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Information AboutNuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas |
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It stands on the U.S.-Mexico Border , connected to Laredo, Texas , across the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) river by three international bridges. The city is larger than its U.S. counterpart, but is younger, having been established after the state of Texas broke away from Mexico. It is the largest inland port in Mexico, as is its counterpart across the border. Crossing the border from north to south costs USD $3.00 and, from south to north, $2.20, or $23 Mexican Pesos. Many restaurants close to the border in Nuevo Laredo offer food at very reasonable prices, and there is a large open air market nearby with the traditional Mexican handcrafts. Most of the main area of Nuevo Laredo (between Cesar Lopez de Lara avenue, the Rio Grande, and south to Luis Donaldo Colosio Boulevard) is a landscaped, typical busy Mexican city with several gardens and plazas. The restaurant at Hotel Colon (at Paseo Colon and Cesar Lopez de Lara) offers a very good selection of International and Mexican food. Also good places for eating are the Cadillac Bar, Victoria, el Tacotote, and Tomatillos (Italian), further south. There are many cybercafes throughout the city. In music, Nuevo Laredo has a variety of good local bands, like the Norteño group called Origen, or the famous guitar player Gilberto Puente; also local players, who gather in downtown, to perform in the big plaza, or for the tourists. Also the local rockers gigs, called "Escarabajo", and "Revolucion". And for the bands, check "Libre Albedrio", of Rene Neira. Nuevo Laredo, is home of the Underground Electronic band, called "Dhalius", created by Adrian and Bruno Diaz. In addition to a large array of standard night-time entertainment venues, Nuevo Laredo has a relativel large Zona De Tolerancia or Boy`s Town , where legalized prostitution persists. Traveling to interior Mexico by land through Nuevo Laredo Tourist permits are not required if visiting Nuevo Laredo only. They are required if going further south (more than 15 miles). Tourist permits are good for six months usually. To purchase them it is necessary to show either a passport, voter's card or birth certificate (originals only). Travelers will pass the Mexican customs twice: at the bridge, and at the checkpoint 20 miles from the border.
American cars need to get a permit (window sticker) too, to be driven south of Nuevo Laredo. The car and car title must be shown to get this permit (at the same facility under the bridge, as described above), and the person's whose name is on the title must be present. Car permits must be surrended also when leaving the country. Mexican authorities try hard to avoid American cars flooding the country, to keep alive car manufacturing in Mexico. The tourist permit can be obtained walking across the bridge to the permit complex from Laredo, Texas; afterwards it is possible to get to the bus station on a cab ($5 US from the bridge) or the run-down city buses. The bus station provides convenient transportation to many destinations in interior Mexico. There are departures every 20-30 minutes to Monterrey (3 hours away) between 6 A.M. and 10 P.M at least. Bus lines [http://www.odm.com.mx , [http://www.estrellablanca.com.mx] use modern buses (Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, etc.) with A/C and TV. Greyhound, Turimex Internacional (from Senda), Omnibus Mexicanos (from ODM) and Autobuses Americanos, as well as smaller regional lines, provide bus transportation to Nuevo Laredo from several U.S destinations [http://www.odm.com.mx , [http://www.autobusesamericanos.com.mx/americanos]. If traveling by bus from the USA, the bus and belongings might be inspected or not depending on the random people-choosing process described above. The bus might not be inspected at all, but usually is. If so, the bus will pull over to the customs right after crossing the river. Baggage will be taken from the bus, and tourists hand-carry them to a board where they punch a button on a traffic-light. If they get a red light, baggage will be inspected. Afterwards they can buy the tourist permit at the window. The bus drivers wait for the passengers to get them. It is a good idea to let the driver know you are going to get a permit. Afterwards, U.S-originating buses will either go to the Nuevo Laredo bus station (Greyhound) or directly into Mexico (Turimex, Autobuses Mexicanos, Autobuses Americanos). Tourist permits are checked at the 15-mile checkpoint. It is not possible to get tourist permits at the 15-mile checkpoint. It is important to keep the card and turn it in with the Mexican immigration officers when leaving the country. External links
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