Mexico
Getting there
BY AIR
From the UK and Europe
Scheduled flights:
British Airways offers the only direct
scheduled flights from the UK to Mexico, 3 times weekly from London
Heathrow to Mexico City and from London Gatwick to
Cancún.
Iberia flies from cities across Europe to
Mexico City via Madrid, with connecting flights to Cancún.
In addition, KLM flies to Mexico City and
Cancún from Amsterdam, Air
France has services from Paris Charles de Gaulle, and
Lufthansa flies from Frankfurt.
You can also fly from major European cities to destinations across
Mexico via the USA - Continental,
American Airlines and
Aeromexico have comprehensive
networks.
Discount fares and charter flights:
There are numerous charter flights from the UK and Europe to
Cancún - check discounted travel agents for cheap tickets
(cheapflights.com
gives an extensive list of the latest deals on offer).
If you can find a good deal on flights to the US, you can travel
overland or buy an onward flight from there. Miami has reasonably
priced onward flights to a number of Mexican destinations, which
are normally cheaper than flights to other Latin American
countries.
Another good way to travel around Mexico from the UK is with an
open-jaw ticket (the most popular route is into Mexico City
and out of Cancún or vice-versa).
From the US and Canada
There are flights to Mexico from virtually every American city,
including services to smaller airports such as Puerto Escondido,
Mérida, Oaxaca and Huatulco. For the speediest connections,
fly from Miami (on British Airways,
American Airlines or
Virgin Atlantic), from Houston
(with Continental) or from Atlanta
(with Delta). If you live close to the
border, you may find it’s easier to cross into Mexico and
take an internal flight (Aeromexico
has cheap flights to numerous destinations within Mexico).
Air Canada has flights from Toronto
and Montreal to Mexico City and Cancún, and
Air Transat flies to Cancún
from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
BY SEA
Ferries connect Baja California with a number of ports on
the mainland: Santa Rosalia to Guayamas, and La Paz to Mazatlan and
Topolobampo. For detailed information on fares and schedules, check
mexconnect.com. There are also
smaller boats to islands off the Caribbean coast e.g. from Chetumal
to Xcalak, and to neighbouring countries e.g. Xcalak to
Belize.
BY BUS
From 1997, bus companies have been allowed to come into Mexico from
the US (before, they had to stop at the border). Companies
operating between the 2 countries include
Greyhound,
Autobuses Americanos and
El Expreso.
back to topGetting Around
BY AIR
Due to the vast size of Mexico, travelling by air is a good option,
especially if you have limited time. The main airlines are
Aeromexico,
Aeromar and
Vivaaerobus, which fly between the
larger cities
Provincial cities are served by a number of smaller airlines,
including Viva Aerobus,
Volaris and
Interjet.
Puerto Escondido can be reached from Mexico City with
Aeromar or
Vivaaerobus. Or you can fly from
Oaxaca with Aerotucan Airlines or
Aerovega - purchase Aerovega tickets at Oaxaca airport or in Oaxaca
city via the travel agents attached to the bus station.
Flying in Mexico is often good value for money when compared with
other forms of transport. The cheapest fares are usually for late
evening flights booked 7 days in advance. Domestic flights are
subject to consumer tax (15%) and an airport tax (about US$8.50).
Tickets purchased in Mexico normally include taxes; if you've
bought your ticket outside Mexico, you will have to pay the airport
tax at check-in.
CAR HIRE
Car hire is available in most Mexican cities, but it can be
expensive and isn't particularly cost-effective unless you’re
going on a short weekend trip to somewhere more remote from a
larger town. If you do rent a car, Jeep-styles are best as they
cope better with the jagged speed bumps. Expect to have to change a
tyre at least once due to the potholes which blight most
roads.
You can arrange your car hire before arriving in Mexico with
Holiday Autos.
US, Canadian, British, Irish, Australian, New Zealand and most
European driving licences are valid here, but it’s a good
idea to arm yourself with an international driving licence.
