Tijuana, worth a visit?
 

Is Tijuana worth a visit?Where is the best place to go while I'm there. If I left from Sandiego at lunch time would that give me enough time and would a late return be safe. Also can you tell me the best way to get there eg. trolly and it's cost.

I live in San Diego and visit Tijuana frequently. However our visits are for business ( I own a business there ) and to visit family. <BR> <BR>Whether visiting Tijuana is worth it or not is up to you. What do you like? My advice is that it should be low on your list of priorities. There are parts of Tijuana that are OK but I know the city very well. The majority of Tijuana is not very nice. It is a very large spread out city of 1.5 - 2 million habitants. It is not a typical Mexican city. If you do visit than I suggest that you visit "La Zona del Rio" area. The vast majority of folks go to "La Avenida Revolución" where all the tourist traps are. "La Zona del Rio" is about 5 minutes from the border and has excellent shopping, restaurants, etc. <BR> <BR>The way that I would go is to take the San Diego Trolley ( approx. $2.00 ) to the border. Walk across the border and you will see a million taxi cabs and the drivers will hound you offering you rides primarily to "La Avenida Revolución". Take a taxi to "La Zona Del Rio" shopping center. Make sure that you negotiate the price before you leave. Shouldn't be much more than $7.00. Don't worry about the taxis. They are perfectly safe in Tijuana. <BR> <BR>I would NOT wander around Tijuana at night unless you are in an area with a lot of people. Tijuana does have a very high crime rate. "La Zona Del Rio" is a pretty safe area. A late night return shouldn't be too bad. You catch the trolley going north almost immediately after exiting the US Immigration.

Only go to Tijuana if you can find out where the good places are. We took the trolley and didn't have a clue as to what to do next. We got on an old school bus to town, which was fine and the driver clearly explained the pickup procedure. The shopping area we went to was a ton of mediocre merchandise, agressive salespeople and lots and lots of little children begging. The bus did know a quick way back to the border, there seemed to be miles of cars waiting to get thru. When we got off the bus, one of the US soldiers said "Smile if you're happy to be in the US." He was right. We didn't plan our trip so we ended up in a tourist trap but fortunately didn't get our pockects picked.

We went to Tijuana for the second time a few years ago and had a good time. The city is kind of a shock the first time with chaotic traffic and so many poor people and areas. We weren't very informed but went to the "La Avenida Revolución" area. The one good thing is that there are so many tourists there it seems pretty safe on the main drags. I didn't care for the hassling shopkeepers, but we had a lot of fun at a couple of the cantinas & restaurants listening to mariachi bands, eating, and drinking margaritas.

No, it is not worth a visit -- especially if you have limited time in San Diego. If you want to get a taste of the Mexican Heritage of Southern California, spend the day in Old Town San Diego.