Step over the ‘most crossed border in the world’ from the USA into Mexico and the car horns stop, Spanish floats by over the breeze, tacos sizzle by the roadside, lots of great restaurants, dynamic craft beer, urban art and zealous nightlife.
While I was travelling with friends we took the opportunity to take a day trip here, needless to say we didn’t have much time to discover many things or places with being short on time, but I can still give you an insight into what to expect.
We met our guide for the day at our hostel in San Diego and we traveled on the bus to the border. Getting through border control was a breeze and as soon as we were out of the building we were met with a mariachi band playing. The first place our guide took us was to Taco Franks to hunker down on one of the bright red stools and try some of the best roadside tacos around. We then caught a bus to Tijuana’s oldest open air market, Mercado M. Hidalgo which has been a foodie paradise for 60 years and where we could try even more varieties of foods and shop for souvenirs. It was here where we tried fresh tamarind. Now it may not look particularly appetizing, with a hard outer shell covering a soft brownish sticky flesh that covers seeds and if your not keen on sour stuff then it won’t be for you, but personally I loved it and bought myself a bag full.
After the shopping we moved onto the important part of the day, time to grab a beer. We were taken to the Mammut Beer company and they had a great selection to choose from, some of which were pretty strong at 10.2%. Needless to say after having a few here we were all a little tipsy, so where best to go next? Lets hit the tequila bar!
Before we hit the shots and end up not remembering the rest of the night we walked through the Rodríguez Passage. A narrow alleyway filled with small shops, mostly small artists’ spaces and amazing street art covering virtually every wall in sight.
Once we’d finished admiring the artwork we walked on passing the famous Caesar’s hotel, the birthplace of the Caesar salad, then we stopped off to haggle ourselves some souvenirs from a small cornershop. Because we had bought a few things the shopkeeper broke out a bottle of Tequila and gave us all a shot each. Now, whenever I’ve had it previously I couldn’t stand the stuff, but this Tequila was different, surprisingly really nice and smooth. No need for the salt or lemon here. It served as a great appetizer before we made our way to the tequila bar.
The choices at this bar were incredible, all rated with a little skull & crossbones to distinguish the strengths. There were certainly many drinks here that would blow your head off, non least the 8 ☠ Absinth and no I didn’t try it, I still had to get back through border control and they had big guns. Even so the drinks we ordered still almost blew our heads off, as the bartender had some skills that included setting the bar alight 😲🔥
We carried the night on until sadly it was time to leave. I have to say I enjoyed my short time here and would of liked to have been able jump right into the nightlife and have a full night out instead of having to keep one eye on the time and having to head back across the border.
All the people I met in the short time in Mexico were all incredibly friendly, hard-working, patient and generous individuals. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from visiting.
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Mexico has suffered from a reputation of being unsafe due to the drug war in certain parts of the country, but I can say with confidence that most places are plenty safe for tourists.
Media outlets tend to only report on sensational news coming from Mexico, so many people assume the whole country is a dangerous place. Mexico is VERY big, and just because there’s violence in some areas does not mean the whole country is a danger zone.
Tijuana is just south of San Diego, California on the border of Mexico City.
- Mexico’s currency is Mexican Peso, US dollars are widely accepted and even available for withdrawal at some ATMs, it’s recommended you convert your money to pesos as the conversion rate is lower.
- Take cash: You’ll get better prices in the shops.
- Currency marked with a $ sign can be pesos or dollars. If it doesn’t say, ask.
- Mexican food has been added added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List by UNESCO
- Spanish
- English
- Tip: “Bienvenido a Mexico!” you’ll hear from the locals – welcome to Mexico!
I actually stayed in San Diego, but a quick search it seems many Backpacker Hostels: from 125 MXN, £6, $7 per night offer free WiFi and breakfast. Guest Houses: from 765 MXN, £31, $40 per night. Mid-Range Hotels: from 1,900 MXN, £77, $100 per night for a basic room in a 2-star hotel that sleeps two. Resorts & Fancy Hotels: from 3,800 – 9,600 MXN, £150 – £386, $200 – $500 per night. Airbnb shared rooms starting at 210 MXN, £9, $11 per night and entire homes starting at 640 MXN, £26, $34 per night.
- Travel out of season By traveling between late April and early December, you can pick up bargain accommodation, food and travel rates.
- Get £25 off your first Airbnb trip of £55 or more click here.
