Coronado Island, inwards
San Diego, is 1 of the gems of California. Located inwards San Diego County, Coronado Island has a long (somewhat scary) span that links the isle straight to San Diego, should you lot drive your car. For this trip, Brian as well as I decided to have got the
Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train from the Irvine Train Station to downtown San Diego, hop on the ferry that takes you lot from downtown San Diego to Coronado Island, as well as and hence rent bikes to ride on Coronado Island. We followed the same trip on the render home. This 24-hour interval trip adventure to Coronado Island inwards San Diego is a corking 1 for the family--adults as well as kids! This is non a typical "hiking" post, hence nosotros broke downwards the trip data inwards a trivial dissimilar fashion every bit compared to all our other posts.
How to larn to Coronado Island: There are many dissimilar ways to larn to the Coronado Island as well as larn cycle riding and/or explore the beach area. The most mutual method is patently driving. However, if you lot are going downwards to San Diego on a busy vacation weekend, or for that affair a regular weekend, as well as essay to avoid the crowded freeways as well as roads, you lot tin ever have got the Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner to San Diego. Below is a detailed work concern human relationship of our trip, but you lot tin patently have got your car, or a taxi.
STEP 1-TRAIN: As previously stated, Brian as well as I took the prepare on our adventure to Coronado Island inwards San Diego. More specifically, nosotros took the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner from the Irvine Train Station inwards Orange County, to downtown San Diego. Currently, the Pacific Surfliner offers twelve daily round-trip services betwixt San Diego as well as Los Angeles. For a link to the Pacific Surfliner's scheduled departures, click
Here. It is almost 1 hr as well as 50 minutes from Irvine to San Diego on the train. If you lot move from Los Angeles to San Diego on the Pacific Surfliner, it volition have got almost three hours. The costs are reasonable as well as Amtrak has a skillful points vantage organization to earn gratis travel. NOTE: If you lot create upwards one's hear to have got the prepare from the San Diego area, the
Coaster commuter prepare service is some other option. However, fifty-fifty though the Coaster tin larn you lot to San Diego, on the weekends in that location are non real many trains, leaving you lot amongst to a greater extent than express service options. Additionally, the seats on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner are much to a greater extent than comfortable as well as spacious than the Coaster.
Brian as well as I took the 9:30 a.m. prepare from Irvine, which arrived inwards downtown San Diego at 11:22 a.m. We decided to upgrade to work concern class, for our prepare trip downwards to San Diego, which was neat experience. For the morning time work concern class, in that location was complementary fresh coffee, apple tree juice, water, as well as assorted morning time pastries. Business degree passengers tin read complementary newspapers as well as have got reserved seats, which agency you lot create non run the guide chances of having to stand upwards up on a packed prepare on busy vacation weekends. The seats inwards work concern degree as well as coach are the same size, as well as are the equivalent of domestic root degree on airlines. Another create goodness of Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner is the trains are equipped amongst gratis wifi.
For our render trip, later the 24-hour interval was over, nosotros took the terminal northbound prepare from San Diego, which was the 9:00 p.m. train. During the nighttime work concern degree trip, you lot have complementary drinks as well as a snack pack. We enjoyed a prissy relaxing drinking glass of crimson vino on the way dwelling work solid as well as the prepare was on fourth dimension for both legs of our trip. We arrived inwards Irvine at 10:45 p.m. as well as the prepare was scheduled to brand it inwards Los Angeles at 11:50 p.m. We expect forwards to our side past times side trip on the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train, because nosotros thoroughly enjoyed our corking views of the beach along the bulk of the trip every bit good every bit how slow the trip was.
STEP 2-FERRY: Once nosotros arrived inwards downtown San Diego, nosotros took the
Coronado Ferry from downtown San Diego to Coronado Island. The ferry to Coronado Island operates out of ii dissimilar points inwards downtown San Diego, the Broadway Pier as well as the Convention Center. The closest ferry to the San Diego Train Station is from Broadway Pier. Broadway Pier is located exactly a twosome blocks (no to a greater extent than than a v infinitesimal walk) from the San Diego Train Station. The Broadway Pier is correct side past times side to the USS Midway as well as is located correct on the San Diego waterfront.
The ferry landing is correct in that location side past times side to the actual Broadway Pier building, at the goal of the dock area. The ticket booths have got been re-done inwards a prissy formal glass-like structure, every bit shown inwards the higher upwards picture. You tin purchase ferry tickets at the ticket booths for both round-trip or one-way ferry trips. The society that runs the Coronado Island Ferry is called
Flagship Cruses as well as Events. Their website is helpful as well as has all the scheduled deviation times, roughly 1 time an hr or 1 time every one-half hr depending on the 24-hour interval as well as flavor you lot go. Make for sure you lot don't expect at the commuter schedule. Check their regular ferry schedule. The commuter ferry doesn't run during holidays, but the regular 1 does. The ferry is non real expensive as well as when nosotros went, it was $4.75 per individual 1 way. You tin also have got your ain cycle on the ferry every bit good every bit the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner amongst a cycle reservation.
