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Planning a weekend getaway to the beautiful Mexican wine country? This post will guide you on how to get from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe, the different routes to take, must-do stops, tips, and recommendations, and all from a local—me!
Located in Baja California (Norte), Valle de Guadalupe is Mexico’s wine country, a prime location for locals and neighboring travelers looking to escape for a weekend of incredible wine, delicious food, stunning landscapes, and charming boutique hotels.
While enjoying the best wineries in Valle de Guadalupe is good enough of an incentive to make the trip, the journey from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe can be an experience in itself.
Having been raised and grown up in Tijuana for most of my life, I have visited Valle de Guadalupe multiple times, so much so, that we have our family road trip routine down to a T.
With stunning views over the Pacific Ocean as you drive, a unique desert landscape, and the best road trip lunch you will have in your life, there is so much to experience before even arriving at Valle de Guadalupe.
In this post, I will share with you the different routes you can take from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe—including the one I think is best and that my family always takes—as well as must-do stops along the way, tips for the drive and more!
So, let’s get started!
Tijuana To Valle de Guadalupe: Best Route And Must-Do Stops
Distance and travel time
If you are starting your trip at the San Ysidro border, the drive to Valle de Guadalupe is around 123km ( 76 mi) and would take around 2 hours, give or take depending on traffic and the route that you end up choosing.
If you are starting your trip at the Otay Border, Google Maps will probably try to send you through a shorter route, which is around 101 km (62 mi) and takes around an hour and a half.
However, I believe is better to take the longer route even from the Otay border, in terms of road conditions and experiences, but we will get to that soon.
The best time to visit Valle de Guadalupe
To be completely honest, there is no wrong time to visit Valle de Guadalupe.
The hottest month of the year in Valle de Guadalupe is May with up to 30°C (86°F) during the day—which honestly, goes great with a crisp white wine—but because of the desert climate in the valley, nights can still get chilly at 13°C (55°F).
Winters are mild and comfortable in Valle de Guadalupe, with an average high of 22°C (71°F), even during the coldest month, January, and lows of 4°C (39°F).
So really, you can visit Valle de Guadalupe year-round and have an incredible trip with comfortable weather.
How to get from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe
First things first, how to get from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe, and really, there are only two options.
- 🚐 Tours: Another way of doing the trip is by booking one of the many incredible-looking Valle de Guadalupe tours, like these:
- Perfect score Valle de Guadalupe tour with Tijuana and border pick-up offered
- Private tour with a local through Valle de Guadalupe wineries (pick-up has an extra cost)
- A slightly more affordable private tour to Valle de Guadalupe (DM them for the optional Tijuana pick-up)
The pro of opting for a tour to Mexican wine country is that it allows all travelers to enjoy the wine without the need for a designated driver as someone else is doing the driving)
- 🚗 Driving: Whether you rent a car, or drive down on your own, driving is the best option if you want complete freedom with your itinerary, and if you plan to stay overnight in the valley.
Driving routes from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe
If you are going for the car option to have complete freedom in planning your perfect Valle de Guadalupe itinerary, here are some of the possible routes you can take:
1) Through Tijuana downtown
If coming to Tijuana from the San Ysidro border Google Maps may try to send you to Valle de Guadalupe through Tijuana’s city center.
This route would take you through El Centro, downtown Tijuana, and make you exit through an area called Flamingos.
This route will probably have you standing in traffic for a while as you have to cross through the busiest part of the city, so I would not necessarily recommend this option.
2) Through Tijuana’s 5 y 10 to Rosarito
Another route Google Maps may offer is through another part of the city, the 5 y 10, a known busy intersection in the city, and then put you on a road to Rosarito.
This route will also take you through the heart of the city, with the possibility of lots of traffic, and the road to Rosarito is not in the best of conditions.
So once again, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this option.
3) Through Boulevard 2000
Another option that years ago would have been a great way to avoid traffic is going through Boulevard 2000, a route that surely Maps will throw at you if exiting through the Otay Border.
However, with the city’s overpopulation problem, this once empty and efficient boulevard is now another spot for traffic and seriously bad driving.
While being shown on maps as the quickest way to Valle de Guadalupe, this route is in serious need of some maintenance work, so I would particularly stay away from this one if you are a nervous driver.
This road would make you go through Tecate, which after paying for a toll road becomes a narrow two-way lane, so again, not the most comfortable driving option.
4) Through Playas de Tijuana and Ensenada Scenic Highway 1
The winning route is to go through Playas de Tijuana and join the Ensenada scenic Highway 1 for the most comfortable, efficient, and fun road trip from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe.
This is the route we’ve been taking for years, and it’s the one I’d recommend no matter which border crossing you’re arriving from.
