Mexico City and Queretaro Travel Questions (taxi cab, places to live, buses, airport)

[Llep]

I am considering a vacation to Mexico soon. It will also serve as an exploratory trip to see if I would like to live there for an extended period. I am thinking to fly into DF, spend several days there and then bus to Queretaro for a few days to check it out. I have some basic questions to start with.

1. Is there any "perfect" time of day to arrive in DF via plane as far as safety is concerned? I will be flying United and I have my pick of arrival times, early morning, mid day, evening, late evening. My big concern is traveling from the airport to the hotel as safely as possible. I know I have flown into Quito and Lima near midnight and in Lima there were special security precautions to take in this regard.

2. If I decide to start in Queretaro and go there directly from the airport is this possible? Or will I need to go to a proper bus station?

3. Are there any public holiday periods I should be aware of to plan around starting mid April through mid May?

Thanks!

[tequila4less]

1.- Morning is a good time to arrive at the DF airport
2.- You would need to depart from the Central Norte Bus Station. Unless you want to pay a taxi cab to Queretaro
3.- You might want to search for the Semana Santa this year.

[SenorChip]

Originally Posted by Llep

I am considering a vacation to Mexico soon. It will also serve as an exploratory trip to see if I would like to live there for an extended period. I am thinking to fly into DF, spend several days there and then bus to Queretaro for a few days to check it out. I have some basic questions to start with.

1. Is there any "perfect" time of day to arrive in DF via plane as far as safety is concerned? I will be flying United and I have my pick of arrival times, early morning, mid day, evening, late evening. My big concern is traveling from the airport to the hotel as safely as possible. I know I have flown into Quito and Lima near midnight and in Lima there were special security precautions to take in this regard.

2. If I decide to start in Queretaro and go there directly from the airport is this possible? Or will I need to go to a proper bus station?

3. Are there any public holiday periods I should be aware of to plan around starting mid April through mid May?

Thanks!

1. The morning is the best time.

2. You can take a bus from the airport to Querétaro. http://www.aicm.com.mx/en/passengers...ortation/buses

3. Holy week is from March 29 to April 4, lot of traffic in the airport.

[Willy702]

Unless you want to go out walking around after you arrive your time in the city isn't that important. Taxis are available 24 hours a day and are quite safe.

By the end of April tourism traffic is real slow, things won't pick up again until kids are out of school.

[kikebxl]

Mexico DF has a reputation of an unsafe city that it is maybe a heritage from the 80s or so. Nothing to do with current DF, that it is a perfectly safe big city (if you follow regular safety rules and common sense as you would do in any big city)

It would be like judging NYC safety of today with the data of 80s NYC. Nothing to do.

so, relax, everything will be fine. Enjoy Mexico.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by Llep

I am considering a vacation to Mexico soon. It will also serve as an exploratory trip to see if I would like to live there for an extended period. I am thinking to fly into DF, spend several days there and then bus to Queretaro for a few days to check it out. I have some basic questions to start with.

Unless you have a high powered job, most people don't want to move to Mexico City. It is too expensive and busy to live in, unless you have a lot of money.

May I suggest that you land in MEX airport (preferably before 4PM) and take a nice bus directly from the airport to Querétaro. The historic city center, and the nearby towns of San Miguel de Allende or the incredible city of Guanajato are much nicer places to live. Save your museum visits for the end of your exploratory trip. If you move there, you will have many trips to Mexico City to see the sights. Concentrate on possible places to live.

San Miguel de Allende is the far richer and more touristed city. Guanajato is one of the gems of Mexico.

Once upon a Time in Mexico was filmed in SMA, Guanajato, and Queretaro. It is a violent film, but the scenery is impressive

[llowllevellowll]

Queretaro was one of my favorite cities on my excursion through Mexico. In addition, Puebla, Guanajuato, and Guadalajara were wildly impressive cities. DF was the only city during my 2-week excursion that I couldn't stand. It wasn't unsafe at all; it was just big, sprawling, and generally lacking the charm that made the aforementioned cities so wonderful.

[MexPatInsurancePro]

Originally Posted by Llep

I am considering a vacation to Mexico soon. It will also serve as an exploratory trip to see if I would like to live there for an extended period. I am thinking to fly into DF, spend several days there and then bus to Queretaro for a few days to check it out. I have some basic questions to start with.

1. Is there any "perfect" time of day to arrive in DF via plane as far as safety is concerned? I will be flying United and I have my pick of arrival times, early morning, mid day, evening, late evening. My big concern is traveling from the airport to the hotel as safely as possible. I know I have flown into Quito and Lima near midnight and in Lima there were special security precautions to take in this regard.

2. If I decide to start in Queretaro and go there directly from the airport is this possible? Or will I need to go to a proper bus station?

3. Are there any public holiday periods I should be aware of to plan around starting mid April through mid May?

Thanks!

If you are considering moving there, you should go there in "worst" time to see if you can handle it.

I have some family friends that retired to Querataro and couldn't be happier.......

Have a great time and enjoy it.