Baja California Travel Guide
Vineyards of the Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Baja California is the peninsula's northern half: the border energy of Tijuana, the port town of Ensenada, and between them the Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico's premier wine region. It is the easiest Baja to reach and the most food-obsessed.
The Valle de Guadalupe's Mediterranean climate grows most of Mexico's wine, with over a hundred wineries and a celebrated Baja-Med restaurant scene. Ensenada is the cruise and seafood port; Tijuana is the border metropolis famous for its food scene and the birthplace of the Caesar salad.
Destinations in Baja California
Valle de GuadalupeMexico's wine valley: tastings at big houses and boutique wineries, with Baja-Med restaurants.- Ruta del VinoThe wine route linking the valley's wineries, olive mills and restaurants.
- EnsenadaThe port city of fish tacos, the Bufadora blowhole and the wine harvest festival each August.
- TijuanaThe border city's food scene: craft beer, Baja-Med restaurants and Avenida Revolucion.
- San FelipeThe quiet Sea of Cortez beach town on the peninsula's east side.
Hover a state to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.
Top Cities & towns in Baja California
Regional food
- Fish tacos in Ensenada, where the battered-fish taco was born
- Baja-Med tasting menus in the Valle de Guadalupe
- Caesar salad in Tijuana, invented at Caesar's restaurant in the 1920s
Getting there
Tijuana International (TIJ) is the gateway, with the Cross Border Xpress bridge from San Diego. The Valle de Guadalupe is about 90 minutes south of the border; Ensenada another 30 minutes down the coast.