Here are some reviews I lifted from the Juarez Walking Tour page at our sister website, El Chuqueño, and a couple that landed in my inbox, as well as some unedited comments from clients.
You can also read reviews (all 5 star) at Yelp.
You can’t go wrong taking Rich’s Juarez Walking Tour:
Just returned from 4.5 hour walking tour of Juarez and it was totally safe and enjoyable. Like most, I was aware on Juarez’s recent history of drug violence and reputation as the “murder capital” of the world. Even though Juarez has moved pasted this period, the fear of going there still lingers. This is unfortunate since my experience today was totally the opposite. The current exchange rate is $1.00 = $16.7 pesos. Following is my experience in researching Juarez and selecting Rich’s Walking Tour.
1. It is a very easy to walk across the bridge from El Paso to Juarez in less than 5 minutes, paying 50 cents going and 35 cents coming back to Mexican authorities. Going over there was no stopping for Mexican customs or immigration. Parking on the US side was $4 per day. If you want to visit independently, you can pick up a Juarez “Historical Walking Tour” brochure at the El Paso visit information at 400 W. San Antonio Ave. There is also a Juarez Information Office In the lobby of the Camino Real hotel, but it was closed when we went there and phone calls were not answered. Their number is 915-343-4744. There is also a “Juarez is Open” campaign run by the Juarez government, but couldn’t find any useful info from this program.
2. If you goggle “Juarez tours” you will find a lot of dated info on shuttle buses, trolleys, and open air buses between El Paso and Juarez or operating in Juarez. But, all of these are no longer running due to lack of demand. The one bus that is running between El Paso and Juarez is a local bus that is not advertised except by word of mouth. I found out about it after exhausting all other alternatives above. It is a yellow “Transborde” bus running from downtown El Pado to Juarez every 30 minutes from 7 am until 7 pm. A good place to catch this bus is directly behind the El Paso Visitor Center, listed above. It costs $2.00 each way. Once you arrive in Juarez, you are on your own and you should be aware of significant bus delays when returning to the US. This was my original plan until I found Rich’s tour.
3. Since this was our first visit to Juarez, I wanted a guided tour that gave us an overview of the city and made the best use of our limited time in Juarez. This is when I came across “Juarez Walking Tour (El Chuqueno/elchuqueno.com). It is also listed on Facebook under Juarez Walking Tour. After talking to “Rich”, I decided to take his two hour tour for $20.00/per. This is one of the best decisions I could have made. He is an El Paso native with an extensive knowledge of Juarez, travels to Juarez often even when not conducting tours, and tailors each tour to match your interests. You can contact him at 915-820-1628.
4. We arranged to meet at the Paso Del Norte border crossing at the very end of Sante Fe St. where parking is $4.00/day. It took us about 10 minutes to cross into Mexico only because Rich used this walk to explain some of the history between El Paso and Juarez. Although we had schedules a two hour tour, we ended up spending about 4.5 hours from parking lot back to parking lot. We covered the usual historical and commercial sites including Juarez history, Martinio Restaurant, Kentucky Club, Baptist Temple, Casa Sauer Building, History Museum, Site of Benito Juarez Office, Old City Hall, Mission de Guadalupe, Catholic Cathedral, Mercado, and open air market. The highlight of our visit was coffee and dessert at Cafeteria La Nueva Central and lunch and Margaritas at the Club Kentucky. Before we knew it, our two hour tour had turned into a leisurely walk through Juarez with a very knowledgable and patient companion/tour guide.
We have walked in more urban areas around the world than I can count and very few rival the time we spent with Rich touring Juarez. Not one second did we feel at risk. On the contrary, everyone we encountered was very friendly and helpful.
From my perspective and personal experience, the central downtown of Juarez safe and again, “OPEN FOR BUSSINESS”.
Harold, 2015-12-06
The basic tour takes about three hours, but if we’re having fun, we can stay longer.
Also, please note that since this review was written in 2015, the price has gone up. Please see this page to see what I’m asking these days.
Our family recently visited El Paso and did Rich’s tour of Juarez. I would highly recommend this experience. It was fun, safe and very educational. We did a little shopping and stopped by the Kentucky club for a margarita on the way back. Even my 7 year old had fun. I hope to do this again one day. Thanks Rich
Chris, 2016-03-24
I’ve taken kids as young as five years old over to Juarez (including my own son). The cantinas won’t let children in, but the Kentucky Club is a “restobar” these days, so kids can go in there. They just can’t sit at the bar. We’ll sit at a table.
