Turista Libre Mexico Tours

16/06/2022

09/11/2021

Border update! The U.S.-Mexico land border reopened to non-essential travel and tourism on Monday, nearly 20 months after the global onset of COVID-19 in March 2020.

Nevertheless, Turista Libre will continue to postpone all tours in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico City and surrounding regions until further notice. This will allow us time to reassess the areas in which we operate and the types of tours we offer, too, after nearly two years of hiatus during the pandemic.

We thank you for your patience, understanding and support as we strive to move forward after such a lengthy pause caused by unparalleled circumstance.

¡Saludos!

04/11/2021

Muchas gracias, , for sharing these pre-pandemic memories of in . 🌼💀🌼

26/06/2021

¡Feliz , turistas!

As a queer-owned company, this year's Pride month is especially joyous for Turista Libre, with the recent — and long-awaited — passing of marriage equality in our home state of .

As a tour provider, we are proud to be inclusive, welcoming and accepting of all walks of life regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, race, age or social-economic status.

It is with much respect and love that we invite you to join us in getting to know Mexico like a local (albeit virtually for now).

Así que, ¡todos digan amor! Everybody say love!

20/06/2021

It's been a big, beautiful week for the LGBTQ+ community and our allies here in Tijuana. The city's annual Pride march happened yesterday, and same-sex marriage was at long last legalized in the state of Baja California last week, too.

This is a photo of the Antiguo Palacio Municipal de Tijuana the night of the passing of the marriage bill. Built in the early 1920s, it's one of the oldest remaining pieces of architecture in Tijuana. For some 60 years it served as the city hall building; now it's a cultural center and history museum.

I randomly happened to drive by on my way home that evening and was lucky enough to have a second at the traffic light to take the photo.

To think of all the mayors who've stood upon that balcony over the past century to give "El Grito" in honor of the eve of the country's independence day each September 15. If only they could see this now. How would they respond?

I'd like to think at least one of them – hopefully more – would say, "Ya era hora."

It's about time.

#🏳️‍🌈

19/06/2021

More photos — muchas gracias, fotógrafa ! — from our recent history walking tour with the staff of the US Consulate General Tijuana.

(This was our first tour in nine months!)

The leisurely lap around Zona Centro took us to some of the city's most historic spots both on and off the beaten path, most of which were built during the city's Prohibition Era boom in the 1920s and 1930s:

Palacio Jai Alai, Mercado El Popo, Pasaje Rodriguez, Antiguo Palacio Municipal, Templo San Francisco de Asís and Parque Teniente Guerrero.

Then we headed for eats and drinks with our friends at .

Also! This is a perfect DIY daytime itinerary if you'd like to get a better feel for Tijuana on foot. Feel free to shoot us a DM with any questions about the route map.

¡Saludos y a caminar!

08/06/2021

¡Muchas gracias, ! We missed you, too!

Saturday was Turista Libre's first trek in nine months, a private tour with the U.S. Consulate General Tijuana staff. More photos más al ratito by , who so beautifully documented the amazing day we had walking around Zona Centro together.

But first, a word on Turista Libre's operations at the moment:

Due to the pandemic — as of June 1, 2021 — all Turista Libre public tours in Tijuana, Baja California, as well as Mexico City and all surrounding regions have been postponed until further notice. We are accepting private tour groups under the condition that each person is either a Mexican national, a foreign permanent resident or a temporary resident, with proof of residency in Mexico (a current INE, FM1, FM2 or FM3).

And a word on crossing the border in general right now:

While U.S. citizens and most other foreign nationals are currently able to cross the U.S.-Mexico land border with a valid passport — which isn't the case the other way around — we at Turista Libre believe this privilege is intended to apply only to essential trips such as work-related reasons, doctor visits and other medical services. And doing so greatly helps to curb the infection rate over here on our side of the border.

Turista Libre will resume full operation only when the border is reopened by both the U.S. and Mexico to nonessential travel. That date is set for June 21, but this has been the case for the 21st of every month since the beginning of the pandemic. Each month, the three countries extend the closure for yet another month.

We thank you for your patience and support during all of this.

And we miss you all, too.

✌️😌✌️

04/05/2021

May the 4th be with you! Yoda mural by .

02/04/2021

We close this week's thread of migration- and immigration-themed posters by Activate Labs () at Espacio Migrante () with two final submissions:

Photo 1: "Quisieron enterarnos pero no sabían que éramos semilla. (They wanted to bury us but they didn't know that we were seeds.)"

Photo 2: "Sprout hope. Que nazca la esperanza. Freedom for migrant children."

Activate Labs is a graphic design nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. Espacio Migrante is an NGO migrant shelter and community center in Tijuana. So often over the years they've opened their doors to Turista Libre tours, allowing us an approximation and better understanding of the reality of what it is to be a migrant on the southside of the US-Mexico border.

Albeit simple, the message here is sadly controversial: let's not politicize. Politicizing only deepens the already existing social-economic and cultural divides that we navigate each and every day.

Rather, let's humanize and empathize. Each person residing on the American continent — and on any continent, for that matter — is either a migrant or the product of migration. That's a fact.

Remember: Open hearts lead to open minds, and open minds lead to open arms.

Peace be with you.