As a route to Asia, Canada and the United States, airlines have led many people to make a connection in Mexico City.
If the period between flights is short, then there is no alternative, but if the wait is long – at least six hours – the temptation to leave the airport and tourist can be great. I went through it recently, when Mexico was halfway, on a trip to China.
See in this text what to do in Mexico City during a long connection, lasting six or more hours.
Mexico City Connection: Basic Tips for Enjoying Time
What do you need to know if you’re going to catch a stop over in Mexico City? See below some useful information for your connection.
The Airport of Mexico City
Benito Juárez International Airport is one of the busiest airports in Latin America, serving millions of passengers every year. It has two main terminals, the T1 and T2, connected by an air train that operates 24 hours a day. Each terminal has its own check-in areas, baggage claim areas and ground transportation options.
The airport offers a variety of services to make your stay more comfortable. You will find VIP lounges, currency exchanges, ATMs and even a hotel within the terminal for those who have a long scale. In addition, free Wi-Fi is available throughout the airport, which is a blessing for those who arrive without connection.
Do I need a visa to make a connection in Mexico City?
If you plan to leave the airport, yes. To enter Mexico City you will need to issue a tourist visa just like any other Brazilian traveling to the country.
Visa for Mexico is not required for those who have a valid visa, citizenship or permanent residence in Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, any of the countries that make up the Schengen Area in Europe, Chile, Colombia and Peru.
If you do not fall under any of the above, the process must be done in person at one of the consulates located in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, or at the embassy in Brasilia. The place of visa issuance will be according to your state of residence.
You can check this and apply for a visa at the website of the Mexican consulate.
Every 15 days, on the first and third Mondays of the month, new dates are released for scheduling.
It is not possible to make the appointment by email or phone, it is not possible to be attended without scheduling and, there is no longer the possibility of requesting the visa urgently.
If you have questions, please consult the website of the Mexican embassy or contact us by e-mail: processitesrio-res.gob.mx (RJ), faleconoscop-sre.gob.mx (SP) or consulateexexbra-sre.gob.mx (Brasilia).
Also read: Required documents to travel to Mexico City
Immigration is compulsory and (probably) time-consuming
It does not matter if you will only make a connection in Mexico, you will still have to go through immigration (Brazilians do not need a visa), take your suitcase, pass the customs inspection and then take the luggage to the treadmill that forwards the bags to the aircraft
Since this whole procedure is inevitable, whether you leave the airport or not, point to satisfy that desire to spend your hours eating tacos and walking through the historic center of Mexico City.
I think this is perfectly feasible, but in order not to take risks, the ideal is that you have at least six hours free, counted from the moment you have already gone through all bureaucratic procedures. If your next flight is international, remember that you need to be at the airport two hours before departure.
Immigration in Mexico is a reputation for lengthy. Three times I went through the procedure, in two I faced queues of at least 40 minutes. So don’t waste time and fill out the immigration card, which you will receive during the flight, inside the plane.
The Basilica of Guadalupe
Documents to enter Mexico City on a connection
- Passport
- A visa Is
- Passage from the country
- Financial Proofs
- Hosting Proofs if you are overnight in the city
Travel insurance is not mandatory, but it is strongly advisable. In addition, it may be mandatory in your destination country of connection.
It is essential not only to take out travel insurance, but also to choose a good insurance, a product that ensures coverage in case of covid or other diseases. And also, of course, cover other medical emergencies, loss of luggage, flight cancellation, etc.
To do your search, our recommendation is that you use a comparator like Promo Insurance:
Due to a partnership of 360meridians with Seguros Promo, there is discount coupon for our readers: 360meridians05, which gives 5% off. Pay with a ticket and guarantee another 5% discount.
Where to leave your luggage on a connection in Mexico City?
If you have checked bags on your trip, check with the airline if you will need to remove them in Mexico City and rede-peace them to the final destination.
There are no rules or information specific to this case, and the procedure appears to vary depending on the company.
If you need to pick up your bags, also be sure to check in again. Sometimes, all you need to do is put them back on a new treadmill.
If you have handbags and want to store them somewhere during your connection in Mexico City, for Benito Juárez International Airport offers luggage storage services in both terminals.
These services are paid and fees may vary depending on the size of the luggage and the storage period.
How to get from the airport to the center of Mexico City?
The traffic in Mexico City is very complicated. Take this into account when calculating the return to the airport, especially if the flight is on a weekday and at rush hour.
Benito Juárez Airport is only 9 km from Zócalo, the historic center of Mexico City. The National Museum of Anthropology is 16 km away; Basilica of Guadalupe is 10.5 km away, Casa da Frida is 15 km away and the Pyramids of Teotihuacan are 55 km away.
