Mexico City Day Trips in 5 Days on a Budget

Mexico City Day Trips in 5 Days on a Budget

Five days from a Mexico City base runs the same three day trips as the 4-day plan , Teotihuacan, Puebla with Cholula, Tepoztlan with Cuernavaca, then upgrades Taxco from a rushed round trip into an overnight. The 2.5 to 3 hour drive each way makes a same-day Taxco trip a lot of bus for not much town time; splitting it across two days fixes that without adding a fifth destination. Every leg still runs on a second-class intercity bus instead of a private van.

Book these before you go:

Day Focus Bus time (one way) Bus cost (round trip)
Day 1 Teotihuacan about 1 hour roughly 120-140 MXN, plus 210 MXN entry
Day 2 Puebla + Cholula about 2 hours 10 min roughly 300-500 MXN
Day 3 Tepoztlan + Cuernavaca about 1-1.5 hours each roughly 200-250 MXN combined
Day 4 Taxco (arrive, overnight) 2.5-3 hours roughly 300-330 MXN one way
Day 5 Taxco (morning, return) 2.5-3 hours roughly 300-330 MXN one way

Day 1: Teotihuacan by second-class bus

Metro Line 5 to Autobuses del Norte, then the Autobuses Teotihuacan counter at Sala 8 inside Terminal Central del Norte; departures every 15 to 30 minutes, fares roughly 60 to 70 MXN each way. Entry to the UNESCO-listed archaeological zone runs 210 MXN for foreign visitors, 105 MXN for nationals and resident foreigners; check current hours on the official INAH site . Go at opening for the Pyramid of the Sun climb before the heat and the tour groups arrive.

Day 2: Puebla and Cholula by second-class bus

Estrella Roja and AU leave TAPO every 10 to 30 minutes, primera clase fares roughly 150 to 250 MXN one way. In Puebla’s CAPU terminal, catch a direct Cholula bus or a cheaper local colectivo for the 20 to 30 minute hop. See the colonial church atop the Great Pyramid , then eat mole poblano and shop for Talavera pottery back in UNESCO-listed Puebla before the last bus home.

Day 3: Tepoztlan and Cuernavaca by second-class bus

Both routes leave Terminal Central del Sur (Taxqueña) on Pullman de Morelos, about an hour each, fares typically under 120 MXN one way, confirm the current rate at the counter. Hike the El Tepozteco pyramid above Tepoztlan, browse the artisan market, then swing 17 kilometers over to Cuernavaca for the Palacio de Cortes murals and colonial gardens.

Day 4: Taxco, arrival and overnight

Board an Estrella de Oro or comparable primera clase bus from Taxqueña; 2.5 to 3 hours depending on traffic on the mountain highway, one-way fares typically 300 to 330 MXN. Check into your hotel by mid-afternoon and spend the evening walking the hillside streets around Santa Prisca church while the day-trip crowds have already left on the last bus back. This is the point of the overnight: Taxco after 5pm, once the tour vans clear out, is a different, quieter town.

Day 5: Taxco morning, then home

Spend the morning in the silver workshops and market stalls before checking out and catching an afternoon bus back to Mexico City; build in time at the Taxqueña terminal, since departures book up faster on weekend afternoons than the outbound morning service.

Is a Taxco overnight worth it over a day trip?

Yes, if you have the fifth day to spare. A same-day round trip from Mexico City spends 5 to 6 hours on the bus for maybe 4 hours in town; splitting it across two days turns that into a full evening and morning in Taxco for one extra bus fare, roughly 300 MXN more than the day-trip version.

Do you need a car for any of these day trips?

No. All four routes, Teotihuacan, Puebla and Cholula, Tepoztlan and Cuernavaca, and Taxco, run on frequent second-class intercity buses from Mexico City terminals, and a rental car adds parking costs and mountain-highway driving that the bus avoids entirely.

Buy Taxco tickets a day or two ahead if your dates fall on a weekend; the Friday afternoon and Sunday evening departures fill up with locals as well as tourists.