The task of crossing the Mexican border at any of the checkpoints is not at all difficult. As long as you decide to stay near the border town where you entered, you do not require a travel visa. In fact, you do not need a passport either, but you must have photo identification for going back to the United States. If you are crossing the Mexican border by car, you need to get Mexican car insurance before you enter Mexico. This is not difficult to do, as there are a number of places advertising such insurance as soon as you are close to the border. It makes better sense if you do not bring your car if you are just visiting for the day. Rather, you will feel much more relaxed if you decide to walk and use taxis. Many of the Mexican border towns can offer you this option. Prior to crossing the border, you should carefully watch the signs telling you where the declaration lanes are if you need to declare anything to the Mexican customs officials. In case you require a vehicle permit or a tourist card, you may drive through this lane as well, park, and procure those documents.

Those, the millions of them, who cross the border, look for different things in different places in Mexico. Tijuana, Baja's Gold Coast locations, all have their distinct attractions.

Spending just $2.25 you can reach the border from Santa Fe Station downtown using San Diego's trolley system. You can avail of this trolley service every 15 minutes during daytime and early-evening hours and every half-hour at night and on weekends. Once at the border, just melt into the crowd and walk into Mexico. There are official entry checks for pedestrians, mostly by random selection. And across the border, there are dozens of cabs waiting to whisk you to nearby shopping, fine dining, nightlife or favorite tourist attractions.

In case you are driving to Mexico, just follow I-5 or I-805 south. Both lead straight to the Mexican entry point at San Ysidro. There is enough parking space on both sides of the border for $7 per day. Shuttle buses ($1.50) ply every half-hour from US parking lots and from the end of the San Diego trolley line directly to the Avenida Revolucion shopping area and operate between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Mexicoach also operates its well-known "red" buses every 20 minutes from the Border Station Parking & Tourist Information Center, 4570 Camino de la Plaza, in San Ysidro. You do not need any special entry paperwork for your vehicle when driving into Baja. You should buy Mexican insurance, which is available on a per-day basis at any of the numerous drive-through insurance outlets that dot the border area near the last exits of I-5 and I-805. You can easily spot them from the highway. Budget, Hertz and Avis are among the rental agencies that allow their vehicles to be taken into Mexico, as far south as the Ensenada area.

A number of San Diego tour companies offer day trips to Baja that can include or combine shopping, dining, sightseeing, golf, wine-tasting and the Puerto Nuevo lobster village, along with a variety of longer excursions. There are daily round trips from San Diego to Tijuana, Rosarito, Puerto Nuevo and Ensenada that are open to individuals or groups.

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