Getting around in Mexico by bus, plane and car

Mexico contains multitudes within its 2 million sq km. From snow-covered mountains and steamy jungles to cactus-strewn deserts and sublime stretches of untouched sand, you can expect to use many transport options to get around this thrilling country.

Between domestic flights, long-distance buses, hair-raising colectivos, combi minibuses and passenger trains, there are plenty of ways to cross this North American behemoth; you just need a little patience.

Guidance, too: here are all the ways you can get around in Mexico.

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Cheap and reliable bus service is a great way to get around Mexico

Thanks to a good road network that covers the entire country and comfortable, frequent services connecting all cities, intercity buses are a terrific and budget-friendly way to get around Mexico. 

Bus classes in Mexico

Deluxe & Executive: De lujo services, primera plus and even more comfortable ejecutivo (executive) buses run mainly on busy intercity routes. Swift and comfortable, these coaches offer reclining seats with plenty of legroom; air-conditioning; movies on (individual) video screens; few or no stops; toilets on board (sometimes separate ones for men and women); and often drinks, snacks and even wi-fi. For speed and safety, they use toll roads wherever available.

1st-Class: All sizable towns are served by primera (1a) clase (1st-class) buses, which have comfortable, numbered seats for each passenger. Standards of comfort are adequate, with air-conditioning and a toilet. They show movies on overhead screens and use toll roads where possible. What’s more, they have infrequent stops.

2nd-Class: Segunda (2a) clase or económico buses serve small towns and villages, and provide cheaper, slower travel on some intercity routes. While a few are almost as quick, comfortable and direct as 1st-class buses, others are old, slow and shabby, and few have onboard toilets. These buses tend to take non-toll roads and will stop anywhere to pick up passengers – which means that if you get on along the route, you might have to stand for part of the trip. In more remote areas, these are often the only buses available.

Bus companies in Mexico

Mexico has hundreds of bus companies. Many of the best-known ones belong to the four large groups that dominate bus transportation in different parts of the country.

• ETN Turistar: Serves visitor favorites including San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato; the central corridor connecting Mexico City, Guadalajara and Léon; and Monterrey and the north.

• Grupo ADO: Connects Mexico City with numerous cities in the Yucatán (including in Campeche and Quintana Roo), Tabasco, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, Guerrero and Veracruz.

• Grupo Estrella Blanca: Offers service between Mexico City and the center, north and west of Mexico. Major cities served include Guadalajara, Tijuana, Puebla, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta and Ciudad Juárez.

• Primera Plus: Serves destinations around central Mexico including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, San Luis Potosí and San Miguel de Allende.

Buses within and around cities in Mexico

Generally known as camiones, local buses are usually the cheapest way to get around within cities and out to nearby towns and villages. They run frequently, with fares in cities usually just a few pesos. In many cities, fleets of small, modern microbuses have replaced the noisy, dirty older vehicles. Buses usually halt only at fixed paradas (bus stops) – though in some places, you can hold your hand out to stop one at any street corner.

In Mexico City, the metrobús is an express option featuring subway-style stops with platforms.

Buying bus tickets in Mexico

For 1st-class, deluxe and executive buses, you should buy your ticket at the bus terminal before the trip; in some cities, you can buy tickets from bus offices in central office locations. It is also usually possible to purchase tickets online and us an e-ticket or QR code to board.

For trips of up to four or five hours on routes with frequent service, you can usually just go to the bus terminal, buy a ticket and board without much delay. For longer trips, routes with infrequent service or for any trip during busy holiday times, it’s best to buy a ticket a day or more in advance. You can usually select your seat when you buy your ticket. Try to avoid the back of the bus, which is where the toilets are located, and where you also might experience a bumpier ride.

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Many 2nd-class services have no ticket office: count on paying your fare to the conductor.

More tips for traveling by bus in Mexico

• Most cities and towns have a principal terminal from which all long-distance buses operate. It may be called the Terminal de Autobuses, Central de Autobuses, Central Camionera or La Central (not to be confused with el centro, the city center). Stations in major cities tend to be generally clean, safe and highly functional.

• Air-conditioned buses can get cold, so wear long pants or a skirt and bring a sweater, jacket or even a blanket on board. Eye masks and earplugs can be handy if you don’t want to watch your neighbor’s videos the entire trip.

• Buying tickets several days in advance or at less busy times of the day can often get you a discounted fare.

• Your baggage will be safe if stowed in the baggage hold – get a receipt for it when you hand it over. Keep your most valuable possessions in the cabin with you.

• While we want to emphasize that traveling by bus is very safe, buses do occasionally get held up or even robbed. Traveling by day and on deluxe or 1st-class buses, which use toll highways where possible, minimizes this risk.

Domestic flights can save you both time and money

More than 60 Mexican cities have airports with scheduled passenger services, including Mexico City, Cancún, Guadalajara, Tijuana, Monterrey, San José del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta – as well as smaller, further-flung places such as Tapachula, Chetumal and La Paz. Flying can offer good value on longer journeys, and most Mexican airlines have a decent safety record. While you have to consider flying’s higher carbon footprint, if you have limited time in Mexico, a domestic hop by air is preferable to a 48-hour bus ride.

