We drove down to Nogales Mexico Labor Day weekend. We had a great time and it is about an hour and half from Sierra Vista AZ. Beautiful drive down highway 82 through the mountains of Sonoita and Patagonia. First stop was the UETA duty free shop in Nogales AZ. Parking at the UETA Duty Free shop is 5 dollars which will be refunded if you spend 20 dollars at the UETA. The parking entrance for UETA is on Sonoita Ave by Burger King at 47 N. Sonoita Ave. You can park at Burger King too. See Map below. The UETA is a great place to stock up on your favorite liquor or fragrances at a big discount. The current rules for day border crossers is one bottle of alcohol or one carton of cigarettes per day. One of the employees of the UETA escorted us to the Mexican border to make sure we crossed over. One could cross right back over and still be legal for Duty Free.
Duty free shopping gives international travelers the opportunity to save money on a variety of products, from high-end jewelry to premium liquor and tobacco.
Duty Free definition: a “duty” refers to a tax or fee placed on goods by government entities. Merchants who import goods and sell them to consumers who are leaving the country are not charged a duty on these products. This allows sellers to pass the savings along to their customers, giving shoppers the opportunity to grab products at bargain prices
Border crossing Requirements
Our border crossing to Mexico was easy. No passport needed to enter Mexico, but coming back to a US passport is required. Mexico does have a metal detector and everything is supposed to run through it. I would advise leaving your pocket knife or Concealed carry on the US side of the border. Once through the metal detector we were in Mexico. You exit right into the shopping district you don’t have to walk to find it.
On the Street in the shopping district
The first thing you notice is all the Dental office and Pharmacies. I have since talked to friends that do their Dental in Mexico. They say it is about half the price and they do a great job. Seems cheaper than paying for dental insurance. One person said it was the best crown they have ever had and it was done in one day. My friend goes to Dental Laser . Pharmacy prices are on this web site Pharmacy prices . Price for insulin can be found here Insulin Prices
There were some Money changes and I converted some cash to Pesos. You get about 20 pesos to the dollar. I did not need to convert to peso, because everyone in this district takes US dollars and most speak English. Unless you like the mental jujitsu of dividing every price by 20, stick to US dollars.
The street was filled with curios vendors and restaurants. The vendors are very nice, but aggressive. They will talk to you and try to get you in their shops and then they make you feel very welcome. I felt quite secure in my surroundings. Apply common sense and use situational awareness while in Mexico to be completely safe. The State department suggest that you visit Nogales Mexico during day light hours. Most shops products are about half the price of same thing in the US. You certainly cannot match the variety of Mexican products in the US either. Almost all vendors were selling Talavera Pottery from sinks to the day of the dead pottery and everything in between. Leather shop selling ladies purses and shops selling hand painted Mexican tile. Hand blown glass and dishware were everywhere. You don’t need to walk very far at all.
We then found a nice bar and had some very cold Mexican bottles beers for a dollar a piece. We spent about 7 dollars on beer and chips and salsa. We spent a couple hours looking in shops. We decided to get something to eat and then head back to the US. There are many restaurants to choose from and I will update my blog with a restaurant review. Make sure to drink bottled water in the Nogales Mexico restaurants too.
We saw the line going back into the USA was quite long when we crossed over the border. It was the weekend and the line seemed longer in the morning and got shorter as the day went on. They had a senior line for folks that needed it. We went out the US gate later in the day and it was hot but not in the sun. Some people had small shopping carts which had to go through another door. Most things fit through the turnstiles. If you get more than you can carry, ask the vendor for help and they will go with you to the US gate. It took us about 20 minutes to get inside the US Customs building. We showed our passports and they asked a few questions and we were back in the US.
Fun day in Nogales Mexico and I will return and get that hat.
