Updated Guide To Tijuana (December 2023)

There are plenty of famous red-light districts around the world. Amsterdam is one example, and there are also some good ones in Germany and Thailand. But if you don’t want to make a long trip overseas to get the experience, there’s a good red-light district in our backyard: Zona Norte in Tijuana, Mexico. As many of the veterans here can recall, I wrote a guide last summer targeting first-time visitors to TJ and what to expect. I figured that as we approach a new year, I’d write an updated version of that guide, given there have been a few changes. So without further ado, let’s get started: Tijuana is located in the far northwestern corner of Mexico, just south of the San Diego area. If you don’t live in So Cal (Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas to be specific), the best way to get to TJ is flying into San Diego International Airport, and then using one of four options to get to the border. The first is rideshare (Lyft or Uber); figure on paying between $30 and $40 depending on the time of day. There’s also taxi service available from San Diego International Airport. Personally I have never used a taxi in SD, but I understand that most cabs charge at least $50 or $60 dollars (maybe a TJ veteran could vouch for that). There are also two economical methods to get to the border. One would be catching the SDMTD bus route #992, which stops at both airport terminals. It costs $2.50 and is just a 10 to 15 minute ride to downtown. Take the bus to the Santa Fe Depot/America’s Plaza stop, then walk across the street to the trolley tracks. The MTD operates trolley trains, and the Blue Line goes to San Ysidro, which is where the border is. It also costs $2.50 and takes between 35 and 45 minutes. The first 10 minutes go slow because there are multiple stops downtown and the trains have to sometimes wait for vehicular traffic to clear. But once you get out of Downtown SD, the speeds pick up. Between the bus and trolley, total cost is $5. But it has also come to my attention that you can cut that price in half. How? By taking the free airport shuttle bus to the remote parking lots, which are located next to the Blue Line Middletown stop. At Middletown, all you’d have to do is pay $2.50 to board the trolley (and honestly, this is something I am looking at doing for my next TJ trip). This way, you’re more likely to avoid having to deal with homeless folks who linger around America’s Plaza/Santa Fe and tend to act hostile towards visitors. My last couple of times, I’ve had guys yell at me for no reason, and once I had to duck a punch being thrown by a guy acting erratically. Scary stuff. Of course, if you live in LA or SD, it’s easier for you to get to TJ. All you do is drive south on I-5 to San Ysidro and park. There are quite a few lots to choose from, and sometimes you save money by paying for a certain amount of hours by all accounts. I say this because while it’s true you can drive across the border, it can be a hassle waiting for inspection. And I hear the waiting time going back into the US via car can take a long time. I have heard stories of people sitting in their vehicles at the border waiting for 4 to 6 hours on weekends. That’s why I recommend walking across the border. As mentioned earlier, San Ysidro is the final stop on the Blue Line trolley. You’ll see a McDonald’s and a couple of currency exchanges, followed by a sloping walkway leading to the main border entrance. This is called PedEast and is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. There is a secondary entrance called PedWest, which is about 2-3 blocks west of PedEast. PedWest had reopened both ways a couple of months ago with limited hours (6am-2pm for those coming into the U.S. and 3pm-11pm for those going into Mexico). However, it recently closed again due to the ongoing migrant surge. Hopefully, PedWest can reopen soon. Most places in Tijuana accept U.S. dollars. In fact, the brothels I’ll mention shortly strongly prefer them, so there’s really no need to exchange them for pesos. But if you do want to exchange dollars for pesos, I strongly recommend you do so before you cross the border at one of the aforementioned currency exchanges in San Ysidro. The current rate is a little bit over 17 pesos (17.11 to be exact at the time of writing) for every dollar. It’s my opinion that you get a better rate than you would in TJ, so again, get your pesos before you go into TJ. After you have taken care of the exchange business, you’ll walk up the walkway. Just follow the big crowd - PedEast is one of the busiest border crossings in the world. You’ll see a couple of rotating gates ahead. Walk through them, and you’re inside the border building. There are two lines for entry - one for Mexican citizens and the other for foreigners. Always go into the foreigners line. A Mexican customs agent will request to see your passport. He or she may ask how long you will be in TJ and what your purpose is. Don’t worry, just tell them you will be on vacation for a few days; or say you are meeting with friends for dinner and will come back later. The vast majority of the time, entering is not a problem. The agent will quickly look at your passport and wave you in. You may ask, “can’t I just bring a driver’s license or state ID?” You can for getting into Mexico, but I can tell you that you will likely encounter a delay getting back into the U.S. without a passport. Don’t get me wrong, since you are an American citizen, the CBP must ultimately let you back in because you are considered essential. But from what I understand, the agents will give you grief and interrogate you, so just save yourself the trouble and bring your passport or passport card. Back to entry into TJ. After you have cleared customs, you’ll put any bags you have on a security screening belt, just like in the airport. If everything is okay, you are good to go. You’ll leave the customs building, and you’re now officially in Mexico. Once you exit through