Best tour we have done. Rich’s enthusiasm and knowledge made the tour fun as well as informative. WARNING must like Tequila????
Cindy & Tony from Australia, 2017-01-07
Well, you don’t have to like tequila. You don’t even have to drink, but the history of Juarez is intrinsically linked to its cantinas, so most tours we visit the oldest bar in Juarez (and sometimes the second oldest). If you don’t drink, club soda is a viable option.
I loved the walking tour. I learned so much about a very interesting city. The tour was very safe and fun. I would recommend this to anyone interested in exploring Cd. Juarez!!
Joseph D., 2014-06-09
Perhaps you feel your visit to El Paso is incomplete without a visit to Cuidad Juarez. You may be uncertain how to proceed in an unfamiliar city with a history of violence. You want a guide from an insider who knows the culture, the people and the places. For an insightful, entertaining and very memorable day walk to Cuidad Juarez, I can’t think of a better guide than Rich.
The editor of the El Chuqueño website, and a lifetime student of the El Paso-Juarez area, Rich brings a wealth of experience, thought and courtesy to his individualized tour of a city he clearly loves.
Rich says emphatically that “Juarez is the best part of El Paso”. A big claim. But he was able to show me the city through his eyes, and at the end of his memorable tour, I could see the truth of his statement. Of course, Juarez is much older – and larger – with a much more central role in the history of Mexico than El Paso has played in the US. Rich’s tour bought all of this to life for me.
After a phone call to set things up, Rich met me at the Santa Fe Street footbridge, and we walked across to Juarez while he talked about the turbulent history of the Rio Grande river and the historic flow of people across the border.
Rich has been coming to Juarez since he was a very young man. He knows the history of the streets, the houses that were demolished, the bars that have moved to new locations, the stadiums that almost were built. It was very entertaining to see him greet people on the street who clearly knew him well. You’ll see the street market, the spectacular Cathedral, the Customs House Museum, the Kentucky Club (perhaps the place where the margarita was invented) and many other fascinating locations in a personalized walk that is very relaxed.
I can’t recommend Rich’s walking tour of Juarez highly enough!
Paul, 2017-04-08
If you’ve found Rich’s website, then you’ve done your research on planning an outing to Juarez. So don’t let misinformation from the State Department website or outdated TripAdvisor posts keep you from enjoying the sights and sounds of a vibrant border town.
The safest way to navigate any urban environment is with someone who knows the area. With Rich’s tour of Juarez you get a personable guide who is fluent in conversational Spanish, knowledgeable about the geography, history, and customs of the city, known to many shopkeepers (and bartenders), has a great sense of humor, and can quickly convert pesos to dollars.
Rich was easy to work with to schedule our tour. We had a mountain biking outing with Don from GeoBetty in the AM and Rich pushed back our starting time to give us plenty of time to return, shower up, and get ready to hit the town.
We met Rich at the Hotel Indigo downtown, and had the benefit of an architectural and cultural tour of El Paso while walking to the border. We then spent several hours enjoying the vibe in Juarez. At no time did we feel unsafe. We had a great time, and you will too!
Thanks, Rich, for a great start to our vacation. It turned out to be the highlight of the trip!
Duncan M, 2017-03-27
Excellent! we had such a great time on our tour of Jaurez. We went down Juarez ave. went to a bizarre, a museum, a wonderful restaurant, churches, as well as other places, and ended at the Kentucky bar.
Rich was knowledgable and wanted to personalize the experience to what we wanted to do. Our only regret is that we had not gone on the tour sooner!
You will not regret booking with Rich!
Jessica, 2017-05-13
I just have to give a shout-out and props to Richard Wright and his Juarez Walking Tour. We spent 5 nights in El Paso, TX recently for a friend’s wedding. The closeness to Juarez intrigued me and I really wanted to figure out a way to explore it a bit. My wife was absolutely opposed to the idea. That is, until I came upon a story about Rich’s Juarez Walking Tour, which led me to check out its website: http://juarezwalkingtour.com (CELL: 915 820-1628) My wife agreed to at least meet and talk to Rich. Rich’s experience, manner helped put her fears to rest. The two of us, along with a gent from the U.K. thoroughly enjoyed our 3+ hours tour. For me, the highlight was all the history of Juarez, the Mexican Revolution & Pancho Villa.
We met Rich at the plaza near the El Paso side of the Paso del Norte Bridge. We felt very safe the entire time as we explored sights in the Juarez downtown area,. Rich’s tour included a visit to the Museum of the Revolution in the Border, during which Rich shared his incredible knowledge of the Mexican Revolution.
