I will be traveling to SanDiego shortly and my son wants to go to Mexico to say that he has been there. Knowing that border towns can be rough and also that I am traveling with 2 kids under 6, should we go to Mexico and where could we go to?

Thanks in advance

Might be a bit much if the kids are much younger than 5 or 6. TJ, in my opinion, is a good place to go and spend and afternoon or so. I find TJ to no worse than going into LA.

The previous poster must be one of those people who doesn't like LA. LA and TJ can hardly be compared. Personally, I wouldn't take two young children to Mexico. And be warned that it can take a long time to get back across the border.

amy:

It sounds like he might have some childlike, romanticized notion of what Mexico is like. While somewhat interesting as an open-minded adult, I can almost assure you that Tijuana will not meet that expectation and might disappoint. If it were me, I would save the quintessential old Mexico experience for another time and place. Somewhere like San Miguel de Allende, an almost postcard-perfect traditional village.

If, however, you do go, park on the U.S. side and walk across. Then take a taxi (+/- US$5) to Avenida Revoluccion and stroll the street. There are a lot of crafts markets mixed in with the cheesy souvenirs and you will hear and see occasional mariachis. I think it is generally safe, but keep your wits about you, especially with kids.

A final thought: If you want, you can take the red car trolley from downtown S.D. to San Ysidro (the border) and not have to drive at all. The train ride is fun.

Why not take your son to Old Town in San Diego for a Mexican dinner and you can buy some souvenirs. It's a nice area of town...very touristy, but much safer with young children.

The trolley is another option, though you'd still want to really keep an eye on the kids once you're there. As the other poster said, it's not that glamourous down there.

Now if you like lobster, it might be worth driving down to Puerto Nuevo for a great dinner at a wonderful price. Small fishing village with great lobster. You could eat well and your son could still get his visit to Mexico.

Mexican border towns give me the creeps and leave me feeling sad, dirty and appreciating all that we tend to take for granted in the USA.
I'd never take young kids there.
It's not like they're imagining/hoping it will be.

The reply from Mary sounded interesting. My teenage daughter and I will be in SD, Mexican lobster sounded great but, how far is this village, Puerto Nuevo, from SD and is it safe for two women to drive? When should you be back across the border?

My parents took me down to Baja when I was 6 for a camping trip with a bunch of friends and family. They thought it turned out to be a wonderful experience, since I saw how poorly some children lived and how fortunate I was for my life in the US.

I agree with xxx. I think everyone should travel outside of the US just to learn to appreciate how well we have it here. It's probably a good thing for young children to see how other people live.

Tijuana is NOT Mexico, believe me. I lived in the San Diego area, and I have also traveled the length and width of Mexico for many years. Tijuana, unfortunately, is an unsavory border town. If you must take your son there, please tell him that a real Mexico exists beyond these borders: Cuernavaca, San Miguel de Allende, Taxco, Guanajuato, Merida and the Yucatan, etc.

I whole-heartedly agree with the poster regarding Puerto Nuevo. It is about 30-45 minutes south of the border. Once you cross keep right and look for signs to Rosarito or Ensenada. PN is about 5 miles south of Rosarito.

Coming back is not so obvious. The signs try to route you through Tijuana, but if you pay attention on the way to the coast road you will see the turn around necessary or better yet follow the California license plates. I always leave early so I can be back before dark.

If you decide to drive into Mexico, please make sure that you buy Mexican auto insurance before you go. If you do not buy it and you get in any kind of an accident, even if it's not your fault, the Mexican police will throw you in jail. If you should be injured, the lack of Mexican insurance will delay your transfer to a US hospital. You may find that car rental agencies will prohibit taking their vehicles to Mexico.

Take heed of what Barbara said. There are horror stories about people dying because of delays getting them back across the border to the US for medical care after an accident due to lack of insurance or at-fault issues. It is true many rental car companies will not allow their cars to be taken into Mexico. Even if the car is yours, if there is a lien on it, many banks have prohibitions on taking financed cars into Mexico without their permission.

Listen carefully, Amy, and I'll say it in one word: NO!!! (Even ADULTS should avoid it like the plague!!)

My vote is with NO. It is just too unpredictable for the little ones. I made the mistake of bringing my thirteen year old and three year old once. I felt very uncomfortable with the bringing them. It was not like other areas of Mexico at all. It was dirty and felt unsafe to me. I am glad we went, but I have no desire to go again and it was just a quick day trip.

I would not take myself or my children to Mexico. It is a very dangerous place.

You cannot trust the police our anyone down there. Also even if you have insurance the accident will end up to be your fault and could cost you plenty if not your life. Why take a chance.

I must disagree with the negatism about Mexico shown in this thread. I do avoid Tijuana like the plague though. If you immediately head out to the toll road and go south to Rosarito or Pueto Nuevo you will have a decent Mexican experience. My kids 7 and 9 love it. My wife and I are extremely conservative and cautious and do not feel threatened at all, but we always return before dark and allow 1-2 hours for the border crossing on the way back.

Have fun and do not be paranoid. There are places in most cities and countries to avoid doesn't mean the whole place is bad. Most people who get in trouble did not use common sense.

Tijuana...NO.

Small villages to the south...a slight maybe; but, as mentioned above, driving is risky.

Why take the risks when, as a previous poster mentioned, Old Town San Diego would suffice.

Also, if you want to give kids a "lesson" on how good we have it in the USA by showing them "poor kids" in Mexico, (as some previous posters suggest), just go to the "other side of town" in any American city and get involved in a charitable program.

Is there anyway to travel safely to puerto nuevo using mexican transportation? I will be traveling to San Diego in April with my two teenage sons and they also want to see Mexico. I will not be able to take my rental car. I was thinking of walking across and then traveling to peurto nuevo using some sort of mexican transportation. Is this feasible?