Valle de Guadalupe travel guide for first time visitors
Just two hours south of San Diego, you will encounter Valle de Guadalupe Mexico’s largest Wine Country, offering farm-to-table mouthwatering cuisine, design-forward hotels, and wonderful local wine.
What is Valle known for?
The Valle de Guadalupe (Valle) has been producing wine for around 200 years, with the region contributing about 90% of the wine produced in the country. Besides its wines, Valle is also known for its outstanding culinary scene. Here you will find the freshest ingredients from the ocean and farm-to-your-table experiences, where foodgasms are inevitable.
If you are in town and get to experience the unparalleled food from the region, please tag your yummy finds by using #bajafoodgasm on Instagram and help us grow our foodgasm discoveries.
Valle de Guadalupe cuisine
When is the best time to visit?
If you are looking to find green beautiful vineyards we recommend visiting from June to October – check the timeline in the pictures below.
Early August, Valle’s harvest season comes to life during the Fiestas de la Vendimia (Wine Harvest Festivals). During this season there is a wide array of activities and special events including, dinners, wine tastings, parties, and private events. You don’t want to miss these happenings so we recommend booking in advance. This is the best time to enjoy some of the highly coveted events in Valle. However, expect larger crowds and higher prices in hotel accommodations and transportation.. If you are looking to plan your wine-cation during harvest season, make sure to book private transportation and accommodations at least three months in advance.
Spring and Autumn
If you prefer a more relaxing season and mild weather without the crowds and loudness Spring and Fall are the best times to visit. The beautiful warm autumn colors around the vineyards make instagram-worthy backgrounds
December through April is Valle de Guadalupe's lowest season and dormancy season for the vineyards, expect cooler temperatures and a few rain showers. The rainy season brings the green and flower fields back to life, especially around March and April. This is Valle de Guadalupe's lowest season. If you are on a budget, we recommend visiting during these months as you will find more affordable hotel options.
Grapevines during winter dormancy phase in Valle de Guadalupe
Views of the Valle de Guadalupe during May
Ways to get to Valle de Guadalupe
By air:
Tijuana is the closest airport to Valle de Guadalupe. Once you arrive you’ll embark in a two-hour drive south to get to Valle. There are car rental options at the airport, or if you prefer you can hire private transportation services.
Please note that if you are traveling from December through April you might encounter a few rain showers and the roads can get muddy and harder to access. We recommend renting an SUV or a compact crossover.
How to get there by Land
The easiest way to get to Valle de Guadalupe is to cross by car or foot from the Tijuana San Ysidro or Otay Mesa borders and head south to Valle de Guadalupe.
Crossing by Foot:
Check this video with all the information
Crossing by car:
Car insurance is mandatory when traveling to Mexico, you will be able to get many car insurance options online.
When driving to Valle:
We recommend driving to Valle de Guadalupe ONLY through the Pacific Scenic highway 1D is a toll road (cuota) with stunning ocean views. If you choose to drive 1D from Tijuana to Valle, you will hit 3 toll booths which charge 40 - 45 pesos each or ($2 - $2.20) dollars each. They don’t take card payments but pesos or dollars are accepted. We recommend bringing change and paying the exact amount (they won’t take 50 or 100 dollar bills). Your toll road fee covers you while driving on the highway if you have any issues or accidents on the road. Once you get to Ensenada’s toll road (the last toll road before Valle) Take Highway 3 to Valle de Guadalupe and from there get directions to your accommodation, hotel, or winery.
Note: Avoid the Old Route (1) which is a shortcut but not as safe to drive especially on the weekends when there are a lot of bikers on the road.
Driving around Valle de Guadalupe can be challenging especially during the night, as most roads are unpaved and have little to no street lights.. Be mindful at night and keep an eye out for animals, broken-down cars without lights, and potholes along the road. During the mornings, there might be fog due to the proximity to the ocean.
Private Transportation Options:
This option is highly recommended to avoid drinking and driving. Please be aware that Valle de Guadalupe does not have Uber service nor buses or taxis. Only private transportation that needs to be arranged in advance.
We offer safe and reliable private transportation options from Tijuana to Valle and around Valle from 4 passengers to up to 35 passengers. If you want to save money and avoid drinking and driving we recommend driving your car from San Diego To Valle and then hiring our private drivers in Valle for a safe and joyful wine tasting experience.
If you choose our private transportation options from the Tijuana Border you’ll need to cross the border by foot and meet your driver right outside the border. Once you book our private transportation services we’ll send you a travel guide with all the important things to know before traveling to Mexico. You’ll also receive the google map links to get to the border and meet your driver, as well as border crossing wait times. This guide has helped over 10,000 + travelers who use our private transportation services.
Starting in 2022, we hope to have our private transportation services available from LA and San Diego to Valle de Guadalupe. We'll keep you updated.
Safe and realiable private transportation services to Valle de Guadalupe.
Money
Pesos or dollars are accepted in all establishments for cash payments we suggest having a selection of small USD bills to cover small purchases or splitting checks (5x $5, 5x $10, 10x $20)
Card Payments:
Set up a travel plan for Mexico to release your card, avoid American Express.
Reservations to wineries, restaurants, and private experiences.
Valle de Guadalupe is the biggest wine region of Mexico with over 150 wineries and 50+ restaurants. It is necessary to make reservations in advance, especially during the weekends (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) most of the restaurants and wineries are closed on Tuesdays.
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday around 70% of the places are open. Sometimes due to less visitors you might be lucky to drop in without a reservation but still recommend you reserve in advance. You can book your reservations through e-mail, website, or phone. Or if you prefer, our concierge services can assist you by creating a self-catered worry-free travel agenda making personalized suggestions based on your unique taste and priorities to make the most of your wine-cation.
Valle de Guadalupe concierge services
If you would like detailed information about the Baja Norte region (Tijuana, Rosarito, Valle de Guadalupe, and Ensenada) you can book a travel consultation call with Karina Campos Baja Norte expert and Owner of Wine Eat and Travel. We understand some travelers enjoy being hands-on, planning their itinerary and researching in advance. And we can help with that research and answer any questions through a travel consultation call with Karina Campos. Contact us today and let Karina and our knowledgeable staff at Wine Eat and Travel make your Baja Norte visit an unforgettable one. As experts of the Baja Norte area, rest assured that we can guide you and co-plan an exceptional travel experience that will keep you coming back to our beloved Baja region.
Click on the links below to book our services
Click here to book our experiences
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for our upcoming travel blogs about the Baja Wine Region we’ll make a effort to share one per week.
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