Ensenada

Understand

thumb|Ensenada at night In the Bahía de Todos Santos — an inlet of the Pacific Ocean — Ensenada is an important commercial and fishing port as well as a cruise ship port of call. There is also a navy base, an army base and a military airfield.

The city is backed by small mountain ranges. Due to its location on the Pacific Ocean and Mediterranean latitude, the weather tends to be mild year-round. Although the winter rainy season is short and the area is prone to prolonged droughts, Ensenada sits in the heart of a wine country that is widely regarded as the best in Mexico and the Americas with the Napa Valley in California. It is said that the first vitis vinifera made it to the peninsula (specifically to the San Ignacio Mission) in 1703, when Jesuit Padre Juan de Ugarte planted the first vineyards there.

Ensenada is the only deep-water port in the state of Baja California and is part of standard shipping routes that directly link it with the Mexican cities of La Paz, Manzanillo, Mazatlán, Acapulco and Lázaro Cárdenas, and with the U.S. cities of San Diego, Long Beach and Los Angeles, the Guatemalan twin ports of Puerto San Jose and Puerto Quetzal, the Chilean city of Valparaíso, the Japanese city of Yokohama and Hong Kong.

Ensenada has been recognized for its gastronomy and is on the list of UNESCO Creative Cities for its cuisine. Locally sourced fruits and vegetables combined with sustainably harvested seafood and local vineyards are hallmarks of the city's progressive din…

Get around

By foot Most of Ensenada's downtown tourist attractions can be accessed by foot. Others, like La Bufadora and Wineries are too far away to walk to, but tours will take you there for a fee. If your espanol is "malo" you could take local buses inexpensively out and back to La Bufadora. By bicycle Most of the Boulevard Costero and the scenic highway can be traveled by bike. Take precautions for the scenic highway north of Costero is a freeway and trucks and cars travel at high speeds. Ensenada's South is not very bike friendly. Bloggers typically note that drivers give each other less room in the US, but are more courteous (e.g., sharing right of way, no road rage, etc). There is safety gear you shouldn't need, but pretty much everywhere in North America, you do anyway. The driver will be wrong, but you could be dead. So add visibility: - Get a high-visibility shirt, - a "safety wing" that puts a reflector 1 foot to the left of your bicycle (and folds in if it is hit), and - a slow-moving vehicle triangle. By car The city is easy to navigate by car and parking is free and available everywhere. On highways, the left lane is just for passing and local drivers will tailgate you if you coast on the left lane. You can rent a car at the Rosarito Hotel. Taxis and buses Radio taxis are available and will take you anywhere. Route taxis and buses serve mostly suburban routes and are not very useful for tourists, although are very cheap (US$0.75, M$8).

See

thumb|La Bufadora Baja Wineries More than 100 wineries are just outside Ensenada in the Valle de Guadalupe. A second area of wineries is about an hour south at Santo Tomas. The Valle de Guadalupe wineries are located along Highway 3 toward Tecate. Most offer tours and tastings, however some wineries require that you make an appointment in advance. Several tour operators in Ensenada offer day trips to the wineries. Some wineries have tasting rooms in Ensenada.

Do

The greatest experiences in Ensenada involve going out early to Bufadora, having ceviche at 1st street, drink at Hussong's, then go to a beach and end back in a club or bar. All of these require independent transportation so it would be wise to rent a car, and have a designated driver.

Eat

thumb|Sea bass for sale in Ensenada's fish market Seafood is ubiquitous in Ensenada, which has a large fishing fleet and a picturesque seafood market called Mercado Negro. Dining at the row of fish and shrimp taco eateries by the pier is an Ensenada must.

The fish taco is said to have been born in Ensenada, and local cooks have their own variations, usually using white fish, shrimp, or a blend of both. Tacos are topped with mayonnaise (or a white sauce) and a shredded-cabbage topping, along with several salsas.

Go next

The nearby cities of Tijuana, Tecate and Rosarito can be easily visited as a day trip.

The wineries and restaurants that blanket Valle de Guadalupe are highly recommended destinations.

More than a hundred miles into the Pacific Ocean is Guadalupe Island, a desert island. It is a next-to-impossible destination: the closest most people get to the island is a great white shark diving expedition which is based in Ensenada.