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dandalton123

Oct 2, 2011, 7:58 PM

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Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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Hello all I'm going to cuernvaca and I land in Mex airport ... I am driving. What is safest easiest way? Please help leave in 5 days

sparks

Oct 3, 2011, 5:20 AM

Post #2 of 12 (1598 views)

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Re: [dandalton123] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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Take the bus and rent a car in Cuernavaca?

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre

Papirex

Oct 3, 2011, 3:57 PM

Post #3 of 12 (1562 views)

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Re: [dandalton123] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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I live in Cuernavaca. The safest way to drive here from México is on the cuota (toll road).Unfortunately, there is no easy or quick way the get out of the city from the airport. Remember, México City is arguably the biggest city in the world, and there are virtually no official street signs.

It only takes about 45 minutes to drive to or from México to Cuernavaca from the toll booth at the southern city limits of México, but it takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours to get to or from the airport from there.

If you know the city like the back of your hand, or you speak fluent Spanish, you will need to ask directions several times. Since many Mexicans do not own a car, if anyone you ask for directions has ever been where you are going, it was probably on a bus, and they probably don't remember the route exactly. Ask at least 3 people for directions, if 2 of them give similar directions, try going that way.

Maps are pretty useless in any city because of the lack of street signs. It does you no good to know which street you should take if you don't know the name of the street you are on. My late bi-lingual Mexicana wife was born and raised in México City, and she always had to ask for directions to find the airport when we were going there, 2 or 3 times. She was OK getting out of there when we left though. She liked to drive, and I like to be a passenger. They keep changing things, a two way street that you used before, may be a one way street in the wrong direction the next time you want to use it.

One trick we have used, if you have a front seat passenger, is to have the passenger read as many of the signs on the front of buildings as possible. Often businesses will have their complete address on their signs, you can often find out what street you are on that way.

Don't count on finding a cab driver that knows the city well enough, or that speaks English, to lead you out of town, you may get lucky, but don't count on it.

There are direct buses from the airport to Cuernavaca though. I don't know how frequently they run, or where to catch them though. If you start asking airport employees, you will eventually find one that speaks understandable English.

Sparks had a good suggestion to take a bus here, then rent a car locally. I hope you didn't rent a car in México City already, that will complicate things for you.

Every time I get a chance not to go to México City, I take it.

Good luck, Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

Reefhound

Oct 3, 2011, 5:00 PM

Post #4 of 12 (1550 views)

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Re: [dandalton123] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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Get on the periferico adjacent to the airport and follow it all the way around to the cuota to Cuernavaca. I haven't actually done it myself but unless Google maps has photo shopped in false signs there appears to be interstate-type signs pointing the ramp to Cuernavaca.

Gri-lango

Oct 6, 2011, 10:18 AM

Post #5 of 12 (1491 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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Periferico is not adjacent to the MEX airport. Circuito Interior is the main road next to airport. Periferico means perimeter, it used to circle the city but has long since been eaten by urban sprawl.

If you have never driven in DF before...I highly recommend against it. If you insist on doing it, get a GPS with Mexico maps. There is no easy way to describe the route as you need to know and recognized the landmarks.

There are very few signs to follow and most are well hidden...but here goes:
Exit airport to Circuito Interior South (opposite direction from Texcoco). If you head north, good luck trying to find a place to U Turn. It's a very rough area.
After a few KM's you will need to know when to slide over to the laterales. There is a park on your left and a hard right turn onto Viaducto. Take Viaducto West (away from Pachuca). Viaducto to Periferico Sur (a very tricky inter change because if you head north on Periferico it will take over an hour to U turn, longer with traffic). Pass the TV Azteca building and get over to the laterales. Look for Insurgentes Sur (near Cuilcuilco). There is one sign that by the time you see it you are now arriving to Tlalpan (again, likely an hour to correct if you miss the turn). Take Insurgentes South to Cuernavaca Cuota. The divides into Cuota and the Libre. TheCuota entrance are the left lanes. The Libre will take about 3 hours vs about 45 minutes on the Cuota.

With traffic the above can take 2 hours...if you get lost a few times...up to 4 hours. Plan on allowing 4 to 5 hours to arrive in Cuerna...or about 1 1/2 to 2 hours on a bus. There are buses to Cuerna at the Airport (entrance next to food court in T1). This is my reco.

I have been driving in DF for over 10 years and still get lost all the time, but I speak Chilango fluently and know the game well.

Suerto y vaya con dios.

YucaLandia

Oct 6, 2011, 10:45 AM

Post #6 of 12 (1483 views)

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Re: [Gri-lango] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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Thank you for the lucid, detailed, and frank instructions on a route I have considered trying to drive. My Mexicana wife advised that we take the bus, based on her living there for 2 years. I'm so lucky to have her and her family in my life.

