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
Guadalajara Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport
CodeGDL
LocationGuadalajara International Airport is situated 17km (12 miles) southeast of Guadalajara.
Telephone+52 33 3688 5248
AddressCarretera Guadalajara Chapala km 17.5
Tiajomulco de Zuñiga
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Mexico City Benito Juárez International Airport
CodeMEX
LocationMexico City Benito Juárez International Airport is located 13km (8 miles) east of Mexico City.
Telephone+52 55 2482 2400
AddressAvenida Capitán Carlos León S/N Col Peñón de los Baños
Delegación Venustiano Carranza
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Monterrey General Mariano Escobedo International Airport
CodeMTY
LocationThe airport is situated 24km (15 miles) northeast of Monterrey.
Telephone+52 81 8288 7700
AddressApodacaCarretera Miguel Alemán Km 24
Monterrey
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Cancún International Airport
CodeCUN
LocationCancún International Airport is located 17.6km (11 miles) southwest of Cancún.
Telephone+52 99 8848 7200
AddressCarretera Cancún-Chetumal KM 22
Cancún
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Acapulco International Airport
CodeACA
LocationTelephoneAddressFlight 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).
Images of Puerto Vallarta beaches
Images of Playa del Carmen beaches
Images of Cozumel beaches
Images of Cancun beaches