Going into Tijuana is literally 200 times easier and shorter than trying to return to the United States into San Diego. For a safe and secure space for our vehicle we park in the structure on the US side. You get your steps in walking over the bridge to the immigration building but it's fairly a breeze. Another slower option is to catch the trolley both ways. There are two separate lines for Mexican citizens and foreigners(us.) the line on the left can zip through by showing a special card you apply for to enter Tijuana. For the rest of us just go through the turnstile, follow the queue to show the agent your passport and they will insert a printed document slightly larger than your passport. The path to reach the more active and colorful section of Tijuana is A good way to rack up your steps. Lots of walking is involved. Enjoy shopping if something strikes your fancy and become a thirsty sponge for their music, margaritas, tequila, and food. Our strongest beverages there are still bottled water, ice tea or Diet Coke in a large, reputable eatery. Trying to return to the United States is another story. We've been in line over an hour previously but this recent venture took us 3 hours and 45 minutes. Make sure you have a hat, sun glasses and apply sun screen. You're definitely immersed into the local culture, people and their dogs or children trying to exit along side of you in one continuous line forming 4 lanes of pedestrians. Everyone waits patiently in the heat with the sun's rays beating down on you. You can purchase churros, ice cream, popsicles and snacks if street food is your thing as there are vendors, roaming sellers and little convenience like stalls or shops where you must pass. The other alternative is driving over the border but it's anyone's guess which way is faster by foot or vehicle to exit. Luckily no hagglers like decades past. Haven't encountered pick pocketing but there are beggars and homeless you'll encounter. Not for the faint of heart. I saw one man in a wheel chair being rushed by a uniformed person through security with an ambulance waiting for him. Next I saw he was on a gurney and looked barely alive. If you are mobility challenged don't hesitate, if you have a walker or wheelchair bring it and use it. read more

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We did it! We walked across the Mexican Border! Many years ago, when I went to college in San Diego, I crossed the border twice: once on a bus when we went camping with the Biology Club, and once when we rode on the trolley to Tijuana! Now, I can say that I walked and crossed into another country! It was rather simple - and coming back into the USA wasn't too bad either... Except for the long line. I think we waited in line for about an hour? I was able to spend the rest of my pesos (and some of my friends' pesos) on a few souvenirs. Too bad there were no postcards. I should have looked earlier while we were in Downtown Tijuana... Next time! read more

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In and out from one side to the no other. Painless process. Enough security so no shenanigans goes down. Doesn't take long to go from each side of the border read more

5 stars?! Y'all think I'm loco? I'll tell you why I gave the FIVE. I FINALLY GOT A SENTRI CARD. I don't know why I waited so long. But last night, a typical summer night on a Saturday, July 15, 2023, it only took me 15 minutes to cross the border. General (regular) border crossing was estimated at 200 minutes. What's 200 minutes?? That's 3 hours and 20 minutes wasted in your car trying to avoid street vendors, street food, crazy drivers, and smelling obnoxious gas fumes. How about the Ready Lane? Only 130 minutes . That's 2 hours and 10 minutes. Things you need to know. 1. Get in the Sentri Lane somewhere near Blvd Padre Kino and the Father Eusebio Kino, S.J. round about. If you try and Google, Google maps will get you close to the border, but the Policia Federal will block you and get to the back of the line of cars already in line. No short cuts! 2. There's only 2 Sentri Lanes from Blvd Padre Kino up until the border where there are only 2 entrances beyond the concrete barriers. Once the concrete barriers are passed, there should be 7 Sentri Lanes available. 3. There should be a CBP agent who may want to see your Sentri card, so be ready. 4. When you're in a controlled Lane, have your card available to be scanned. You'll see a scanner that you hold your card to. 5. If you have tinted front and rear windows, I suggest roll them down before getting to the agent window 6. Prepare to hand your card to the agent 7. The agent will ask if you have anything to declare 8. Welcome back to the US! There's a cool MUST NEED APP if you're crossing the border. Download the CBP Border Wait Time app. This will give you a good idea of how long the border wait is at every California Border. read more

