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Cars 4 Rental Guide To Travel In  Mexico

Armed groups are still present in parts of the state of Chiapas. Caution should be exercised when visiting the highlands around San Cristobel de las Casas, and municipality of Ocosingo, and the jungle area towards the Guatemalan border. International Airports Mexico City (MEX) (Benito Jurez) is 13km (8 miles) south of the city. Buses run to and from the city at regular intervals (travel time – 35 minutes). Underground trains and taxis are also available. Airport facilities include duty-free shops, restaurants, bank/bureau de change, bar, snack bar, chemist, shops, tourist information, left luggage, post office, first aid (with vaccinations for cholera and yellow fever available) and car hire (includes Avis, Budget, Dollar and Hertz). Guadalajara (GDL) (Miguel Hidalgo) is 20km (12 miles) southeast of the city (travel time – 35 minutes). Airport facilities include restaurant, bar, snack bar, bank, post office and shops. Acapulco (ACA) (General Juan N Alvarez) is 26km (16 miles) southeast of the city (travel time – 35 minutes). Coaches and taxi services run to the city. Airport facilities include restaurant, bank, post office and car hire. Monterrey (MTY) (General Mariano Escobedo) is 24km (15 miles) northeast of the city (travel time – 45 minutes). Coach and taxi services run to the city. Airport facilities include restaurant, bar, bank, post office, shops and car hire. Departure tax: Approximately US$23.20; children under two years and transit passengers are exempt. The tax is sometimes included in the price of the ticket. Back to Top Air Travel Mexico’s national airlines are Aeromxico (AM) (website: www.aeromexico.com) and Mexicana (MX) (website: www.mexicana.com). British Airways operates three direct flights each week from Heathrow to Mexico City. There is an excellent network of daily scheduled services between principal commercial centres operated by Aero California, Aeromxico and Mexicana. Many of the smaller airports also have capacity for large planes and some international flights. Flights between Mexico City and Guadalajara take about 55 minutes, and those between Mexico City and Monterrey about 75 minutes. Departure tax: US$23.20. Approximate flight times: From Mexico City to London is 11 hours 25 minutes; to Los Angeles is four hours 20 minutes; to New York is six hours; to Singapore is 22 hours 45 minutes and to Sydney is 19 hours. Back to Top Travel By Water The major cruise ports in Mexico are Acapulco, Cozumel, Manzanillo, Mazatln, Puerto Vallarta, Tampico and Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa. Regular passenger ships run from the USA and South America. Principal shipping lines are Fred Olsen Lines, P&O and Star Clipper. There are also riverboat services from Flores and Tikal (Guatemala) to Palenque, Chiapas in Mexico; enquire locally for details. Steamer ferries operate regularly between Mazatln and La Paz (Baja California) daily; between Guaymas and Santa Rosalia, across the Gulf of California; between La Paz and Topolobampo three or four times weekly; and from Puerto Vallarta to Cabo San Lucas twice-weekly. Some west coast cruises include Pacific ports such as Mazatln, Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco. There are also regular ferries from the mainland to the Caribbean Islands of Isla Mujeres and Cozumel. Back to Top Rail Mexico has a good railway network and trains link all the main towns in the country. A spectacular route is the Copper Canyon Railway that runs between Chihuahua and Los Mochis. However, most people travel by bus since it is considerably faster and provides a more extensive service. Children under five travel free, provided they are accompanied by a parent. Children aged five to 11 pay half-fare. Railway connections with Mexico can be made from any city in the USA or Canada. All trains are provided with pullman sleepers, restaurant cars, lounge observation and club cars. Most trains are air conditioned. Back to Top Travel By Road Traffic drives on the right. Mexico’s road network extends to almost 252,000km (157,500 miles), of which somewhat less than half is paved. A toll is charged for use of the expressways, which are managed by Caminos y Puentes Federales de Ingresos y Servicios Conexos. Rest areas at toll sites also provide ambulance and breakdown services. An organisation known as ‘Angeles Verdes’ (Green Angels) provides breakdown assistance to tourists on the highways free of charge except for petrol, oil and spare parts. Car use in Mexico City is restricted to cut down on pollution. The last digit of the car number plate determines when that car cannot be driven. Bus: Mexico is linked by a good and very economical bus system. There are first-class and deluxe coaches as well as ordinary buses. Central bus terminals in major cities provide service and information on fares and schedules. Car hire: Self-drive cars are available at airports, city centres and resorts. Documentation: An International Driving Permit or a full British Driving Licence is required for locally registered vehicles. Minimum driving age is 18. Payment is by credit card. Full car insurance is recommended. URBAN: There is an excellent and cheap metro system in Mexico City with frequent trains and flat fares. However, it is often crowded and some familiarity with the city is necessary to use it successfully. The metro opens Mon-Sat at 0500 and Sun 0700 and closes at about midnight. There is also a small tramway network, and extensive bus and trolley bus services. The latter system has recently been modernised, and also has a flat fare. There is a state-run bus and trolley bus service in Guadalajara, with trolley buses running in tunnels, and also extensive private bus services. Taxi: Four different types of taxi operate in Mexico City. Yellow and white taxis (usually volkswagens) are metered, as are orange taxis (Sitio), which are available at taxi-stands. These charge slightly more, and it is advisable to agree on the fare before starting the journey. Turismo taxis with English-speaking drivers are available outside main hotels. They are not metered and fares should be agreed before starting journey as rates can be excessive. Peseros (green and white) are share-taxis travelling on fixed routes, for which fares are charged according to the distance travelled. Tipping is not compulsory for any of the taxi services. TRAVEL TIMES: The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Mexico City to other major cities/towns in Mexico. Air Road Rail Acapulco 0.35 3.30 - Cancn 2.15 30.00 - Oaxaca 0.15 6.00 12.00 Chihuahua 2.15 34.00 40.00 Puerto Vallarta 1.55 14.00 - Guadalajara 0.55 7.00 12.00 Tijuana 2.45 36.00 - Main points of entry from the USA are Mexicali from San Diego; Nogales from Phoenix/Tucson; El Paso/Ciudad Jurez from Tucson and Alberquerque; Eagle Pass/Piedras Negras from Del Ro, San Angelo and El Paso; Laredo/Nuevo Laredo from Houston, San Antonia and Del Ro; and Brownsville/Matamoros from Houston and Galveston. From Guatemala, there are two main roads into Mexico. The Pan American Highway crosses into Mexico from Guatemala and continues through Central America and South America. There is also a road border crossing point from Belize near Chetumal and Corozal. Back to Top

Car Hire Mexico

Cars 4 Rental can provide car hire vehicles in all the popular locations throughout Mexico.

Whatever your requirements Cars 4 Rental will be able to provide a car to meet your needs. Our hire cars can be equipped with many optional extras including child seats so that your car rental is ideally suited to your needs.

Hire a car in Mexico