The ferry ride is a curt xv infinitesimal ride from downtown San Diego to the Coronado Island dock. As you lot cutis away from the dock, the ferry ride gives you lot cypher curt of a breath-taking thought of the San Diego skyline, the
USS Midway, the Coronado Bridge, as well as the coastline. It also feels incredibly patriotic to endure riding inwards the same H2O every bit the giant Navy ships inwards this area. You tin also encounter sea life if you lot are lucky every bit good every bit the airplanes flight into the San Diego airport. Make for sure to waive dorsum at the passing recreational boaters who are real friendly as well as volition probable waive as well as say hi.
Once you lot brand it at the Coronado Island dock, in that location is a "tourist trap" total of shops as well as places to eat. The area's architecture is reminiscent of the Hotel Del Coronado, amongst it's hut-like crimson roof tops as well as cape cod facade. Once nosotros arrived, nosotros ate tiffin at a fantastic BBQ articulation called
Lil' Piggy's that nosotros would highly recommend. Their nutrient was fantastic as well as nosotros recommend the corn fritters! It's a crowded place, but they have got "family-style" seating--so endure prepared to brand novel friends! We sat amongst a prissy twosome from Apple Valley as well as shared a corking lunch.
The Coronado Ferry Landing is on 1 side of the island, as well as the
Hotel Del Coronado and our cycle rental location were on the consummate contrary side of the island. If you lot have got a taxi or other vehicle transportation, the Hotel Del Coronado is alone almost v minutes away. Walking would endure almost 30-35 minutes. Being avid hikers, nosotros patently walked to the cycle shop, which was non far from the Hotel Del Coronado. We enjoyed seeing the community upwards close, spell on our walk. There are cycle shops you lot tin rent from that are closer to the Coronado Ferry Landing, but I saw skillful reviews as well as pricing at Cruiser King, which is where nosotros rented our bikes.
STEP 3-BIKE: Once nosotros finished eating, nosotros as well as hence walked almost a mile as well as a one-half to the cycle shop,
Cruiser King, where nosotros rented bikes. Before you lot larn on this trip, brand for sure that you lot telephone yell upwards as well as reserve bikes at the Coronado location! I reserved as well as paid for the bikes online a twosome of days prior to our see because they tin run out of bikes on busy weekends. We rented beach cruisers from Cruiser King. I looked through a bunch of reviews as well as pricing as well as institute that Cruiser King was the best for us. It was $20 for each cycle for the 24-hour interval (10am-6pm), hence $40 total, for Brian as well as I. When nosotros arrived at the shop, they had our bikes cook for us, added a handbasket on mine, as well as gave us a lock to lock them up, if nosotros went into a store or something. At the goal of the day, nosotros only returned the bikes as well as everything was super easy, since I paid for everything online. We would have got no work recommending Cruiser King to others.
Now that you lot have got your cycle as well as you lot are on Coronado Island, where create you lot go? What create you lot do? Once nosotros had our bikes from Cruiser King, nosotros rode almost v minutes to the Hotel Del Coronado. When you lot approach, in that location is a scenic sidewalk that parallels the beach. The Hotel Del Coronado is located to the left of the cycle path as well as you lot cannot fille it. Sadly, most of the sidewalk inwards front end of the Hotel Del Coronado is non cycle friendly due to the large position out of people, however, the
Silver Strand State Beach (BIKE ROUTE) is non that far away. The cycle trail is long, flat, as well as has lanes for bikes coming as well as going. It is good marked as well as you lot tin ride every bit long every bit you lot want, or every bit curt every bit you lot want, since the cycle path is 24 miles long. This cycle trail/path takes you lot to a greater extent than on the within of Coronado Island, amongst an sea thought still. However, most of the thought is on the side of the path amongst the San Diego skyline inwards the background, the large Coronado bridge, as well as the Navy shipyard. It's also got some corking photograph opportunities that furnish data on what the ground is preserving as well as how they are protecting for sure species of plants as well as birds. In this way, it's much similar an interpretative trail. We rode almost half dozen miles inwards as well as half dozen miles back, as well as hence hitting Hotel Del Coronado for chips, salsa as well as drinks. We locked upwards the bikes at Hotel Del Coronado's cycle rack, which is located at the front end of the hotel. Then, nosotros walked exactly about the hotel as well as headed out to their sundeck bar area. It's a beautiful outdoor seating expanse amongst a total sea view.
Shortly after, nosotros returned our bikes to Cruiser King. We walked dorsum to the Coronado Ferry Landing as well as took the 7:30 p.m. ferry to the Broadway Pier. We had a trivial fourth dimension to kill earlier boarding the nine p.m. prepare home, hence nosotros walked the waterfront where the USS Midway is located. There are lots of cute shops as well as dining locations along the waterfront--it looks somewhat magical. Our Amtrak prepare was waiting for us inwards the station when nosotros arrived to the San Diego Train Station as well as nosotros boarded to caput home. It was cypher curt of a perfect 24-hour interval inwards San Diego.
Rating: Elevation Gain: Minimal (easy), Distance: several miles of walking as well as upwards to multiple miles of cycle riding. (Easy to Strenuous, tailor to your needs).
Time to Complete Adventure: All Day.
