# Driving to Merida



## stevecin (Aug 2, 2011)

My husband and I are retired and planning to drive to Merida Mexico from Ohio. We were planning on crossing the border through Brownsville Texas and into Matamoros Mexico. Any suggestions on better areas to cross or any traveling hints? We are renting a house for 3 months in Merida and so are pulling a small trailer with household goods, food and a little furniture. Also taking our dog. I also understand we need to get Mexican car insurance. Any advice at all would be helpful because our Mexican consulate is very small and only helps getting visas. They were no help at all. This is very overwhelming but we have been wanting to try this for many years.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

If I was doing the drive I would cross at Laredo take the Mx 85 toward Monterrey, the bypass there, then 54D, then get on the Mx 57 though San Luis Potosi and onto the Mx 57D entering just before Queretaro then take the 150D before Puebla to the Mx 145D before Veracruz and Mx 180 to the Mx 180D and then back on the Mx 180 to Villahermosa and continue on the Mx 180 to Ciudad del Carmen then continue though to Campeche into Meridad.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

Why would you take that route, Alan? They would miss Tamaulipas, Veracruz, etc. Pretty country, no?

[snip]


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I would skip Cuidad Carmen but would take the coat road Champoton Campeche Merida.
he quickest would be Puebla Villahermosa and than I would go Champoton in the coat Campeche
Merida.
We recently went from Palenque to Merida and then back via Cuidad del Carmen Villa Hermosa San Cristobal.
The Tabasco Coast is a drag and that includes Cuidad del Carmen. Campeche has become more touristy than it used to be. I always thought it was a yawn but now it is all painyed up has much more restaurant and some really cute hotels and is a great overnight stop.

Villahermosa deserves to be skipped but unfortunaely the rest of Tabasco except for the part in the foothills on the border with Chiapas is equally awful. Do not go out of your way to see that coast. On the top of it the weather is truly awful.

xapala Xico Coatepec La Antigua, Vera Cruz, Tlacotalpan the drive through the Tuxtlas and the Lake Catemaco are the highlights if you want to drive out of the way otherwise go straight from Puebla to Villahermosa and early in the morning walk through La venta park in Villahermosa.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Maybe you should read this from 2 days ago: 
Gun battle in Reynosa leaves 14 dead; violence on the rise in Tamaulipas - Brownsville Herald: Local News


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

chicois8 said:


> Maybe you should read this from 2 days ago:
> Gun battle in Reynosa leaves 14 dead; violence on the rise in Tamaulipas - Brownsville Herald: Local News


I hear what your sayin', but Nuevo Laredo is a war zone, where the Zetas are in power big time, so that is much safer than Brownsville?


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

coondawg said:


> Why would you take that route, Alan? They would miss Tamaulipas, Veracruz, etc. Pretty country, no?
> 
> [snip]


Considering they have US plates and hauling a small utility tráiler I thought it best to skip that route even though it may be shorter and scenic and stay where thousands travel the cuotas daily.

I do understand your comments on the Michoacan thread about the difference between my Mexican wife and I driving a SLP plated car and knowing how to do things safetly and someone else driving a US plated car hauling stuff in a small tráiler. 

They could still go into the city of Veracruz for a vist on the route I suggested and take the Mx 180 south back to the cuota Mx 145D. It is worth seeing. IMO


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

Let me say that going the route you two have thought about is probably NOT the safest way you could go, but maybe the shortest. Alan suggests a much safer and secure route. I would really feel better of your trip of 3 months if you could not bring your trailer the first time, as you are a bigger target with the trailer. My experience with pulling a trailer with US plates is that I have always been stopped at least once every trip and encouraged to pay a "mordida" for various reasons(we built a house and brought the windows and doors from the US in several trips). By the time you pay any duty on what you tow at the Border(plus any mordidas), you probably will save very little this trip. 3 months will pass quickly and you could make do with what you can bring in your car. IMHO. Your choice, and good luck.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

I drove through Veracruz this last February on my wau back from Comalcalco and it was so congested traffic wise I would never do it with a trailer .......The road from Poza Rica South has so many small towns along the way with 2+ topes per town they my loose the trailer my hitting one big tope............


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