Your description is also a very nice sign-post that shows the relative worth of actual local knowledge vs. logical rational speculation offered by people from other places. It's this kind of useful information that keeps me coming back to Mexconnect.
steve
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Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.com

Reefhound

Oct 6, 2011, 12:31 PM

Post #7 of 12 (1470 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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So you're saying that google is wrong, that the sign alongside the road pointing to the exit for Cuernavaca is not really there? A funny thing happened in the last ten years, now one can "drive" a route from afar, not that it diminishes the value of local knowledge. Here's an idea - follow the bus...

fordmexico

Oct 6, 2011, 12:47 PM

Post #8 of 12 (1465 views)

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Re: [dandalton123] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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I assume you will be renting a vehicle at MEX. The major agencies are located near Terminal 1 (T1). The entrances to the Circuito Interior from T1 are a bit tricky.

If you are arriving on M-F (especially Friday PM), the traffic around the airport is very heavy from 8 AM to about 8 PM. Traffic is especially heavy on the Viaducto Miguel Aleman in both directions. Traffic can very heavy to Cuernavaca on Friday afternoons/evening and Sat mornings as many from Mexico City will travel there for their weekend getaways.

As others have said taking a bus to Cuernavaca and renting a car there would be much easier. If you are arriving after 1 PM on a Friday and want to drive, waiting until Saturday AM would also be less stressful.

YucaLandia

Oct 6, 2011, 1:34 PM

Post #9 of 12 (1451 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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R-dog,
There's no need to put words in anyone's mouth nor to imagine things. As I wrote, I simply value information from people who have actually been to a place, and advice from people who actually live there, more highly than the perspectives, perceptions, and opinions from people who have no personal experience with something.

Thanks again to Papirex, Gri-Lango, and fordmex for their helpful and informative posts. Like Sparks(?) we much enjoyed pleasant bus rides on that route.

One more question: If someone chooses to drive, are the rental cars excluded from the license-plate-# driving restrictions, or do the rental car companies give you a car with a plate# that allows you to drive out of Mexico on that day? We've always taken trains and buses when visiting Mexico, but having the option of a rental car might be fun next time.
steve
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Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.com

(This post was edited by YucaLandia on Oct 6, 2011, 1:38 PM)

Gri-lango

Oct 6, 2011, 2:36 PM

Post #10 of 12 (1437 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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Yuca,
Rental cars are typically exempt from the "hoy no circula" program (they can drive 7 days a week). 6 to 9 year old cars must "rest" one day a week.

Google maps is awesome, and yes there is a sign on Periferico Sur for the exit to Cuerna...but as mentioned it ain't easy to spot especially with a pesero bearing down on you at full speed.

DF drivers are the least forgiving in the world. I love my city, but driving here is a challenge. The good news, you can never really go fast enough to have a really bad accident. Fender benders are quite common. Never, never, never get Transit police involved in an accident. They normally impound the car until resolution is involved...let the Insurance agents work it out.

Papirex

Oct 7, 2011, 10:47 PM

Post #11 of 12 (1394 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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Google may not be wrong, but they certainly do exaggerate. The sign pictured is there, but it is not the first sign directing you to Cuernavaca. There is at least one, maybe two more signs directing you to turn right onto another road to get here. They are small black and white signs mounted very high,and easy to miss if you don't have a front seat passenger on the lookout for them.

If you do make it to the periferico that leads to the cuota to Cuernavaca, there will be no sign directing you to turn left. You are expected to know where you are going in this country.

You can rely on maps, or electronic programs if you want to. Your family will probably never hear from you again.

My late wife was born and raised in México City, she knew the city fairly well, but she still needed to ask for directions several times usually. We lived in México City for a while. Our house was just a block from a subway station. It was usually quicker to leave our car at home, and take the subway across town. We could travel across town via the subway in 20 minutes on a busy day, versus 2 or 2 ½ hours in the car. Another 2 or 2 ½ hours to get home too.

This is not a driver friendly country. There are no observed rules of the road, and traffic laws and stop lights are merely suggestions.

Outsiders that don't live here should never state anything as a fact. There are many educated people in our Mexican family. I have never met an educated Mexican that was an expert on all of México. Live and learn takes on a whole new meaning here.

Taking a bus from the city to here is a good idea, but finding an available rental car here can be a challenge, and if one is available, it will be expensive.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

Reefhound

Oct 8, 2011, 5:39 AM

Post #12 of 12 (1374 views)

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Re: [Papirex] Mex airport to Cuernavaca. Driving directions

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I don't think I stated anything as fact except the periferico leads around to the cuota, which you seem to confirm. It was more specific info than anyone else had bothered to give. I've driven thousands of miles in the country so I know about the haphazard signage, rules, and driving manners. Just not in Mexico City which I clearly stated.

Some people are better at finding their way than others. I've known people who lived all their life in a city and was lost once off their routine path. Is that a reflection of them or the roads?

My point is that google maps and views can be a helpful tool. I never suggested anyone rely on it exclusively. I never said NOT to ask directions, although as you know Mexicans seldom say "I don't know" but will just make something up. Even those that know often leave out crucial steps. A picture is worth a thousand words. That obscure sign will be a lot easier to spot if you've seen a pic of it, and know if it's a big green overhead sign, a little black sign on the right side, or a yellow sign on the left. Map drive it and you'll know where to turn left on the periferico. I wasn't trying to hand feed him and give point to point directions but suggesting a tool to use.