Mexican Border - 15 min to cross on Sentri - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Diego, California

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It was pretty sweet & easy to go from the states to Mexico. We drove. On the way back I took an Uber from a friends place to the Mexican side of the border & walked through to San Diego aka San Ysidro East/West Entrance. The funny thing was that as easy as it was, it was interesting to see that crossing back into America, I was greeted with a not so friendly greeting. It was really disappointing to have had to witness that. Heading into Mexico people were friendly & nice. My review is not about the greeting I received & more about the ease it took to get to & from both sides. Easy peezy. Thank you to both countries (I am American) for taking great care of me. read more

I can't think of a better way to cap off a fun filled Memorial Day weekend in Rosarita, Mexico than a 5 hour wait on the freeway to return back to the Mother Land (United States). Coming on a holiday weekend & leaving late in the morning I can't really complain since it's a know fact that the wait is normally 2-3 hours when it's "not that busy". There's fun strange things to see as you slowly make your way back to the States, there's dozens of Taco, churro, shrimp cocktail, & snack trucks all along the lanes on the highway. People selling cell phone chargers & cases, ponchos, knock off NFL & NBA merchandise. Pretty much all the stuff you weren't sure you wanted to buy in Mexico is right there on the freeway waiting for you to give it against your better judgment and buy a giant Raider blanket that actually looks & feels like a rug for $15 when the highway vendor initially said $25. Coming into Mexico is no problem, driving it only took maybe 30-45 minutes to get through & pass the 2 lane road and into the main highways. Coming back if your driving or walking you'll need either a passport, or some form of state issued ID & Birth Certificate. read more

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The border crossing from San Ysidro to Tijuana! The best thing is to have Sentri if you're driving. Most recommended is to cross over on foot for fastest passage. If you can, Otay crossing may be quicker. Busiest time are rush hour morning and evenings especially a Friday night. I got here Saturday morning and it wasn't too bad to cross into MX. Sunday afternoon was packed with a 45 min on foot line or 3 hour car line. Even Sentri was bad to get into the US. I use Otay to cross back into US. Make sure to have everything ready as you cross either to MX or US. read more

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I have no complaints. Really! Getting across both ways seems to work just fine. In the past I found getting back across the border to take a long time but apparently they've stream-lined things and it works like clock-work. I'm not sure whose in charge, but they deserve kudos in spades! read more

It took us forever to get in believe it! For one, it was a long Thanksgiving Holiday weekend (after TG) people don't stop traveling back & forth; Two, it was late in the day, WTF were we thinking?! Oh yeah it was our mission to drop off clothing, among other donations to my husbands family who like most these times very needy. And last, if you have not seen or heard the news of the chaos going on with mass migrant caravan from Central America - again WTF were we thinking??!! Needless to say we spent our entire day & night just to go in , drop off and turn around to head back to LA, which took well over 4hours - just to drive in San Ysidro. Well to make the most of it, we had street tacos & had drinks in the middle of all that, so that made it a tad better, but still excruciating pain. But not as painful after hearing what went on today (border temporarily shut down/protests) very thankful we got it done Friday. And yeah I got a warning for not having my passport:/. They could tell by the way I talked, I'm totally from the US what they call me? Oh yeah Pocho because of my broken Spanish. I'll make sure to renew it before going back not anytime soon however. read more

