Less than an hour south of downtown San Diego, you’ll arrive at the quaint Mexican beachside town of Playas de Rosarito. With its proximity to San Diego, the beautiful beaches, delicious food, artisan shops and welcoming locals, Rosarito is perfect for a quick weekend escape or a weeklong getaway vacation.
Spend some time walking along the main street, Benito Juarez, where you’ll find taco stands with tantalizing aromas, dulcerias (candy shops) with piñatas hanging above, restaurants ranging from traditional Mexican to Asian cuisine, and stalls selling traditional Mexican arts and souvenirs. But the main draw of Rosarito is the beautiful, large beach that runs the full length of the town. Grab some cervezas and head to the beach for a day of beach activities or just relaxing.
While Rosarito used to be a hot spot for college students partying on spring break, many of the night clubs have closed and the town now draws a more diverse crowd of families, young couples and people of all ages. Rosarito has become a lovely beachside destination for U.S. and Canadian tourists and ex-pats as well as Mexicans who live inland and come to Rosarito for their beach vacation. Because of the town’s proximity to the border, you’ll find that many Mexicans in the hotel and restaurant business speak English and U.S. dollars are also accepted at most places (although you always get a better rate when you pay in pesos).
Things to do in Rosarito Checklist:
-Spend the day at the beach. There are plenty of activities – horseback riding, camel riding, ATVs, surfing, jet skiing and even ultralight airplane rides. Or just soak up some rays and relax.
-Surfers won’t want to miss the famous K38 surf spot where you’ll find great waves without crowds.
-Visit the little town of Puerto Nuevo and eat lobster Puerto Nuevo-style: grilled and served with rice, beans and flour tortillas.
-Have a drink at the historic Rosarito Beach Hotel where celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Peck and Kim Novak have visited. Don’t miss the sign above the front entrance stating “Through this door pass the most beautiful women in the world.”
–Shop the artisan furniture, amazing wrought iron pieces and Mexican knick knacks at the shops just south of town on the Popotla free road.
-If you like seafood, check out the little fishing village of Popotla where you can walk along the beach to see the fresh catches of the day, and then have one of the little restaurants serve you up a fresh seafood meal.
-Check out the artisan market on the main drag where you’ll find lots of Mexican souvenirs like silver jewelry, ceramics, colorful Mexican blankets, hand-blown glass.
Restaurants:
There are lots of wonderful places to eat in Rosarito from traditional Mexican sit-down restaurants to great Italian and French restaurants. Don’t miss the taco stands – especially the arrachera tacos at Tacos el Yaqui or the gigantic and delicious fish tacos for under $1 at Mariscos’s Titos. For more information and some of our recommendations for Rosarito, check out the DBTC Blog.
Resources:
Baja’s Board of Tourism has Information about Rosarito. And the site www.rosarito.org has wonderful information for tourists as well.
Hotels:
Looking for a place to stay in Rosarito? Check out our Rosarito Hotels Page which features our recommendations for the best places to stay, including hotels that give Discover Baja members a discount.
Weather
Weather in Rosarito is moderate year round with average highs reaching the high 70s in the summer and the high 60s in the winter. See below for the current temperature: