Turista Libre

We’ve gone on two tours with Turista Libre (Day of the Dead and Lucha Libre) and had a great time on both! They do an outstanding job finding fun, off-​beat things to do. Their tours are very reasonably priced and the guides are knowledgeable about TJ, accommodating, polite, and loads of fun.

OMG Went down for Lucha Libre, the masked Mexican wrestling. The whole night was a blast. We were right up front. The action spilled out all around us. I have been smiling ever since. It was a Friday night ZERO line to get back across the border. We were expertly babysat all night. If this tour was offered every week I would go more often than not. Here is short video from the evening:

We had a really fun time with the Lucha Libre tour. This our second tour with Turista Libre, the first being the taco tour. Derrick is a fantastic host and wonderful ambassador to Tijuana. I highly recommend going on any tours with Turista Libre!

Derrik Chin was the BEST guide! Had really no idea what to expect on our Luche Libre tour but my friend got a group of us to go. Easy walk over the border, taken to a real city bus and taken around the city with the best taco stop!!! Beers included! Then the big event. Luche Libre wrestling. By far, the BEST night!!! So much fun and the fun and excitement was amazing. Got to get on the mat and take pictures after the matches. BRAVO Derrik and you can count on us coming back for many more tours! WELL worth the money. Met some great new people and have a wonderful appreciation and love for Tijuana!!! Hasta Luego!!!

I have to admit, I was not sure what to expect from the beer tour we did through Turista Libre. The bulk of my time in TJ was spent during my college years, cruising «Avenida de Revolucion», and didn’t exactly leave me filled with… well any memories at all, now that I think about it. Thankfully, the beer tour left me with memories wanting to return and explore more in the revamped areas of TJ. Derrik and his crew did an incredible job of taking care of everyone and making the tour fun and informative. From the moment we got seated on the bus and they handed out Tecates to kick off the tour, I knew we were in for a ride. We toured 3 breweries, my favorite being «Insurgente», which is apparently becoming pretty big and even collaborating with Stone Brewing. We also stopped at «Tacos El Paisa» for, hands down, the best tacos I’ve ever had. Highly recommend Turiste Libre’s tours for anyone wanting to explore South of the border in a safe, relaxed, and knowledgeable way.

Just do it!!! It is a great time and you will meet fun and interesting people. Derrik is a fantastic tour guide and always has interesting facts to share. He reminds us that Mexico is a fascinating place with great food and a welcoming culture.

This is a great way to explore TJ beyond the touristy path. We (My 84 year old mom and husband) went on a market tour this Sunday. It was delightful! Enjoyable for all generations. It gives you a nice overview of our neighbors to the south. Our guides and bus driver were warm and offered great information. We became quite close to other folks on the trip. It is definitely a nice way for San Diego natives to show out of town friends a postcard of Mecico.

We had a Great Time with Derrick on our recent tour of Tijuana. hIghly recommend them, was a great way to see Tijuana. We dis some local site seeing, some street tacos, and a nice lunch. Well worth the $ and we will be coming back.

That was an awesome taco tour!
First off we met in front of the McDonald’s by the trolley station. I almost went to the wrong one. The border is like right around the corner from the trolley station. Then we get on the bus and they have tequila, water, and soda.
First stop — Los Perrones which there’s not really a direct translation of anything, but means awesome lol. We got a beef taco. Oh and I liked the beef broth they gave us.
Second stop — El Mazateno which is a seafood place. I got a octopus taco and it was yummy. Its cool that they give you the ranch sauce on the side.
Third stop — Tacos Los Paisas or Tacos El Paisa, whatever you call it. We got a carne asada taco and an Al Pastor taco. Of course I love the leeks that they give you on the side. We had the tacos samurai style which is like a tostado/​taco hybrid.
Fourth stop — Tepoznieves which is an ice cream place with so many freaking flavors. I had a really hard time deciding! I ended up getting chamoy, pistachio, and queso cheese (It’s kinda like having ricotta in ice cream)
Lol I almost left my camera on the bus, luckily Alex the tour guide was able to catch up to the bus.
I was a little awkward at the border station. Its kinda weird they say put small items on the side when they don’t need to check small items.

My husband and I booked a private tour and we had a BLAST! Thanks to Derrik, Alex and Frank for showing us such a wonderful time. It felt like we were hanging out with old friends who happened to be super knowledgable about all the best places to go! Derrik is kind, professional yet super fun, and great at coordinating these trips. We cannot wait to take our friends on the cerveza tour. See you soon Tourista Libre!

What a memorable day. I actually think TJ is better now than when I was a kid. I loved the street we went down where artists and business were making there cool style of shops, nicely removed from the crazy tourist buzz I remember. I met so many nice people on the street art tour and have gained a greater understanding for TJ and its people.
5 star in my opinion with all the inclusions. Derek thinks of everything to make you have a good day.

I took a private tour of Tijuana with Turista Libre.
The guide, Alejandro, was excellent, very personable and sensitive to specific needs I had during the visit.
I went to places in the city I never would have discovered on my own during a short visit. I especially enjoyed the Tijuana ocean boardwalk, which is definitely somewhere I would never have visited on my own.
I would recommend this company for anyone considering either a private or group tour. For me the prospect of visiting Tijuana was a relatively daunting experience, and Turista Libre made it feel very comfortable.

