Getting Around Mexico City: Metro, Metrobús and Taxis Explained

A practical guide to Mexico City transport, from the Metro's flat fare and the Metrobús lanes on Insurgentes to when a taxi or rideshare app is worth the money.

The Metro: fast, cheap and busiest at rush hour

The Sistema de Transporte Colectivo Metro is the backbone of the city: twelve lines, 195 stations and a flat ticket bought at the window or from machines, with rechargeable cards sold at most entrances. It runs roughly from 5am to midnight on weekdays, later on weekends. Line 3 between Indios Verdes and Universidad is the workhorse for Roma, Condesa and Coyoacán; Line 7 serves Chapultepec and Polanco; Line 2 links Bellas Artes, Zócalo and the eastern bus terminals. Trains are frequent, but avoid 7–9am and 5–7pm if you can, when carriages are genuinely packed.

Pickpocketing is the one thing to plan around. Wear your bag in front, keep phones out of hip pockets and skip the first and last carriages, where crowding is worst. Transfers inside stations involve a lot of stairs and long corridors — Pino Suárez between Lines 1 and 2 is a hike — so pack light and don't schedule tight connections. For most visitors staying in Roma Norte or Juárez, the Metro is the fastest way to reach the Centro Histórico, Coyoacán and the Basilica de Guadalupe, and it is hard to beat on value.

Metrobús: the surface option that skips traffic

The Metrobús is a bus rapid transit network with dedicated lanes and seven lines. For travellers it matters most on Avenida Insurgentes (Line 1), which runs from Indios Verdes in the north down through Reforma, Roma and Del Valle to El Caminero in the south; Line 4 loops through the Centro Histórico and connects to the airport terminals. You need a rechargeable card from a station machine — the ticket is not sold in cash on board — and you tap in at platform gates. Stations are elevated in the middle of the avenue, so you cross by footbridge.

Line 1 is the practical choice for moving between Condesa, Roma and the Centro without changing trains, and Line 4 is genuinely useful if you land at Benito Juárez and your hotel is downtown. Buses are slower than the Metro in the evening peak because signal priority is imperfect, and the crush at Insurgentes station around 6pm is real. I would use the Metrobús for short hops along Insurgentes and take the Metro for anything crossing the city. Both require the same card, which makes switching simple.

Taxis, rideshare apps and airport transfers

Authorised taxis have pink-and-white livery and a meter, though many drivers prefer to quote a fixed fare before you get in — agree the number first and carry small notes. Sitios, the ranked taxi stands outside hotels and at major plazas, are safer than hailing on the street, especially at night. Rideshare apps are widely used and generally cheaper for cross-town trips; the pickup point at the airport is a designated area outside each terminal, not the kerb where taxis wait, so follow the signs.

From Benito Juárez airport to Roma or Condesa is a short ride of roughly 20–40 minutes depending on traffic on the Circuito Interior; to Polanco or Santa Fe, allow closer to 45–60 minutes. Traffic peaks from 7–10am and 6–9pm, and rain in the June-to-September wet season makes everything slower. I would book a sitio taxi or app car on arrival with luggage and use the Metro afterwards. Skip unmetered cabs flagged down on Reforma at night, and don't accept a fare quoted in dollars.

Where to stay to make the transport work

Your neighbourhood choice does more for your trip than any single transport decision. Roma Norte and Condesa put you within walking distance of parks, cafés and Line 1 Metrobús stops on Insurgentes, with the Metro at Insurgentes, Chilpancingo and Sevilla. Juárez and Zona Rosa sit between Reforma and the Centro, handy for Line 3 and the Metrobús. Polanco is quieter and better served by taxis than by rail; Coyoacán is lovely but needs a bus or taxi to reach the Metro at Viveros or Miguel Ángel de Quevedo.

Book earlier rather than later for stays in Roma and Condesa, where small hotels fill up around major holidays and the December–April dry season. For a first visit I would choose a hotel within a ten-minute walk of an Insurgentes Metrobús station: it gives you one card, two modes and a straightforward route to the Centro, Coyoacán and the airport. Check the exact walking distance to the nearest station before you confirm, and you will spend less time in traffic than most visitors.

Questions, answered

Do I need a card for the Metro and Metrobús?

Yes. Both use a rechargeable card bought and topped up at station machines or windows. The Metro also sells single tickets, but the card saves queuing and works on the Metrobús, where cash is not accepted on board.

Is the Metro safe for tourists?

It is busy and generally fine, with the usual big-city caution. Keep bags in front, phones out of sight, avoid the first and last carriages at peak times, and use common sense late at night, when a taxi or app car is the better choice.

When should I take a taxi instead of the Metro?

Take a taxi or app car with heavy luggage, late at night, or for trips to Santa Fe and other areas poorly served by rail. During the 7–10am and 6–9pm peaks, the Metro is usually faster than any vehicle on the road.

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