San Ysidro Border Crossing — Attraction in San Diego

Bring your passport, whether it's US, foreign with a US visa, visa free into México and the US, etc. US citizens only can use their state ID, but only when crossing from México to the US, not the other way around. Staying less than a week is free, more than a week and you need to pay ~$50 for a visa. Easy access, $2.50 on the Blue Line Trolley south right to the border. You can exchange your dollars or euros for pesos on either side, exchange rates vary by small margins at each exchange house. Keep small bills in pesos, and small bills in dollars or euros if you want. Sometimes taxis and food stalls don't have change for larger bills. Spanish is best, but it's possible to get by with just English. Great Chinese food, Haitian food, obviously Mexican food, etc. Birria tacos, seafood, and carne asada fries are a regional specialty. 15 pesos to get a colectivo from the border to Centro, Playas, Rosarito, Tecate, etc. Anywhere in the urban area. Cheap food and groceries. Cheap hotels and rent. Cheap phone service and internet (usually free in México and Canada with a US phone plan), etc. Cheap everything really lol. Lots of fun things to do. Great weather. Be respectful, it's a foreign country. Driving into México is quick and easy, driving back into the US can take hours. Global Entry and Sentri allow you to cross back and forth quicker. There can be a small line walking into México in the late afternoon on weekdays when everyone is returning from work. The line walking back into the US can be long on weekday mornings when people are crossing to work and school, and afternoons to evenings on the weekends. Also, free parking for up to 24 hours at most trolley stations (except San Ysidro), so you don't need to drive or bring your vehicle to México and back. Cheap Ubers around the city as well. Cheap flights to other parts of México from TJ too. Flying internationally you need a passport booklet, not the card. Walking in and out the card works. I don't know if an ID or passport card works for foreigners flying domestically in México though, I have a passport book...

Crossing into Mexico is very easy in a vehicle. We didn't have to stop or show any documents. We made sure to purchase Mexican insurance for our car before the trip. The return crossing back into the USA was not fun. It is very easy to get into the incorrect lane if you are not paying very close attention to the signs. Google Maps is usually in and out of service in that area so turn by turn is very frustrating. The line is often very slow moving and can take any where from 1 to 3 hours to cross. Make sure you have enough gas when crossing. Many people come up to your car to sell you all sorts of items. You can pretty much purchase anything you want while waiting in line and someone will bring it to you. Food, snacks, blankets, drinks, drugs, puppies, clothes, religious crucifixes, etc. Most of these people are friendly but persistent. You can barter with them a little bit to score a better deal. The puppies appear to come with immunization records, but I don't think they are legit. We had a bad experience after we purchased two puppies one time. They didn't last two weeks. Some times the US Custom officers are nice and sometimes they are not. Be prepared to answer questions and allow them to access the inside of your vehicle. They say you can not get back in with expired passports, however, we have accomplished this twice. You can Google how long is expected for you to wait to cross back and try to minimize the time you spend in the line. There are also fast lanes for the those who have purchased a medical pass while visiting Mexico and also for those who have special permission to be in that line. I have never used one personally, but I hear it can reduce wait times by 70 percent. Definitely not the best experience crawling through the line in the heat of the day, however, visiting Mexico is definitely a unique experience and IMO worth the hassle to come back across. Keep in mind the US Custom officers and Border Patrol agents have a very important job to do, and it probably shouldn't be a rush job for the safety...

I've crossed this border at least 15 times in the last year (both directions). Going into Mexico hardly an issue. Rarely are the lines long and they go fairly quickly, except rush hours. Say 10-15 minutes to cross. I was stopped once going into Mexico and they checked that my car was registered to me. But with the proper paper, not an issue. Five stars for crossing into Mexico. Crossing back into the US is a different story. Sometimes it can be hard to find the right lanes to be in. I use the free 'All Traffic' lanes. Often there are long lines that move very slowly. I usually estimate around 2 hours for crossing during the day (sometimes more or less). One time I waited for 4 hours at the most; one time 35 minutes at the least. They usually only have about 4-7 lanes open for All Traffic. There are people there which may start cleaning your car without asking and they want money. Otherwise it may be a good chance to get snack or souvenir from vendors before entering back into the US. Just beware of getting price gouged or having open fruits and vegetables when you cross back into the US. Have your Passport or Visa or Green Card ready for crossing. Never had much trouble with the crossings. They ask the standard questions about where you were, where you are going, how long you were in Mexico, what you are bringing back with you, how long you plan to stay in the US, etc. Sometimes they inspect the vehicle through the windows and open the trunk to see what is in there. Never had a further inspection beyond that point. There are apps that give estimates on wait times. The shortest wait I heard was at night time probably 12am-5am, but it might not be so safe to be traveling during that time. Avoid rush hours or if you can tell there is a problem in the area. I use Google Maps with traffic to tell how far back the car lines are going (usually pretty accurate). But again, plan on about 2 hours crossing with the...