Building a SoCal Vacation Itinerary: How to Visit Disneyland, San Diego and LA

Are you and your family planning a Southern California vacation in 2025 or 2026? There is so much to do between San Diego and Los Angeles, including theme parks, world-renowned zoos, beaches, golf courses and Hollywood! With the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration and great ticket deals to Disney, Universal Studios Hollywood and LEGOLAND, it's a toadally fantastic time to visit. We've got entire posts dedicated to choosing the right time for your squad to visit both Disneyland and Universal Studios, as well as visiting San Diego and Los Angeles. After narrowing down when to visit, you might need some help in deciding how to split your time amongst the many SoCal attractions. Don't worry — we're here to help you plan a SoCal vacation so that you can fit it all in. Not only did we build the perfect trip, but we also customized it based on the ages of your children and their interests. Let's jump in!

Hop To

• Overview
• Small Kids Zoo, SeaWorld & Disneyland
• Small Kids Zoo, LEGOLAND & Disneyland
• Teens Universal, Disneyland & Zoo

Planning a SoCal Vacation in 2025

First things first: There are a lot of Southern California theme parks, attractions and tours. Besides Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood, other parks may interest you, including:

• SeaWorld San Diego
• Sesame Place San Diego
• LEGOLAND and LEGOLAND Water Park (log in to your Undercover Tourist account to unlock further savings!)
• San Diego Zoo (log in to your Undercover Tourist account to unlock further savings!)
• San Diego Zoo Safari Park (log in to your Undercover Tourist account to unlock further savings!) — This zoo is at a separate location from the San Diego Zoo in northeast San Diego. It's a great option if you want to see animals in larger open spaces and may even want a bit of adventure (such as zip lines and safaris).
• Knott's Berry Farm (for a mix of old-time western fun and big roller coasters)
• Warner Bros. Studio Tour

Feel free to add or substitute any of these experiences if they appeal to your family. Here are some other day trip activities people love to see and do in San Diego and Los Angeles besides the theme parks:

• Sporting events (there are a number of professional baseball, football, basketball and hockey teams in the area)
• Theatre
• Golf
• Beach
• Nature hikes and beach trails
• Shopping
• Boat tours: go whale or dolphin watching
• Petting zoos
• Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific
• Queen Mary
• Visit historic districts (Old Town San Diego, San Juan Capistrano or Olvera Street in Los Angeles) and the Missions
• Hop-on Hop-Off Bus tours

Be sure to log in to your Undercover Tourist account to unlock further savings on certain tickets (such as the San Diego Zoo and LEGOLAND). If you do not have an account yet, create one before shopping to get more discounts!

You cannot do it ALL in a week, and you will want to plan rest days at the beach, pool or enjoying other things that Southern California has to offer. That means you'll want to consider the ages of the people in your party and set priorities. Do you like nature, sports, movies and stars, or mostly themed entertainment? Is this a return visit or a trip of a lifetime? These factors will help shape your week.

Here's the full list of everything coming to Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood!

The good news is that we offer discount tickets to all these attractions and more. If this is your first time hearing about Undercover Tourist, you may be wondering why you should purchase with us. Undercover Tourist offers the exact same theme park tickets you'd get directly — for less! No catch. We also offer a 365-day ticket refund on theme park tickets and most tour tickets. That gives you the peace of mind when booking with us. Hotel cancellations vary by booking, so research the cancellation policy for each hotel room rate before you buy.

Undercover Tourist also offers a Best Price Guarantee, so you can be sure you're getting the best value. You'll also get additional savings through Undercover Tourist by bundling your tickets or hotel stays with a rental car. And if you are exploring Southern California, you're going to need a car.

If you are truly against driving, the train does run from San Diego to Los Angeles, with a stop a few miles from Disneyland. But you'll likely spend as much money on rideshare apps and train tickets as you would on a rental car. But if you don't drive or don't want to brave the sprawling freeways, hop over our post on taking public transportation. In terms of flights, San Diego, Orange County, Long Beach and Los Angeles all have airports. To minimize driving, you might look at flying into one airport and leaving from another.

