Crossing Borders: Tijuana Day Trip from San Diego
Recommended by 92% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
San Diego, USA
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore Tijuana, Mexico, without getting lost on this day trip from San Diego, a great choice for first-time visitors. Visit cultural attractions, sample authentic Mexican street food at a sidewalk taco stand, and do some shopping and sightseeing. Opt to walk or take public transportation and experience the city like a local. Your guide can suggest stops and adapt the itinerary to fit the needs of the group.
- Explore San Diego’s sister city, Tijuana, without getting lost with a guide
- See more of Tijuana in less time—ideal for first-time visitors
- A small group tour for a personalized experience
- Lunch and bottled water included on this San Diego tour
What's Included
- Food tasting
- Lunch
- Local guide
- Safety briefing and local customs orientation
- Walking tour of Tijuana's cultural sites
- Border crossing assistance
- Food and drinks
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 727 E San Ysidro Blvd, San Diego, CA 92173, USA
Front Doors of McDonald's *Border Regulations it may change the meeting point (customer will be advice)*
End point
- Retorno SentriRtno Sentri, Cuauhtemoc, 22010 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
Just near to the Border in the Side of Mexico so you can just cross the Border to US.
Itinerary
Start this Tijuana full-day tour by meeting up with your guide and small group in San Diego. Your tour group is limited to just 12 people to provide an intimate journey through the city, which is ideal for first-time visitors who want to travel through Mexico safely with a guide.
Once you meet up, your guide helps your group with border crossing into Mexico before you set off exploring Tijuana by foot. During your full-day tour, do some sightseeing with your guide to see cultural attractions and learn about them, too. A traditional Mexican lunch, as well as food samples are included, so you can get a peek into the culinary side of the city.
This Tijuana experience ends once your guide gets you safely back across the border back into the US.
Once you meet up, your guide helps your group with border crossing into Mexico before you set off exploring Tijuana by foot. During your full-day tour, do some sightseeing with your guide to see cultural attractions and learn about them, too. A traditional Mexican lunch, as well as food samples are included, so you can get a peek into the culinary side of the city.
This Tijuana experience ends once your guide gets you safely back across the border back into the US.
Avenida Revolucion (Pass By)
El Popo Market (Pass By)
Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT) (Pass By)
Tijuana Arch (Pass By)
US Border Crossing San Ysidro (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Passport is required
- Border Regulations it may change the meeting point (Customer will be advice)
- If you are US citizen and don't have a passport, Birth Certificate (Not Copy) and ID are required
- Delay time may occur on crossing an international border.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 558 reviews
derrica_D, Jun 2026
Great day! The guides were knowledgeable and friendly. It was a safe environment and worth the money. 12,000 steps
asmjmillersbcglobaln, Jun 2026
They used public transportation. Very poor history of the places we went, which wasn’t much. Just walked mostly. Most of tour time was going to/thru and back again through Border customs. Do not recommend.
Beverly_S, Jun 2026
Best tour ever! Humberto was an excellent guide. It was clear he was an expert of not only Tijuana but of the culture, history, government, and economics of Mexico. Our small group allowed us to be flexible and allowed Humberto to ensure everyone was able to see and experience what they came for. He was able to accommodate unscheduled stops such as, stopping at a local cigar shop to watch a cigar roller and find Cuban cigars. Humberto made sure everyone was safe (which was never a concern), feed with amazing food options, and that bathrooms and beverages were available. He made sure we made it safely into Mexico and back across the border. He was available to assist with any issues until we made it across. Our small group got 4x more in value than what we paid for. I scheduled a number of tours over the last month while traveling in Europe, I had a work meeting in San Diego and this one (in comparison to the many in Europe) was the most affordable, most interesting, most fun, and most educational.
Mathew_P, Jun 2026
The meeting place to start the tour could be more explicit and say meet outside McDonalds rather than just the address.
Other than that a great experience with an excellent guide Carlos
Zoraida_M, Jun 2026
The experience was amazing. Marisol was an excellent tour guide. I would go take the tour again. I would have liked it to be longer and do more things.
Kariemah_G, Jun 2026
Tadeo was a wonderful guide. Be prepared for a long wait in the hot sun entering and exiting the country. Loved the tour.
Kariemah_G, Jun 2026
Our tour guide, Tadeo Calles, was wonderful! The trip was full of local eats and markets. We had a great time riding local transportation like natives. Be prepared to wait an hour getting into the country and an hour leaving!
