Mexico · MEX
Flights to Mexico City
Two airports with similar names, and 2,240 metres of altitude nobody mentions
Mexico City is one of the great cities of the Americas and it rewards more time than most visitors give it. It is also large, high and heavily trafficked, and the two things most likely to go wrong on arrival are both avoidable with a little planning.
The first is the airport. The city has two commercial airports and they are ninety minutes apart. The second is the altitude: at around 2,240 metres, most people feel the first day in their legs and lungs whether or not anyone warned them.
Getting to Mexico City
Airports
Benito Juárez (MEX) is the main airport, close to the centre, with two terminals joined by a small automated train available to ticketed passengers. Felipe Ángeles (AIFA, coded NLU) is a separate airport roughly 90 minutes north. Check the code on your booking rather than the city name.
Flight time
Roughly 4h 30m non-stop from Los Angeles, about 5h from New York, around 4h from Chicago, near 3h 40m from Miami and about 2h 30m from Houston.
Into the city
Metro Line 5 serves Terminal 1 and is by far the cheapest option, though poorly suited to luggage. Metrobús Line 4 calls at both terminals and copes better with bags. Authorised taxis are sold at fixed prices by zone from booths inside the terminal, and take 30 to 90 minutes depending entirely on traffic.
When to go
Demand rather than price is described here on purpose. Any fare we show you comes from a live search on your own dates, so a fixed figure on this page would be out of date before you read it.
Best balance
March to May
Warm, dry and clear before the rains arrive. Jacaranda trees bloom purple across the city in March and April, which is the single best time to be here. Fares rise around Easter.
Rainy season
June to October
Rain arrives as a heavy afternoon or evening downpour rather than all-day drizzle, so mornings are usually fine. The city is green, the air is cleaner and demand is lower. Plan indoor activities for late afternoon and it barely affects a trip.
Cool and dry
November to February
Clear and mild by day, genuinely cold at night at this altitude, and dry. Day of the Dead at the start of November and the Guadalupe pilgrimage in December are both major events with correspondingly high demand.
Good to know
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN)
- Altitude
- About 2,240 m — noticeable on the first day
- Language
- Spanish; English is common in Roma, Condesa and Polanco, less so elsewhere
- Time zone
- Central Time
- Power
- Type A and B plugs, 127V — same as the United States
- Entry for US passports
- A passport is required and Mexico has been moving from the paper tourist card to a digital process at major airports. Requirements vary by port of entry, so confirm with Mexican immigration before travelling.
Entry requirements change and we are not an immigration authority. Always confirm the current rules for your nationality with the relevant government before you book or travel.
Worth sorting before you fly
Confirm MEX rather than NLU
Felipe Ángeles is a real airport with real flights and it is nowhere near the city. Fares into it can look attractive and the transfer will usually eat the difference. The three-letter code on the booking is the thing to check.
Give the first day to the altitude
Most visitors notice breathlessness on stairs and occasionally a headache for the first twenty-four hours. Water, less alcohol and a gentle first afternoon deals with it for almost everyone. Scheduling a climb up Teotihuacán's pyramids on arrival day is optimistic.
Stay central and walk
Roma, Condesa and the Centro Histórico are walkable and connected, and traffic makes crossing the city slow. Choosing a base you can walk from does more for a short trip here than any other decision.
Teotihuacán is a half day, not an afternoon
The pyramids are about an hour north in good traffic and considerably more at peak. Going early is both cooler and quieter, and it avoids the return leg landing in rush hour.
Other destinations
FAQ
Mexico City — common questions
Airports, timing, and when it is worth talking to an agent.
Which Mexico City airport should I fly into?
Benito Juárez (MEX) unless you have a specific reason not to. It is close to the city. Felipe Ángeles (NLU) is around ninety minutes north and the transfer usually consumes any fare saving.
Will the altitude in Mexico City affect me?
Mildly, for most people, on the first day. At around 2,240 metres, stairs are harder work and some visitors get a headache. Drinking water, easing off alcohol and not planning anything strenuous on arrival day handles it.
When is the best time to visit Mexico City?
March to May is dry, warm and clear, and the jacarandas bloom in March and April. The June to October rains come as afternoon downpours rather than all-day rain, so they are easier to work around than they sound.
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