Travel and accomodation
By air
Benito Juárez International Airport, or AICM, (MEX) with its two terminals is located on Mexico City’ eastern side, 23.1 km (13.2 mi) away from UNAM’s CU Campus located on the southern edge of the city. Most international airlines serve it, such as United, American, Air Canada, KLM, British, Air France, or Lufthansa flying into Terminal 1. Delta, Aeromexico and the SkyTeam alliance airlines fly into Terminal 2. The brand new Felipe Ángeles Airport (NLU) is only served by national flights with a restricted schedule and located far more distantly, making it an inconvenient option for most travelers.
Transportation options
- Authorized AICM taxis. Four companies can be hired by a fixed rate (depending on distance to standardized city areas) inside both terminals. Payment is done at an authorized booth where a two-part service tag is given to the customer. Drivers take one part of the tag as payment in designated taxi areas, avoiding the exchange of money with the customer. Fetching a cab off the street by AICM is discouraged as some drivers might try to take advantage of international visitors.
www.aicm.com.mx/en/passengers/transportation/taxis
- Uber and similar. While arriving to the airport using share-ride services (Uber and Didi) is perfectly fine, as of July 2022 AICM officials have tried to discourage such apps from picking up passengers from the airport with fines. This regulation has not been enforced. Most people take Uber to their destination without issue. Our favorite loophole is to greet your driver effusively as you would an old friend, and that does the trick! Rides average 40 minutes to UNAM CU Campus for 300-400 pesos (15-20 USD).
- Subway. Metro “Terminal Aérea” station on the yellow line (Line 5) connects 100 meters off Terminal 1 to the entire subway network. One line transfer to the green line (Line 3) at “La Raza” station brings you to “Ciudad Universitaria” or “Copilco” stations, both on UNAM main CU Campus. While rides are only five pesos (0.25 cents US) it is necessary to purchase a Metro-Metrobus card and load money on automatic kiosks or traditional booths (Taquilla) on every station.
- Car. For brave and daring souls that can muster big city traffic, car rental is also available through typical international companies including Hertz, National, Budget, etc. Most hotels have free parking for guests.
www.aicm.com.mx/en/passengers/transportation/car-rental
- Metrobus. A public network of buses with dedicated lanes covers a large portion of Mexico City, similar to Medellín in Colombia and Curitiba in Brazil. If you decide to stay close to Mexico City’s downtown you can use the very scenic Metrobus Line #4. To reach UNAM CU Campus transfer to Line #1 on “Buenavista” station, but some walking (a few blocks since these lines are not connected) and a new payment are necessary, Rides are six pesos (30 cents US) paid with the Metro-Metrobus card. The closest Metrobus Station to SSB2023 is "Centro Cultural Universitario (CCU)".
www.metrobus.cdmx.gob.mx/mapas-de-sistema/mapa-completo-del-sistema
Accomodations
All hotel options are by or a short walk to a Metrobus Line 1 station, ranging 10-30 minute ride. Cost per ride is 6 pesos (30 cents US). A Metro-Metrobus card is needed to ride, available for purchase at kiosks in stations.
- Radisson Paraíso (4 stars)
Cost per night double room 1300 pesos (65 USD)
Walking distance: yes
Metrobus station: Perisur
- Suites Perisur (4 stars)
Cost per night double room 1300 pesos (65 USD)
Walking distance: yes
Metrobus station: Perisur
www.suiteperisur.com.mxhttps://www.suiteperisur.com.mx
- Krystal Grand Suites (4 stars)
Cost per night double room 1500 pesos (75 USD)
Walking distance: no
Metrobus station: Altavista
- City Express Plus (3 stars)
Cost per night double room 1400 pesos (75 USD)
Walking distance: no
Metrobus station: Teatro Insurgentes
www.cityexpress.com/plus/hoteles-mexico/ciudad-de-mexico/benito-juarez/insurgentes-sur
- Hotel Diplomático (4 stars)
Cost per night double room 1200 pesos (60 USD)
Walking distance: no
Metrobus station: Parque Hundido
- El Greco (3 stars)
Cost per night double room 1000 pesos (50 USD)
Walking distance: no
Metrobus station: Col. Del Valle
- Hotel Beverly (5 stars)
Cost per night double room 1000 pesos (50 USD)
Walking distance: no
Metrobus station: Col. Del Valle
- Inn Sur (3 stars)
Cost per night double room 800 pesos (40 USD)
Walking distance: no
Metrobus station: El Caminero
- AirBnB
Countries that require a Visa for Mexico
Mexico rarely requires Visas for tourists and visitors staying less than 180 days. People from North America, Europe (Schengen Space) and the Pacific Alliance (Colombia, Perú and Chile) do not require one. However, people from a few countries in South America (e.g. Brazil and Ecuador), Asia (e.g. China and India) or Africa (e.g. Mozambique and Ghana) do require one (see full list here www.inm.gob.mx/gobmx/word/index.php/paises-requieren-visa-para-mexico). Having a valid US, Canadian, Japanese, UK or EU (Schengen Space) Visa or residency card waives this requirement for tourism (you), business or transit. The valid visa/residency card plus passport must be presented at the point of entry in Mexico. (https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/washington/index.php/ligavisos/15-informacion/156-visas-espanol). If you need an official SSB2023 letter to apply for a Visa, please let us know asap to our email: ssb.2023.ib@gmail.com