Our tour concluded with a visit to and drinks at the legendary Kentucky Club Bar.
Rich’s knowledge goes hand in hand with his great sense of humor.
Without any hesitation, I highly recommend Richard Wrights Walking Tour of Juarez. Before you write off Juarez, I urge you to at least call Richard, talk with him about any concerns. You won’t regret it.
Lauren, 2017-12-07
Still not convinced?
Richard’s tour went beyond my expectation! Richard is extremely knowledgeable about the city and can tell you whatever stories about the wonderful city you would like to hear. He also caters to his clients’ preferences well. As I let him know that I am very interested in history, he brought with him old photos of the city and shared with me the evolution of Juarez. He knows all the little-known shops and spots in the city- tell him what you’d like to see, he’ll take you there. I felt absolutely safe throughout the trip as Richard speaks good Spanish and knows quite a lot of people in town. Overall, I highly recommend Richard’s tours to anyone visiting El Paso. Even if you find nothing about Juarez that interests you online, Richard will certainly still be able to plan a wonderful trip for you. I wish there were similar tours in other Mexican border towns as well!
Bryan, 2018-01-10
The latest:
If your looking to have a great time both culturally enlightening and an overall great time dancing and drinking at some great establishments, Rich is your man. Answered all my questions and was open to take us every place we wanted to see. I hope to do it again next time I’m in town.
Mike, 2018-05-26
We had a great tour with Rich. The tour was interesting. The city of Juarez is a diminished place, businesses are gone. The few that are flourishing are bureau d’exchanges. The bars that we visited were the lasting few. My favourite was El Recreo,a mystery on the outside and a beautiful bar in the inside and we had the pleasure of meeting the owner. The two other bars we visited were the Olímpico and The Kentucky, these were more modern in decor. But they still had some character about them. We had a great day. Rich is amazing at recalling facts about the history of Juarez and we felt safe the whole time.
Rosaleen, 2018-07-25
Call me at 915.820.1628, and book your Juarez experience today.
Go read the most current 5 Star reviews at Yelp.
How about another one?
Richard’s tour went beyond my expectation! Richard is extremely knowledgeable about the city and can tell you whatever stories about the wonderful city you would like to hear. He also caters to his clients’ preferences well. As I let him know that I am very interested in history, he brought with him old photos of the city and shared with me the evolution of Juarez. He knows all the little-known shops and spots in the city- tell him what you’d like to see, he’ll take you there. I felt absolutely safe throughout the trip as Richard speaks good Spanish and knows quite a lot of people in town. Overall, I highly recommend Richard’s tours to anyone visiting El Paso. Even if you find nothing about Juarez that interests you online, Richard will certainly still be able to plan a wonderful trip for you. I wish there were similar tours in other Mexican border towns as well!
Brian F., 2018-01-10
I enjoy showing Juarez to people. And I want to show it to you, too. Convinced? Call, text, or email, to schedule your tour today!
And this one landed in my Inbox. I hope it says something nice.
Do Juarez wybraliśmy się z El Paso 10 września 2019, w 6 osób. Wybór Richarda Wright na przewodnika pieszej wycieczki był strzałem w dziesiątkę (termin uzgodniliśmy mailowo z wyprzedzeniem). On prowadzi od lat ten rodzaj pieszego zwiedzania miasta Juarez, zna je jak własną kieszeń, bez problemów porozumiewa się po hiszpańsku i stara się program dostosować do zainteresowań swoich klientów. Jest komunikatywny, zna lokalne stosunki, ludzi i zwyczaje. Dużo opowiada i śmieje się. Zaparkowaliśmy w El Paso przy końcu ulicy Santa Fe za $4, tam spotkaliśmy się z Rich’em i pieszo przeszliśmy przez graniczny most na Rio Grande. Pokazywał nam różne budynki i i zdjęcia z ich przeszłości, ciekawe murale. Zobaczyliśmy starą misję franciszkańską i katedrę, plac i stary ratusz miejski, postument znanego aktora Tin Tan, targ na wolnym powietrzu i halę targową, stare bary z czasów amerykańskiej prohibicji. Mieliśmy okazję wypić lokalne piwo (w barze, gdzie skomponowano po raz pierwszy Margharitę) i zjeść posiłek. Koszt to $25 od osoby, a wycieczka zajęła nam prawie 4,5 godziny, wspaniałe popołudnie.
