We spent a day exploring La Jolla, a coastal town spread along 7 miles of Pacific coastline just north of San Diego. I planned to meet up with an old friend from university, but he was taken ill, so we had to entertain ourselves.
How to get to La Jolla
La Jolla is just 12 miles north of San Diego, along the I-5. It is possible to reach La Jolla from San Diego by bus (line 30). If you drive, good luck finding a parking space!
Getting around La Jolla
Downtown La Jolla and the area around La Jolla Cove are best explored on foot. It’s about 3 miles between downtown La Jolla and La Jolla Shores.
Where to stay in La Jolla
Like the majority of tourists here, we visited La Jolla on a day trip.
La Jolla in 1 Day Itinerary
| Day 1 | La Jolla Shores Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier La Jolla Cove Ellen Browning Scripps Park La Jolla Children’s Pool Downtown La Jolla Lunch at Java Earth Coffee Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church Murals of La Jolla |
La Jolla Shores
We drive the 60 miles south to La Jolla Shores, a sandy beach occupying a bay couple of miles along the coast from La Jolla. There is a large, free car park next to the beach.
Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier
We walk along the beach to the succinctly named Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier.
It’s an interesting structure, but unfortunately you can’t actually gain access, as it is a university research facility.
There is a discussion about whether to walk the 3 miles into town because parking is difficult/expensive in La Jolla. I’m perfectly comfortable with forking out $10 to avoid a 6 mile return walk. There is an argument. Ultimately, I win and we drive to La Jolla, which is absolutely heaving. It is indeed extremely difficult to find somewhere to park. We should have walked (just kidding).
La Jolla Cove
We finally find a garage, where we can park for $10 and take a walk along the shore, starting at La Jolla Cove. The cove is teaming with the most pelicans I’ve ever seen; flying, swimming, nesting on the cliff tops. There are pelicans everywhere. Meanwhile, frolicking around the edge of the cove are dolphins.
There’s also a cave here, if paying $5 to visit a cave is your thing.
Ellen Browning Scripps Park
We walk through Ellen Browning Scripps Park. To call the area a park is a little generous; it’s just some grass and a few sad bushes. But the ocean views and the marine wildlife make this the most photographed spot in San Diego.
On the beaches are dozens of seals and sea lions along with more pelicans and other sea birds.
La Jolla Children’s Pool
We walk through the park to La Jolla Children’s Pool. Here, someone had the smart idea of constructing a sheltered area where, in theory, children could play safely in the ocean. In reality, a whole load of seals and sea lions promptly moved in. Even if it wasn’t sealed off (see what I did there) I wouldn’t want to swim here – the smell is pungent.
Downtown La Jolla
After our marine wildlife extravaganza, we take a wander through Downtown La Jolla for some window shopping and in search of lunch.
Lunch at Java Earth Coffee
We settle on Java Earth Coffee, which is one of a few eateries at La Jolla Country Market, nestled round an area of outdoor seating. It doesn’t have the most extensive menu, but the other establishments are no longer serving when we arrive. I choose a soy chorizo burrito, which is very good.
Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church
The Mission Style Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church dates back to 1909. The church has some interesting artwork. There is a mosaic entitled “Our Lady, Star of the Sea” above the entrance, the interior is adorned with murals, while outside are several sculptures.
Murals of La Jolla
We round our trip off with some mural spotting. According to the website, the Murals of La Jolla consists of 16 murals painted on buildings around town. Now usually, this would be right up my street. However, in this instance, the murals are too far apart to make a walking tour realistic. They’re also quite difficult to spot.
We do manage to find a few murals, including this one entitled Hedonic Treadmill. This is, apparently, ‘an ecstatic amalgamation of imagery seeking to playfully and poignantly deconstruct the current state of the American mythos’. And with that our time in La Jolla is at an end. We drive back to Temecula for another fun filled evening of trying to prevent the dog from killing the cat.
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
- Trip taken: January 2023
- Updated: December 2024
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