Short Stay Parking

Five-minute walk from the TIJ Main Terminal doors

This Short Stay Parking lot sits about 0.1 miles from the General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport Main Terminal, so you’re on the sidewalk in roughly 5 minutes. It’s the closest option for quick drop-offs, pickups, or same-day business trips where being right by the terminal matters more than saving a few dollars.

Rates run about $20.00 per day and $140.00 per week, but the pricing is really structured for hours, not days. Google reviewers mention that the first hour or two is relatively affordable, then the rate climbs fast after the third or fourth hour. That lines up with the common complaint: past a few hours, it’s poor value compared with longer-term lots around TIJ or the CBX side.

This lot sits directly in front of the Main Terminal, not on the CBX side, and it mainly serves people catching flights out of TIJ itself. Local drivers say police and airport security sometimes move cars along at the curb, especially around peak arrivals, so they duck into Short Stay Parking to wait. The tradeoff: you get a legal place to sit, but you pay for the privilege.

Regulars on r/Tijuana suggest using Short Stay to kill 30–60 minutes while an arriving friend clears immigration, then exiting as soon as they text that they’re outside. Others skip the lot completely by timing WhatsApp messages so passengers step out to the curb just as the car rolls up. Either way, most locals avoid leaving a car here overnight because that $20.00 daily rate stacks quickly.

Practical tip: if your trip runs longer than one calendar day, price out an off-site or long-term option before defaulting to this $140.00-per-week Short Stay rate.