Dominik G., 2019-10-09
Best possible tour of Jaurez by an american with a passion for this city. Rich gives you insights and tips customized to your interests. He knows the locals and speaks fluent spanish so you are always in good hands. Highly recommend this tour and its worth twice the price he charges…tip him well…he is worth it.
Thank you, Joe. I love Juarez, and I want everyone else to love it, too.
This tour was amazing, but the best part is the tour guide. He will tailor the tour to whatever you want. Being who I am, I asked him to take me to the cool bars he recommeded and places to hang out. After several rounds of Sol Tol and a quart of Indio, he took me to get some great Tacos. I recommend the Tripitas. They are delicious. This guy even took me to get some mennonite cheese. I had such a great experience, I am putting together a trip with a bunch of friends, and have Rich take us around again.
Let’s do it, Dave!
I’m in the early stages of planning a winter vacation to El Paso and your walking tour sounds amazing! I’m been on tours before where groups of “strangers” all go together. Do you do tours like that? I find it more enjoyable when there are several people together.
Hey Sue,
Thanks for your interest in a Juarez Walking Tour.
Like Mexico, Juarez has a lot of faces. I usually try to adapt my tours to the interests and abilities of my clients. These, typically, are varied. Some young people might like to go to the bars, and some families might be more interested in history, or the contemporary culture.
Also, the demand for tours hasn’t been strong enough for me to build a one-size-fits-all tour.
I have taken as many as ten or twelve people on a tour, but that’s usually a group that has organized itself and is fairly homogeneous.
I hope something works out for you.
Again, thank you for your interest.
Rich
Amazing! Tһanks a lot for the ցuide!
On March 11, 2022, I walked across the bridge from El Paso to Ciudad Juárez with Rich. El Chuqueño. My grown children begged me not to do so. “Most dangerous city in the world Dad” well summed up their comments. They have been watching too much Narcos México on Netflix. As Rich says, “you never read in the newspapers that no one was shot in Juárez today.” So, I ignored my daughters’ directive, and we crossed the border. Five minutes later I had a margarita in my hand while sitting at the bar of the Kentucky Club. Just to knock the dust off. Thereby began my walking tour of Juárez. We crisscrossed the centro during the remainder of our day, seeing what there was to see and stopping to refresh ourselves from time to time. I did not even know there was a beverage called sotol. Outdoor vendors set up in Avenida 16 de Septiembre. Juárez’s best chile relleno at one of Rich’s favorite spots. History at the Misión de Guadalupe. Twisting alleys full of color and food and wares for sale. A cacophony of voices and activity. Throughout our travels no one ever threatened us or molested us or for that matter even paid us any attention. We were irrelevant to the daily life of people just trying to go about their daily routines and make a few pesos with which to feed their family. We were free to explore that daily routine. By the time we walked back into Los Estados Unidos, I was tired, tranquilo, a little tipsy and alive to the spirit of Juárez and its people. As someone who has spent a lot of time working with indigenous people in Chiapas since 2007, I felt as safe in Juárez as in any village in the south of México. Rich was a delight with whom to spend the day. Interesting, knowledgeable, talkative, someone who knows the centro like to back of his hand and just a fun guy to be around. Thanks Rich. Proud to know you amigo. Like the website says, “the highlight of my trip!” It is not hyperbole. Rich insists on that. Randito de Chiapas, an inquisitive traveler.
As almost every other reviewer has said, this tour is simply awesome. Rich knows Juarez like the back of his hand and is well known there. He met me right on the dot at the appointed place. When I told him the things I was most interested in, he was immediately able to design the tour according to what I liked, rather than simply taking me through the motions of a typical package tour. It was a blast, seeing the city through the eyes of someone who has had wild times in the bars dotting the streets and has spent decades looking at how it has changed. Great anecdotes all through the tour. I was taken to great eating and drinking places, something I couldn’t have discovered by myself even had I been bold enough to venture into the bylanes of the mysterious city. A five-star experience in every sense of the word.