To showcase everything you can squeeze into a week in SoCal in 2025, we've put together some sample trips.

We offer two trips for families with small children and one trip for families with adults or older kids. All trips include visits to Disneyland. The difference between the trips? Where you go, and how long you are at each destination.

We know our East Coast friends are traveling back in time. That means you'll be up bright and early but might find yourselves skipping out on nighttime entertainment to hit the pillow.

Trip with Small Children to San Diego and Disneyland

If you are taking a trip with small children, you'll want to schedule some relaxing play days into your trip and focus on Disneyland and San Diego zoos and/or aquariums. Unless you have something you personally want to see or do in LA, limit your visits to Orange County and San Diego with the smaller tadpoles. The beach and pool days are a must! We also provide some water park options/splash pads if you are visiting during the warmer months.

The San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego and LEGOLAND all have play areas and splash pads. Bring swimsuits and let your kids take advantage of those splash pads and climbing areas to get the wiggles out. Suppress your need to see and do it all, and let them have unstructured playtime those days. Your tadpoles will be much happier for it. Disneyland visits will be more structured; however, Mickey's Toontown and Redwood Creek Challenge Trail are both great options for free play in the parks.

Start out in San Diego and split your week between San Diego and Disneyland. Choose a theme park based on your children's interests. Are you always stepping on LEGO pieces? LEGOLAND in northern San Diego might be your park! If you have animal lovers, SeaWorld San Diego and the San Diego Zoo — both of which are closer to the actual city of San Diego — are a good bet. The famous San Diego Zoo is located in Balboa Park, home to several museums that might also interest you. Break up your park days with visits to the beach and pool. Ride the streetcars and trolleys in San Diego.

If LEGOLAND is your park, a smart way to go is to visit it on your way up to Disneyland since it's located in north San Diego County, just off I-5 in Carlsbad. You could even opt to spend a night at the Legoland Hotel. It's so much fun and is designed with families in mind. Your tadpoles will never froget the silly fun to be had there, and the hotel rooms will make parents hoppy too, with separate sleeping areas for the little ones. Then head to Anaheim to Disneyland.

You can stay off-site at Disneyland (it's more budget-friendly and you can walk to the parks) or on-site in the "Disney bubble." Save with 1-park-per-day tickets. No need to park hop with little ones. We suggest a 3-day, 1-park ticket. Spend two days at Disneyland and one day at Disney California Adventure. (Or one day in each park if you have a 2-day ticket.) With small children, you might just choose two days at Disneyland Park since that park offers more for small children than Disney California Adventure.

We have two sample itineraries for families with small children. One with SeaWorld in the middle and one with LEGOLAND.

Animal Lover Trip with Small Children to San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and 3 Days at Disneyland

For the first leg of our trip, we opted to stay in San Diego and the second half at Disneyland. Why? We want some weekend days at Disneyland to take advantage of seeing fireworks and to have more options for nighttime entertainment. (In case you decide to travel when most nighttime entertainment is only Friday through Sunday.) Also, Monday mornings are busy at Disneyland. Friday mornings? Not so busy. (Locals do filter in after work.) If you can enter the park early in the morning (before park opening), you'll get a lot done! Then take a break in the heat of the day to nap and swim. Then hop back into the park for nighttime entertainment.

• Day 1 - Arrival Day
  
  • Head to your hotel and hit the pool or explore La Jolla. We chose La Jolla Cove Suites because La Jolla is a beautiful and walkable part of San Diego near the ocean. Go look at the sea lions or take a kayak adventure. (But you'll find many places to stay in San Diego to suit any budget.)
  • Dinner at Dukes in La Jolla (the views are great!). Alternatively, Mexican or Asian food is always a good choice when in SoCal.

• Day 2 - San Diego Zoo
  
  • Meet pandas, koalas, Galapagos tortoises and up to 3,500 other animals.
  • Bring swimsuits and spend some time in Wildlife Explorers Basecamp.
  • Read up on our San Diego Zoo tips.
  • Save even more on the San Diego Zoo when you log into Undercover Tourist.

