- Most businesses accept credit card but it's always good to have a little cash on hand for street vendors, etc. US dollars are widely accepted. - When driving in Mexico, use GOOGLE MAPS to navigate. Do not use Apple Maps on your iphone.
We are familiar with two accessible border crossing locations from Southern California. 1) The Tijuana Border crossing will take you in to Mexico along the coast with many opportunities for site seeing, local eats, etc It is quite busy and heavily trafficked. 2) The Tecate Border crossing will take you through the desert/countryside. This way is much less populated and trafficked. In our experience going in to Mexico by car is a breeze. However, please build flexibility into your return timeline. The border lines from Mexico going back into California can vary from 1 hour to 3 hours (and in really rare but bad circumstances, 5 hours)! Leaving in non-peak hours can help reduce your wait time. These non-peak times include early mornings (before 8 am or after 8 pm) or weekdays Monday-Thursday and should get you through in under an hour. Track border wait times here: Tecate: https://bwt.cbp.gov/details/09250501/POV Tijuana: https://bwt.cbp.gov/details/09250401/POV
- Drive from Southern California to Valle De Guadalupe, MX. Approximately 4 hours from Los Angeles. 1.5 hours from San Diego. - Fly from your home to San Diego, rent a car and drive 1.5 hours to Valle De Guadalupe - Fly from your home to Tijuana, rent a car and drive 45 minutes to Valle De Guadalupe - Fly from your home to Tijuana, hire a driver to drop you in Valle De Guadalupe *Walking across the border is also an option
YES. After our first few trips, we wised up and got our "fast pass", which is more commonly known as Global Entry. Individuals with 'Global Entry' are eligible to use the Sentri lane, only at the San Ysidro Tijuana border crossing. Individuals can register themselves and their car for Global Entry OR a Sentri Pass for ~$100 per person. All individuals riding in the same vehicle must have a pass. [A fast lane or sentri lane is not available at the Tecate border crossing.] In our experience, the Sentri lane takes between 15-30 minutes to cross back through the border into the US. ***If you are a frequent international traveler, Global Entry is well worth it to also provide TSA precheck and skip the customs lines for 5 years.
YES. Our wedding venue is in Mexico. Whether you choose to drive across the border or fly in, a passport is required. *** Passport renewals are currently taking longer than usual (approximately 18 weeks)