An Uber/Cabify ride from the airport to the Zócalo costs around 90 pesos (less than R$ 20). Without traffic jams the trip takes 20 minutes. There is a network of wifi at the airport, but it has time limit, so be careful not to access it before you are prepared to call the driver. It also gives, of course, to take a taxi.
The Mexico City subway is wide, very cheap and leaves you at the door of several of the attractions that will be mentioned in the text, but because of the little time available in a connection, you should evaluate if it is no longer business to get around using the transport applications.
If you need to spend the night in the city, be sure to check out lodging options near the airport or with transfer to it.
Money in Mexico City: Is it worth exchanging or not? Which currency to take?
Since the connection was short and we already knew Mexico City, we didn’t even bother to exchange money. We went back and went back to Uber airport and paid for the restaurant where we ate with a card.
If you are going to stay longer, want to buy something, do specific tours or simply not feel safe going without cash, exchange dollars for Mexican pesos in the exchange houses that operate at the airport, near the exit.
The quotation of these exchanges is the same or even better than the one you will find outside the airport. Mexico is like Brazil and can pay with card most of the time. This can help you decide how much money to trade.
If you decide to get around Uber/Cabify, you will need the wifi of a restaurant to order the car that will take you back to the airport. Remember this in planning your roadmap.
If you lack money while you are out of the airport, do not despair. There are exchange houses in the center, although most of them do not open on weekends and holidays. You always give it to cash in ATMs, right from your checking account, but the most practical thing is to try to pay some dollar bill, a procedure that is common there.
The establishment will inform you of the quotation offered by them and will return the change in pesos.
Paseo de la Reforma (Shutterstock)
Is Mexico City dangerous?
In the security issue, Mexico remembers Brazil. That is, be careful with your belongings and avoid certain areas at night and you will hardly have problems, especially during the short time of a connection.
Unless you have an international chip on mobile or intend to use the data plan abroad, it’s a good idea to download the map of Mexico City on Google Maps, which will allow you to use when you’re offline.
The same insurance you buy for your destination country will be valid during connection: just include this date at the time of purchase and inform you that you will also pass through Mexico. In this text we explain how to get a safe travel insurance with good value (and discount coupon).
Hotels near Mexico City Airport
If your connection is full day, with the departure of the next flight just late at night, it may be worth booking a hotel to rest a little and bathe.
Hotels in the Zócalo
It is worth staying away from the airport and in the Zócalo, near the tourist attractions, if your connection is long and if your flight does not leave very early the next day.
- If you choose this route, the Hotel Ritz Ciudad de Mexico has an incredible location, on a pedestrian street and close to everything.
- The Hotel Zocalo Central is one of the most traditional in the city and is situated in a building of 1890, but all rooms and suites have been completely restored. Some have views of the Zocalo.
- Main Hotel: An economic and well located alternative, less than 5 minutes walk from the National Museum of Art and the Palacio de Bellas Artes Museum. It is highly praised for the cost-benefit.
Zócalo
What to do in a 6-hour connection in Mexico City
You are very likely to arrive early, so my tip is to start the day with a breakfast to Mexican. Take an Uber and head to the restaurant El Cardenal, which has four units in the city. I like what is on Calle de Palma 23.
The restaurant opens at 8am (on Sundays the service starts at 8:30 am), accepts card and has wifi network, the perfect combination for a traveler in connection.
And not to mention the food, which is very good and fits in the pocket. Be sure to try the Do?a Oliva chocolate, which is one of the trademarks of El Cardenal. The breads of the house are also very good. After the entrance, leave for your first Mexican course of the trip.
Is it overrun? Walk for 300 meters until you reach the Zocalo, the main square in the country. There are the Metropolitan Cathedral, one of the oldest in the Americas, and the National Palace of Mexico, which is the seat of the Presidency of the Republic.
Taking Rua 5 de Mayo, which starts next to the Cathedral, and following for six blocks, you will reach the Palace of Fine Arts, another beautiful building. And from that point you can already see the Latin American Tower and Calle Madero, a pedestrian road. You will not have time to enter the buildings, but the walk will be worth it.
Keep an eye on the clock and do not take risks: return to the airport with a good margin of time, in case traffic is complicated. If you are going back with one of the transport apps, look for the wifi of a restaurant.
What to do in an 8 or 10-hour connection in Mexico City
A great option for those who do not have much time in the city is to hire a free walking tour to know the main tourist spots spending little. In this type of tour, you tip the guide at the end of the route. You can reserve your place for free here.
