Getting Around Mexico

Choosing how to travel

Mexico is big. Cancún to Tijuana is farther than New York to Denver, and Mexico City to Mérida is about the distance from Chicago to Atlanta. For a first trip, the usual pattern works well: fly between regions, then use buses, trains, ferries, drivers or a rental car within each region.

A few rules of thumb:

• Over about 6 hours by road, fly. Low-cost domestic fares are often cheaper than a luxury bus once you count time, and a lot safer than a night bus.
• Under 6 hours, take a first-class bus or, in the Yucatán, the Tren Maya. Mexican first-class buses are more comfortable than Greyhound and generally leave on time.
• Travel between cities in daylight. US government employees may not travel between cities after dark, and the State Department strongly advises US citizens to follow the same rule. That applies to buses and cars alike.
• In cities, use ride apps or taxis from official stands. The State Department advises against hailing taxis on the street.

Driving gets its own page: see Driving in Mexico for insurance, rental cars and tolls.

Domestic flights

Three airlines carry most domestic passengers, and competition keeps fares low on busy routes. Most of the network radiates from Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana and Cancún, so flights between two smaller cities often connect through one of those.

Volaris and Viva agreed in December 2025 to combine under a single airline group while keeping both brands; for now, book and manage tickets with each airline separately. The government-run Mexicana, relaunched in December 2023 from Felipe Ángeles airport (AIFA), flies a small network.

Bag fees and how to avoid them

Budget-airline bag fees in Mexico work like Spirit or Frontier at home, and they catch Americans flying domestic for the first time. The base fare often includes only a bag that fits under the seat. Add bags when you book, because buying at the airport costs more, and weigh your carry-on: agents do check. If you need a checked bag on both legs, compare the bundled fare with Aeroméxico before assuming the low-cost carrier is cheaper.

Booking tips

• Book directly with the airline, and pay with a card that has no foreign transaction fee. If the site offers to charge you in dollars, compare it with the peso price first.
• Carry your passport on domestic flights; airlines check ID against the name on your ticket.
• Check which Mexico City airport you're using. Most flights use Benito Juárez (MEX); some low-cost flights use Felipe Ángeles (NLU), about an hour or more north of the city, now linked by the Tren Suburbano. See Flights.
• Allow at least 2 hours between connecting flights in Mexico City if you're checking bags, more around holidays.
• Small new airports, such as Tulum's (TQO, opened in December 2023), add options. Tulum's airport has its own Tren Maya station.

Long-distance buses

Intercity buses are how most Mexicans travel, and the first-class network is excellent. Buses leave on schedule from proper terminals, seats are assigned, luggage goes underneath with a claim tag, and there's a restroom on board. On the best lines, seats recline nearly flat.

Classes and companies

Which company you use depends on the region. The ADO group (ADO, ADO GL, ADO Platino, OCC, AU and others) dominates the south and east: Mexico City, Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas and the whole Yucatán Peninsula. ETN and Primera Plus are the big names in central Mexico: Mexico City, Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Guadalajara and Morelia. Estrella de Oro serves Guerrero, Pullman de Morelos serves Cuernavaca and Tepoztlán, Tufesa runs in Sonora and Sinaloa, and Autobuses ABC covers Baja California.

How to buy tickets

1. Online or in the app at the company's site (ado.com.mx, etn.com.mx, primeraplus.com.mx). You pick your seat and get an e-ticket. ETN gives 10% off for buying online.
2. If your US card is declined, which happens on some bus sites, try PayPal where offered, or buy at the terminal.
3. At the terminal ticket counter (taquilla), with cash or card. Say where and when, and ask for a window (ventanilla) or aisle (pasillo) seat.
4. Buy a few days ahead for Semana Santa, Christmas, summer and long weekends (puentes), when buses sell out.
5. Arrive 30 minutes early. Luggage is checked at a separate counter, and you may be screened or wanded before boarding.

Mexico City's four bus terminals

Mexico City has no single central station, and the terminal depends on the direction you're going. Allow time: they're spread across the city.

• TAPO (east): Puebla, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatán.
• Terminal Norte (north): Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Guadalajara, Pachuca and Teotihuacán.
• Terminal Sur (Taxqueña) (south): Cuernavaca, Tepoztlán, Taxco and Acapulco.
• Terminal Poniente (Observatorio) (west): Toluca, Valle de Bravo and Morelia.

From the main airport (MEX), you can skip the city entirely: buses leave right from the terminals for Puebla, Cuernavaca, Querétaro, Pachuca and other cities. See Day trips from Mexico City.

Safety on buses

First-class buses on toll roads are the safest way to travel overland in Mexico. Robberies of intercity buses do happen occasionally, mostly at night and on some free roads, which is one more reason to travel by day. Keep your passport, cards and phone on your body rather than in the overhead rack, take your claim tag for checked bags, and use the terminal's official taxi stand when you arrive.

The Tren Maya

The Tren Maya is a 966-mile (1,554 km) intercity railway looping around the Yucatán Peninsula through Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco and Chiapas. The first section opened in December 2023 and the loop was completed in December 2024. It's run by a company owned by Mexico's armed forces, and the trains are new, clean and comfortable, with a café car.

