By car
Being in the heart of the city, Balboa Park and Hillcrest are accessible by a number of major streets. Park Boulevard runs north-south through the park and the eastern edge of Hillcrest, connecting to Downtown to the south. 5th and 6th Avenues also provide a direct connection to the area, where one can continue north to Hillcrest or into Balboa Park via Laurel Street/El Prado over the Cabrillo Bridge. Laurel Street continues west towards the San Diego International Airport. Washington Street and University Avenue provide the major connection through Hillcrest, connecting to neighborhoods east and west.
SR-163 runs north-south through the neighborhood, connecting Hillcrest to Downtown to the south and Mission Valley to the north. However, there is no direct connection into Balboa Park from SR-163.
Parking can be very congested however, parking is available if you look in the right places. Parking lots are located throughout Balboa Park. There are two large parking lots in the park. One is for the San Diego Zoo and one is at Inspiration Point on the east side of Park Boulevard north of Presidents Way, which is served by a free tram which connects the lot to many of the museums in Balboa Park. The tram runs 8:30AM-6PM daily, with extended hours during the summer. On-street metered parking is also available and can be paid for with coins and pre-paid Parking Meter Cards. Soon many meters will also accept credit or debit cards.
By bus
The Metropolitan Transit System MTS (http://www.sdmts.com/home1.asp) operates buses in San Diego, which can be a good way to avoid parking hassles. The MTS has one line which directly serves Balboa Park, the Route 7, a frequent service which runs along Park Boulevard and connects Balboa to downtown to the south and several neighborhoods to the northeast. Hillcrest is quite well connected, with routes running south to downtown along the western edge of Balboa Park and in other directions.