Throughout undergrad and grad school, I often took trips south of the border. My most common…read moredestination in baja back then was Ensenada, which sits about an hour's drive from the US/Mexico border. That drive gave me two options: the toll road ("cuota") or the toll-free road ("libre"). I always opted for the toll road, as it is heavily patrolled by law-enforcement, and the commute time is considerably less than the toll-free road. There are three toll booths between Tijuana and Ensenada, which runs you about three dollars and change per booth. Traffic has never been an issue for me on this road, and neither has anything else. The scenery along this route is beautiful! The road hugs the cliffs along the coast of Baja California Norte. If you are a fan of winding roads, a-la-PCH-in-NorCal, then you will like this stretch of road as well! Rosarito sits along this route, about 15 minutes south of Tijuana. There are also various gas stations and convenience stores along the way. I like their coffee, particularly the mochas from 7-Eleven. I also get a couple of bottles of water for my stay in Baja (do NOT drink the tap water!). This road is safe, day and night. There is often a military check point, but the personnel are pleasant people. The police are no issue either, I've only been questioned once by them. I was riding alone in a beamer in the middle of the night... Don't let the news scare you, Baja is actually a safe place to visit as long as you don't look for trouble and mind your own business. And if Ensenada or Rosarito is your destination, then take this fine stretch of road there.

Review 29 The scenic…read moreHighway to Ensenada is one of my favorites, it's beauty resembles the Big Sur to Cambria stretch of Highway. Rollinghills and quick back to back turns makes you wish you were driving a sports car. (Video) The current speed limit is 70 mph, in my opinion the highway is not designed for this speed. There's areas you could exceed 100 mph but the danger is the uneven road. That being said if you do have the opportunity to drive this highway use your better judgment, your experience and know your vehicle capability. This is a toll road with two pay booths per direction, The current toll is $2.10 per booth North and south. Mexican pesos or US dollars only, no credit cards. On weekends expect 3 to 4 sobriety checkpoints, all week you can expect a bunch of drivers that think they have nine lives. I suggest you drive this highway during the day unless you're extremely comfortable driving at night with zero street lights. Have fun responsible, peace out! (excuse the miss spells and grammar errors, talking to my phone as I'm driving) Plan B.

To cross back over to America from Mexico on foot, you will need to get into one of the two lines…read more The left line is for those with a regular passport, while the right line is for those with global entry. That right line is never an actual line. It's like when Disneyland first came out with the Fastpass; you get to just walk all the way to the front without stopping. If you do not have Global Entry, or Sentri, then you could wait anywhere from 20 minutes, to two hours on foot. If you're entering by car, it will always take at least 2 hours or more, unless you have Global Entry, or Sentri of course. On foot, the line to cross the border is outside. The line is covered, but you will see many Mexican residents walking up and down selling things and asking for money. It is always best to keep your belongings as close to you as possible, and not have anything sticking out of your back pockets for easy access to be stolen. But as long as you aren't being flashy, and you're not showing off expensive jewelry or waiving your money around, you'll be just fine. I do wish that the line was inside the building, like how it is for the line on the other side when you're waiting to get into Mexico. Once inside though, you'll just be asked two questions, and then you're welcomed back in.

Review 31 Be…read moreprepared to know where you're going soon after you pass Mexico customs, the road splits 5-ways after entering Mexico. Check the image on my "Tip" to know your road options, you don't have much time to switch lanes. Try to enter Mexico with this in mind. Don't forget to buy MX Automobile Insurance, you're not covered with any USA policy. (Online) **** If traveling for more than 72hrs or beyond 30km you'll need a FM-T permit: Rosarito is 30km. You can stop at the vehicle inspection area, walk over to the "Garitas" office to purchase one. Drive defensively :) Plan B.

To return to the United States this port needs to improve their station because there are 20 lanes…read more It should be US citizens in one line to exit and foreigners in another line same as when you enter. Amazing how patient, children, babies, pets and adults are to wait 3+ hours to exit Tijuana into the United States. The line snaked into four lines. You'll see children selling woven flowers, mothers with infants walking up and down the lines selling snacks. There was a churro man going back and forth. Also blind or others saying chiclets, selling gum. Many people in line bought cold refreshments like popsicles, ice cream or granita looking cold treats. Happy to be back in the United States.

Luckily the foot traffic to enter into Mexico was only about 50 people long when we arrived on a…read moreSaturday afternoon, so it only took about 13 minutes. We got asked one question, asked for our passport card, and got in. They do have a restroom but they charge $10 pesos, or $1 US dollar for it, and they do not have charge. They also do not allow photos being taken inside. Although I did get mine!

$180 for 2days and 9hrs not worth it sign said $28per day parking at cbx and taking a uber way…read morecheaper

I mean when you gotta park, you gotta park but crazy expensive. $120 for less than 48 hrs. Dude…read moretook our credit card then came back saying if we pay him in cash it'll be $100. Could be legit but it sure didn't seem legit. Husband hands him $100 in cash and I immediately ask for a receipt and he goes on saying no, no receipts. Sorry sir need a receipt. He gets all upset and has us back up and re-pull in and has us pay with credit card. He did not wanna let go of that $100 bill. He finally handed it back to us. We are watching our bank account to be sure we are charged correctly. Car looks fine. Filthy with black soot but in one piece.

Crossing into Tijuana from San Diego was a surprisingly smooth and stress-free experience. We were…read moreexpecting long lines and delays, especially since it's one of the busiest international border crossings in the world, but that wasn't the case at all during our visit. There was virtually no wait to cross, and traffic flowed efficiently thanks to the Mexican officials who were actively directing vehicles and keeping everything organized. Their presence made the process feel well-managed, and it was easy to navigate the lanes without any confusion or congestion. For anyone planning a day trip or weekend getaway to Baja California, this crossing couldn't have been easier. It was a seamless start to our trip and allowed us to get into Tijuana quickly so we could begin exploring without wasting time sitting in traffic. A smooth border crossing definitely set the tone for a great visit to Mexico.

Super fast in and out like am always having douth when it come to wait time and the speed of the…read moreprocess but it was in and out in under 20 mins

Be Aware! They closed at 2pm today per website and the wait was 30 minutes online.....so we got in…read moreline at 12:48p and at 130pm They told us it was shut down and turned us away even though we had been waiting for 45 minutes. Obviously Mad rush towards the regular line...Total wait was 4 hours! Basically don't come here unless you can get in line before noon

The wait times and short tempers of the Officers can be attributed to the Democrat Shutdown. It is…read morea shame on our country what is being done to these Officers and the Public. 2+hour wait at Pedwest!