The 15 Best Tijuana Day Trips from San Diego

1.Intro to Mexico Walking Tour: Tijuana Day Trip from San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 616 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $73Our pick

Cross from San Ysidro into Mexico with help from a local coordinator, then walk central Tijuana with guides such as Tadeo, Tabitha, Humberto, or Carlos. Expect Avenida Revolución, markets, food tastings, quesadillas, tequila, shopping, and a local lunch in a group of up to 12.

“Great tour guides and great stops. Definitely worth the amount. Great experience would recommend and would do it again.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Crossing Borders: Tijuana Day Trip from San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 519 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $93

Meet near San Ysidro and cross into Tijuana with a guide and a group of no more than 12. Walk through downtown, sample Mexican candy and tequila, eat lunch, visit shops and historic sights, then return to the US border with guidance from guides such as Tadeo, Carlos, and Andres.

“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…”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Tijuana Local Walking Tour from San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 283 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $53Best value

Spend about 4.5 hours exploring central Tijuana with a local guide. Meet near San Ysidro, receive help at the border, then visit Avenida Revolución, a Mexican market, Art Alley, shops, and tasting stops. Guides such as Tadeo, Tabitha, Humberto, and Tiffany lead the Mexico portion.

“The tour guide never showed up at the location communicated on the USA side. Instead he texted me and asked me to meet him at the Mexico side. His English is very hard to understand, I don't feel comfortable at all to walk across the border to find him in the crowd. I didn't join him, but he never refund me either. Poor organization and communication. Wouldn't recommend to anyone.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Tijuana Guided Day Trip with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 224 reviews · 5 hours · from $73

Walk from San Ysidro into Tijuana with an English-speaking guide, explore Avenida Revolución, see murals and historic sights, enjoy a Mexican lunch with a drink, and browse local shops. Guides including Tadeo, Carlos, Tabitha, and Humberto are praised for friendly, personal tours.

“Umberto, our guide, was incredible! This was the highlight of our trip to San Diego! I can't believe how much we learned and what an amazing time we had! I also had no idea how easy it is to go in and out of Mexico! The whole experience was amazing! Now we want to go see Baja with our kids! Thank you Umberto and team for opening our eyes to a wonderful new world that we had no idea existed!”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Mexican Street Food: Tijuana Day Trip from San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 158 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $129

Walk from San Ysidro into Tijuana for tacos, Mexican breakfast, lunch, dinner, sweets, markets, and drinks. Guides such as Tadeo, Victor, Marisol, Carlos, and Humberto tailor the day to your interests, but you must bring a valid passport and allow extra time to return to the United States.

“If you are looking for a fun filled day in Tijuana seeing where the locals go—look no further this is the tour for you! Tadeo was incredible- he asked our group what we wanted out of tour and he tailored it to make sure we had the experience we wanted! The food, the history, the tequila and shopping were such an awesome way to see Tijuana! This was a 10/10. Highly recommend!”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Taco Tuesday Hop to Tijuana from San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 115 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $83Top rated

Join a small-group food tour from San Ysidro into Tijuana, where a local guide such as Carlos, Marisol, Tadeo, or Humberto leads you to taco stops, drinks, markets, and city sights. Round-trip transport, food, and drinks are included, but allow extra time for the border crossing back to the United States.

“Victor Garcia is what made the tour wonderful! He was warm, very knowledgeable and fun to be around. It was also very easy crossing the border going into and exiting Mexico. Next time I have more relatives visiting me in San Diego, I will take them on this Tour, but ONLY if Victor is our Tour Guide!”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Tijuana Toe Dip: Day Trip from San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 97 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $78

Spend about five hours exploring central Tijuana with a local guide such as Carlos, Humberto, Tadeo, or Victor. Walk across the border, visit markets and art sites, sample tacos, Mexican sweets, tequila, and beer, and learn how the city has changed.

“Had a great time. Good communication between meet-up who walked us to the border and guide who picked us up on the other side. Humberto was a wealth of knowledge about the history of the city”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Shared 6 Hours Tijuana Taco and Craft Beer Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $130

Cross from San Diego into Tijuana for three craft-beer stops, real Mexican tacos, and local sights. Guides such as Victor, Humberto, and Tadeo tailor the day to the group. The tour includes transportation, water, two beer flights or pints, and a maximum of 12 people.

