Diego. It was founded in December 1769 by Father Junipero Serra and the Mission, the Presidio and the town that sprung up at the foot of it were the first outposts of the Spanish government in Alta California. Today Mission Valley has major shopping centers, including the Fashion Valley Center. A very popular attraction is the Old Town which served as the heart of San Diego until the 1800s. Many original 19th-century structures in the Old Town State Historic Park have been reconstructed or restored and reflect and illustrate the changes since Serra’s day. The Heritage Park is a haven for the restoration and preservation of Victorian dwellings and serves as a transition area between the Mexican and early-American preserve.

Mission Bay Park: This is the largest facility of its kind in the world, a monument to the outdoor lifestyle. Swimming, power-boating, fishing and sailing all occupy separate areas. At Sea World, killer whales, sea lions, otters and dolphins are featured. Belmont Park features two vintage landmarks: ‘The Plunge’, the largest indoor swimming pool in Southern California and ‘Giant Dipper’, which boasts 792m (2600ft) of stomach-churning track.

North County: A premier attraction here is the San Diego Wild Animal Park in Escondido, in the vicinity of which there are a number of wineries offering tours and tasting. The gentle climate has earned the coastal areas of Encinitas and Leucadia the distinction of ‘Poinsetta Capital of the World’. In Encinitas are the Quail Botanical Gardens, containing one of the world’s most diverse and important plant collections. Further up the coast, Oceanside features one of the longest municipal wooden piers on the West Coast. Oceanside is also the site of the Mission San Luis Rey, the largest of California’s 21 Missions. Nearby is the Mount Palomar Observatory which houses the 200-inch Hale telescope, one of the country’s largest.

South Bay: This area encompasses National City, an important commerce area, Chula Vista, with its marinas, parks, restaurants, the Arco Olympic Training Center and the Nature Interpretative Center at the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, one of the few remaining Pacific salt marsh habitats.

Travel: San Diego is about two and-a-half hours from downtown Los Angeles via freeway route Interstate 5. Interstate 8 serves drivers from Yuma, Arizona and beyond from the East Coast.

Climate: The mild climate makes the county an ideal and perennial destination. The average daytime temperature is 70ºF (21ºC) and winter temperatures seldom fall below 40ºF (4ºC). Humidity is generally low.

Special Events: May Tijuana Bullfighting season. May San Diego Adams Avenue Roots Festival. May 5 Spring Village Faire. Jun Annual La Jolla Festival of the Arts and Food Faire. Jun 17-Jul 6 Del Mar Fair. Mid Jun-Labor Day Sea World’s Summer Nights. Jun-Aug Music In the Park, Chula Vista. Jun-Sep Sea World’s Summer Nights. Jul 13-20 Annual San Diego Comic Convention. Aug International Dance Festival, Balboa Park. Sept Thunderboats Unlimited, Mission. Oct Oktoberfest, El Cajon. Nov-Dec Annual San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival.