There is no better way to explore the Yucatan than by grabbing a map, hiring a car and hitting the road!

Our Yucatan Transportation Guide is a great resource packed with handy tips and local knowledge about getting to and around the Yucatan. We have also listed the contact details of some trustworthy local transport providers to make your holiday in the Yucatan safe and fun. Whether you have just a few hours to spend or many days in which to explore the wonders of the Yucatan, we are sure to have a Yucatan tour to meet your needs. Check out our Yucatan tours page and Yucatan Destination Guide for further information.

Yucatan Transportation Guide

Yucatan is the western most state in the Yucatan Peninsula and beyond the coastline lies the Gulf of Mexico. Due east is the state of Quintana Roo, famous for its cities of Cancun and Cozemel. Concealed below the Peninsula lies the Chicxulub Crater

Getting to Yucatan

By Air

Mexico has many domestic and international airports. The main ones in the Yucatan region are Cancún (CUN), Merida (MID) and Cozemal (CZM). In the Chiapas the airports are in Tabasco, Villahermosa (VSA) and Tuxtla Guiterrez (NTR).

International airlines depart from Chicago, Atlanta Dallas/Fort Worth, Las Vegas Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, Orlando, New York, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Raleigh/Durham, San Francisco, Toronto, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Most of the flights into the Yucatan peninsula land at Aeropuerto International de Cancún, and every flight from other parts of the world into Cancún has to pass through the US or Mexico City. The region has four international airports at Cozumel, Merida, Campeche and Chetumal with direct flights from the US and Canada landing only at Merida and Cozumel.

By Car

If you wish to drive into Mexico, you should have a temporary car-importation permit, which is given when you submit the relevant list of documents. For the permit approach the officials of the Banco del Ejército (Banjercito) at the aduana (Mexican Customs) building as soon as you cross Mexico border.

Carefully consider the option of driving into Mexico. It is not recommended as it will work out more expensive than other modes of travel and driving in the Yucatan Peninsula is beset with hassles. Crossing the border is not easy as you have to deal with an unhelpful bureaucracy and there may be long delays. That said driving inside the country is a wonderful way of seeing the land, so you may want to hire a car for local travel. There are many rental agencies that provide clean and well kept cars. Remember however that they may be smaller than their U.S. counterparts and fitted with manual transmission rather than an automatic one. There is also an expensive compulsory insurance involved.

Getting Around Yucatan

Driving around the peninsula gives you the freedom to enjoy the countryside at your own pace. The roads are well maintained so driving is not arduous. However, avoid driving at night or at least be cautious. Many modes of transportation are available. Buses connect all the major towns. The air conditioned ones are the last word in luxury.

By Bus

Buses are a cheap and reliable means of transport. To get around the Yucatan Peninsula try the first and second class buses. They connect the bigger towns to the interior areas. The peninsula’s cities like Cancun, Merida, Chetumal and Campeche have bus stations from where buses depart to the smaller towns in Mexico as well. Be ready to endure noisy crowds in the buses which ply in the smaller towns.

By Car

Renting a car is a good idea in Yucatan. Road surfaces are good and maps that can be picked up from tourist information offices are easy to read. The buses that cover the area are often packed to capacity and slow.

Yucatan lacks a train service. Barring the crowded central areas of the big cities of Merida and Cancun, the rest of Yucatan can easily be covered by car.