When you're headed to San Diego from Chicago, get ready to enjoy warmth and sunshine as soon as you land. You may even want to choose a rental car that has a convertible top, so that you can make the most of your ground travel during your stay. In addition to beautiful weather year-round, San Diego offers both business and leisure guests many fun excursion opportunities such as Lego Land and the San Diego Zoo.

You can drive from the airport to the San Diego Bay and watch the cargo ships dock, or explore the many urban canyons, scattered between neighborhoods like Mission Beach and Ocean Beach. A rental car is a definite must for getting around this sprawling urban environment.

Key Facts

While in San Diego, you can take the short drive to the Mexican border. You may also want to visit the Cleveland National Forest, located just half an hour from downtown. Since San Diego is spread over such a large area, traffic during rush hour is manageable.

Hints and Tips

Your trip from O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to San Diego International Airport (SAN) should last about five hours. If you need an afternoon to acclimatize to the weather and time changes once you land, head over to the Tecolote Canyon Natural Park. The area is known for hosting many native and migratory birds.