Darrell_H, Jun 2026
The tour was exceptional and Carlos our tour guide was excellent. The coolest part of our tour was the tequila tastings
Jevons_L, May 2026
This was a good intro to Tijuana. Tabitha was a great guide with a great personality. The lunch place was decent. However, the cost is a bit high for what it is.
Sang_K, May 2026
🚨BOOK THIS TOUR WITHOUT HESITATION 🚨
I went to Tijuana and had an amazing opportunity to be taken on a tour by friendly Mexican tour guide called Tadeo. He took me around the market, the cathedral, a hidden Mexican restaurant tucked downstairs beneath a plaza, tequila tasting spots, and even to the top of a parking structure for one of the best views of the city.
The whole experience felt less like a tour and more like a good friend showing me all the secret places only he knows. I really appreciated his effort, genuine dedication, and passion for what he does.
The experience exceeded all my expectations, and I was honestly amazed. I highly recommend him to anyone wanting to experience the real side of Tijuana.
Diane_D, May 2026
Marisol was amazing. She explained all the points of interest. She is very knowledgeable and helpful.
Katie_K, May 2026
I would highly recommend the trip border crossing from San Diego to Tijuana. As someone who has never visited Mexico this gave us a great first taste of the country. We found border control to run smoothly and although longer on return was still under 2 hours. Our tour guide Tadeo was very informative and gave us a great tour of the city including taking some pictures that made our trip very memorable. We found Tijuana to be fun, safe and very tourist friendly was a very enjoyable trip :)
Amber_P, May 2026
Loved the tour guide but this tour is not worth it. First of all, the included lunch is 2 tacos and a fountain drink. I was expecting more of a food tour. Then it took HOURS to cross the border. The tour itself was 2 hours. The tour guide came to the US side, showed us the line and bounced. We waited by ourselves, something we could do without a tour. Then returning was the same. Why did I pay almost $100??? For 2 tacos and a fountain drink and for someone to show me what was essentially a mile of shops. There was also tequila tasting which I didn’t partake in. I didn’t get any tequila but there’s no refund options. All in all not worth it.
Christopher_R, May 2026
I had an awesome trip to Tijuana. The food was outstanding, and the tequila tasting was a highlight—really well done and a lot of fun. Our tour guide, Tadeo, was incredibly knowledgeable and did a great job showing us around and sharing insights about the city. Tijuana felt very safe and surprisingly clean throughout our visit.
One tip for anyone planning this trip: I highly suggest having Global Entry for the return to the U.S when crossing the border. If not, be prepared to stand in line for 2+ hours when crossing back. Overall, a fantastic experience and absolutely worth it!
Desiree_G, Apr 2026
This was the perfect introduction to Tijuana. Our guide Marisol was wonderful. We were escorted through border and then took a bus/van into the city where we did a walking tour, lunch at a great taco place, walked through open air markets, and to a tequila tasting and candy store to tastes candied orange peel and pineapple. Marisol was very knowledgeable and easy to hangout with. We felt safe and were taken to mom and pop stores that were very helpful in finding god souvenirs. I would recommend this tour for anyone checking out Tijuana for the first time.
jb_d, Apr 2026
Our guide Carlos was amazing! Highly recommend this tour! Tour was very safe and Carlos was very knowledgeable with the area.
Balachandran_R, Apr 2026
Do NOT take this tour.
Viator MUST be ashamed.
It never mentioned walking tour.
No one came on US side to pick up in a bus or any mode forcing us to do 1 hour of rude Mexican immigration.
No communication at all with tour guys via phone till last minute.
We traveled in public bus in Tijuana where we were shown a few junk streets.
Save yourself Americans from this huge fraud of $279 for 3 persons.
To see a few streets why so much money?
These tour guys thinks we are dumb & stupid. That’s why.
Dryden_D, Apr 2026
Overall great tour! I would say that people should know its mostly a walking tour once you are downtown Tijuana. We first met up with Andres to get us through the boarder to Mexico. He gave us a lot of great info and was very helpful. He introduced us to our guide Tadeo once we got through the boarder. Tadeo gave us a rundown of the plan for the day and the we took a bus downtown. Once downtown we were shown all of the culturally important spots and the cool niche spots. We were taken to a great spot for tacos and tamales! The shopping was good but not as cheap as expected. I myself would have been fine going over and exploring by myself but my fiance and friends were worried. So I booked a guide. Tadeo made the day great for all of them! Their whole opinion of going to a boarder town changed after this trip to a positive opinion.
