Originally Posted by
LennartH
Is there any preference between the two Premium Outlets in Carlsbad and at the Mexican border? The latter can be reached by trolley, right?
The distance to either of them is similar to me. I've been to Carlsbad more but given a choice have started to prefer San Ysidro (the one by the border) simply because it has more parking.
Yes, the San Ysidro outlet mall can be reached by trolley. It's about a 1 mile walk from the trolley station to the outlet mall, or you can take a 906 bus (907 on the way back from the mall) if you don't want to walk it (assuming you buy a day pass ticket for the trolley, the bus ride wouldn't cost you any extra).
It's actually possible to reach Carlsbad outlets via public transit as well. Take the Coaster train to Carlsbad Poinsettia station, then bus 446 to the outlet mall. This bus service is timed for commuting though, so there's only two morning buses and two evening buses; outside those times you'd probably have to take Uber/Lyft/Taxi to get between the train and the mall. So if I were going via public transit, I'd probably go for San Ysidro.