There are numerous transportation options to and from San Diego as well as to and from the University of San Diego once you arrive, which are listed below.
Transportation to and From San Diego
By Plane: You can fly into San Diego directly, or to Orange County (about 1.5 hours) or Los Angeles (about 2-2.5 hours).
- San Diego Airport: San Diego’s main airport (SAN) is located near downtown and about 5 miles from the University of San Diego and the conference hotels. Numerous airlines serve San Diego, including Air Canada, Allegiant, American, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Delta, Frontier, JAL, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country, United, US Airways, and Virgin America. See here for a complete list. Non-stop flights are available from most major cities in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada as well as London and Tokyo. See here for a complete list. Once you arrive at San Diego airport, you can take a taxi to your hotel or campus, call your hotel for its shuttle (Dana Hotel and Hacienda Hotel, fees may apply for Dana Hotel, advanced arrangement required for Hacienda Hotel) [note: USD shuttles do not serve the airport], or rent a car (all rental locations are off-airport).
- Orange County/John Wayne: John Wayne Airport (SNA) is located about 80 miles north of San Diego. near Irvine. Other than local destinations, there are no non-stop destinations served by John Wayne Airport that are not served by San Diego Airport. However, if you are flying internationally, you may save on airfare by flying into John Wayne Airport instead of San Diego. From John Wayne to San Diego, you can either take a shuttle ($17 one-way) or taxi (about $25) to the Irvine Amtrak station, then Amtrak to Old Town (about $50 one-way), which will take 3-4 hours. Alternatively, you can take a shuttle to your destination in San Diego (about 2 hours with stops; roughly $90 one-way) or car service (about 1.5 hours; roughly $150 one-way). We do not recommend taking a taxi, as it is metered and will be cost-prohibitive. Of course, you can rent a car (about 1.5 hours).
- Los Angeles: Los Angeles Airport (LAX) is located about 115 miles north of San Diego. There are many airlines and non-stop international destinations served by Los Angeles Airport (see here). Additionally, you may be able to save on airfare flying to LAX. From LAX, you can either take a shuttle (about $35 one-way) or taxi (about $50 one-way) to Amtrak-Downtown (about 30 minutes), then Amtrak to Old Town (about $65 one-way; about 2.5-3.5 hours depending on train). Alternatively, you can take a shuttle to San Diego (about $110 one-way, about 3 hours with stops) or car service (about $150 one-way, about 2-2.5 hours). Of course, you can rent a car (about 2-2.5 hours).
By Train: Amtrak runs from numerous locations (including Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Irvine) to San Diego–use the Old Town stop (OLT)) for USD and conference hotels.
By Car: If you are driving to the conference, see here for directions to USD (information and directions to the hotels will be posted shortly).
Transportation within San Diego
By USD Shuttle: USD shuttles will be provided to and from the conference hotels and on-campus housing to all conference events. No USD shuttle service will be provided to and from the airport. Please see above for transportation options to and from the airport. (More information on conference shuttle service will be posted soon.)
By Car: There are numerous car rental agencies near the airport as well as near the conference hotels. Sites such as Kayak, Expedia, and Travelocity typically list major rental agencies. Additionally, you can ask about car rentals at your hotel.
By Public Transportation: The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) offers buses, trolleys and coasters that provide convenient transportation throughout San Diego County. If you want to use the local bus service, you need to take Bus Route 44 to our campus. Use the stop at Linda Vista Road and Mildred Street, then walk up the hill about 1/3 mile to the Institute of Peace and Justice. Bus schedules differ but do service the stop by our entrance every 15 to 20 minutes.
The San Diego Trolley runs every 15 minutes throughout most of the day and every 30 minutes in the evening throughout much of metro San Diego. The stop nearest our campus is the Old Town Transit Center. Additionally, the North County Coaster runs 43 miles along the coast from downtown San Diego in the south and Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside in the north to the Old Town Transit Center. Finally, Amtrak runs from numerous locations (including Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Irvine) to Old Town.
If you arrive at Old Town, it is best to transfer to a bus or shuttle to reach our campus. USD shuttles run from the Old Town transit center from 6:45-10:45 am approximately every 30 minutes and from USD back to Old Town from 3:00-7:30 pm approximately every 30 minutes. Use the USD School of Business stop, which is right across the street from the Institute of Peace & Justice conference center. If the USD shuttle is not available, you can take Bus 44 from the Old Town Station to campus (which runs about every 15-20 minutes most of the day and evening). Use the stop at Linda Vista Road and Mildred Street, then walk up the hill about 1/3 mile to the Institute of Peace and Justice.
By Bicycle: Bicycle Rentals near USD and Old Town can be found here and near the Dana Hotel can be found here. Cycling is generally feasible on most San Diego roads except you cannot of course cycle on the freeways. Additionally, we do not recommend cycling if you are not accustomed to urban conditions. In this regard, use caution especially at intersections. San Diego bicycle paths can be found here.
By Foot: If you are staying on campus, you can walk to the conference events (more information soon) as well as take the USD shuttle (more information soon). The Hacienda Hotel is about 1.5 miles from campus, so walking is possible, though much of it is uphill. We do not recommend waling from the Dana Hotel (about 4-5 miles).