Getting to Mexico by Land or Sea

By Land

Borders

Mexico shares borders with three countries: United States (3,140 km), Guatemala (960 km), Belize (250 km).

From Neighboring Countries

There are no issues with entering Mexico by land. There are multiple border crossings with the USA, plus two main routes (and river access in the Petén region) on the Pacific side with Guatemala, as well as a Caribbean crossing point with Belize. Note that carpooling offers to Mexico from North America, particularly Quebec, are fairly common.

International Buses

Several bus companies operate direct international routes. If you want to spend slightly less and have time, you can also take a local bus to the border and then another one in the neighboring country after crossing.

To the north: The most connections are logically to/from the United States, with multiple companies like El Expresso, Grupo Senda, Omnibus Mexicanos, Tufesa, and the well-known Greyhound.

To the south: Tica Bus is well-known for its presence and transport across Central America (except Belize); it serves Chiapas from Guatemala, as does Trans Galgos. For Belize, the company ADO provides access.

By Sea

Ferries

In the Yucatán, the Mexican border town of Chetumal is connected to the islands of Belize near the coast (Caye Caulker and Ambergris). Small companies like San Pedro Water Taxi and Belize Express Water Taxi's operate daily routes for $50–60 USD per trip.

Other than this, there are no other international ferry routes to/from Mexico, including for Cuba.

Cargo

Several Mexican ports, including Veracruz on the country’s Atlantic coast, are accessible by cargo ship. The same applies to Manzanillo on the Pacific coast.

Cruises

Unsurprisingly, Mexico is a popular destination for American cruise-goers. Many cruise ships dock in the Caribbean Sea on the Riviera Maya (Cancún and others) and, on the Pacific side, in the Acapulco region and other resorts further north up to Ensenada in Baja California.