Tacos tacos tacos. Why eat anything else in Tijuana? Visitors to the city should hunker down on one of the bright red stools at a street side taqueria at least once. The city is also the place to come for super-fresh mariscos (seafood). There’s fine dining on offer too. Mision 19 is a restaurant that elevates the food here to the next-level.
I took a day trip here with a guide and we used the bus to the San Diego Trolley (tram) to the border. Once in Tijuana we caught one bus, but mostly walked around.
- Bus, Local buses are the least expensive option other than walking.
- Car, I would advise against driving as the traffic 9 times out of 10 is ridiculous.
- San Diego Trolley it doesn’t go everywhere you might want to visit, but it connects quite a few of the most popular sights
- Taxi, drivers in Mexico generally don’t have meters, so ask the price before you get in. Look for white with a big, orange stripe and “Taxi Libre” written on the door. They have meters. To avoid any trouble, check to be sure the driver starts the meter when he drives off.
- Uber, be aware that you might have to pay international data roaming fees to use it. Uber passengers have been known to be attacked for using the service. Do a quick search for “uber in Tijuana” to find out the current situation before you decide to go this route.
- Walking, definitely take some time to walk around while your here, there is some amazing street art and sculptures on almost every corner.
I took a day trip here with a guide and we used the bus to the San Diego Trolley (tram) near Fifth Avenue in the tourist Gaslamp area. The blue line will take you direct to San Ysidro from Gaslamp and says Tijuana on the front. If you want to connect to the tram from another part of San Diego or from another line, you can find the trolley map here.
The trolley costs $2.50 and tickets can be bought from one of the trolley ticket machines using cash or credit card.
Crossing the border into Mexico couldn’t be simpler. Follow the signs, go through the turnstile, show your passport and you’re in. There wasn’t even a queue.
- The trolley takes around 45 minutes.
- Avenida de la Revolucion – Tijuana’s main tourist street.
- The beach – Head to Playas de Tijuana, see the border wall plunge into the sea and watch the sunset.
- Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe – The local cathedral.
- Centro Cultural Tijuana – Tijuana Cultural Center museum that chronicles Baja peninsula history from ancient cave paintings to modern times.
- Locally brewed craft beers.
- Lucha libre – masked wrestling.
- Mercado M. Hidalgo – Tijuana’s oldest open air market and has been a foodie paradise for 60 years.
- Pasaje Rodriguez – Rodríguez Passage full of amazing street art.
- Parque Morales – Woodland and traditional park, there is also a lake and a train for getting around
- Street Art.
- Tequila tasting – there’s no organised way to do this (they are missing a trick here), so you just have to go to a bar and try different brands for yourself.
- Tijuana Monumental Arch – you can see it before you cross the border.
- Tijuana Zebra – a donkey with black stripes painted on, a tradition for more than 100 years.
- Watch a Mariachi band.
Food is super cheap with lots of rice, beans, fruits, and veggies in the Mexican cuisine. The typical dish is a taco and expect to be offered a tequila even in a corner shop while buying souvenirs.
- Caesar’s Restaurant – we were told it’s very popular.
- La Justina – for Tijuana’s top cocktails
- Mamut Brewery Co. – A great selection of beers.
- Mercado M. Hidalgo – Tijuana’s oldest open air market and has been a foodie paradise for 60 years.
- Mision 19 – Fine dining
- Tacos El Franc – A little roadside taco stall that served some of the best tacos I’ve ever had.
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Telefonica Gastro Park -A food truck park.
- Take cash, You’ll get better prices in the shops.
- Currency marked with a $ sign can be pesos or dollars. If it doesn’t say, ask.
- Young girls selling flowers. Pickpockets may try to distract you by trying to sell you something while at the same time lifting your wallet. Cute kids are even easier to give in to but stay alert.
- Eat market food Mexico’s markets are a great place to eat inexpensively and also to stock up on food for day trips.
- You can get tacos on every street corner for as little as $1 for a meat taco and $1.20 for a seafood one. You can easily be full after eating three tacos, so dinner with a side of guacamole would cost you about $5.
- There are certain places where product prices are fixed and non-negotiable (like chain stores), but you can haggle for the price of souvenirs almost everywhere else. Don’t be afraid to walk away either… often that’s when a shopkeeper will give you his lowest price.
- Travel out of season By traveling between late April and early December, you can pick up bargain accommodation, food and travel rates.
- Wear comfortable footwear. Walking is the best way to see Tijuana. But if you’re exploring a lot you could walk quite a few miles.
- Get £25 off your first Airbnb trip of £55 or more click here.
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