Visiting Tijuana‐A City Undergoing a Revival

Tijuana is home to the beautiful Angeles Health hospital, one of many new businesses opening in Tijuana. The hospital is located just minutes from San Diego, in a beautiful commercial district that features many nearby amenities, including a movie theater with films in English, and a handful of excellent restaurants to choose from including familiar American favorites. Medical Travel patients are transported to Angeles Health by special medical shuttle directly from the San Diego airport to the Hospital compound, ensuring maximum convenience and security.

The City

Tijuana and its U.S. neighbor San Diego form the largest metropolitan area on the U.S.‐Mexican Border with a population of 4.5 million. There is a growing middle class whose disposable income has fueled Tijuana's transformation into a modern city with a vibrant culture, a characteristic that has attracted many national and international businesses which had largely shunned the city before. Tijuana's growing reputation as a cosmopolitan city is justified. Not only is the city home to many people who have migrated from within the same country, as well as some native Mexican Indians, it also boasts a number of Asian residents, as well as Americans (mostly from neighboring San Diego who have been drawn to Tijuana by cheaper housing), and South Americans from Argentina and Uruguay, among others. While the Mexican peso is the legal currency, US dollars are widely accepted. Spanish is the dominant language in Tijuana, as it is in much of Mexico. However, English is spoken by almost everybody in the city's tourist hot spots, as well as by taxi drivers and the Americans that live in the city. Most tourists enter Tijuana through the border crossing at San Ysidro, which is reportedly the busiest border crossing in the world. The crossing can be made by car, bus, bicycle, or on foot.

Getting to Tijuana

Most medical tourists prefer flying into San Diego International Airport, since Hospital Angeles provides a free medical shuttle between San Diego area hotels and the hospital. However, tourists can also fly into Tijuana International Airport. The Airport is located parallel to the USA – Mexico border line.

When You’re There

Look for an authorized taxi cab, sedan or van, at the Airport. These options have fixed and official rates; It will cost you about $200 Pesos to Zona Rio (15 min ride), or $250 Pesos to Zona Centro (25 min ride), or $300 pesos to the Gran Hotel (30 min ride). US Dollars will be accepted. You can also take public transportation from the Tijuana airport all the way to the city and it will cost you $ 6 Pesos, less than 1 US Dollar.

Sightseeing

Following is a list of just a few of the sightseeing opportunities you’ll find in Tijuana.

• Tijuana Cultural Center‐The complex features a large, ball‐shaped building where an IMAX theater shows features daily. The center contains a walk‐through museum of Mexican history and exhibits of various Mexican regions. It also contains a concert hall, lecture rooms, video room, courtyard, café, and bookshop.
• Avenida Revolucion in the Zona Centro – This area has experienced many changes, and is known as the business card of Tijuana. It is known for its famous cantinas including, "La Ballena", the largest bar in the world. During the day, the street is full of tourist shopping at the many shops and street vendors that line the street. There are also many restaurants and taco shops. A popular tourist activity is taking a picture with a Tijuana zebra, which is really a donkey painted to look like a zebra. Most of the shop keepers close as the night clubs and bars open.
• Bullfights ‐ Tijuana has one bullring, which is open during the summer months, and has bullfights most Sundays. It is located in Playas de Tijuana, adjacent to the US border. It is the only seaside bullring in the world.
• Historical Centers ‐The Preparatoria Federal Lazaro Cardenas is famous for being the central base of contraband liquor during the Al Capone days.