Nuevo Progreso

Nuevo Progreso is a town of around 10,000 people (2010) in Tamaulipas in Mexico. It is a popular destination for North American senior citizens who come for cheap prescriptions and dental work. Nuevo Progresso is considered to be one of the safest border towns in Tamaulipas.

Understand
Nuevo Progreso faces the United States-Mexico border across the Rio Grande River about midway between McAllen and Harlingen in South Texas.

Nuevo Progreso is a popular destination for medical tourism, due to the presence of hundreds of pharmacies and dentists. Many "snowbirds" (retired Canadians and Americans from the northern states who spend winters in South Texas) cross the border at Nuevo Progreso for inexpensive prescription drugs and dental procedures. The border crossing is significantly less busy than other South Texas border crossings.

Climate
The weather is usually hot and dry. Summers are very hot with daily highs over 100 degrees F. Winters are somewhat cooler, but anything cooler than 80 degrees F is a rare gift. Thunderstorms are possible during summer and fall.

By car
From Reynosa, drive east on federal highway 2D (this is a toll road about 10 miles to Nuevo Progreso. From Matamoros, drive west on federal highway 2 about 10 miles to Nuevo Progreso.

From McAllen Texas, drive east on US 281 to the Nuevo Progreso border crossing. From Harlingen, Brownsville, or South Padre Island, drive west on US 281 to the Nuevo Progreso border crossing.

There are parking lots near the U.S. border crossing checkpoint. You can park, then walk across the bridge and you're in the middle of town.

By bus
Buses between Reynosa and Matamoros stop in Nuevo Progreso unless they are first-class or ejeecutivo class buses that specify "Directo". Most buses in the region will end at Reynosa, where you can either connect to a bus going toward Matamoros or take a taxi (about 10 miles). Noreste has several daily buses between Reynosa and Matamoros.



By foot
While it is possible to enter by car, it tends to be very slow. Most tourists from the United States cross by foot and park their cars on the other side of the border. There is a parking lot just on the other side of the border which costs $2 per car. As of November 2021, the toll is $1 into Mexico, and 30 cents into the United States.

See
Not a lot of tourist sites. Most visitors come to buy souvenirs, prescription drugs, or medical services.

Do
As mentioned earlier, Nuevo Progreso is a very popular medical tourist destination.

Buy
There is a currency exchange on the other side of the border, both currencies are typically accepted in Nuevo Progreso. There are many street vendors in Nuevo Progreso.



Stay safe
Despite the reputation of the rest of the state of Tamaulipas, the streets of Nuevo Progreso are very safe during daylight hours. Under the bridge over the Rio Grande, it is common to see beggars reaching out for money with empty plastic containers on sticks and sometimes hats, though they should not pose any threat of serious harm to you.

Go next

 * Reynosa
 * Matamoros
 * Monterrey