On May 29, 2022, Rich took us on a 2-person tour of Ciudad Juárez. He met us promptly at the end of S Santa Fe St., El Paso, and walked us over the Paso del Norte International Bridge, telling us about the shifting history of the Rio Grande river border. We then walked along Avenida Benito Juárez to the Sala de Arte Germán Valdés Tin Tan, a museum of the Mexican actor, singer and comedian, and over to the the Plaza de Toros Alberto Balderas or bullring. Rich picked up lunch at Burritos El Compa on Calle 16 de Septiembre, and then we mingled through an open-air market on Ramón Ortiz, in the Plaza de Armas, around the Cathedral of Ciudad Juarez, and went inside the Misión de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Indios Mansos del Paso del Norte (Guadalupe Mission) where a Quinceanera mass was being held. We finished our tour with margaritas at the Kentucky Club. At a base fee of $25 per person plus gratuity (we tipped an additional $25 each for a total of $50/person) Rich’s easy-going walking tour is a supreme value for a private, personally guided tour of Ciudad Juárez with a local expert who knows the off-the-beaten-path spots in this vibrant city. If you’re looking to be chaperoned from the American side of the border to Ciudad Juárez, Rich is your hombre.
Great tour this morning by El Pasoan who knows and loves Juarez and who has profound knowledge of Borderland history and culture. Makes me sorry I wasn’t around for the heyday of the area, c. mid-20th Century and before. Still, I came away in agreement that the best part of the El Paso metro is Juarez. Tour lasted @ 4 hours. The kind of personalized experience that’s all too rare, these days. Thanks, Rich!
We had a great tour of Juarez with Rich on July 29th. His knowledge of the area is extensive and his love of the Juarez people is evident. While I found the history of the city fascinating, my wife is less interested, so Rich adapted the tour a bit to include more photo opportunities and additional time in the markets, which made her happy.
With that adjustment and some great burritos and margaritas, the trip rounded out to a success.
If I ever make it back to El Paso, I look forward to seeing Rich and learning how the city has evolved.
While recently in El Paso the family wanted to spend a day exploring Juarez through a guided tour. We found Rich on Yelp and didn’t know what to expect beyond his good reviews. The trip across the bridge into Mexico was easy and we had a great 5+ hours there with Rich as our guide. His knowledge of the local area and history was invaluable and we always felt safe. Along with seeing a lot of local sights and meeting some interesting people, we got to see a couple of museums devoted to Mexican history and toured an old nightclub from the prohibition era that was closed that Rich was able to get us into though his connections. If we’re back in El Paso, we’ll do this again. Thanks Rich!
While on a US road trip this summer, we (family of four – two adults, two teens) planned to stop for a couple of nights in El Paso. As it’s on the border with Mexico we decided we’d like to visit Juárez. We’d heard many negative thing about Juárez from lots of people including Mexican relatives so decided that some homework was required. After some internet searching we eventually came across Rich’s webpage and the reviews sounded positive – almost too good to be true. About six weeks before we due to leave for the US, I sent Rich a text to which he responded almost immediately to say that he was available for a tour on the dates we requested. A few days before we were due to meet Rich, I sent another text. No response. So two days later, while sipping on a beer in San Antonio, I sent another text. Almost instantly, Rich called me as he’d guessed that I hadn’t received his response two days earlier. It turns out that my Irish phone had difficulty receiving texts on the T-Mobile network. Anyway, with that issue overcome, Rich gave us a time and location to meet up in El Paso close to the border crossing. Like clockwork, Rich showed up exactly on time. He’s a pleasant and friendly individual and the four of us were at ease straight away.
Rich’s knowledge of Juárez, it’s people, localities, history and intertwined relationship with El Paso is second to none. Every step of the way was filled with knowledgeable information and facts about Juárez, El Paso and wider Mexican and US history delivered in a friendly manner. At any time, Rich welcomes questions and always has an informative answer. Not everything is historical. Rich also explains and points out current developments in Juárez. In among all this he managed to bring us to a small restaurant serving award winning burritos! Proper Mexican street food. Sometimes along our tour I got the impression that Rich knows everybody in Juarez as everybody he greeted knew him. After almost five hours, we finished in the Kentucky Bar for a couple of refreshing beers.
If you want an informative but friendly and laid back walking tour of Juárez that can be tailored to your needs, just give Rich a shout. You can’t go wrong. 11 out of 10.
Many thanks, Rich.
Seán, Mary, Niamh & Liam. Dublin, Ireland.
Rich Wright is an extraordinary guide. His walking tour of Juarez, Mexico is an unforgettable experience.
Rich loves Ciudad Juarez and it shows. He has compiled a book of photos of old Juarez and takes you to the sites as they are now. Rich gives you a unique experience. He captures the true spirit of Juarez and its people. He makes the tour not only informative but fun.
He is the best guide I have ever had in Mexico. Many Kudos, Rich!! Sincerely, Kathy February 2024
Thank you, Kathy. I had fun.