If you don't care to drive your car into Mexico, you can park it for a modest fee on the U.S. side and walk across the bridge. Shops and restaurants are within a block or two of the bridge, the main plaza is just a few blocks away, and pedestrian Hidalgo Street and the Zaragoza market are just beyond the plaza. If you drive across, just be sure you have Mexican insurance - easy to obtain and inexpensive on the U.S. side. You won't need a visa if you're a U.S. or Canadian citizen, but bring along proof of citizenship just in case. Non-stop flights leave McAllen daily for Mexico City.
Flights are also available to Monterrey and other Mexican cities from McAllen.
A daily train leaves Reynosa for Monterrey, as well as bus service to all points in the Republic depart from McAllen's bus station regularly. A number of bus tours into the interior are offered by McAllen operators, from overnight in Monterrey to two weeks in the Yucatan, and everything in between. Five-star hotels are available in the large metropolis as well as rustic log cabins for the nature lover. While in Monterrey, be sure to visit the many museums, theaters and shopping malls. When you couple the proximity to Monterrey with the fact that McAllen is just 1 hours away from the beautiful beaches of South Padre Island and the mountains of Mexico, you learn why those who live here travel south, east and west, rather than north in order to partake of the beautiful beaches, mountains, lakes and historic sites.