Valle de Guadalupe Travel Guide: Everything to Know [2023]

· [Updated August 2023] ·

Date
Aug, 11, 2023
wine glass sitting on table overlooking a vineyard

Often referred to as the Napa Valley of Mexico, Valle de Guadalupe is a place that has been gaining a lot of steam in recent years. Located about an hour and a half south of Tijuana and just under two hours from San Diego, it is very easy to get to and very worth the trip. This post will break down everything to know before visiting, including our answer to the question “Is Valle de Guadalupe worth visiting?”

This post contains affiliate links that may earn a commission from purchases made at no additional cost to you.

Valle de Guadalupe Is Surging in Popularity

We’ve tasted some of the top wines from around the world, and we were pleasantly surprised by just how fantastic the wines in this region were! The unique landscapes, luxurious hotels, and tasty wines draw in thousands of visitors every year.

There is a lot that we wish we knew about before we visited, like the odd Valle de Guadalupe weather. This guide will break down everything to know logistically for your Valle de Guadalupe trip. If you’re looking for more specific vineyard recommendations, check out our post on the best wineries in Valle de Guadalupe.

This guide will break down everything to know logistically for your Valle de Guadalupe trip.

Best Things to Do in Valle de Guadalupe

I swear this isn’t a cop-out. There really is just nothing to put here other than the two obvious choices – eat good food and drink great wine!

Valle de Guadalupe is stuffed with incredible vineyards and restaurants, but outside of that there isn’t too much to do. That is the beauty of it!

Valle de Guadalupe is very rural. Its rolling hills are serene, and even more so with a glass of local wine. If you’re interested in learning about the top wine varieties in Valle de Guadalupe, you can check out this post on the types of wine in Valle de Guadalupe.

Come drink wine with us and Tour our Wine Cabin in our Valle de Guadalupe Vlog!


Where to Stay in Valle de Guadalupe

If you’re visiting Valle de Guadalupe for more than a day, you have two main options of places to stay: Ensenada and Valle de Guadalupe itself. Some people opt to stay in Ensenada, and that is certainly a fine option.

By staying in Ensenada you have more choices of standard hotels. There is a great restaurant scene there, so you’ll definitely have a great time. However, we’d recommend staying in the Valle itself, because it saves so much time going back and forth, and there are some incredible accommodation options.

The experience of lodging on a vineyard is incredible.

Honestly, if you’re going to Valle de Guadalupe, there is no better option than staying directly on a Vineyard. Not only is the experience of staying on a vineyard awesome; you’re also located just minutes away from countless other vineyards and don’t lose a ton of time traveling! We stayed at Don Tomas Viñedo, and our experience was absolutely incredible!

If you’re interested in staying on a great vineyard for a very good price, check out our review of the cabins at Don Tomas. We highly recommend them!

Hotel Recommendations in Valle de Guadalupe

Hotel Recommendations in Ensenada


How to Get to Valle de Guadalupe

Valle de Guadalupe isn’t very close to a major airport. In fact, the closest major Airport is an hour and a half away in Tijuana.

Unless you’re driving in from the United States, you’ll need to fly into the Tijuana airport and head south to the Valley. Since the only way to Valle de Guadalupe is through Tijuana, this section will focus specifically on how to get from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe.

If you have the time, we definitely recommend spending a couple of days in Tijuana as well, because it is a really awesome city! You can check out our updated Tijuana travel guide here.

silhouette of hand holding cigar overlooking vineyard at sunset

Driving to Valle de Guadalupe from the USA

If you’re driving from somewhere else in Baja California or in the United States, getting to Valle de Guadalupe is pretty self-explanatory. Just be sure to have all the necessary documentation to cross the border if that applies to you, and have either dollars or pesos on hand to pay the tolls on the road from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe.

There are several toll booths and each one charges around $2USD/$40MXN. If you’re driving in your own car or you rent a car from the airport, be sure to check out our post with tips on driving in Mexico.


How to Get to Valle de Guadalupe from Tijuana

Rent a Car

Firstly, you could rent a car from the airport and start the 90-minute drive to the valley. For reasons you’ll see later, this is definitely the option that we’d recommend. It makes things SO much easier when you get to the Valle.

All of the major car rental companies service the Tijuana airport, so you can really pick whichever company you’d like for your rental services. We’d recommend getting something on the higher/bigger end if you can, because the roads in Valle de Guadalupe are mostly made of very bumpy dirt. This isn’t very fun in a compact car!

The Bus Route

Your second option is to take a first-class bus to Ensenada and then either another bus or an Uber from there to Valle de Guadalupe. The bus from the airport costs anywhere from $10-15USD/$200-300MXN.

Ensenada is located about 30 minutes southwest of the valley, and the Uber and bus should both cost less than $5USD/$100MXN. We’d recommend taking an Uber, because it can take you straight to your accommodation or the vineyard you’re visiting.

If you take the bus, you’ll be left in the center of the town and as you’ll see in the next section, getting around isn’t easy.

Uber from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe

Your third option is to Uber straight from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe. It is over an hour quicker than taking the bus, because you can bypass the extra distance to Ensenada and just go straight into the valley.

When we looked up the price during our trip, the Uber was about $60USD/$1200MXN. If this is in your budget, it’s a great and comfortable option. Just pay attention in the next section, because getting around the valley might be difficult.


How to Get Around Valle de Guadalupe

CAR | UBER

This is probably the most important advice we can give you about Valle de Guadalupe: you really should have a car. Being stranded is very inconvenient. Trust me on that.

Is there Uber in Valle de Guadalupe?

I read mixed things online about the availability of taxis and Ubers in the Valle, so I will clarify it for you here: 99% of the time you will not find a taxi or Uber in the Valle.

We took an Uber from Ensenada to the vineyard we stayed at in the Valle, and then we asked him to wait and drive us (for a pre-arranged extra amount) to our first vineyard of the day.

We figured we’d just call an Uber to go back to our accommodation. This blind hope was painfully wrong.

We walked 3.5 miles back to our accommodation because we literally had no means of transportation, and this happened at one of the most popular vineyards in the entire region – Vena Cava. If you can’t get an Uber there, you can’t get one anywhere.

We got stranded and had to walk 3.5 miles back to our accommodation because we literally had no means of transportation.

Best Ways to Get Around Valle de Guadalupe

I bring all of this up to give a little context when I tell you that you have three options for transportation within the Valle; you either need a car, need to arrange having a driver for the duration of your stay, or need to join a tour group.


OPTION #1 : Rent a Car

Like I mentioned before, having a car really is your best bet here, whether you drove your own car from home or picked up a rental at the airport. It’s the fast way from Tijuana to Valle de Guadalupe, and it’s also the best way to get around within the Valle.

While rental cars can be a bit pricey, we found that the prices were pretty affordable and they’re far lower than your other option. We recommend looking for rental cars on Kayak.com, which compares all rental car companies and gives you the best price.

Trust us, this is your best bet. Just be sure to drink responsibly and only drive sober!

OPTION #2: Hire a Driver

Your second option is paying a driver about a hundred dollars a day to wait around and chauffeur you through the Valle. All in all, that is a pretty affordable number compared to many other places, and it does give you freedom to drink a little bit more and not need to worry about driving.

The nice thing about the first two options is that you have complete flexibility in selecting the vineyards that you want to visit. If you opt to have a driver, you should offer to buy their meals for the day.

OPTION #3: Join a Tour

Your third option is to join a pre-arranged tour. This is one of the easiest options and there are many great tour operators that leave from San Diego and from Tijuana, but the big drawback is the loss of time and flexibility.

These tours are usually for a day or only a couple of days, and you have a lot less control over your own time.

If you’re going for a day trip or a weekend trip this may be something to consider, but if you’re going for a week (which we recommend) you should probably pick another means of transportation.

sunloungers fronting buildings near mountain

Other Tips for Visiting Valle de Guadalupe

Plan ahead

Especially during the high season, most vineyards fill up a couple of weeks in advance. Pick which vineyards you want to visit and contact them to make reservations at least a couple of weeks early. If you’re planning a last-minute trip, you’ll still be able to find vineyards, but your choices might be limited.

