Rosarito and Puerto Nuevo

Playas de Rosarito sits 30 km south of Tijuana and Puerto Nuevo a further 15 km on, reached in 30 and 50 minutes respectively via the toll road (Highway 1D, about MXN 60 each way); ABC buses also run from Tijuana to Rosarito for about MXN 90, with a taxi (about MXN 350 combined) needed to continue on to Puerto Nuevo. The day pairs Rosarito's ten kilometres of sandy beach, where horse rides are available along the shore, with a cliff-top lobster lunch in Puerto Nuevo, the village credited with inventing Baja-style fried lobster. A typical itinerary spends the morning on Rosarito's beach or exploring Boulevard Benito Juarez, then follows the coastal 1D south past the dunes at Cantamar for a lobster lunch at one of Puerto Nuevo's dozens of family-run restaurants in the early afternoon, leaving time for the drive back to the border before evening traffic builds. The beach season runs May through October, while the lobster season proper runs October through March, so the trip suits either a summer beach day or a cooler-weather lobster lunch. Weekday visits, especially around lunchtime, avoid the heavy northbound queues that build at the border on weekends when Southern California day-trippers cross back. Food centres on Puerto Nuevo's lobster plates, typically served with rice, beans, tortillas and salsa, while Rosarito's boulevard has taco stands and seafood cocteles for a lighter morning stop.