The Best Tours in Tijuana, Baja California
I have written a lot of articles about Tijuana over the last few months. However, after talking to people, I have come to the realization that guided tours of Tijuana are the best are the best option for most individuals unfamiliar with Mexico.
This is not an affiliate article. I set out with the intention of writing an affiliate article about the best tours in Tijuana to make some money. Unfortunatly, the two best tour operators in Tijuana have zero presence on the first page of the Google search results, and that is unacceptable. All of a sudden I realized why the youth of today is asking social media questions that their parents used to Google.
Tijuana is a huge city with crazy traffic. Finding your way around or finding parking near an event is challenging. Having a good tour guide can save you a ton of headaches.
It is important to remember that there are a lot of shenanigans in Tijuana. From the traffic cops to the street walkers, to the dude in front of the Oxxo opening the door, a lot of folks are looking to hustle a nooby.
A good tour guide in Tijuana shows you more than the sites but talks about history and culture. Tijuana has a fascinating history.
The Best Tours in Tijuana
There are a ton of basic tours of Tijuana on YouTube. The self-guided, one-day tour of Downtown Tijuana, walking across the river and back to San Ysidro well before dark isn’t the best tour of the area. Get a tour guide who can cut out all the sketchy parts and get right to the gold.
Many of the coolest stops on that trip are hidden in back alleys or on the sixth floor of a parking garage.
1. Tijuana Adventure
I’ve been reading this guy’s articles about Tijuana for years. I grew up reading the San Diego Reader religiously. Matthew Suarez’s articles on seafood, beer, and daily life in Tijuana are an honest look at the region.
Suarez has been doing tours for a long time. He got his start advertising on Craigslist which attracts a unique demographic. Now that he published his book, Tijuana Adventure: Confessions of a Tour Guide, he is often booked months in advance.
What I like about his vision of Tijuana is that he knows both sides of the city: high and low. He promotes both a hip new wine bar and a phenomenal taco stand nowhere near the tourist track.
Because he is a journalist, he knows about all the events coming to town from sports to food festivals and concerts. I read somewhere that he doesn’t do bachelor parties anymore, but from the excerpts that I have read of his book, he knows the Zona Norte and all the best Chinese food.
If you are looking for a memorable tour, you need to check out Tijuana Adventure. This is not the cheapest tour of Tijuana, it is the best tour guide in Tijuana who charges a good price for the experience he provides. Make sure to book well in advance. These tours sell out fast.
Tijuana Adventure Contact Information
2. Club Tengo Hambre
Club Tengo Hambre runs the best food tours in Mexico. They operate in Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Baja California. The culinary tours of Tijuana focus on unique street food, as well as wine and spirits, and chef-driven restaurants.
Co-founded by James Beard Award-winning writer Bill Esparza, Club Tengo Hambre is a deep dive into the culinary traditions of Mexico. Anybody interested in Latin American food needs to follow this guy’s Instagram handle. He wrote an article about a birria truck in Guadalajara not far from my house that I had never heard of. He has a sixth sense for finding restaurants with exceptional cuisine that nobody has ever heard of.
Club Tengo Hambre’s culinary tour of Tijuana is a small-group tour is a gourmet experience that delights the editors of big magazines like Sunset and Condé Nast Traveler. This is the best food tour in Tijuana and Baja California.
If you are really excited about Mexican food, book one of the Club Tengo Hambre tours of Valle de Guadalupe and stop in Tijuana for a taco before heading to the border. These tour guides really know food and are genuinely excited to share their knowledge with you.
Club Tengo Hambre Contact Information
Gringo In Paradise: Taste of Tijuana Tours
Mike James is an absolute legend around Ocean Beach. The former president of the Ocean Beach Merchants Association brought both the fireworks and the drones to Ocean Beach’s 4th of July celebration. He has been taking his friends down to Tijuana to have fun for decades.
After retiring from the James Gang Custom T-shirt shop he and his brother owned, he started organizing bigger trips going down for lobster in Puerto Nuevo and wine drinking in Valle de Guadalupe.
I recommend following his Facebook Page, Gringo In Paradise to see what kind of trips he has coming up. They are a lot of fun.
Gringo In Paradise Contact Information
Final Thoughts on the Best Tours in Tijuana
I was talking with my mom as we drove across the border last week about my aunt and uncle. I want to take them down to Valle de Guadalupe for a wine tasting. I sometimes forget that not everyone has the same perception of Mexico that I have.
Getting a tour guide is a great way to see Tijuana while skipping the ugly parts. You are pretty much guaranteed to have a good time and minimize the complications. Just getting across the border (both ways) can be a pain if you don’t pay attention to traffic.
Why go for average? You should be looking for the best experiences that Tijuana has to offer. These tours of Tijuana will blow your find. Have some fun.