Once upon a time, a friend and I went to the US-Mexico border along the beach. We found the roadway to the beach closed, so we parked in a small dirt lot, next to some porta-potties and a trail head. We decided to take this trail head, thinking it was a alternate route to the beach. We walked along the road, coming across some interesting sights. First, we encountered an old non-seaworthy boat sitting on the side of a hill. We checked it out, and found nothing in it. We thought it was weird that this old boat was on this hill since it is far from a big body of water. But on we went. We then came across what looked like an old small house. But this old house looked like it was bombed out. There was debris everywhere around this place, and there was a significant amount of plant growth here. This house must have been bombed out a long time ago. Then we came across a small man-made lake, but very littered with trash. The smell was a bit much, and there was trash that I imagine floated in from south of the border. Finally, we came across the new border gate. This gate was tall, silver-colored, and extended into the horizon in both directions. Beyond this gate was an uphill. I thought it was weird that we just walked upon this place like nothing, considering that the government spent millions of dollars reinforcing the border security. We never ran into a single person while we were there, so we decided to trek back to the car. So we were maybe 100 meters from the trail head, when I noticed a border patrol car trailing us. Once the BP agent caught me looking back, he pulled up beside us and questioned us. Another BP agent pulled up in an ATV. It turns out that this area is off limits to everyone except BP personnel. They ran my ID, and asked me a lot of questions. They could tell that I was telling them the truth, so they let us go. Lucky for us, as my friend left her ID at home, and she looked unmistakably Hispanic. I also had five days worth of beard growth, and looked very middle-eastern. So I can imagine the thought running through their heads before questioning us. We joked about the whole matter, and had quite a story to tell when spring session began at university. read more

Mexican Border - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Diego, California

Be prepared to wait at least 2+ hours (my record is 5.5 hours) if you're driving back into the US side. I highly suggest walking across and just catching an Uber or cab if you're sticking around TJ. Carry cash if you decide to drive. You're going to need plenty of change to buy from all those hawkers selling everything from horchata or churros while you're in traffic waiting to cross US immigration. Apply for Sentri (or Global Entry) so you can breeze right through the line when in the pedestrian line. You gotta register your car if you're a member of either one to use the Sentri lane to drive back (and all of your passengers need to have either Sentri or a Global Entry as well). Which is why I highly suggest just walking across and back at the border. My average is 10 seconds when my buddies and I head down for some grub (we breeze right through in just seconds when everyone else has to wait 40+ minutes in the standard or ready lanes). read more

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OMG this place. Coming into Mexico is a breeze. You drive in with no hassle and you're on your merry way into the land of chaos haha or the beach towns (rosarito, Ensenada) etc So easy to leave the US. So effing difficult to come back into the US. I've been here three times already and every time has been different. I ended up in the wrong lane the first time. The sentri lane and even though I quickly found out I was in the wrong lane, there was no way for me to get into the right lane. Luckily, they took pity on me and I didn't get fined the $5,000. I did however have to go through a second inspection :/ Total time to cross: 2 hrs The second time I ended up in the right lane and all I had to endure were the countless street vendors and street performers. Total time to cross: 1 hr This last time was a three day weekend and the lane was backed up like crazy!! All lanes were open too. Total time to cross: 3 hrs You can find all kinds of street vendors here while you sit in agony in your car... Lamps, rosaries, necklaces, frames, paintings, NFL and MLB gear, churros, gorditas, ice cream, flan, corn, and even tiny puppies. Yeah puppies. Also, some guy selling multiplication fact sheets haha Tips: 1)Don't travel on a three day weekend 2)Make sure you are in the right lane 3)If bringing alcohol, one bottle per person 4)If not buying anything, avoid eye contact with vendors 5) maintain sanity 6) make sure you have a passport for faster inspection. Children under 16 can travel with original birth certificate This last trip almost put me over the edge haha Adios amigos! read more

Things were quiet, we just wanted to see first hand what is going on. There were families who were being organized into areas at the US Govt office it nothing awful as we've seen in the news lately so we were glad to not witness the tragedy of babies being separated from parents. read more

Mexican Border - This is where the families were - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - San Diego, California

Border wait time to cross over is horrendous! I guess it's a compromise we must accept to better secure our borders. Be prepared to wait an excess of 1 hour up to 4 hours. Merica! read more

How does one really review a border, especially when the border is so ambiguous you don't know which border you're reviewing? It's San Ysidro, obviously, but as of recently there's two sides to enter and leave Mexico. I've been using the new Pedwest to exit Mexico, but yesterday was the first time I entered via that path as well. It's pretty nice to park on the American side and then be on foot for the rest of the day, no cabs or Uber's needed. I walked through the border to downtown, ran some errands and got some food, and walked back. The new border is awesome, minus the long walk to get through it. No wait, friendly border staff on both sides, and it's clean clean clean. I don't think I'll be using the old border crossing anymore now that Pedwest is open. Hope this stays as nice as it when it's nice and new! read more

