# Fly or Take the Bus?



## kebyta (Apr 23, 2011)

Hello Everyone,

My son and I will be going on an extended stay in Ojuelos Jalisco, and I have been pondering whether we should fly to Aguascalientes and then take a taxi or bus to Ojuelos, or should we take the bus from the border all the way to Ojuelos? We currently live in Michigan so the experience of taking the Greyhound bus to El Paso Texas then crossing the border sounds like a good idea both economically and trip wise (we can see the sites as we are travelling). I am having a hard time finding sites for buses in Ciudad Juarez to see the prices/travel time to our destination. I have also heard about buses being robbed...any thoughts or suggestions?


----------



## tepetapan (Sep 30, 2010)

take the bus, much more fun and you see so much more.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

tepetapan said:


> take the bus, much more fun and you see so much more.


I agree. The worst part of the trip will be the bus to the border. Once you get into Mexico, the buses are much newer, cleaner, better run. You can see the options for buses from Ciudad Juarez by visiting their web sites. This site lists links for bus companies in Mexico. larpman.com: Larpman's - Bus Company Websites


----------



## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

There are buses that you can get in the US and go through to Mexican cities. Larpman is a good site. I remember looking before and believe there is a connection in Chicago bur can't remember if Omnibus or Americanos.
Only issue from previous posts is that you will need get paperwork at the border.


----------



## kebyta (Apr 23, 2011)

thanks! Really considering it. Is there a luggage limit??


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

kebyta said:


> thanks! Really considering it. Is there a luggage limit??


Not really, not in Mexico at least. I have less experience with US connections. If you have more than a bag or two per person you might want to tip the guy who puts it under the bus.


----------



## Guest (Jan 6, 2012)

Going by bus from Michigan to your part of MX is a looooong trip - 3 or 4 days. You might want to plan to stop at a hotel somewhere for a night or two along the way.

In San Antonio, there are bus terminals for both Americanos and Omnibus which are only about a block apart. They had express buses to Monterrey, or San Luis Potosi, Queretaro, etc. On a recommendation, I took Omnibus into MX and was very satisfied. If you travel mid-week (Tues-Thur), chances are the bus heading south will only be 1/3-1/2 full, so more space (above and below for luggage). And it's always a good idea to give 10 pesos to the kid throwing or unloading bags under the bus.

Crossing the border by bus takes you to a special bus area coming into MX. You may be the only gringos on the bus, so when they change drivers before the border, you must tell him to stop at MX Immigration so you can take care of business. After that, there is Customs, and off you go into the interior of MX.


----------



## jasavak (Nov 22, 2011)

Two weeks ago , Our family took the bus from Laredo , TX to San Luis Potosi and transferred to Leon , Guanajuato . The plane tickets would have cost $5,000 for the six of us . We spent $900 on the bus. However , if it is only two of you coming all the way from Michigan , you can fly one way for around $350 each way per person since the holidays are over . If you decide to take the bus , you don't want to go as far west as El Paso . You can cross at Laredo or Brownsville and take a bus to either San Luis Potosi or Aguas Calientes and either transfer or take a taxi the rest of the way .


----------



## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

Expect that $350/person each way is without taxes/fees which another $50 or so. I just priced round trip ticket Raleigh NC to Leon in February and almost $900 round trip with fees or almost $450 each way.
One other option might be Southwest which has really low fares to a Texas border city and then the bus.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

conklinwh said:


> Expect that $350/person each way is without taxes/fees which another $50 or so. I just priced round trip ticket Raleigh NC to Leon in February and almost $900 round trip with fees or almost $450 each way.


Wow, that's expensive. In October I flew from Mexico City to Philadelphia and back for about $600.


----------



## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

Since folks are coming down for our wedding in 2 months, I have been helping them find air fares from various places in the US. There is a price war right now between Chicago and Leon where Continental, United and Aeromexico all have a base price of $212 round trip - $329 with taxes/fees. You might save a bunch if you could get from Michigan to Chicago, fly to Leon and then take a bus to Ojuelos. Then again, all those travel mode changes sound a little complicated. 

