Tijuana, Rosarito, and Valle de Guadalupe, are all close enough to California that you can make a weekend trip (honestly, even a day trip) to some of these wonderful locations. Below are my reasons why you must venture now to Mexico and explore the colorful sites, delicious food, and amazing culture.

First off tips for crossing the border

• Park your car in San Diego -If you want to drive to the border I recommend waking up really early like 7am and parking down there is around $20 a day. Personally we felt like our car was safer in San Diego in a locked garage but this is up to you. If you want to drive across the border you have to have Mexican car insurance (typically not covered by credit cards or US insurance) and that costs about $35 a day as well.

• Take the San Diego Trolly to San Ysidro-this will put you right out side the border crossing area

  • You need to take the UC San Diego Blue Line, which starts at the American Plaza Transit Centre, 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. The trolley is part of the San Diego MTS.

    • The trolley takes around 45 minutes.

    • To get to the border from San Diego International Airport by public transport, take the MTS airport bus (number 992), which will take you directly to Broadway and Kettner. From there you simply cross the street to the American Plaza Transit Centre and catch the blue line trolley

• To save time traveling and maximize our time in TJ we typically Uber which is around $20-$30

• Walk across-Crossing the border into Mexico couldn’t be simpler. Follow the signs, go through the turnstile and you’re in. You generally will not have to queue to cross the border to go to Tijuana.

• Keep the tiny half sheet they give you when you cross (you will need this on your way out)

• When you come back there is a separate line for people with global entry, which could save you a lot of time (sometimes the line was 2 hours long)

How to get to downtown Tijuana from the border!

-Simple: Take an Uber or Taxi waiting outside. Make sure to ask for the meter or agree on a rate before hand. I like to use Uber so I know what I’m getting myself into and its prepaid, and with a language barrier it’s nice to be able to put in the destination ahead of time.

Tijuana

When I tell people I love Tijuana I always get the same response “Tijuana, are you crazy? So what’s the deal with Tijuana? The president of Mexico has been making strides to reshape Tijuana’s image and reputation. Tijuana has a past and history of violence and drugs. While prostitution is still legal in Tijuana  (on one Main Street) there are tons of things to do without getting involved in all of that. If you love tacos as much as I do, then you will love Baja California. Walking down Avenida Revolución you will find an abundance of crowded food stalls. Grab some street tacos for around a $1 each and sit back and relax.

• Eat a Caesar salad at Caesar’s-Did you know Caesar Salads were invented in Tijuana? WELL NOW YOU DO. Honestly, if you go to Tijuana and you DON’T eat a Caesar salad, then I’m sorry. You did it wrong.

• Eat Street Tacos and everything else in site:

  • Telefonica Gastro Park-Literally my favorite place, we go here every time we come down to Tijuana They have individual food trucks selling everything from ramen to tacos, and the drinks there are incredibly thought out and beautiful (as well as delicious) .

• Enjoy craft cocktails at La Justina they has amazing food and is known for its handmade specialty cocktails. Be sure to check it out, as they are opening a few more locations in Baja!

• Walk around la Avenida Revolución-This colorful street is considered the main street in downtown and you’ll be sure to find something to do here. There’s plenty of street vendors, restaurants and bars on this strip!

• Visit the Cultural Center-located in the  Zona Río area of Tijuana. Inside the Tijuana Cultural Center, you’ll find an Imax with different educational movies. There is also an area of the museum dedicated to local artists, both regional and national

• Enjoy craft beer at Plaza Fiesta, one of the best clusters of craft beer bars in Tijuana

• Visit a traditional Mexican market. There are a few around Tijuana, but the Mercado Hidalgo is most centrally located. Here you'll find creatively stacked fruit, locally produced cheeses, and a plethora of goods from South and Central Mexico You can have a snack at a food stand, sample some traditional Mexican candies and haggle for a souvenir.

Rosarito

• Visit the beach: You can’t visit Rosarito without spending time on La Playas de Rosarito, the picturesque beaches that the town is known for. The water is definitely quite chilly in the winter, but it’s the perfect temperature for swimming during the summer months. Since the beach is just a block away from the downtown area, it’s very easy to get to the beach for a picture perfect stroll in paradise.