Planning to head down to Rosarito or Puerto Nuevo? Scam Alert: Always have exact change or close to exact change for the toll booth coming back to USA border. If not, toll booth lady will play dumb "that is too big of a bill. I don't have enough change." Then you either surrender your large bill to her or deal with the federales/policia parked a few feet away. Rosarito is a party scene with a good opportunity for ATV ride at the beach. Puerto Nuevo is a very small city with restaurants and souvenir shops. Had a great daycation at the two cities, but did not appreciate the spook from the toll booths. Tip: GlobalOne pass helped us avoid the 7 hour long line at the border 2pm Saturday afternoon. read more

Get your sentry pass, this is ridiculous. However, you do get multiple last chances to buy things you never knew you needed, or wanted. The air is quite refreshing while waiting hours to get back to " MERICA" The things you get to see. Yelp on read more

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Only deserve one star because I did not get my passport stamped!!!

I was not to bad to get through the border. Mexico has always been inconsistent as to their policies and rules. Drug dogs sniffed the luggage, the bus was checked, we were checked....all was well. If you use the bathroom here....make sure you squat and bring your own TP. Just sayin. @___@ read more

There are always horror stories when trying to go into Mexico and back, but I think most of them are either hyped up or come from morons. To get into Mexico it is as simple as paying $7-$10 to park in the US, walking probably a quarter of a mile, and going through a turnstile. To get back, it takes the same amount of walking, a quick 3-15 minute wait, and they ask "What did you go to Mexico for?" and "Are you bringing anything back?" SO HARD. It is an easy day or half day trip, and assuming you are smart enough not to joke about bombs, drugs, or smuggling anything, you will be just fine. If you cannot manage to not do that, well, maybe just stay at home with pads and a helmet on. As for once you cross, there is plenty to do. A $5.00 taxi can take you pretty much anywhere you would want to go for a day trip. You can go for cheap booze, street vendors, just to see the difference a man made line sadly creates, because you want to practice Spanish, whatever. I would recommend not changing your money to Pesos, as your dollar is totally acceptable, and it saves you the trouble of figuring out an appropriate tip or counter offer. Culturally speaking, you tip EVERYONE. This is similar to many other countries, at least in Latin America. Guy gives directions? Tip him. Someone opens your door or hails you a cab? Tip them. It doesn't matter, and since a dollar is all most expect, don't be cheap and further the reputation of Americans as terrible people. Seriously, it is a dollar, you probably spend more on 3 beers than you will tipping the entirety of the people who help you out. Likewise, don't make fun of the culture or what you see, it is a dick move. Cultures differ, situations differ, enjoy it for that, don't mock it. Next, it is important to note that in Mexico it is a crime to carry a knife. This is without regard to size or use of said knife. I assume most people reading would prefer not to end up in jail in Mexico, so if you carry one, leave it in your car. In the same vein, don't be an idiot and insult or get mouthy with cops who stop you. Just because you are not from Mexico does not mean that their laws don't apply to you. I cannot speak for Mexico, as I have not personally dealt with officers, but if stories are true, and my two years in Argentina are any indication, if you do have problems, cash goes a long way to making those problems disappear. But be respectful. Finally, if you know where you want to go, stick to your guns. Plenty of businesses offer kickbacks to cab drivers to bring tourists to their places. So when your cabby says "That place is not open" or "This place is better" they are probably full of it. Research where you want to go beforehand and ask outright "How much to here?" Then if they try to talk you out of it, say no thanks, we will just take a different cab. Enjoy! read more

Getting into Mexico was very smooth. The people at passport control were very helpful and one person even helped to fill out all our entry cards. The place was clean and the bathrooms were a good last option before heading into Mexico. read more

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