Julie_B, Mar 2026
Well finding parking and where to meet our guide was a nightmare!!! I almost went home and said forget it!!! At the border you might wanna tell ppl where to park and to meet the guide in front of Mc Donalds!!!!!
Lili_B, Mar 2026
Carlos and Andres were great and helpful. I learned a lot and had tasty food. Definitely recommend. Crossing the border was easy and not stressful. The lines were also not that long!!
Jakob_T, Mar 2026
A great tequila and taco tasting wine tour around Downtown Tijuana! Our guide Tadeo was super knowledgeable and helpful, especially at the border. It’s a lot of walking but there’s ample time for breaks and pit stops.
Crystal_K, Mar 2026
It made the day enjoyable with less stress. We could have not done it without the tour guide. We got to see everything and even enjoyed a taco.
Kenya_L, Mar 2026
We had an amazing time on the Crossing Borders: Tijuana Day Trip from San Diego! Everything felt authentic, and fun. It was such a great experience getting to explore Tijuana and see things for ourselves instead of just hearing about it.
Our tour guide, Tabitha, was absolutely wonderful. She was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and made everyone feel comfortable right away. You can tell she genuinely enjoys what she does, and that energy made the whole trip even better.
This was actually my first time crossing the border, and I even brought my 16-year-old son along. It turned out to be one of the best days and such a great memory for us to share together.
If you’re thinking about taking this tour, I highly recommend it. Great experience, great guide, and a really fun way to explore Tijuana!
Jessica_M, Mar 2026
Tadeo was our tour guide and he was the best we've ever had! Extremely knowledgeable about the city and the area. He kept a great pace and we enjoyed every minute of it. It was like Tadeo breathed with the city and knew every spot to take us! This was my first time and Mexico and I felt very safe even with the recent unrest. I would highly recommend this tour and Tadeo in particular!
Joycelyn_B, Feb 2026
I'm so happy we booked this tour!!!! Our tour guides were informative and accommodating. We enjoyed the food, coffee, the museum, the conversations and the overall experience. It was a day well spent.
Jody_K, Feb 2026
Loved this tour of Tijuana. The food and tequila were great. Our guide was very knowledgeable! Definitely recommend especially for people that have never been. The lines to cross can be veryyyy long so be patient crossing!
Laura_R, Feb 2026
Tadeo was a wonderful, knowledgeable and easy-going guide. He did a great job catering to the many personalities in our group and kept everyone happy. It was a busy day at the crossing but he communicated well and everyone got where they needed to be in a timely fashion. The trip back into the states took us an hour from dropoff to our ride back to SD. Not bad!
Teresa_L, Feb 2026
There seemed to be a few hiccups in the details. We received a call about 30 minutes before from our tour guide who was supposed to arrive on the US side to escort us to Tijuana; she let us know she was in line for 2 hours and not near the US side so we had to cross the border ourselves. It wasn't difficult but because of that, it took people who were coming on the tour longer to get to the Mexico side and we ended up having to stand in the HOT sun for about 30 minutes which wasn't fun. It seems this is a common issue based on other reviews and I think the company should plan better for this and change how the tour is described. Once we got going it was then going smoothly. Our first stop was a tequila tasting. I'm not a fan of this but however I was fine to do the tasting, we seemed to take a long time doing that and a few other members agreed we were there too long. We kind of felt it lagged because they wanted us to buy more alcohol. I would have rather seen more shops where we were. After that we went to a candy shop which was nice and we tasted a chili mango which was really good. Then we went for lunch. we had 2 blue corn tacos. The beef tacos were very good, the chicken did not taste like much. After that we had free time and then the tour went back for another tequila tasting. I really wanted to see more of the local markets. When the tour was over we went back and had to stand in line for 2 hours to get to the US side. I think the company should make it clear that this is normal to stay in line that long when they advertise it. My husband and i have taken many tours with Viator and never was disappointed before.
Diane_H, Jan 2026
Andres and Carlos made sure we felt confident in crossing the border. Carlos was an informative and fun guide.
Helen_B, Jan 2026
It was a good introduction to Tijuana and there were some fun activities scheduled. The tour guide Marissa was very nice. We did it cause we were a bit scared of crossing over into Tijuana and it made us comfortable if we ever do it on our own.
From $93.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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