The smallest of the border towns, CIUDAD ACUÑA (setting of the low-budget Mexican thriller El Mariachi and its sequel, El Regreso del Mariachi) is quiet, relaxed and intensely hot. The main plaza has a small museum on one side, with a tiny collection of fossils and artefacts, in addition to rows and rows of deathly dull photographs of local dignitaries. Given that there's little to do in the town itself, the best idea is to press on south, unless you're drawn by the offerings around Acuña: water-sports enthusiasts are amply catered for at the Presa Amistad, a huge artificial lake straddling the border, while to the west the starkly beautiful mountains, canyons and desert of the interior of Coahuila state invite cautious exploration. The huge and scarcely visited Parque Internacional del Río Bravo, opposite Big Bend National Park in Texas, is a protected area offering superb wilderness, but you'll need a well-equipped vehicle to cope with the rugged terrain; there's no public transport, nor is there any real tourist infrastructure, though you might be able to wheedle some information out of someone at Big Bend (432/477-2251, www.nps.gov/bibe).

Arriving over the bridge from Del Rio, Texas, the bus drops you at the border post, where there's a map of the town in the modern customs building, together with some limited tourist information. A full-fledged tourist information office is at Lerdo 110 where it meets Hidalgo (877/772-4692, turismo_acuna@terra.com.mx). The bus station, at the corner of Matamoros and Ocampo, is just five blocks from the border and one from the plaza. Most shops and restaurants are glad to change your dollars at a fairly good rate for small amounts, but for proper exchange there's a choice of banks and casas de cambio. Of the banks, Bancomer, Madero 360, off Juárez, has a 24-hour ATM, as does Scotiabank at the corner of Guerrero and Madero. The post office is at Hidalgo 320, past Juárez. You'll pass several hotels as you walk down Hidalgo from the border: none is especially good value, but if you want to stay in the gaudy heart of town, try San Jorge, Hidalgo 165 (877/772-5070; M$250-350), which has tile, brick and stucco rooms with sparkling-clean bathrooms, or the more spacious San Antonio, at the corner of Hidalgo and Lerdo (877/772-5108, hotelsanantonio@prodigy.net.mx; M$500-750). Also good for one night, especially if you're very tired, is the Coahuila, Lerdo 160, one block off Hidalgo (877/772-1040; M$150-200); if you're really low on funds, the less-than-spotless Alfaro, Madero 240, between Juárez and Lerdo (no phone; Under M$150/), will do – here you might even be able to get in on a bingo game with some of the hotel's long-term residents out back.

The biggest bars and restaurants in Acuña – the ones which cater to dollar-toting border-crossers – are located around Hidalgo and Madero. Try the gargantuan early twentieth-century Crosby's, on Matamoros and Hidalgo, a restaurant/bar with a giant neon sign that screams for attention. Close by, at Hidalgo 245, you'll find Amigos Pub, which serves Mexican dishes and gallons of booze by night. Good-value cafés and loncherías line Matamoros – try Las Cazuelas at 44, where you'll find economical fare including tacos and enchiladas.

Onward transport is more frequent from towns further south, and it may be easier to head to Piedras Negras, ninety minutes away, and change buses there; however, there are a few daily services from Acuña to Saltillo (7hr) and Monterrey (8hr) via Monclova, and a couple to Mexico City and Torreón. In addition, El Águila buses go to Guadalajara (1 daily), Zacatecas (2 daily) and Chihuahua (1 daily). The airline-style Expresso Futura buses (a/c, reclining seats, toilets and videos) have one daily service each to Mexico City, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí.