Mexico

Traveling

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service

Diplomatic representations

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Maps of urban networks

Maporama
Mapblast
UT Library on line

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Rail companies

Airlines

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

Good condition despite the occasional presence of distortions or pot-holes. Roads are asphalted, well-maintained and serve most parts of the country.The toll roads or highways have the best guarantees of safety. The use of a 4x4 vehicle is necessary for any mountain sightseeing trip or in the desertic areas in the North of the country. Tourists can take their own vehicle to Mexico for a maximum period of 180 days. The temporary import license is delivered at the border after the payment of a tax by credit card and on presentation of the logbook of the car, the driving license and an ID which is valid for the immigration services (including the F.M.E). The foreign insurances are not valid. It is therefore compulsory to subscribe a Mexican car insurance. It is advised to check, on rental of a car, that the insurance policy comprises "full risks" and that it is still valid. In case of an accident, the driver can be kept in custody until the investigation is made. In case the driver cannot pay the fine, he can be kept in custody, and the vehicle may be seized. When there are seriously injured people, the judge can decide to jail the driver until the responsibilities of everyone in the accident are definite. After an accident, never try to run away. Stay calm, civil and, depending on the other persons involved, call the police as soon as possible and also both insurance companies, in order to draw up the jointly agreed statement for insurance purposes. If the accident is quite serious, do not move the vehicles unless you are asked to do so by the police. In Mexico, it is necessary to respect the traffic alternation established according to the number plate, in order to fight pollution. Vehicles with a foreign number plate can not be driven on Fridays. In any case, you have to be cautious while driving, respect all traffic rules and marking of the roads. Avoid driving at night. Group trips by bus in first and second class are usually comfortable and reliable. However it is not recommended to use them for night trips.

Road maps

Find an itinerary

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical

IMexico City: el Templo Mayor, the Cathedral and the historic district.
South of Mexico: Palenque and Chichen Itza, Chiapas (San Cristobal), Oaxaca and the beach of Zipolite, Cancun, Tulum and the Playa del Carmen.

Tourism organizations

Living conditions

Health and safety

For further information on sanitary conditions

For further information on safety conditions

Emergency numbers

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference

It is %T:%M %A in Mexico City (GMT-6 in winter, GMT-5 in summer)
It is %T:%M %A in Culiacán (GMT-7 in winter, GMT-6 in summer)
It is %T:%M %A in Tijuana (GMT-8 in winter, GMT-7 in summer)

Summer time period

Summer time from April to October

Map of the time zone

Type of climate

For further information

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Eating

Culinary specialties

Guacamole: mushed avocados with tomatoes, onions, and chile.
Mole poblano: chicken and rice with a sauce made of lots of hot peppers and spices, and with chocolate
Tamales: Corn roll stuffed either with chicken, corn flour or vegetables.

Drinks

Dietary taboos

Paying

Domestic currency

Mexican Peso

ISO Code

MXN

To obtain domestic currency

The currency is the Mexican peso, it is issued in bills of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 pesos.

Possible means of payment

Speaking

Official language

Mexican Spanish

Other languages spoken

Many Mexicans also know English and many of them appreciate the efforts made to speak Spanish.

Business language

Spanish and English

Getting some knowledge

Free translation tools

Babel Fish - Free English-Spanish-English translation of texts and web pages
Systran - Free French-Spanish-French translation of texts and web pages
Dictionarios.com - Free Spanish-Catalan-English-French Dictionary

Useful resources

To find an accommodation

To find an apartment

To find a job

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