• Day 3 - Beach day!
  
  • Enjoy the beach, but keep in mind the Pacific water may be cooler than other beach destinations. Our post on what to do and see in San Diego will give you some fun ideas.

• Day 4 - SeaWorld 
  
  • Ride the rides early before lines get long.
  • Bring suits for the splash pad in Rescue Jr., which is a great place for unstructured play.
  • Check the schedule for shows.
  • Follow our tips for taking small children to SeaWorld.

• Day 5 - Explore the coast and arrive at Disneyland
  
  • This can be a break day with stops along the coast at beach towns such as Carlsbad and San Clemente, or a petting zoo in a historic district in San Juan Capistrano, depending on your family's interests.
  • Get settled at the hotel and explore Downtown Disney.
  • Swim at the hotel pool.
  • Consider a character dining dinner at Goofy's Kitchen or Storytellers Cafe.
  • Alternatively, you can arrive earlier at Disneyland and visit a theme park.

• Day 6 - Visit Disneyland Park
  
  • Visit Mickey's Toontown as well as classics the whole family can enjoy, such as "it's a small world," Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean.
  • "Star Wars" fans will enjoy Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
  • The Disneyland 70th Anniversary brings back the nighttime Paint the Night Parade and Wondrous Journeys fireworks (for parts of the celebration).
  • Consider a Fantasmic! dining package.

• Day 7 - Visit Disney California Adventure
  
  • The Disneyland 70th Anniversary brings the new World of Color Happiness! nighttime spectacular with colorful fountains with music and projections.
  • Take little ones to see the new Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show.
  • Get the wiggles out in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.
  • Go for a ride in a clamshell for The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure.
  • Get your kicks on Route 66 in Cars Land.
• Day 8 - Visit a park or do character dining at a hotel and depart
  
  • Character breakfast at Storytellers Cafe or Goofy's Kitchen, or shopping and dining at Downtown Disney? The day is yours depending on when you need to depart!

This trip will run you about $5,000 for a family of four.

Trip with Small Children to San Diego Zoo, 2 Days at LEGOLAND and 2 Days at Disneyland

This trip is very similar to the above scenario except instead of 1 day at SeaWorld and 3 days at Disneyland, you'll leave San Diego to stay at the Legoland Hotel (or other option of your choice in Carlsbad) for a night to have have two days of LEGOLAND Resort hopping, including access to the LEGOLAND water park and aquarium. You'll possibly knock your Disneyland visit down to two days, depending on your departure time and how you choose to spend your departure day.

• Day 1 - Arrival Day in San Diego
  
  • Head to your hotel and hit the pool or explore La Jolla. We chose La Jolla Cove Suites because La Jolla is a beautiful and walkable part of San Diego near the ocean. Go look at the sea lions or take a snorkeling kayak adventure. (But there are many places to stay in San Diego to suit any budget.)
  • Dinner at Dukes in La Jolla (the views are great!).

• Day 2 - San Diego Zoo
  
  • Meet pandas, koalas and up to 3,500 animals.

• Day 3 - Beach day!
  
  • Enjoy the beach, but keep in mind the Pacific water may be cooler than other beach destinations. Our post on what to do and see in San Diego will give you some fun ideas.

• Day 4 - LEGOLAND
  
  • Visit Legoland and check in at the Legoland Hotel (about $475 a night and comes with early access to the theme park in the morning). Your kids are going to love this hotel! And you are going to love venturing off to explore Carlsbad.

• Day 5 - LEGOLAND and drive to Anaheim
  
  • Get settled and explore Downtown Disney.
  • Swim at the hotel pool. Consider a character dining dinner.

• Day 6 - Visit Disneyland Park

• Day 7 - Visit Disney California Adventure

• Day 8 - Visit a park (if you have a 3-day ticket) or do character dining at a hotel and depart
  
  • Character breakfast at Storytellers Cafe or Goofy's Kitchen, or shopping and dining at Downtown Disney? The day is yours!