If you’re with someone else, get different wine tastings

This one struck us at our first vineyard’s wine tasting, and we did this every single time from there on out. If you’re with another person and don’t mind sharing drinks, get different wine tastings!

Most of the vineyards will offer at least two options for wine tastings and you don’t both need to do the same one. By each ordering a different wine tasting and then tasting each other’s wines, you can try 8 wines instead of 4 or 10 wines instead of 5 for the same price.

We figured this out at Vena Cava Vineyard, because Angel likes more white wines and I like more red wines. We asked if we could each try different wines, and they said that wouldn’t be a problem at all. From there on out we did it every time.

Leave time between tastings

This is for two reasons. Firstly, you just want to relax and take your time! Some of the vineyards are very beautiful and you can walk around their grounds and take pictures.

The other reason is that even though they might look close on a map, many of the vineyards are pretty far apart. You might need 40 minutes to get from one to another, mostly due to the bumpy dirt roads that all of the vineyards are on.

Don’t get the cheese platters

This is just a matter of personal preference. We really love cheese platters, and we were underwhelmed by all four cheese platters we ordered during our time in the Valle. Overall, the food in the Valle is remarkable, but the cheese platters are really below average.

Dress for the Valle de Guadalupe Weather

Valle de Guadalupe weather is a bit strange. While it’s located on the Baja California Peninsula which is mostly dry and hot, our April visit was pretty cold.

We were wishing that we had packed sweatshirts. Be sure to check the forecast beforehand so you know exactly what Valle de Guadalupe weather to expect!

Frequently Asked Questions About Valle de Guadalupe

What is the dress code for Valle de Guadalupe?

Valle de Guadalupe is fairly laid back, but I recommend wearing at least smart casual when you visit wineries. Jeans are acceptable, but I’d recommend a nicer shirt or top.

Also, since the area is filled with dirt roads and rocky terrain, I’d recommend leaving the high heels at home and packing sturdy shoes or boots instead.

What is the best season for Valle de Guadalupe?

The best season for Valle de Guadalupe is absolutely the summer. The region’s activity is very seasonal, and visiting in the winter or too far into the shoulder seasons is not worth your time. Visiting between May and October is best, as there are many restaurants and tasting rooms that only operate seasonally during these months.

You can visit outside of these months and have a nice time, but the best times to visit are late May and all of September. The summer is very hot, but it is also when the area is most alive. If you visit in the summer, make sure your hotel room has air conditioning.

Do you need a passport to go to Valle de Guadalupe?

Yes, you need a passport to go to Valle de Guadalupe. It is in Mexico, and your passport is required to enter the country. While some popular border crossings are lax when going south, things are very different when heading back into the United States.

You will have a really hard time getting back into the USA without a passport. You’d probably have a really hard time getting into Mexico without one too. Bring your passport.


That’s all we have for you! Hopefully this guide helps you plan the perfect Valle de Guadalupe getaway. If you’re planning a trip to Valle de Guadalupe, let us know! We’d love to chat ahead of time and answer any questions you have. Otherwise, have a wonderful day and stay present!

Greg

Hi, I'm Greg. I'm an avid traveler who has traveled to over 50 countries all around the world with my wife and kids. I've lived in Italy, Mexico, China, and the United States, and I dream of moving abroad again in the future. With this blog, I provide my audience with detailed destination guides to my favorite places and pro-tips to make travel as stress-free as possible.

Leave a comment

Meet The Author - Greg

Hi, I'm Greg. I'm an avid traveler who has traveled to over 50 countries all around the world with my wife and kids. I've lived in Italy, Mexico, China, and the United States, and I dream of moving abroad again in the future. With this blog, I provide my audience with detailed destination guides to my favorite places and pro-tips to make travel as stress-free as possible.