Traveling to Ensenada |
Students have numerous transportation options for getting to Ensenada.
The majority of students fly into San Diego International Airport and then take a taxi, trolley or Greyhound bus to the border. The second most popular mode of transportation is personal vehicle. Students may drive their vehicles to Ensenada or park them at the border and take public transportation to Ensenada.
Below we outline numerous other travel options. Select the options that interest you for details.
The last stop for Amtrak in Southern California is the historic Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego.
Students who travel by Greyhound to San Diego arrive at the main bus terminal. It is located at 1 st and Broadway in downtown San Diego.
You are already in San Diego CA or will be getting there some other way.
This way of getting to Ensenada is the slowest and most expensive. We recommend this option to students who are traveling with more luggage than they can transport. It is also the chosen option for students who have never been to a foreign country and for those not in any hurry.
The drive from downtown San Diego to the College in Ensenada takes roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes.
From San Diego take Interstate 5 South or Interstate 805 South until you reach the border crossing between San Ysidro, California and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
For those who decide not to take their cars into Mexico, there is daily parking on the US side of the border at the Camino de la Plaza exit. It is about $7.00 per day.
As you cross into Mexico you'll drive over a sensor and a light will illuminate on your left indicating either a green ' PASE ' (pass on) or a red ' REVISION ' which triggers a bell. (You will then be directed into an inspection area) Only a small percentage of vehicles are stopped and their passengers queried.
Immediately after crossing in the border you travel up a rise. At the top, traffic will be merging from the right. You will want to take the very first exit ramp on the right. Take your time and don’t panic. For your convenience, the sign is in English: ROSARITO-ENSENADA SCENIC ROAD . Continue following signs to PLAYAS –ROSARITO- ENSENADA . You head toward the Pacific along the Mexican side of the border for about 6 miles. The road will take you to the Ensenada Cuota .
The Ensenada Cuota is a toll highway beginning at Playas de Tijuana and ending at the village of San Miguel, just north of Ensenada.
The Cuota is a great drive. The road is in excellent condition. The speed limit is posted as 110 kilometers through much of the drive. That is 68.3 MPH . Mind your speed as the federal police use handheld radar devices on this highway. They will pull-over gross speed violators.
There are three toll booths. You may pay in either US or Mexican currency but not a combination of the two. The tolls fluctuate with the exchange rate but generally are about $2.40 per toll booth.
After passing the third and final toll booth you continue through the village of El Sauzal. On the south side of El Sauzal, a fork in the road
indicates
Ensenada Oriente-Transporte de Carga
to the left and Zona Turistica-San Quintin to the right.
Turn right at the fork in the direction of Zona Turistica
.
It is the law in Mexico that you have at least liability insurance.
Visit the FAQ section and the Links and Affiliations section on for more travel and insurance information.
“Part of the wonderful experience of coming to Baja Language College has been simply getting there. Every time I come to the school, crossing the border, taking the bus and being met in Ensenada by my “host family” gently reminds me that this is immersion of the best kind!
Baja Language College staff and fellow students become “family” from the first contact. There are so many options for classes, housing and transportation that I keep coming back for a new experience year after year.
When I return to my work and home I am so much more aware of my sensitivity to the Mexican experience. No matter where I travel or what I have learned, living and sharing another culture connects me by more than words.
I went to a beautiful, well-organized school in Costa Rica. I learned so much more at Baja Language College in Ensenada and felt even safer!
Thank you for the gift of my dear friend and Ensenada family!”
Leigh Paris School Counselor St. Helena California
Baja California Spanish Language School - Offering Spanish Immersion Programs
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