I once took a bus from Chicago to California and I swore I would NEVER do such a long bus trip again. Greyhound is a horror! I think your portion of the trip in the US on Greyhound would be miserable and then from the border to Aguascalientes would be much better (Mexican buses are far more comfortable) but still, the grand total of all that time sitting on buses may just drive you bonkers. 

A few years ago I took buses from Oaxaca to Zihuatanejo - some 20 hours in total - and even though they were comfortable buses, I was pretty burned out by the time I got to Zihua. Michigan to Aguascalientes would be much longer (double that or more) not to mention the joy of spending part of that time in Greyhound bus seats that must have been designed by the Marquis de Sade!


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

circle110 said:


> Since folks are coming down for our wedding in 2 months, I have been helping them find air fares from various places in the US. There is a price war right now between Chicago and Leon where Continental, United and Aeromexico all have a base price of $212 round trip - $329 with taxes/fees. You might save a bunch if you could get from Michigan to Chicago, fly to Leon and then take a bus to Ojuelos. Then again, all those travel mode changes sound a little complicated.
> 
> I once took a bus from Chicago to California and I swore I would NEVER do such a long bus trip again. Greyhound is a horror! I think your portion of the trip in the US on Greyhound would be miserable and then from the border to Aguascalientes would be much better (Mexican buses are far more comfortable) but still, the grand total of all that time sitting on buses may just drive you bonkers.
> 
> A few years ago I took buses from Oaxaca to Zihuatanejo - some 20 hours in total - and even though they were comfortable buses, I was pretty burned out by the time I got to Zihua. Michigan to Aguascalientes would be much longer (double that or more) not to mention the joy of spending part of that time in Greyhound bus seats that must have been designed by the Marquis de Sade!


I have taken Mexican buses to and from the border several times, Guadalajara to Tijuana, Mexicali and Ciudad Juarez. It is a long trip, 24 hours or more but not unpleasant in the least. It is a great chance to catch up on your reading, sleeping and sightseeing. It helps if you can sleep on buses. Once I continued on from El Paso to Denver on the bus and then returned via bus. That leg was the worst part of the trip. The bus was older, there was no bathroom and the seats were much closer together. If I were traveling from Chicago to Mexico by ground transportation and time were not a problem, I would take the train as far south as I could get then switch to buses.


----------



## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

Maybe there's the difference - I can't read on a bus and I find sleeping difficult. If you can read and sleep normally on a bus then you probably won't find it as tiring as I did. However, I still think US buses are pretty nasty.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

circle110 said:


> ... However, I still think US buses are pretty nasty.


Agreed.


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

You might consider flying to Houston or San Antonio, Texas as an option to Amtrack. From either of those cities, you could use a bus line, sometimes even a Mexican luxury bus all the way, if not Greyhound just to the border, then a really nice Mexican bus.


----------



## jasavak (Nov 22, 2011)

conklinwh said:


> Expect that $350/person each way is without taxes/fees which another $50 or so. I just priced round trip ticket Raleigh NC to Leon in February and almost $900 round trip with fees or almost $450 each way.
> One other option might be Southwest which has really low fares to a Texas border city and then the bus.



Actually , the tickets were $350 including tax on AA.com from Detroit to Aguascalientes . However , I checked them today and they increased to $490 tax included . All flights also include the price of the tourist permit . If you take the bus , you pay the $265 pesos separately .


----------



## jasavak (Nov 22, 2011)

Turimex (grupo senda) has tickets from Chicago to Aguascalientes for $190 each way . That's not a bad price . Turimex is one of the best and most punctual lines . They also are one of the few bus lines that don't make you switch buses and wait for hours in Nuevo Laredo . There are some other bus lines you may consider such as "el Conejo or Juventino Rosas . These lines arrive faster because they don't enter the cental camioneras inside of the city centers .


----------