The best route from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe with recommended stops from a local
If you’re arriving in Tijuana from the San Ysidro border, as soon as you exit you will find the Via Rapida—which is not so fast nowadays with the growing population—but they are working on building a new bridge to help with traffic, so it will get better soon, but for now, its still traffic jams.
However, they allocate more lanes depending on where the traffic is coming from depending on the time of day, and once you are on your way to Playas de Tijuana it gets much better.
- You will follow Via Rapida until you get to Carretera a Playas de Tijuana, a well-kept road, follow the Rosarito and Ensenada sign, and you will automatically be on the Scenic Highway 1-D.
- 🏺Popotla pit stop: Popotla is a small fishing town known for its delicious fresh seafood, as well as for its ceramic workshops, where you can buy a variety of stunning artisan-made handcrafts.
To arrive in Popotla you must exit the toll road at the Popotla/Calafia sign, and go on the free highway (1 Federal) for a little bit.
Driving time: From the San Ysidro border to Popotla will take around 45 min.
2. If you take the pit spot in Popotla and want to have the best road trip lunch of your life, then you will want to continue on the free Highway 1 to arrive in Puerto Nuevo.
- 🦞Puerto Nuevo lunch stop: Puerto Nuevo is renowned for its mouth-watering lobster at almost hard-to-believe prices. The best place in town to try this iconic dish is Restaurant Puerto Nuevo #1—the place my family has been going to since I can remember.
Driving time: From Popotla to Puerto Nuevo will take around 15 min.
3. After that filling and delicious lunch it’s time to hit the road. Take the free highway again, but make sure to follow the signs to merge into Escenica Tijuana-Ensenada 1-D, the toll road.
The toll will cost around 47 pesos (2.5 USD)—make sure to have small local currency—and from here you will be on your way to Valle on a well-kept road with a gorgeous scenic view of the ocean.
Keep on the scenic road, enjoy the views, and right after driving under a bridge you will see the exit on the right for Tecate-Ruta Vinicola, the Winery Road, take it and keep to the left.
❗️Important: No matter what Google Maps tries to tell you, it is better to drive all the way to El Sauzal and then enter the ruta Vinicola from there, as the roads here are well-kept and wider, with two lanes per way.
If you were to take the earlier exit at La Mision—don’t—the road ends up winding up a mountain on a tight two-way lane next to cliffs—scenic if you are a comfortable driver, a bit nerve-wracking if you are not.
Driving time: From Puerto Nuevo to Valle de Guadalupe will take around 55 min.
After arriving at El Sauzal you will start to go inland following the Ruta Vinicola, Winery Road, and after about 20 minutes you will arrive in Valle de Guadalupe. From here you can reach any of the incredible wineries in the area or your cozy boutique hotel of choice.
Other highlights along the way:
- Entre Corazon y Mar (Pacific Rim Park): Roadside park with a stunning view over the Pacific Ocean
- Castillo del Diablo: Famous water-front creepy gothic castle with a massive figure of the devil on top
- Encanto Restaurante: Charming sea-front restaurant with incredible views over the ocean and tasty carajillos
- Los Portales de Garcia: Folkloric sea-front restaurant with a picturesque facade
- El Mirador Ensenada: A scenic viewpoint on the road to Valle de Guadalupe
- Cristo del Sagrado Corazon: Baja’s version of Christ the Redeemer
- Pasteles Kikey: A small local bakery known for its apple pie, and corn pie—my mom’s favorite
- Gas Station Chevron Puerto Nuevo: Very clean public bathrooms with an ocean view
Travel tips for visiting Valle de Guadalupe
- Preferably make sure to have data while in Mexico, and even if you do, download offline maps as the connection can get tricky once you enter Valle de Guadalupe.
- Have small cash on you for toll roads—both pesos and US dollars will work—you will need approximately 200 pesos for the tolls round trip.
- Stock up on some water and snacks before entering the Ruta Vinicola as markets are sparse once in Valle de Guadalupe.
- Make sure to have all your necessary documents to get back into the USA if border crossing.
- Carretera 1 Federal is the FREE road, and Carretera Escenica 1-D is the toll road.
Final thoughts on visiting Valle de Guadalupe
Driving from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe is the perfect weekend getaway to enjoy a peaceful escape into the desert hills, surrounded by incredible wineries and award-winning restaurants.
And if that wasn’t enough, there is plenty to do, see, and eat before you even get to Valle, so it’s just a win-win overall!
Hope you found this guide on visiting Valle de Guadalupe from Tijuana useful. I love doing this road trip and enjoying some of the stops along the way, and I hope you will too!
If you have any specific questions about doing this road trip, please leave them in the comments, and I will happily get back to you.
Happy travels!