Day trip to Mexico--?

Question

Is it feasible to make a day trip to Mexico while staying in San Diego? I know there are these tour companies that take you on the bus, but we'd rather go on our own. How would we go about doing this? If we drive to the border and then walk across, is there anything to do there or will we have to go further in? If so, how? Any tips will be appreciated.

Answer 1

It is a good idea to drive to the border and then walk across to av. Revolucion where all the curios shops are.  I will recommend to catch the double decker bus tour, u can hoop in and out of it wherever u want.  In Tijuana u will fine very good restaurants much better than in San Diego, a few suggestions are La Querencia, Saverios or  La Diferencia just to name a few.  Used common sense and u will have a fun and sve trip in tijuana.

Answer 2

If you go into Old Towne in San Diego I think there is a bus that will take you to Tiajuana.  

Answer 3

Imperial Beach is just south of San Diego. Where my daugher lived, you could see the lights of Tijuana at night. And also Baja. They already went for the day. It was only a 10 minute ride. But, I think like the other person said, go to Old Town and get the info you need there. She never took me because she said it was too filthy and the kids come up to the cars and beg for food and money. Have fun, be careful!!!  Don't drink the water!

Answer 4

You can walk across the border.  Do not drive across the border because (a) it will take at least an hour to re-enter the US & that's on a good day & (b) your insurance is probably not valid in Mexico.

Answer 5

Definitely go! Tijuana is not really the "true Mexico," but it's a great experience on its own, and it's closer to the real thing than Old Towne.

If you're not going to drive into Mexico (easy enough to do if you're willing to buy a day's worth of insurance and deal with the wait to return), then I'd say either drive down to San Ysidro and park in a nearby lot, or take the San Diego Trolley down to the border and walk across.

There are lots of shops around Avenida Revolucion where you can meander around. As another poster said, there are some great restaurants off of the Avenida (La Diferencia ia also one of my favorites). It's easily doable as a day trip.

If you're up for a bit more adventure, I'd recommend getting down a bit further south. There are buses that can take you to Ensenada, or to the "lobster village" known as Puerto Nuevo. Puerto Nuevo once was a great deal: The prices have gone up, but the lobster meals are still most excellent. You can also find great food in Ensenada. There's also Rosarito, which is between Ensenada and Tijuana: You might even stay one night at the Rosarito Beach Hotel - it's a good place to relax for a day, do some shopping and find a nice meal. It's much more tranquilo than Tijuana.

If you're up for a bit more of an experience, you could take a tour of the wineries that are east of Ensenada.

You may think you're getting a beach experience in San Diego, but believe me, the difference if you go south of the border is amazing. It's much more peaceful and off-the-beaten path.

Like I said, Tijuana is not a bad experience if that's all you have time for, but if you can manage it at all, I recommend venturing a bit further south to get more of a real taste of Mexico.

Answer 6

You can walk across the border and be in Tijuana.  I don't know what you're looking to do, but I think this kind of trip is overrated.  I'd take a one-day cruise to Rosarito  (http://www.sandiegotours.us/tours/tourDe... or Ensenada (http://www.sandiegotours.us/tours/tourDe...  That way you get the nice scenery and a flavor for little Mexican towns that aren't TJ.