BY BUS
Mexico is blessed with a superb bus network - which is so good
it’s made the train service obsolete. To cope with the 1st
and 2nd class air-conditioned buses (many of which are overnight
sleepers), four-lane highways and express toll motorways have been
built between all the major towns. While this makes your journey
undeniably speedy, it means you won’t be seeing any of the
smaller villages along the way, so bear this in mind when you plan
your journey.
Reservations and bus schedules for services across Mexico can be
found at ticketbus.com.
When To Go
High season in most areas lasts from December to April, when
temperatures are generally more bearable. The hotter, wetter season
is from May to November - rain ranges from late-afternoon showers
to days of prolonged downpours, with a risk of hurricanes in
coastal areas between August and October.
South of the tropic of Cancer (which cuts across Mexico north of
Tampico) it's hot and humid, particularly along the coastal plains
and the Yucatán Peninsula. Inland, at higher elevations,
it's much drier and temperate. Mountain areas can get very cold in
winter, and often have snow.
Mexico has a reputation for constant festive fun: just about every
month brings a major national holiday or fiesta, and every other
day is a local saint's day celebration. The most important public
holidays are:
January 1: New Year's Day
February 5: Constitution Day
February 24: Day of the Flag
Late February / early March:Carnaval (Carnival) -
the big bash before the 40-day penance of Lent
March 21: Anniversary of Benito Juárez's birth
March/April: Good Friday and Easter Sunday
May 1: Labour Day
May 5: Celebration of the 1862 victory over the French
September 16: Independence Day - celebrating the start of
the war for independence from Spain
October 12:Día de la Raza - celebrating
Columbus' 'discovery' of the New World
November 2:Día de los Muertos ('Day of the
Dead'), held the day after All Saints'. The souls of loved ones are
believed to return to earth on this day, and for weeks beforehand
markets are awash with candy skulls and papier-mâché
skeletons that form part of welcoming shrines (along with fruit and
other offerings) for the spirits
November 20:Día de la Revolución -
anniversary of the 1910 revolution
December 12: Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebrating the
country's major religious icon
December 25: Christmas Day
Visas/Entry Requirements
Visitors need a valid passport, and some nationalities have to obtain a visa (check with your local consulate for more information). EU citizens don't need a visa, but all travellers must have the government's 6-month tourist card (which is very easy to get hold of). US and Canadian citizens can enter the country without a passport if they have photo identification, but it's better to carry your passport with you, especially if you think you might travel onwards into Guatemala and Belize.
back to topOther Essentials
HEALTH
Plan ahead for immunisations (give yourself 6 weeks), as
some injections shouldn't be taken together; diptheria, hepatitis
A, hepatitis B, typhoid and polio are normally recommended. You may
also need to take anti-malarials if visiting certain areas -
consult your doctor for advice.
Most people travel happily around Mexico unafflicted by anything
other than diarrhoea and an upset stomach from eating too many
street tacos. But if you do get ill, consult a doctor and get a
second opinion if you're worried. The local consulate or tourist
office of the town you're in can usually recommend someone reliable
(who will expect to be paid in cash). Most antibiotics can be
bought over the counter at a chemist (make a note of any medication
you're allergic to), and every Mexican town has a hospital and a
Red Cross (Cruz Roja) emergency service.
Visitors from the UK should check
Travel Health Advice for
more information.
back to topNeed more Info
MEXICAN TOURIST OFFICES ABROAD
In the UK
The Mexican Tourist Board in London is at 41 Trinity Square, London
EC3N 4DJ, Tel: 020 7488 9392. Its website,
mexicotravel.co.uk, is very
useful. The official Mexico Tourism Board website,
visitmexico.com, is also packed with
information and useful tips.
In the US
New York: 405 Park Ave, Suite 1401, New York, NY 10022. Tel: 416
925 0704
Chicago: 70 East Lake St, Suite 1413, Chicago, IL 60601. Tel: 312
606 9015
Washington DC: 1911 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20006. Tel:
202 728 1750/55