HomeOur JourneyOn the RoadA Quick Trip to Mexico – Nuevo Progreso

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A Quick Trip to Mexico – Nuevo Progreso — 17 Comments

  1. Great information! I was working in Edinburg, TX last month (flew into Harlingen) and considered border crossing. Reynosa was closer and I didn’t get good vibes from the reviews I read online. Not to mention that it snowed while I was there! (first snow in 13 years) If I ever go back I will try to cross at Nuevo Progresso as you did. I also found the US side of the Rio Grande Valley quite interesting and unique in its own way compared to the rest of Texas. Thanks again for the great info!

    • Jeff, Yes good move. During our 3 week stay in the Mission area last year we were advised to stay away from Reynosa unless we really knew what we were doing. Also, I don’t believe you can easily walk across there so that means driving which opens up a lot of other potential issues, like insurance, etc. In Neuvo Progresso there are easy access parking lots just this side of the border.

  2. We are in Corpus Christy and would like to take a day trip to to Neuvo Progresso. We don’t have passports. Is that possible?

    • We had passports, but I think there are other options for limited access. See here
      and here.

      Looks like however there is still a lengthy process to go thru. Advise you confirm the above info with an official on the US side of the border before crossing. Good luck and have fun!

    • Technically if you are a US citizen they cannot NOT let you back in. I forgot my passport and he let me in with my drivers license after chastising me. I asked before crossing over (walking) and what he told me was correct. Best to take your passport/card if possible.

  3. We plan to visit Progreso next month. Our 12 year old granddaughter will be with us. Do you think it’s safe to take her?

    • Our visit was a little over a year ago but I doubt much has changed. We felt 100% safe and were in the company of lots of other US citizens, many traveling there for dental work besides the shopping. We don’t remember encountering anything that would be inappropriate for a 12 year old, or any kind of criminal activity. Of all the US folks we talked with there, many make multiple visits per year and no one conveyed anything negative. Just make sure you all have passports or the equivalent. Also we would recommend parking on the US side and walking across.

  4. We travel down for our dental needs to Nuevo Progreso and never have we ever not felt safe, there is alot of police and soldiers present so don’t be surprised when you see a policeman with an assault rifle( all police officers carry them in Mexico) enjoy it and don’t forget to tip the locals as they are very friendly, helpful and courteous. make sure you have your passport on hand or a state issued id with proof of u.s citizenship for crossing back. park on the u.s side and walk across or do as i do and drive over and park in a public parking lot for $3, the drive back takes a little long on saturdays but is not as bad on weekdays, if you want to bring back liquor it’s $3.50 u.s tax for a gallon same for a case of beer

    • I am looking at trying Progresso dentists for a couple of crowns.
      Any suggestions from folks who have had the same?
      -Capt Burt

      • Sorry no, don’t have any specific knowledge or recommendations, other than casual conversations with people that were happy with the work they received.

        But check out this article from the Wheeling-It blog. Even though its focus is for Los Algonodones, much of the general info and recommendations made are still applicable regarding Mexican dentistry. Good luck!

  5. I’ve been going to Nuevo Progreso for seven years now. I’ve had my dental work done there, shopped there, ate there, drank there, and met a lot of really nice people there. Last month I took my 13 year old son, and boyfriend’s 7 year old son. They really enjoyed themselves. They are very English and American friendly. They take US dollars (Unlike Reynosa, which I will get to in a moment), and the vendors are usually very willing to work with you on discounts, etc. They have a huge array of beautiful pottery, and yes, the meds are far cheaper….I’ve been getting my inhalers from there for years at $2 each, as opposed to $68 in the US, and as the article says, Omeprazole is a fraction of the US cost. Both are daily medications for me, so I have really saved a lot of money buying in Mexico. I love this town, and the people there. Two years ago, however, I did go to Reynosa after someone I met at Bingo Ranch in Texas talked about the town. We crossed the border via auto and when we realized we were in the wrong place, we turned around and had the border patrol officer tell us that we had no business there, it was used as a drug route, and that tourists should use the Hildago International Bridge to access Reynosa markets. He said ‘Don’t f*cking come back here’, so I took that pretty serious. That experience didn’t stop me from going to Reynosa, though. And it was nice….they have a huge marketplace there, but they are not English-American friendly like Progreso. They didn’t want American dollars, they preferred pesos, and hardly anyone there spoke even the slightest English. They couldn’t give us directions…no one. We happened upon one of the drivers for a dental office…he picks people up at the crossing and takes them to appointments. He drove us to the market in the center of town, and he spoke English pretty well. When we went to pay him for the ride, he tried to refuse our money. We insisted, and he went off happy. All in all, though, I would choose Progreso over Reynosa. It’s just a quiet little town with lots to look at, and do. 🙂

    • Hi Betty,
      Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a detailed comment. Before going across the border, most people we talked to had good things to say about Nuevo but we heard a few negatives about Reynosa. We weren’t aware that the merchants in Reynosa don’t like American dollars and that they don’t speak English there. That’s good to know! You’ve provided a lot of useful information about both places to not only us but to our readers as well.
      Linda

  6. Just got back from progresso Mexico had a great lunch at snappers great food went to the pharmacy save a lot on meds very safe and friendly will be going back again

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