There are 34 stations, including Cancún (at the airport), Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Tulum Airport, Bacalar, Chetumal Airport, Calakmul, Escárcega, Palenque, Campeche, Mérida (Teya), Izamal, Chichén Itzá and Valladolid.

Routes and schedules

The official timetable in October 2026 runs these main services. Times change, so check before you plan around them.

Fares for foreigners in 2026

The Tren Maya charges by passenger category. Internacional is the fare for foreign visitors. Nacional, roughly 25 to 45 percent cheaper depending on the route, is for Mexicans and foreigners with permanent residency (with ID). Local fares are for residents of the five states the train serves, and Especial fares are for seniors with Mexico's INAPAM card, students, teachers and people with disabilities. There are two classes: Turista (four seats across) and Premier (three wider seats, with drinks and snacks, and lounge access at some stations), which costs roughly 1.2 to 1.6 times more.

Approximate 2026 Internacional fares for standard seats, as reported in October 2026 (prices have shifted several times, so confirm when you book):

Booking and practicalities

• Buy on the official portal through the "Compra tus boletos" link at trenmaya.gob.mx, or at any station ticket office. You get an e-ticket with a QR code. The site sometimes runs promo codes for specific stations and dates.
• Bring your passport. Your fare category is tied to your ID, and staff can ask for it.
• Stations are on the edge of town. Cancún's is at the airport, linked to the terminals by shuttle. Mérida's Teya station is on the city's eastern outskirts, and the Playa del Carmen and Tulum stations are well outside the tourist centers. Budget a taxi or shuttle at each end.
• Book ahead in high season and on holidays, when popular trains sell out. Off-season, buying a day or two ahead is usually fine.

Is it worth it? For Cancún airport to Valladolid, Chichén Itzá or Mérida, and for the long Campeche–Palenque stretch, yes: it's smooth, scenic and about as fast as the bus. For Cancún to Playa del Carmen or Tulum, the ADO bus from the airport goes straight into town and leaves far more often. The system has had growing pains, including a low-speed derailment at Izamal station in August 2025, and schedules have changed several times, so build in some slack. See Mérida and the Yucatán and Maya ruins for how to fit it into a trip.

Other trains

Mexico's passenger rail network is small but growing.

The Tren Interoceánico carries passengers across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, but most visitors won't use it, and US government employees may not travel to Oaxaca's Isthmus region, which includes Salina Cruz and Juchitán.

Ferries

Cozumel

Passenger ferries cross from Playa del Carmen to San Miguel de Cozumel in about 45 minutes, with departures from early morning into the evening. Winjet and Xcaret Xailing run the regular crossings, and Ultramar also sells Playa–Cozumel tickets; boats arrive at the downtown piers on Avenida Rafael Melgar. Fares are on the islands page. Buy at the pier or online; tickets are open-dated for six months, each fare includes one bag up to 25 kg (55 lb), and you should arrive 30 minutes before departure. The channel can be rough, especially on windy winter days, so take seasickness medicine beforehand if you're prone and sit low and near the middle. A slower car ferry runs from Punta Venado (Calica), south of Playa, but most visitors rent a car or scooter on the island instead. See Cozumel, Isla Mujeres and Holbox.

Isla Mujeres

The quickest crossing is from Puerto Juárez, just north of downtown Cancún, which has parking at the terminal; the ride takes under half an hour. Ultramar also sails from Playa Tortugas and Playa Caracol in the Hotel Zone, which is more convenient if you're staying there but takes longer and costs more. Car ferries leave from Punta Sam farther north, though a golf cart is all you need on the island. Ultramar's "Island Hopper" day ticket covering both Isla Mujeres and Cozumel is quoted in US dollars, recently $41 for adults on sale.

Holbox

Holbox is reached by ferry from Chiquilá, about 2 hr 30 min by road from Cancún, with ADO buses from Cancún. Passenger ferries run frequently through the day for the short crossing, under half an hour. Cars stay behind in guarded paid lots in Chiquilá, since Holbox runs on golf carts, bikes and bare feet. Don't plan to catch the last boat after a long drive; arrive in daylight.

Baja California Sur to the mainland

Baja Ferries sails from Pichilingue, outside La Paz, to Topolobampo (near Los Mochis) and to Mazatlán, both in Sinaloa. These are long, often overnight crossings on ships that carry cars and trucks, with seats and cabins for passengers. If you're taking a US-plated vehicle, you need a temporary import permit for the mainland, which Banjercito issues at the ferry terminal; see Driving in Mexico. Keep in mind that Sinaloa is rated Level 4, Do Not Travel: the advisory lets US government employees reach Mazatlán and Los Mochis/Topolobampo only by air or sea, and limits where they can go once there. Check schedules on Baja Ferries' site, as sailings vary by season.

Water taxis

In Puerto Vallarta, water taxis from the Los Muertos pier and from Boca de Tomatlán reach beaches like Las Ánimas, Quimixto and Yelapa that have no road access. Expect cash fares, a wet landing, and a last boat back in the late afternoon. See Puerto Vallarta.

