Crossing the Border
Travel by Air
Travel by Car
Map of Tijuana
Using Tijuana Taxis

Most of the information you need about crossing the border can be found on the Border Crossing Page at Tijuana.com.

U.S. citizens do not need to bring a passport. Your U.S. Driver's license is perfectly acceptable as a means of identification. There is usually very little traffic crossing the border into Mexico. Depending on the time of day, expect to spend an hour or more at the border on your to return back to the United States.

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Plan on flying into San Diego airport. You can either rent a car or take the public transportation and taxis to the hotel in Tijuana.

Bus and Trolley from Airport

The following fees and directions from the airport to the border via bus and trolley are from the San Diego transit website:

Regular Fare: $ 2.25
Senior and Disabled Fare: $ 1.00

1. From Airport Terminal 1 or 2, take Bus 992 AIRPORT/DOWNTOWN
2. Get off at the stop on BROADWAY at KETTNER.
3. Walk 0.1 mile N from BROADWAY & KETTNER to AMERICA PLAZA TROLLEY STATION
4. Take the BLUE SAN YSIDRO
5. Get off at the SAN YSIDRO Trolley Station which is the last stop.

Total Trip Time = 1 hr. 7 min

Bus schedule and map      Trolley schedule and map

The Border Shuttle

At the trolley stop, look for the Border Shuttle sign. The Border Shuttle blue buses will take you across the border and drop you off at Avenue Revolucion Tourist Terminal. Outside the terminal, you can hail a taxi for a ride to the hotel.

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If you're driving to Tijuana, unless you're a seasoned TJ traveller, you may want to park at the Border Station parking lot ($7 per day with 24/7 security). To get there from I-5, take the "Last U.S. Exit, Camino de la Plaza" off-ramp and turn right at the stoplight. It's right there at the corner. If you click the link, the website is currently offering a $1 coupon discount.

Then take a Mexicoach bus across the border to the Avenue Revolucion Tourist Terminal. The cost is $4.00 round trip. At the station, you can pick up a taxi for a ride to the hotel.

If you prefer to drive across the border with a rental car, you'll be expected to purchase Mexican insurance (available at the rental agency). The hotel has secure indoor parking so your car will be safe.

Share the Ride!

You can save some money and have some extra company on the ride down to TJ by sharing a ride with someone who lives near you or on your travel route. Visit our Ride Sharing Exchange on the Bandster Bash 2003 Yahoo Group. Just click Database on the group features panel on the left of the page and view the ride requests—or post an offer to share a ride.

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Registration check-in packets will include a gorgeous, full color map of Tijuana; here is a low resolution pdf version of this map. If you don't have Acrobat Reader, click the logo to download the free software. If you absolutely can't wait until your arrival, you can download and print the large, high resolution (4 mb+) version of this map by going to the Files section of the Yahoo Bandster Bash 2003 Group.

Below is a small map copied from the hotel's website to give you some idea of relative distance between the hotel and the border.

Driving Directions to the Hotel from the International Border

• From the border, take Ave. Puente Mexico which runs into Paseo De Los Heroes. Paseo De Los Heroes is a large boulevard with periodic roundabouts featuring sculptured statues of renowned Mexican heroes.



• Follow Paseo De Los Heroes for several miles to the large traffic circle where there is a statue of a horse and rider.



• Follow 1/4 way around the circle and make a right on Ave. Abelardo L. Rodriguez. This avenue will dead-end on Blvd. Agua Caliente.



• Make a left on Blvd. Agua Caliente and follow until the road splits.



• Blvd. Aqua Caliente will bear to the right.



• Travel a short way and look for the tall, twin towers of the hotel on your right. The hotel is located at 4558 Blvd. Aqua Caliente.

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The Tijuana taxi system is an institution, populated by thousands of independent taxi operators. Taxis operate on a flat-fee basis, agreed upon in advance. The standard trip from the border to the hotel should cost no more than $8-10. You can try to bargain for less. Shorter taxi trips generally cost $6-7. Tipping is not expected. Taxis cruise up and down the city streets and can usually be hailed from any street corner. While at the hotel, you can have the concierge call a taxi when you need one.

We make no endorsements, but we've gotten a recommendation about a really nice cabbie: Jose Luis Diaz. He said to call him on his cell phone and he'll come to the border and pick you up. His cell phone number is (044664)469-7796

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