What’s more, in the off season, it’s possible to find discounted domestic airfares that may make it cheaper to fly than take a bus. Low-cost carriers such as VivaAerobus and Volaris usually have the best deals. Occasionally, you’ll find bargains on Aeroméxico, Mexico’s flagship airline.

Within cities, taxis can be surprisingly cheap

Taxis are common in towns and cities, and they are surprisingly economical. If a taxi has a meter, you can ask the driver if it’s working (“¿Funciona el taxímetro?”). If the cab doesn’t have a functioning meter, establish the price of the ride before getting in; this may involve a bit of haggling.

Many airports and some big bus terminals have a system of authorized ticket taxis. On the way out of the terminal (just after immigration, if you’re arriving on an international flight), you’ll prepay a fixed-price fare to your destination from a special taquilla (ticket window), then hand the voucher to the driver instead of paying cash. This saves haggling time and prevents major rip-offs – even if such fares are usually higher than you could get on the street.

In recent years, Uber has become increasingly popular, as well as similar rideshare service Cabify.

Catch a colectivo, combi, minibus or pesero for short city trips

These often interchangeable words all describe vehicles that function as something between a taxi and a bus, running along fixed urban routes usually displayed on the windshield. Cheaper than taxis and quicker than camiones (buses), they will pick you up or drop you off on any corner along their route. To stop one, go to the curb and wave your hand, then tell the driver where you want to go.

Usually, you pay at the end of the trip; the price (a little higher than a bus fare) depends on how far you go.

Drive your own car or motorcycle for maximum flexibility

Having your own vehicle in Mexico gives you flexibility and freedom – for a price. With a little adaptation to local road conditions, driving here is no more difficult than in most other countries. The highways here are serviceable and fairly fast when traffic is not heavy. Throughout Mexico, there are more than 11,000km of toll highways (autopistas), which are generally good four-lane roads.

Renting a car in Mexico

Car rentals in Mexico can be expensive by US or European standards, but not difficult to organize. Many major international rental firms have offices throughout the country.

Most rental car rates include unlimited kilometers and liability coverage (daños a terceros in Spanish). Major credit cards usually provide some form of collision coverage (check with your bank before you travel). To rent a vehicle, you need a valid driver’s license from your home country, a passport and a major credit card. You’ll have to be at least 21 years old (sometimes 25; those aged from 21 to 24 may have to pay a surcharge).

Renting a motorbike in Mexico

Motorbikes or scooters can be rented in a few tourist centers. You’re usually required to have a driver’s license and a credit card. Keep in mind that many renters do not offer any insurance.

Hiring a car and driver in Mexico

Renting a taxi for a day-long, out-of-town jaunt generally costs something similar to a cheap rental car.

More tips on driving in Mexico

• The next time you get behind the wheel in Mexico, consider that most Mexican motorists have never taken a driver’s test. Drivers might view red lights and speed limits as mere suggestions, while a left turn from a middle lane is par for the course. Stay alert, especially when driving on poorly maintained roads.

• Drivers often flash their bright lights or use their left-turn signal to indicate they want to overtake you.

• Try and avoid driving at night, as unlit vehicles, hard-to-see speed bumps, rocks, pedestrians and animals on the roads are common – and drunk drivers are more common. General highway security is better by day.

• If you’re involved in an accident, you can be jailed and have your vehicle impounded while responsibility is assessed. If you are to blame for an accident causing injury or death, you may be detained until you guarantee restitution to the victims and payment of any fines. Adequate Mexican insurance coverage is the only real protection; it’s regarded as a guarantee that restitution will be paid.

• Note that some hijackings, holdups and illegal roadblocks connected with drug gang activities do occur, mainly in the north.

Use ferries to get to and from the Baja Peninsula

Vehicle and passenger ferries connect the Baja Peninsula with the Mexican mainland, sailing between Santa Rosalía and Guaymas, and from La Paz to Mazatlán and Topolobampo. Not only do these save travelers the effort of going up and around the very long Gulf of California, but they generally run overnight, which saves on a night’s accommodation.

Mexico’s two passenger-train services are attractions in themselves

A major – and controversial – undertaking that saw its first passengers in 2023, the 1554km railway known as the Tren Maya (Maya Train) loops around the entire Yucatán Peninsula. The network links major cities and Maya ruins (including Chichén Itzá and Calakmul) in a circuit around the peninsula, with a spur through Tabasco to Palenque, in Chiapas. Note that most stations are located far from their named destinations and require a connecting bus.

The spectacular Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacífico runs through the Sierra Madre Occidental between Los Mochis and Chihuahua (the luxury Chepe Express travels only between Los Mochis and Creel). The train is an experience in itself – indeed, one of the best things to do in all of Mexico.

Accessible travel in Mexico

While there is an increase in wheelchair-friendly companies offering trips and tours of Mexico – plus a proliferation of newer resorts and hotels with dropped curbs, ramps and elevators – significant accessibility obstacles remain for those with mobility issues. In many cities, the pavements are old and unevenly cobbled, with few or no dropped curbs. Most public transport isn't wheelchair friendly, either (think stairs on the Mexico City Metro, and no accessibility provisions on buses). Still, some taxi firms and tour companies can arrange private transfers for wheelchair users if booked in advance.