# Bus trip: DF to Guadalajara



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

I'm planning to spend a few over the Día de muertos holiday in Chapala and have decided to take the bus, using my INAPAM card to get that big 50% discount. Since I am not fond of long bus rides, this will only work if I travel on the most comfortable coach possible. I will be traveling to Guadalajara and then on to Chapala. For those of you familiar with this route, what bus line would you recommend?


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

ETN is the most expensive and most omfortable then primera plus, it is also comfortable and a little less. You an buy both ticket on line and I have learned recently at OXXO.

The taxi to Chapala from tonala station is around 500 pesos

Chek Volaris as well they having some good deals but it maybe a little late for Nov q, do not know I was checkig around the 15th of November-


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

citlali said:


> ETN is the most expensive and most omfortable then primera plus, it is also comfortable and a little less. You an buy both ticket on line and I have learned recently at OXXO.
> 
> The taxi to Chapala from tonala station is around 500 pesos
> 
> Chek Volaris as well they having some good deals but it maybe a little late for Nov q, do not know I was checkig around the 15th of November-


Thanks for this information, citlali. I've checked online and Primera Plus is a bit cheaper than ETN. Also, the trip from Mexico City to Guadalajara via PP takes 6 hours, while on ETN it takes eight! I may be getting a ride from the Tonalá bus terminal, which will save me those $500.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

The hours are estimated...it is more like 7 by bus and sometimes more depending on the traffic. If someones picks you up you may want to call them when you are about 2 hours away.
Often I have been waiting for buses to arrive between 1 and 3 hours...Hopefully the Maestros will not block the road, like they did to our DHL shipment..


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

citlali said:


> The hours are estimated...it is more like 7 by bus and sometimes more depending on the traffic. If someones picks you up you may want to call them when you are about 2 hours away.
> Often I have been waiting for buses to arrive between 1 and 3 hours...Hopefully the Maestros will not block the road, like they did to our DHL shipment..


Ah, the maestros ... There are still a couple thousand of them camped out around the Monumento a la Revolución, but their marches are not front page news anymore. I fear they may be planning a really splashy activity to regain the PR advantage.

Thanks for the tip about the true length of the bus ride from the DF to Guadalajara. Maybe I'll wimp out and take the plane after all.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

The airport is actually much closer to Chapala than the Tonala bus station.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

If you get one of the cheap flight from Volaris, it can be cheaper than the bus especially if you figure the 1000 pesos to come and go from Tonala. You can do it by bus as well so it costs you less money but if you have luggage it is a pain.


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## geoffbob (Oct 24, 2010)

I've never flown Volaris but have recently been reading absolute horror stories about their service and policies. I think maybe I read it on TripAdvisor but not sure. Someone posted bad things about them and soon many more posters chimed in with the same complaints.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

geoffbob said:


> I've never flown Volaris but have recently been reading absolute horror stories about their service and policies. I think maybe I read it on TripAdvisor but not sure. Someone posted bad things about them and soon many more posters chimed in with the same complaints.


I've read horror stories about VivaAerobus but not about Volaris.

P.S. Just booked a flight on Volaris for my first visit to the Chapala area. A ver que pasa ...


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## mosquitou (Nov 2, 2013)

Primera Plus is the best option, ETN got better busses but it is more expensive than PP. If I were you I will do a quick look to Viva Aerobus to see any promotions on flights to guadalajara.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Too late; she has come and gone.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

RVGRINGO said:


> Too late; she has come and gone.


Yes, it's true. I had a great time while I was in Chapala and Ajijic, thanks in no small part to the lovely guest house where I stayed. No problems with my flights on Volaris either.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Vivaaerobus and Volaris are no frill airlines so what are the horror stories. Many times they are cheaper what a luxury bus and I fly both a lot as they are the only airlines that have diredt flight between Guadalajara and Tuxtla Gutierrez. The travel agencies will try to talk you out of flying them but I buy the tickets from the internet and I have yet to have serious problems with either airlines. I have heard they cancel flights..so do the other airlines. They have become pretty strict on the luggage situation but outside of these little problems what is so bad about them? They would have to be pretty bad for me to chose a more expensive 20h bus trip over a cheaper 2 hour flight.


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## geoffbob (Oct 24, 2010)

If you are a satisfied customer then I'm glad to know it. I just entered "Volaris" into the search box on TripAdvisor D.F. forum and got numerous hits on threads posted to by some who claim to be outraged at being bumped and never fulfilled promises of refunds, etc. These are from quite a while ago and I'm not even sure that they were the same ones I had previously seen. I tried to cut and paste but it wouldn't work. Anyway, I'm glad to see posts that are favorable from someone in a position to know. I had made a mental note not to use them but now I changed my mind.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

geoffbob said:


> If you are a satisfied customer then I'm glad to know it. I just entered "Volaris" into the search box on TripAdvisor D.F. forum and got numerous hits on threads posted to by some who claim to be outraged at being bumped and never fulfilled promises of refunds, etc. These are from quite a while ago and I'm not even sure that they were the same ones I had previously seen. I tried to cut and paste but it wouldn't work. Anyway, I'm glad to see posts that are favorable from someone in a position to know. I had made a mental note not to use them but now I changed my mind.


Of course, no one can guarantee that you won't have problems with Volaris, but my trip went smoothly, except for a slightly scary minute of bumping up and down in my seat when we went through a big gray cloud on my return to Mexico City. The seats were comfortable with more leg room than on the Delta flight I took to the States a few weeks ago.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I have flown vivaaerobus for several years and never had problems and started with Volaris this year so I have only flown it 4 times but I have had no problems. I do make sure that I arrive 2 hours ahead of time and there was some confuding info on the luggage size and weight when they changed a month or so ago but I was lucky and I did not have any luggage to speak about so it was irrelevant to m. As Iasla says the seats are comfortable and the prices right. 
I have only flown those airlines within Mexico so I do not know how they compare internationally but they would have truly horrible to match a lot of bad experiences I had with various other airlines. THey are truly no frill but on short flights they are fine.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

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Isla Verde said:



Of course, no one can guarantee that you won't have problems with Volaris, but my trip went smoothly, except for a slightly scary minute of bumping up and down in my seat when we went through a big gray cloud on my return to Mexico City. The seats were comfortable with more leg room than on the Delta flight I took to the States a few weeks ago.

Click to expand...

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The Mexican discount airlines we take to fly mainly between Guadalajara and Chiapas are far superior to the airlines we used to take in the U.S. I´m a big guy and these airlines offer very comfortable seating and avoid the annoying stopovers in Mexico City that turn a two hour flight into a six hour journey. The Aeromexico/Air France nonstop flights from Mexico City to Paris and return beat going through the United States but those 12 hour flights always seem to be full and are akin to sardine cans. Terribly uncomfortable in coach and ridiculously expensive to upgrade to business or first class. I love the Mexican discount domestic flights, usually one class and damned comfortable.


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