I would keep the same script above, but now with time to get into some of the attractions. The entrance to the Metropolitan Cathedral is free and the church, which is sinking because of the unstable soil of the Mexican capital, is always crowded with faithful.
Next to the cathedral is the main set of Aztec ruins of the city, the so-called Templo Mayor, which today functions as a museum.
Another interesting stop is the National Palace, where you can see, also free, beautiful panels by the artist Diego Rivera, who was married to Frida Kahlo. A lookout is at the top of the Latin American Tower and there are guided tours in the Bellas Artes.
An alternative, to save time and good also for those who have difficulty moving, is to use the tourist bus, in which you can get off, walk and take the next vehicle, thus traveling the entire tourist route. Tickets and details here.
See also:
Zócalo, a itinerary in the historic center of Mexico City
Where to eat in Mexico City: restaurant tipsIf you have time, spend with one more meal.
Café Tacuba, Hosteria Sto Domingo and La Pagoda (no card) are good dining options in Zócalo.
What to do in Mexico City in a Day
This is the ideal scenario, something that is quite common for those who go to Asia – it is likely that your flight will arrive in Mexico before sunrise and the next flight departs after half the night.
In this case it is worth reserving a hotel near the airport, to bathe, rest and have the courage to face the rest of the trip.
With this time you can think of four script options:
Itinerary of a day in Mexico City: Zocalo and Anthropology Museum
Breakfast followed by hiking at the Zócalo. Then go to the Museum of Anthropology. As your time is short, one idea is to enter the museum and go directly to Sala Mexica, which is on the opposite side of the entrance.
This is the most interesting room and where is the Sunstone. Spend the time needed there and then explore the other rooms on the first floor – the second is less interesting, at least for those who have little time.
Another alternative to explore the museum in the background is to take a guided tour. To expedite your trip, consider hiring in advance. Here you will find a tour like this, three hours long, in English and Spanish.
See also:
Visit to the National Museum of Anthropology
Chapultepec Castle and the History of Mexico
The Museum of Anthropology
Itinerary of a day in Mexico City: Zócalo, Museu da Frida and Coyoacán
Start the day through the Zócalo, but from there go to the Frida Kahlo Museum, which is in the neighborhood of Coyoacán, away from the historic center.
Queues are usually big, so you should buy your ticket online. If you have time, spend in the Coyoacán Market, where you can spread with street food.
See also: Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico – visit and history
Itinerary of a day in Mexico City: Basilica of Guadalupe
Spend the morning at the Zócalo and then head to the Basilica of Guadalupe – this itinerary will interest mainly the devotees of the Saint.
This is the largest pilgrimage site in the Americas, where 20 million faithful pass each year.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe is in the northern region of Mexico City, away from the Zocallo.
See also:
Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Basilica of the Patron of Mexico
Formervotes, the art of giving graces in Mexico
Itinerary of a day in Mexico City: Teotihuacán
How about making a knockback to the pyramids of Teotihuacan? If your connection has a whole day, there is time.
In this case, I would make the ruins, which are 55 km from Mexico City, the first (and perhaps only) attraction of the day. If you have time you fit in other stops.
Theotihuacán
The highlight there is the Pyramid of the Sun, which is 75 meters, the equivalent of a building of 20 floors and enough to make this the third largest pyramid in the world.
You can go there by public transport, taxi, with agency tours, but the most practical way in this context is to really go from Uber/Cabify – the only problem is that you will need to have internet on mobile to call a car on the way back.
Expect to spend 365 pesos ($70) for an app run between Mexico City and the pyramids.
If you prefer a guided tour, Get Your Guide, a European company that is a 360meridians partner, has two options: there is a morning tour in which you go to the place very early, seeing the pyramids in the first lights of the day. The guide who accompanies you speaks English and Spanish and is an archaeologist!
And there is a tour later, also with a bilingual guide. Both include the displacement from Mexico City, but you may have to find the group at a predetermined point. Just make sure the schedules fit with those of your flight.
See also: Teotihuacán, in Mexico: visit and history of ruins
Before visiting museums, churches and ruins, make sure the place opens the day you will be there. Much closes on Mondays, for example. Doubts? Please leave a comment.
Returning to Mexico City airport for connection
The time required to return to the airport can vary significantly depending on your location in the city and traffic conditions.
It is recommended to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before an international flight and 2 hours before a domestic flight.
Take enough time to pass security control and reach your gate. Remember that you will also have to go through the immigration queue again to leave the country. and that this step can be time consuming depending on the queues.
