Air
Mexico has more than fifty airports serving regular passenger flights run by
domestic and international airlines. There are two Mexican national
airlines instead of one; Aeromexico and Mexicana which fly direct to several
cities in Mexico. Usually, the domestic airfares to popular destinations
rate lower than the less frequented routes. Aeromexico and Mexicana offer
multi-flight airpasses "MexiPass" which can be obtained only outside
Mexico and are valid for 90 days. Depending on which region of the country
is being covered, prices may differ for 2- to 5- passes. There is also an
option of MexiPass Inter which includes international flights between Mexico,
the US, Canada and other South American countries. This option is an
especially good deal for longer flights. For example, flights from
Toronto-Mexico City-Oaxaca-Cancun-Miami cost just US$490 with the pass.
When departing from Mexico, you need to pay a departure tax of equivalent to
US$40 unless it is already included in the price of your air tickets.
Trains
Travelling by train in Mexico is recommended only in northern and central
Mexico as it is usually very slow, rarely on time and services are infrequent.
The most popular journeys include those from the border to Mexico City, Mexico
City to Oaxaca, and the amazing Copper Canyon Railway. There is only one
class of Mexican trains, and there are no sleepers although seats are
comfortable and do recline. Tickets are sold only on the day of departure
and overbooking is normal, so if you plan to buy a ticket and get a good seat
it's best to turn up fairly early.
Buses
The most common and efficient form of public transport in Mexico is buses.
There are several companies that run an amazing number of buses and they connect
even the remotest villages in the country. Mexican buses generally have
two classes; first (primera) and second (segunda). Both classes offer
reserved seats, videos and air conditioning. The main differences are that
first class buses call at less stops, hence take you to where you're going
faster and cost more money (10% or more than second class' rate). It's
always best to check your route and arrival time and buy tickets from the bus
station in advance to get the best seats. A decent road map will be
extremely helpful in working out which buses are going to pass through your
destination.
Driving
Driving in Mexico requires patience and intuitive as foreign drivers often
find that the Mexican's driving culture is far more complicated than their own
at home. Drivers tend to go in and out of lanes as they please often
without turning signals, cars frequently ignore red lights, or come the wrong
way on a one-way street, and so on. However, driving in Mexico is a good
choice if done with a specific itinerary as it enables you to cover a small area
in a day or two that would require days exploring by public transport. In
all the tourist resorts and major cities there are competing number of rental
agencies, with local operations usually charging less than the well-known
chains. However, if you plan to bring your own car it's best to bear in
mind that there are some bureacratic procedures you'll certainly have to deal
with in order to get your vehicle cross the border properly documented.
Moreover, the not-so-perfect road condition teamed with burning hot road surface
may not be very good to your cars.
Drivers from the US, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand can
use their licenses to drive in Mexico, but unless your photo is clearly printed
on it, getting an international license is perhaps a wise move. The
Mexican law also requires that you carry all of your document while driving, and
obtaining an insurance is definitely a must.
Many Mexican towns have their streets laid out in a numbered grid fanning out
from a central point - often with odd-numbered streets running east-west, even
ones north-south. In such places a suffix - Ote (for Oriente, East), Pte
(for Poniente, West), Nte (for Norte, North), or Sur (South) - may be
added to the street number to tell you which side of the two central dividing
streets it is.
Ferries
There are reasonably-priced ferries connecting between Baja California and
Santa Rosalia, Guaymas, and Lapaz; all of which are located on the Pacific
mainland. In addition, there are smaller boats going off the Caribbean
coast: from Chetumal o Xcalak, from Cancun o Isla Mujeres and from Playa del
Carmen and Puero Morelos to Cozumel.
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