Tijuana is definitely worth visiting as long as you venture away from Revolucion (basically the only place you'll see tourists these days). The risk of drug violence was overblown even at it's worst, but it's gotten much better since 2009 anyway. The easiest way to get there is to take the trolley to the border or park a rental car at the duty free shop lot on the U.S. side of the border and then walk across. They don't even stop you to check for a passport when you go in, but coming out can be a pain. It's usually less than an hour, but Sunday evenings and Monday mornings are awful since everyone is crossing the border to go to work in the U.S. for the week.
Definitely do not take a car across. You'd need to buy Mexican insurance and deal with roadblocks/inspections and it's much easier to just get a cab to take you to wherever you want to go. I was on a motorcycle last summer, and it's pretty intimidating to see guys with AK47s stopping all traffic ahead of you without knowing if they're policia or banditos. I didn't have any problems, but $20 will get you as far as Rosarito beach in a cab, and that's probably as far as you'd want to go anyway (Ensenada is a little further down and has incredible seafood, but cruise ships stop there so it can feel like a tourist trap). Rosarito has a decent beach, but it's not really a must see.
When you want to go somewhere, just be firm with the taxi drivers who offer to take you to bars, because otherwise they'll end up taking you to some shady stripclub/whorehouse that gives them a kickback.
As for Tijuana, you should hit Mercado Hidalgo for all sorts of awesome food, and Tacos el Gordo is right across the street and serves some of the best street food style tacos you'll ever have. The lengua (beef tongue), carne asada and chicken are my favorites, but I've never had a bad one.
Tacos Salceados is probably my favorite restaurant down there and serves amazing tacos with great homemade salsas. The barbacoa place right across the street is great too, but unfortunately, they usually sell out in the morning before Tacos Salceados opens, so you'll have to make 2 trips to do them both.
If you're looking for more tacos, you can go to Las Ahumaderas, which is a little street with nothing but taco shops along it. They're mostly very good, but probably a small step down from the two places I mentioned above.
Another eating option is is just to wander the streets sampling street food. I wouldn't recommend aimlessly wandering around TJ at night, but it's perfectly safe during the day as long as you follow the crowds. You can get all sorts of things, but the fresh fruit with a little chili powder tastes better than anything on a hot summer day.
You can do all of that in a day trip, but the Hotel Pueblo Amigo is very nice/secure if you want to spend the night. Just don't waste your time gambling at their sports book, because it has the worst odds I've ever seen.
Just let me know if you're looking for anything else specific.
Last edited by gargamel; 04-10-2013 at 07:00 PM.
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