Taxis

Mexican taxis range from metered city cabs to fixed-price airport cars. Two kinds matter most.

• Sitio taxis work from an official stand (sitio) outside hotels, bus terminals, malls and plazas, or come when you call. They cost a little more than street cabs, but the company and driver are registered. This is what the State Department advises when you're not using an app.
• Street taxis you flag down are cheaper and usually fine in small towns, but the State Department advises against hailing them, and in big cities fake or unlicensed cabs have been used in robberies. If you do take one, note or photograph the plate first.

How you pay varies. Mexico City taxis use meters; make sure it's running. In most tourist towns, including Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, San Miguel de Allende and Oaxaca, taxis charge set fares by zone, so agree on the price before you get in ("¿Cuánto cuesta a...?"). Pay in pesos, and carry small bills, because drivers often claim to have no change. Tipping isn't expected for a short ride; round up for help with bags.

Airport taxis

At most airports, only authorized taxis can pick up at the terminal. You buy a ticket at a booth inside arrivals, priced by the zone you're going to, then hand it to the driver outside. In Mexico City, several authorized companies have booths in the arrivals halls; fares are fixed and higher than an app ride, but convenient and safe.

Cancún is the expensive outlier. Airport taxis to the Hotel Zone or the Riviera Maya cost far more than the bus, and many visitors prebook a shared shuttle or private transfer, which are usually priced in US dollars. Walk straight past the people inside the terminal offering "transportation"; some are selling timeshare presentations. Your prebooked driver waits outside with a sign. See Cancún.

Uber, DiDi and other apps

Ride-hailing apps work in most Mexican cities and are often the easiest and safest way to get around; you'll need mobile data (see Staying connected). The State Department explicitly lists app-based services like Uber among the dispatched options it recommends.

• Uber works in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Querétaro, Mérida, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Tijuana and many more cities. Your US account works as is.
• DiDi is the main competitor, often a little cheaper, with a similar app.
• inDrive lets you propose a fare that drivers accept or counter; useful, but you'll need some Spanish to sort out pickups.
• Cabify operates in a few big cities, including Mexico City.

Use the app's safety features: match the plate and driver photo before you get in, share your trip with someone, and sit in the back. You can pay by card or, in Mexico, often in cash; cash rides are where disputes over change happen.

Airports: where apps can't pick you up

Mexican airports sit on federal land, and Mexico's transport ministry says ride apps aren't authorized to pick up passengers inside them. Drop-offs are generally fine. In 2025 and 2026, court rulings and new arrangements made the rules different at each airport:

• Mexico City (MEX): courts have shielded app drivers from fines since late 2025, but pickups happen outside the federal zone. At Terminal 1, riders walk out to Circuito Interior near the Terminal Aérea Metro station; at Terminal 2, to Avenida Fuerza Aérea Mexicana by the vehicle entrance.
• Guadalajara and Monterrey: in 2026 Guadalajara announced, and Monterrey opened, app pickup areas away from the terminals, reached by shuttle.
• Cancún: app pickups aren't allowed at the terminals, and drivers caught picking up have been fined. Use a prebooked transfer, the ADO bus or an authorized taxi.

These arrangements keep changing, so check the latest guidance in the app or at the airport before you land.

The Cancún and Riviera Maya taxi dispute

Uber has operated in Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum since early 2023, after a court ruling in its favor, but local taxi unions strongly oppose it. Taxi drivers have harassed and in some cases attacked Uber drivers and their passengers, and in January 2023 the State Department warned that these disputes had turned violent and that US citizens had been hurt. In the Riviera Maya, it's simpler to use hotel-arranged taxis, sitio stands or prebooked transfers. If you do use an app there, meet the driver away from taxi ranks and hotel entrances, and if taxi drivers confront you, stay calm and don't argue.

Colectivos and local buses

A colectivo is a shared van or minibus (sometimes a shared taxi) that runs a fixed route and stops wherever passengers want. They're how locals get between towns, and they cost a few dozen pesos where a taxi costs hundreds.

• Riviera Maya: white vans run up and down Highway 307 between Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Akumal and Tulum (see Riviera Maya and Tulum), and will drop you at the turnoff for a cenote or beach. Cross the highway carefully; you'll often be let off on the far side.
• Oaxaca: shared taxis and vans leave from set points in the city for Mitla, Teotitlán del Valle, Tlacolula and other valley towns. See Oaxaca.
• Chiapas and the Yucatán: vans link San Cristóbal with nearby villages (see Chiapas), and Valladolid or Mérida with smaller towns and sites.

How to ride: wave one down, ask "¿Va a...?" (Are you going to...?), and pay the driver in cash, ideally coins or small bills. To get off, say "Bajan" or "Aquí, por favor." Big bags may not fit, and the driving can be brisk.

City buses (camiones), minibuses (combis, peseros) and metros are covered on each city page, such as Mexico City.

Typical routes, times and costs

Approximate one-way times and costs per person for popular trips in 2026. Bus and flight prices vary with date, class and how early you book; drive times assume daylight on toll roads, not counting tolls and fuel.

For whole-trip planning, try our trip builder and budget calculator, and see When to go for holiday periods when buses, trains and flights fill up.