Tijuana - Your opinion please...

Hey,

I am going to be in California next month and I%26#39;m wondering if its worth taking a day trip to Tjuana for a look. I would do a bus tour or something like that. If I go should I book that from my end (Australia) before I leave or wait till I am over there?

What do you think? Is it worth it or should I spend my time elsewhere?

Help, I look forward to your replies....

Tijuana - Your opinion please...

I wouldn%26#39;t take a day out of my vacation to go to Tijuana. Border towns really don%26#39;t have any allure. I did make a special trip one time when we were going to visit my boyfriend%26#39;s relatives in Mexicali. I%26#39;d read a review in the New York Times about a restaurant that specialized in pre-Hispanic dishes, to whit, bugs -- a certain kind of worms, etc.

It took a while to find it, and I never would have on my own, but we ended up in the affluent end of Tijuana (yes, it exists). So there were all the suited businessmen having their expense account lunches, and the place was very nice.

I%26#39;ve also gone to Tijuana to party with friends of friends who were going to college there, and we saw some cool coffee houses and clubs. Again, I never would have found it myself were it not for friends.

BUT ... The part of Tijuana that tourists see when they hop on the trolley from San Diego is yucky. I wouldn%26#39;t go.

Tijuana - Your opinion please...

If you have time and would like to have the Tijuana experience then do it, but don%26#39;t expect anything special. The place is rather filthy, not very appealing and just a huge street market. I drove to the last US exit on I-5, parked my car and just walked into Tijuana for a 3-hour stroll. I don%26#39;t think I will ever be back.

However it would sure be interesting to visit the decent part of town, but obviously (as stated in the previous reply) you would need some local help getting there.