Travel to Mexico

Flying to Mexico

Mexico's national carrier is Aeroméxico (www.aeromexico.com). Some of Mexico's domestic airlines serve US destinations, including VivaAerobus (www.vivaerobus.com) and Volaris (www.volaris.mx). Aeroméxico and British Airways (www.ba.com) both operate direct flights to Mexico City from the UK. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) offer non-stop flights from London to Cancún.

Major airports are: Cancun International Airport, Guadalajara Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport, Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport and Monterrey General Mariano.

Airport Guides

Flight times

To Mexico City: from London - 11 hours 20 minutes; New York - 5 hours 15 minutes.

To Cancún: from London - 11 hours; New York - 4 hours 30 minutes.

Departure tax

Around US$48 depending on the exchange rate. Usually included in the air fare, otherwise payable at the airport.

Travelling to Mexico by Rail

Amtrak provides railway connections to various points along the Mexican border from cities in the USA or Canada (tel: +1 800 872 7245, in the USA; www.amtrak.com).

To get into Mexico by train, the only option is on luxurious private services like the Sierra Madre Express operating between Tuscon, Arizona and Mexico's Copper Canyon. Tickets are available through specialist agents. Mexlist (www.mexlist.com) maintains a list of similar luxury services, most of which have pullman sleepers, restaurant cars, lounge observation and club cars.

Driving to Mexico

Drivers crossing the border into Mexico in private cars or US hire cars must present originals and photocopies of the current car registration and a current driving licence to obtain an automobile permit, valid for the length of stay specified on their tourist card (maximum of 180 days). The cost of this should be charged to a credit card to avoid leaving a large cash deposit.

Mexican car insurance is also compulsory - extensions to US policies are not valid. You can buy insurance through agencies on the US side of the border but better deals are available through online brokers.

Getting to Mexico by boat

Main ports: Acapulco (www.apiacapulcoport.com), Cabo San Lucas, Cozumel (www.apiqroo.com.mx), Manzanillo (www.puertomanzanillo.com.mx), Mazatlán (www.puertomazatlan.com.mx), Puerto Vallarta (www.puertodevallarta.com.mx), Tampico (www.puertodetampico.com.mx) and Zihuatanejo/Ixtap.

Cruise ships

A huge number of companies operate cruise services from the USA to both Pacific and Caribbean Mexico, including Carnival (www.carnival.com) and Royal Caribbean (www.royalcaribbean.com).