  • Ride ATVS on the Beach for about $20 USD 

• Street Art-Spend any time in Rosarito at all, and you won’t be able to miss the colorful street art all over the place. It really makes the downtown area come alive with color, and it’s something to take note of and appreciate while you’re there.

• Stroll down Blvd. Benito Juarez-The main downtown area in Rosarito is located on Blvd. Benito Juárez. Take a stroll down this lively street and you’ll find all sorts of great restaurants, bars, shops, hotels and galleries

• Check out the Rosarito Beach Hotel-This iconic hotel was built back in the 1920s and it sits right on the beach. The architecture of the hotel is really beautiful and there’s a pool in the back, as well as a path down to the beach. 

• Pamper yourself at The Casa Playa spa-Located right next to the Rosarito Beach Hotel

• Enjoy delicious drinks on swings!- Pretty self explanatory, but while exploring Rosarito make sure to stop by one of the outdoor bars and enjoy a drink while swinging!

*Bonus: Visit Popotla a small fishing village not even 5 miles south of Rosarito. Take a drive down there to enjoy a delicious seafood meal overlooking the ocean. If you go in the morning you can grab fish from one of the fisherman and have one of the beach side restaurants will cook it for you! Have then fisherman you buy your fish from clean it for you. Haggle a bit too! You could pay about $20 USD for a whole red snapper. Don’t even think about trying to pay with card, bring your pesos. As a heads up make sure to know the metric system! You could easily end up with 2 pounds of shrimp!

Valle de Guadelupe

Only 2 hours south of San Diego is Valle De Guadalupe. Dubbed as “The Napa of Mexico” this area is starting to take off in both the food and wine scene. With infinity pools overlooking the wine valley below, modern $300/night eco-resorts and wine tasting tours, Valle De Guadalupe is quickly rising as the desired weekend destination for American millennials. Valle produces 90% of the wine from Mexico and you can easily get a great bottle for $5-15 USD. There are great restaurants and its so much cheaper than Napa

With a plethora of options I recommend doing a tour (we used Club Tengo Hambre) they will get you from each winery safely and you won’t have to worry about transportation. If you don’t want to do a tour I recommend hiring a driver or UberValle (since normal Uber isn’t as popular in this region). Valle has the most delicious reds and whites so there is something for everyone and no one wants to be the DD! If you are looking for a unique accommodation try staying in a bubble hotel

*Hire a driver-links below

Mexico border & Ensenada local pick up – Sibaria Tours and Baja Vino

Local hotel pick up - Sibaria Tours, Wine Eat Travel, and Baja Vino

U.S pick up - Baja Vino, and Wine Eat Travel, Baja Wine Food.

• Stop at Bura Bar at Cuatros Cuatros For Sunset Drinks-Who doesn’t love a good sunset? Make a reservation here as it is extremely popular.

• Winery Hopping-Try to limit your wineries per day to a few so you aren’t rushing, below are a few options for itineraries! *Pro Tip make any and all reservations because some won’t take walk-ins. You cannot go wrong all the wineries are beautiful and have delicious wine but here are a few itineraries to make your life easier

  • Option 1 -Monte Xanic, Vinedos de Reina (food option 1), Bruma (food option 2 at Fauna, L.A Cetto.

  • Option 2 - Emeve, Bodegas F.Rubio (food), Vina de Frannes (wine taste and lunch ), Adobe Guadalupe.

  • Option 3 - Lechuza, Relieve (food), Casa Frida and Vinas de la Erre (closes at 7pm).

• Eat delicious food

  • Fauna at Bruma Winery

  • Mixtura at Relieve

  • Deckmans at El Mogor

  • Malva at Mina Penelope

  • Latitud 32 at El Cielo Winery

  • Tras Lomita at La Lomita Winery

  • Animalon

  • Cantera Cocina de Valle at Maglen

  • Agua de Vid

  • Laja

  • Finca Altozano

Valle de Guadalupe is perfect for a long weekend and has easily become a place I want to go back to 100 times. If wine isn’t your thing, there’s plenty of spas and relaxing to be done as well!

Where are your favorite places in Mexico? Let me know in the comment section!

Make sure to take a bottle home with you as its fairly inexpensive. Be warned though U.S. Citizens can only take back one bottle per person (so bring your friends)