Twenty miles south of Tumacácori, an hour from Tucson, sits the largest of the Arizonan-Mexican border towns, NOGALES - in effect two towns, one in the US and one across the border in Mexico. Known jointly as Ambos Nogales (both Nogales), they welcome considerable numbers of tourists, though with cheap Mexican crafts now so widely available in the US, day-trippers these days tend to be looking for cut-price medicines rather than rugs or hammocks.

There's nothing in particular to see on either side of the border, though the contrast between the orderly streets of the American town and the jumbled white-washed houses clinging to the slopes in Mexico hits you as soon as you come in sight. Nogales, Arizona - the birthplace of iconoclastic jazz great Charles Mingus - is a dreary little community, while Nogales, Mexico, is basically a lively, large-scale street market.

Crossing the border is straightforward, as Mexican visas are only required by travelers heading more than 21km south of the border. US citizens should, however, ideally carry their passports or birth certificates - drivers' licenses are not always sufficient - while foreign visitors should check that their visa status entitles them to re-enter the US; if you're on or eligible for the Visa Waiver Scheme, you're fine. If driving, leave your car on the US side; you'll see lots of cheap lots as you approach the border, and it'll save you the hassle of finding parking and waiting on long car lines to return. There's no need to change money; US dollars are freely accepted by stores and businesses across the border.

None of the Arizona-side motels stands within a mile of the border; the closest is the Best Western Siesta Motel , 673 N Grand Ave (tel 520/287-4671 or 1-888/215-4783; $35-50). Most visitors prefer to eat in Mexico, where abundant cafés and diners line the busy central streets. Classier dining is offered by the unusual La Roca , hollowed into the rocky hillside just east of the railroad, a couple of blocks from the border at c/Elias 91, where a full seafood meal costs under $20.

Nogales

• Nogales

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