Ensenada: how to get to shopping with kids

I would like to provide my kids with a Mexican shopping experience in Ensenada. Can anyone guide me on how to get to a market/souvenir shopping in Ensenada. I will have 7 kids with me. :) Can we walk? Any specifics you can give me will be appreciated. And any other family recommendations as well. Thanks!

I would like to provide my kids with a Mexican shopping experience in Ensenada. Can anyone guide me on how to get to a market/souvenir shopping in Ensenada. I will have 7 kids with me. :) Can we walk? Any specifics you can give me will be appreciated. And any other family recommendations as well. Thanks!

You can walk, about a 15 to 20 min. walk or take a shuttle from the port to downtown. Last time I took the shuttle I believe it was about $4-5 for a round trip. There are also shops right off the ship in the port.

Another option for family is the Blow Hole. It's about a 30 to 45 min ride from the port. Lots of shops in the area, but the owners can be aggressive.

You can walk into town in about 10-15 minutes.

Once you leave port, go right across the bridge (avoid the beggar children, do not even look at them. there will be none of this in town)

At the first light go across the street, up the hill. Turn right on Ave Primera/Ave Lopez Mateos. This is the main tourist street.

Lots of practice shopping for the kids--street vendors at booths and walking around. In February the kid in our group bought wrap string bracelets 2/$5 and flowered 'leather' headbands for $5. Obviously the more purchased together the better the price. Shops will also bargain a bit if there are multiple items bought.

All will accept American bills.

Food--

All the restaurants we've been to in Ensenada use filtered water and ice.

Probably the easiest for a large group would be Hacienda El Charro. Can't miss it. White building with chickens rotissiering in the window. Suggest the 1/2 chicken and tortillas (comes with lousy fries), the plate is large enough to share.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150770-d2665906-Reviews-El_Charro-Ensenada_Baja_California.html

Another is Guadalajara. They specialize in birria. On Macheros between Ave Primera/Ave Lopez Mateos and Segundo (2nd st)

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150770-d3544806-Reviews-Birrieria_La_Guadalajara-Ensenada_Baja_California.html

http://www.birrieriaguadalajara.com/

For a little culture you could take them to the old Army barracks-turned jail-turned museum. On Gastellum just west of Primera/Lopez. It's a white building with a red stripe around the 5' level. It's a 20 minute museum.

Museo Historico Regional (Regional History Museum)

A permanent display of "People and Cultures of Meso-America" plus temporary exhibitions in the 1886 military headquarters that served as the Ensenada jail until 1986.

Open 10am-5pm, closed Mon. Donations. Av. Gastelum near Paseo Calle Primera, tel. (011526) 178-2531.