“Tadeo was a great host! He personalized the experience based on my preferences. I thought the breweries were great, saw some landmarks and tried new foods. I would definitely recommend the experience to a friend. Thank you, Tadeo!”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Tijuana Cultural Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 39 reviews · from $159

Meet your guide at Cool Down Coffee in Chula Vista for a private six-hour Tijuana tour. Visit CECUT, Playas de Tijuana, Avenida Revolucion, Plaza Rio, and Mercado Hidalgo, with tacos, drinks, tastings, and private air-conditioned transport included.

“This was One of the BEST tours ever. Mario was very knowledgeable and accommodating. He was more like a friend rather than a tour guide. We had a GREAT time !!! Thanks Mario !!! Brenda and Steve N”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Puerto Nuevo Lobster, Margaritas and Mariachi Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 28 reviews · 5 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $189

Cross from San Diego into Baja California with a private guide, stopping at CECUT, the Tijuana border wall, Rosarito, and Puerto Nuevo. You get craft beer tastings, a lobster lunch, one margarita, mariachi music, and time to shop, with pickup available south of Mission Valley.

“This was most of our group’s first time in Mexico. Renee made the trip seamless and tailored our experience to our needs (more than half of our group doesn’t drink). We enjoyed taking in the scenery and feasting on lobsters. Getting back stateside was also painless. Highly recommend!”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Crossing Borders: Tijuana Day Trip from San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 17 reviews · 5h 30m · from $93

Cross into Tijuana with a local English- or Spanish-speaking guide, spend about three hours walking downtown, visit museums and markets, eat a Mexican meal, and try a craft beer or another alcoholic drink. Guides such as Tadeo and Marisol have made the day feel personal and reassuring.

“The trip was very beautiful and enjoyable. Our guide, young Tabota, helped and did everything to make this exceptional. For every recommendation”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Tijuana Food Tasting: Tijuana Day Tour from San Diego

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · 6 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $167

Join a small group of up to 12 for a six- to seven-hour Tijuana food tour from San Diego. Guides such as Andres, Marisol, Humberto, Umberto, and Sarah lead you to street tacos, local bakeries, coffee shops, microbreweries, markets, and family-run restaurants.

“We had such a great experience on our tour with Andres as our guide! He took us for delicious food throughout the day mixed in with history of the city and gorgeous views. Walking around the city city felt like walking with a friend. Through the different plazas and markets, you can tell that Andres has many connections and his love for the city is shown at each location he brought us to. He was very receptive to any input of locations we would like to see along the tour, and never felt rushed or slow. Overall this was a great time and would let others who travel to Tijuana…”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Tour of San Diego>Rosarito >Giant Christ>Puerto Nuevo Lobster

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $129

Travel from San Diego into Mexico in a small, air-conditioned vehicle for Puerto Nuevo lobster, Rosarito shopping, tequila tasting, Tijuana beach time, and the Rosarito pier. The tour starts at Las Americas Premium Outlets at 2 pm and ends near the San Ysidro border in Tijuana.

“We had so much fun! The driver was very flexible and took us to the best spots in Rosarito. Loved this trip!”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Puerto Nuevo Lobster and Tequila Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · 7 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $249

Spend about 7.5 hours crossing from San Diego into Baja for tacos in Rosarito, generous tequila and mezcal tastings, Pacific views over local beer, and a full Puerto Nuevo lobster meal. Oscar has guided the tour, though you should confirm the guide and inclusions before departure.

“We had a driver only, no tour guide. All the wineries were great. The lobster was great. However, we payed the full price and only had a driver. We had to pay for our lobster meal, that was included last time. No tour guide. If you go, get Details first.”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Tijuana Walking Street Food Tour for Foodies

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $79

Meet Albert near San Ysidro, walk across the border into Tijuana, then explore by shared taxi and on foot. You’ll eat at five food stops, visit El Popo Market, sip agua fresca, and finish with churros before returning to San Diego.

“This was an amazing walking tour. Plenty of great local food and Albert knows a lot about the town. Albert made it super easy to meet up and walk across the border and he got us back. He made the whole process super easy and fun. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone.”

Check availability →Read our full review