I was planning a bachelor party in San Diego and we were going to spend one day in Tijuana but sort of last minute the bachelor decided he didn’t want to go after hearing some horror stories from friends.
I did some searching around and came across Turista Libre and knew right away it would be perfect. So I surprised the bachelor and booked the Lucha Libre (mexican wrestling) tour. Suffice it to say it was the highlight of the 3 day bachelor party. Everyone that went had a blast, and Derrik was an amazing guide.
He met us on the US side of the border and walked us across where he had a bus waiting (a city bus by day). First stop was a gift shop to pick up some wrestling masks, then to an amazing taqueria, and finally to the wrestling match.
The entire time the group felt incredibly safe and knew that Derrik was responsible and looking out for us, but also with it feeling authentic and not to tour-​y.
Next time I’m in San Diego I’m definitely going to try to book another tour — the street food one sounds awesome.

Yesterday we took 30 Spanish students to Tijuana on a Taco Tour organized by Turista Libre. From the very beginning, Derrik was an absolute pleasure to work with. He was organized, prompt, on top of everything, always a step ahead and just a really nice and fun guy.
On the day of the event he showed up on time, had everything ready for us and welcomed us to his bus with drinks and fun music in Spanish. He took us to 3 eateries, an ice cream parlor with 80 flavors and a local market. The eateries were quite varied and had great food. The students and I had an absolutely amazing time (on and off the bus), had a chance to practice our Spanish for hours and are looking forward to taking many more tours with Turista Libre! I highly recommend Turista Libre!

As a San Diego native, day trips to Tijuana, Ensenada, and Rosarito have long been a mainstay. After too long of a hiatus I was eager to visit Mexico, but out of practice with crossing the border and a little unsure of where to go. Enter the Turista Libre TJ taco tour. Signing up for and getting info about the tour was a breeze. We met our group and fearless leader, Derrik, on the US side of the border, crossed together into TJ, hopped onto a little bus, and were delivered to some amazing taco shops and an ice cream parlor for dessert. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday and I look forward to the next tour!

I can’t say enough good things about our day with Turista Libre. We ate delicious tacos, drank some tequila on a city bus, bonded with friends old and new, and experienced a new city in an awesome way. Derrick was a gracious and enthusiastic host and guide, taking time with all of his charges to chat and get to know everyone. He knows the city well and clearly loves introducing new people to it. All the superlatives.
We did a Tijuana Taco Tour, which brought us to three different places to sample the offerings — a street vendor with fish tacos, a small stand for amazing pork ribs tacos (with the bone on the side!) and a sit-​down restaurant for tacos of your choice, slightly swankier. Ice cream for dessert introduced me to Mil de flores ice cream and my life will never be the same. We had an amazing time, and I would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone and everyone.

Such an amazing, educational, enlightening, easy, smile generating experience! Derrick and his team reveal and embrace the heart and soul of the city; they truly are some of the finest ambassadors TJ (and all of Mexico) could ever hope for!
Besos amigos; Turista Libre deserves 10 stars!

As someone that has no reservations of crossing the Border, you may wonder why I would need to join a guided tour in a City I love so dearly.
Primero — BEER. The trip I went on was a TJ Brewery Hop. There’s no way I could have driven after all the delectable beers I sampled.
Segundo — TJ is enormous. Even having visited as often as I do, there are tons of areas I haven’t seen, and in addition, many more places only locals would know about.
We joined when my Aunt was visiting in town from NorCal. I wanted to bring her to TJ because she hadn’t been since she was in college herself, but I also wanted a carefree adventure where I didn’t have to be the tour guide so it worked out perfectly!
We met at the designated spot, walked over into TJ and loaded our bus with the 20 or so others on our trip and away we went. We visited three breweries, two restaurants and got to see a live Mariachi band! All and all a fantastic adventure through TJ. I would recommend this trip to anyone wanting to see the Breweries in TJ as a local would see them.
I’ve been following Turista Libre’s trips for a while, so I know there are lots of other trips and I’m sure they are just as excellent. I hope to join on the Valle de Guadalupe & the Luche Libre trips next!
Vamos!

Massive fun. Did a personal tour, hit some bars, had some fish tacos, did the border fence thing and a brewery.
Made us so comfortable with Tijuana we stayed past midnight. Then returned the next day.
Derrik is well spoken and tries to make each experience memorable.
If you’re in town and want the low down, and a trip to remember call them ASAP.

I don’t think I could have seen Tijuana in a better way. A simple 6(ish) hour tour gave me a peak at the real city, beyond the drug reputation or overly touristy feel.
Derek offers a view of the city that is so far from the stereotypical perception that I was shocked. Yes, you see some gritty poverty. But you also see a vitality and depth in the city that would be easy for the lay-​visitor to miss.
I went on the street art tour, but I have no doubt that the other Turista Libre tours are equally as amazing as this one. It made me want to make Tijuana an actual destination for a vacation, instead of San Diego.
You start by meeting Derek in San Ysidro, and walk across the border as a group. then we took shots of tequila, grabbed a cold Tacate (or soda or juice) and headed off in our private bus. The busses are the same ones used for public transport in the city, so it’s the real deal! Pretty bumpy!
The group I was with aged from mid 20s to late 60s, I’d say. It was fun talking to everyone, some people were from Germany, and others lived in San Diego and had been on many tours with Turista Libre before.
Overall, the street art was great, and the stories from the artists were informative and sometimes moving. The real joy of the tour was getting to see inside life in Tijuana, which is a surreal mix of modern convenience and dilapidation all mixed into one colorful, mesmerizing package.
I felt completely safe the entire time, even when we decided to stay for dinner in Tijuana after the trip and walk back across the border after dark. I never felt in any danger. I will be back!