GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
The main Mexican airline is Aeroméxico (AM) (Internet: www.aeromexico.com); it also flies to Europe (e.g. Paris and Amsterdam).
Lufthansa (LH) and Iberia (IB) fly to Mexico City.
Condor (DE) flies from Frankfurt and Munich to Cancun. Air Berlin (AB) flies from Düsseldorf to Cancun.
Flight times
Frankfurt – Mexico City: 10 hours 25 minutes; Zurich – Mexico City: 15 hours 15 minutes (via Atlanta). Vienna – Mexico City: 15 hours (1 stopover).
Air passes
The All America Airpass offers a flexible coupon system for travel to Latin and North America. It is valid on over 2000 routes of the approx. 30 participating airlines, regardless of the choice of transatlantic carrier. There is no minimum purchase of flight coupons; any combination of airlines, routes and stops within the All America Airpass-Travel zone. The maximum length of stay is 90 days from using the first flight coupon. Passengers must reconfirm all booked flights at least 72 hours before the next flight. Change of flight day and flight number is possible, rerouting is not permitted. The pass may only be sold to people with permanent residence outside the Caribbean, USA, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. Airport taxes are not included in the ticket price and must be paid on site. For more information, please contact Saspo Touristik, An der Trift 65, D-63303 Dreieich (Tel: (06103) 987 90. Fax: (06103) 98 79 99. E-Mail: [email protected] ; Internet: www.saspo.de /).
Mexicana Airlines andAeroméxico offer the Mexi Pass, which is only valid in combination with an international long-haul flight. With the Mexi Pass, almost 200 destinations from the Mexicana and Aeromexico route networks can be reached. Minimum number of coupons: 2 national or 3 international; the different zones can be combined with one another as required. Different additional fees apply to different routes. More information about flight routes and conditions from: Mexicana Airlines, c / o Aviareps, Hessenring 32, D-64546 Mörfelden-Walldorf (Tel: (06105) 20 60 80. Fax: (06105) 20 60 88. Email: resMX @ mexicana.de); Internet: www.mexicana.de).
Departure fee
US $ 18-29; Children under 2 years of age and transit travelers are exempt. The tax is sometimes already included in the ticket price.
Arrival by car
Car: The most important border crossing points for border traffic with the USA are Mexicali when traveling from San Diego; Nogales from Phoenix / Tucson; El Paso / Ciudad Juárez of Tucson and Albuquerque; Eagle Pass / Piedras Negras from Del Río, San Angelo and El Paso; Laredo / Nuevo Laredo from Houston, San Antonio and Del Río and Brownsville / Matamoros when coming from Houston and Galveston.
There are two main routes to Mexico from Guatemala. The Panamericana runs through Mexico to Central and South America. Another road leads at Chetumal and Corozal over the border to Belize.
Bus: Crossing borders from the USA to Mexico is better by bus than by train.
Arriving by train
According to militarynous, there are train connections to Mexico from all major cities in the USA and Canada. All trains have Pullman sleeping cars, dining cars and club cars. Most of the trains are air-conditioned.
Arrival by ship
The following ports are mainly used for cruises: Acapulco, Costa Maya (Internet: www.costamaya-mexico.com), Cozumel, Manzanillo, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Tampico and Zihuatanejo / Ixtapa.
Numerous shipping companies, including Holland America (Internet: www.hollandamerica.com) and P&O (Internet: www.pocruises.com) offer cruises to Mexico.
There are also river boats from Flores and Tikal in Guatemala to Palenque, Chiapas.
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels
The enormous growth of the tourism sector in Mexico is also reflected in the increasing supply of accommodation options. The most important international and national hotel chains are represented as well as renowned spa hotels and holiday ranches. Hotel reservations should be confirmed in writing as the rates change frequently. It is advisable to book in advance, especially in the high season. Each hotel must display the officially set prices; meals are generally not included in the price. Further information from the Mexican Hotel and Motel Association is available at: Mexican Hotel and Motel Association, Balderas 33-414, Col. Centro, CP 06040, MX-México, DF. (Tel: (55) 55 10 86 14, (55) 55 10 90 62. Internet: http://www.hotelesmexicanos.org/).
Camping
In the national parks, unlike in the rest of Mexico, you can camp and hike free of charge and without special permission. Camping is permitted anywhere within the parks. Further information from the Tourist Office or the Central Information Office of the National Parks. Most of the campsites are outside the national parks. The west coast and Baja California are particularly popular with campers. The facilities of the campsites on the western Pacific coast are excellent, the campsites in Baja California are more remote and less well equipped.