another rotating gate, there are plenty of taxicabs waiting. Most guys use them to get to Zona Norte. The cabs used to be five dollars for the most part, but now I hear many are charging 7 or 8, with a few even wanting 10 (which I think is way too much for a five-minute ride). Try to haggle the price down if possible. Uber is another good option, but to me the best option is using the Zona Norte shuttle operated by Hong Kong Gentlemen’s Club. It’s free. When you are going down the walkway after entering TJ, about halfway down there’s a gravel parking lot to your right. Sometimes the Zona Norte limo or sedan will be parked there, but if not, the attendant will lead you to the shuttle office by walking through the lot. This way you avoid likely having to haggle with the cab drivers. You’ll wait for the limo or sedan to stop by the office, then you hop in and they’ll take you directly to Zona Norte. Again, it’s free, but I usually leave a tip with the driver - no more than $5 should do. The driver will let you out on Calle Coahuila in front of HK. You are now in the red-light district, which is bordered by Calle Coahuila on the north, Calle Primera on the south, Avenue Constitucion on the east, and Avenue Ninos Heroes on the west. This area is where virtually all of the brothel clubs are located. The three major brothel clubs are Hong Kong, Tropical Bar, and Chicago Club. HK is really a conglomerate, as it owns not just HK and Tropical, it also owns the two largest hotels in the Zona Norte. Hotel Cascadas is next door to HK on the south side of Calle Coahuila, while on the north side of the street, Rizo de Oro is next door to Tropical. Chicago is located on the east side of avenue Constitucion, just north of Coahuila. You can easily walk between the three clubs. There used to be a fourth large club - Adelita Bar, a few doors down from HK. It was TJ’s oldest brothel club, going back to the 60s. But earlier this year, it was shut down by the government as reportedly the ownership was involved in illegal money laundering. Also, Adelita employed ladies from Colombia and Venezuela; supposedly only Mexican ladies are allowed to work in the Zona Norte clubs. I keep hearing rumors that Adelita might reopen next year, but under new management and ownership. We’ll see if that happens. There are plenty of smaller brothel clubs in the area, including La Carreta, Gold Palace, La Malquerida, Odisea, and La Gloria among others. However, unlike the big three (where the staff and plenty of dancers understand and speak English), these places appear to cater more towards the locals. You can still go in them and have a good time (I speak from experience), but if you don't speak Spanish - unless you have an app like Google Translate on your phone - communication is a challenge. Also, there’s an alley called Premier Callejon Coahuila. It runs east to west from Constitucion to Ninos Heroes and is where most of the smaller brothel clubs are. Here you’ll also notice ladies standing outside the clubs and motels. They are street prostitutes, and you can services from them. Most charge between $20 and $30 for 15 minutes. There’s also a fee (usually $5) to rent a room at one of the aforementioned motels in the alley. The best-looking street girls are usually on Callejon Coahuila. You can also find girls on Calle Coahulia by La Gloria, Ninos Heroes, Constitucion, and Calle Primera. But be careful on Primera: there are transvestites known to be on that street. Last year I said the price to take a girl at HK, Chicago, or Tropical to a room for sex was $100. This year, while you can still get some girls to go for $100, the going rate seems to be $120. Some girls have tried to charge $150 or even $200 for their services. I would stay away from those girls. It’s important for us mongers to keep the prices reasonable; by overpaying, you make it difficult for the next guy to negotiate. The short-term rooms at Cascadas and Rizo de Oro are now $40 for 30 minutes; they were $30 last year. You can avoid this fee however by reserving a room at the Cascadas or Rizo de Oro. In fact, if you get a VIP card at HK ($60) or Tropical ($40) and book your room, you save 20%. The discount is even better on Monday and Tuesday, when you get 70% off your room cost. What about safety? There’s no doubt that Tijuana is one of the world’s most dangerous cities. But what many don’t realize is that almost all of the shootings and violent crime take place in non-tourist areas of the city. There is a heavy presence these days of both police and military inside Zona Norte, and as long as you stay within the street boundaries I mentioned a little while ago, you should be safe. Don’t talk with people that want to sell you drugs or take you somewhere outside the tourist zones (Zona Centro and Zona Rio are the other safe places for foreigners), and don’t get intoxicated (if you do, you become an easy mark for potential troublemakers). Don’t dress in fancy clothes or jewelry; that’s a sure way to get instantly targeted by criminals. Just mind your business, and you shouldn’t have any problems. And if you’re staying at a hotel in Centro or Rio, I recommend taking a cab or Uber to Zona Norte, especially at night. Finally, when you get ready to return to the U.S., the Zona Norte shuttle at HK, Uber, and taxis are your best bets. If you have a Sentri card, the pedestrian line at PedEast is very short with little or no waiting involved. However, if you don’t have Sentri, the best time to cross back is between 10pm and 4am. Any other time, you are looking at an extended wait in line, usually between two and three hours. Sometimes (especially on weekends) the wait time could be four, five, and even six hours. If you’re flying home from San Diego, you need to give yourself plenty of time to check out of the hotel, get to the border, and wait to cross. Just be mindful of this. In sum, Tijuana’s Zona Norte can be a fun experience. As long as you act and dress appropriately, you’ll feel safe and enjoy yourself.