Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT)

You can easily spend half a day here: Start with the Museum of The Californias, dedicated to the history of the Baja Peninsula and the state of California, and continue to a botanical garden, a small aquarium, and another museum space called El Cubo. After that, pick from screening events at the IMAX cinema and live performance theater.

Admission to the museum, cinema, aquarium, and any performances and events is booked separately. For an in-depth visit, guided tours in Spanish or English can be scheduled for groups of 15 or more.

• The museum is ideal for travelers interested in history and contemporary culture in party-heavy Tijuana.

• Each section of the cultural center requires separate admission tickets.

• A small gift shop sells handmade Mexican crafts, souvenirs, and books.

The cultural center is in the Zone Río neighborhood of Tijuana along the Tijuana River, about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from the border with California. From downtown Tijuana, the best way to reach the cultural center is on foot—it's about a 30-minute walk to El Paseo de los Héroes, where the center sits.

The cultural center is rarely crowded and is open Tuesday to Sunday, mid-morning to evening. Before planning your visit, visit the cultural center’s website to see the film screenings and performances calendar. CECUT also often hosts dance, theater, folk traditions, literature, and other art festivals.

The IMAX cinema inside the la bola dome features screenings of feature films—sometimes animated children’s films—and documentaries that tend to play at IMAX screens around the world. While the screenings are fun, they’re not necessarily tied to the cultural center’s mission or collections. The screenings are typically held several times daily, with online or on-site tickets available.