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Mayan ruins, Chichen Itza, Mexico

© 123rf.com / Bruno Medley

Travel to Mexico

Flying to Mexico

Flights to Mexico are served by Aeroméxico (AM) (www.aeromexico.com). (Its chief competitor, Mexicana (www.mexicana.com), went bankrupt in mid-2010 and ceased operations, but is expected to resume operations sometime in 2011.) Some of Mexico's domestic airlines serve US destinations, including VivaAerobus (www.vivaerobus.com) with flights to/from Las Vegas and Houston and Volaris (www.volaris.mx) to from Los Angeles and Chicago.

Flight times:

From London to Mexico City, 11 hours 40 minutes; from New York, 5 hours 40 minutes. From London (Gatwick) to Cancún is 11 hours; from New York is 4 hours 15 minutes.

Departure tax:

US$25, usually included in the air fare, otherwise payable at the airport.

Travel 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 (tel: +1 520 747 0346 or 800 666 0346, in the USA) operating between Tuscon, Arizona and Mexico's Copper Canyon. Tickets 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 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. Insurance can be purchased at 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.apimazatlan.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 (tel 1-800-764-7419 in the USA; www.carnival.com) and Royal Caribbean (tel 1-866-562-7625 in the USA; www.royalcaribbean.com).

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