Trip with Older Kids and Teens to Los Angeles, Disneyland and San Diego

If you are a high-energy family with a lot to see, this itinerary is for you! You have some wiggle room if you want to modify it, but this is a busy week!

This plan has you arriving in Los Angeles, traveling down to Disneyland for a few days later and ending in relaxing in beachy San Diego. You can reverse that order if it works better for you.

We chose summer for our sample trip and based tickets on ages 10 and up. If you have younger kids, you may save more on tickets for ages 3-9. Most kids are still on summer break, and this time allows you to fully take advantage of the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration entertainment as well as the Universal summer event hoppenings and deals. If your travel dates are flexible, prices may be lower at non-peak times.

You want to maximize time as much as possible on this trip. Some of the ways to do that include getting Universal Express at Universal Studios Hollywood and buying tickets with Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland. Doing one park per day at Disneyland saves money over park hoppers; however, with older kids, it's toadally easy to hop back and forth between parks at Disneyland. It gives you more options for nighttime entertainment and allows you to select Lightning Lanes in either park, making Lightning Lane Multi Pass a better deal (just some food for thought!).

When we make the jump to Disneyland Resort, we'll be staying at the Homewood Suites for the price, free breakfast, extra space and proximity to the free bus to Disneyland from the neighboring Toy Story lot.

• Day 1 - Arrival Day
  
  • Explore LA or Hollywood and CityWalk.
  • Check into the hotel. We suggest the Hilton near Universal because you can walk to the theme park or CityWalk, or take a bus. You are a short drive to Hollywood. The Garland is another option, and it has a trolley to Universal.

• Day 2 - Universal Studios Hollywood
  
  • See movie sets, cast spells like a wizard and earn coins and keys in Super Nintendo World.

• Day 3 - Check out and your choice:
  
  • We suggest Warner Bros. Studio Tour for the first half of the day (especially for fans of "Friends," "Big Bang Theory," Harry Potter and DC heroes).
  • Then head to Anaheim that night to get ready for Disneyland. We chose the Homewood Suites for the price, free breakfast, extra space and proximity to the free bus to Disneyland from the neighboring Toy Story lot.

• Day 4 - Disneyland Park
  
  • Enjoy Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Space Mountain and more.

• Day 5 - Disney California Adventure
  
  • Enjoy Avengers Campus, Cars Land, Pixar Pier and more.

• Day 6 - Your choice
  
  • A third day at Disneyland
  • Drive to San Diego for some beach time and exploration. You could take a dolphin tour or fishing trip, or paddleboard and visit the tidepools (based on tide) in Dana Point along the way.
  • Stop in San Clemente to play at the beach and have lunch at Fisherman's Restaurant & Bar on the pier, and shop on Del Mar.

• Day 7 - San Diego Zoo

• Day 8 - Departure Day
  
  • Explore La Jolla or San Diego.

Save and Book Your SoCal Vacation!

Are you ready?!

Looking for additional ways to enhance your trip? Undercover Tourist offers savings on Disneyland Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Universal Express tickets and VIP Tour if you want a more upgraded experience with skip-the-line capabilities. While a more expensive option, the Universal Studios VIP Tour is the way to go if you do not want to think about it and just enjoy the day. All-you-can-eat meals and snacks, drinks and bottled water are included. A guide will walk you to the front of the line and take you to see places other park goers cannot access. If you want to save money, consider Single Rider lines at Disneyland and Universal to skip some lines. Follow our Universal Studios Hollywood Tips to maximize time.

There you have it — three itineraries for a SoCal vacation and Disneyland for around $5k for a family of four during a peak season! WHEW! Are you planning on a SoCal vacation soon? What is your dream itinerary? Let us know in the comments below! If you are visiting multiple attractions in Los Angeles or San Diego, you might also consider Go City Multi-Attraction Passes in San Diego, Los Angeles or San Diego. Undercover Tourist offers further discounts on these passes. 

Prices were pulled from UndercoverTourist.com and are subject to change.

Related: The Very Best Times to Visit Disneyland

Related: The Very Best Times to Visit San Diego

Hoppy planning!