Getting To and Around San Cristóbal de Las Casas

The nearest major airport is Tuxtla Gutiérrez’s Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport (TGZ); it’s a gleaming, modern airport, and its location well east of Tuxtla makes it equally convenient to San Cristóbal. San Cristóbal does have a small airport of its own, but no commercial flights land there.

Taxis charge US$50 from Tuxtla’s International Airport to San Cristóbal, and around US$37.50 from San Cristóbal to the airport. Agencia Chincultik (Real de Guadalupe 34, tel. 967/678-0957, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. daily) also offers airport drop-off service for US$45 for 1–3 people; reservations are required. Alternately, take a bus to Tuxla, where cabs to the airport are US$17 (45 min).

There is also limited first-class bus service (US$10.50, 1 hr). From the airport to San Cristóbal, buses leave at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.; from San Cristóbal back to the airport, there are only two departures at 5:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

The first-class bus terminal (Av. Insurgentes at the Carr. Panamericana, tel. 967/678-0291) is seven blocks from the central plaza. You can avoid the hike down to the bus station to buy tickets by going to Ticket Bus (Calle Real de Guadalupe, tel. 967/678-8503, 7 a.m.–10 p.m. daily), a half block from the zócalo; they take cash only. The new highway between Tuxtla Gutiérrez and San Cristóbal opened in 2006 amid much fanfare, including a visit by then president Vicente Fox. The highway cuts travel time between the two cities to just over an hour, and eliminated most of the stomach-lurching curves and precipices that made the old highway so notorious.

There’s a new highway being built between Palenque and San Cristóbal, too, but it’s yet to be completed. Until it is, figure on 5–6 hours on an extremely winding road, with just one stop in Ocosingo; travelers prone to car-sickness should consider taking Dramamine beforehand.

Combis (shared vans) come and go to some of San Cristóbal’s outlying towns and villages. Their depots are located all around town.

Driving at night is definitely not recommended in Chiapas, due to the possibility of roadside robberies; this is especially a concern on the Palenque–San Cristóbal road, and most rural roadways. (Even late-night buses should be avoided, as they are occasionally targeted as well.) Driving during the daytime is safe, however, and usually quite beautiful.

The new toll road between Tuxtla and San Cristóbal makes that stretch safer and quicker, albeit with a US$3.50-per-car price tag. You can still take the old highway, too—it takes twice as long and should not be traveled at night, but there’s no toll and the views are incredible.

Getting Around San Cristóbal de Las Casas

San Cristóbal is a very walkable city, and most sights are easily reached on foot. For outlying destinations, or if you’re just tuckered out, taxis are cheap and convenient. A car or scooter can be handy for visiting outlying areas, but bear in mind that tour agencies offer reasonably priced, guided tours to most of the places you’re likely to visit with a car.

Taxi

Scores of cabs ply the streets day and night, and you can always find one parked at the central plaza. Prices are fixed, and it’s a good idea to confirm the going rate with your hotel receptionist. At the time of research, a ride anywhere around town was US$2, or US$2.50 after midnight.

Car

Driving and parking on the narrow, crowded one-way streets of San Cristóbal is an adventure, to say the least. Outside of town, be very alert for pedestrians, bicycles, and animals along the road. And again, never drive at night.

Óptima Car Rental (Calle Diego de Mazariegos 39 across from Parque La Merced, tel. 967/674-5409, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4–7 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Sun.) is San Cristóbal’s one and only rent-a-car shop. An aging VW bug runs US$40 a day, or you can pay US$60 and up per day for something a bit more modern. Prices include taxes and insurance; the latter cannot be deducted, even if you have insurance through your credit card. Discounts are available if you pay in cash, or rent for a week or more. You may find better deals through the international agencies, which have offices at the airport and in Tuxtla.

Scooter

Scooters are cheaper and more maneuverable than cars, but far less forgiving in case of an accident—think twice about renting one if you aren’t an experienced rider. Never ride at night or in bad weather, and remember that most local drivers will not be accustomed to sharing the road with you.

Crazy Scooters (Av. Belisario Domínguez 7 at Real de Guadalupe, tel. 967/631-4329, 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 4:30–7 p.m. daily) rents scooters for US$19 for two hours and US$4 per additional hour, or US$35 for the day, including helmet and map.

Bicycle

A number of sights and villages can be reached by bike, and at least two agencies in town specialize in pedaling tours. The same agencies also rent bikes: Los Pingüinos (Av. Ecuador 4-B at Real de Mexicanos, tel. 967/678-0202, 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. and 3:30–7 p.m. daily, US$14 per day) and Ruta Nahual (Real de Guadalupe 123, cell tel. 044-967/124-2100, rutanahual@hotmail.com, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 4–6 p.m. Tues.–Sat., US$2–3 per hour). Or try Crazy Scooters (Av. Belisario Domínguez 7 at Real de Guadalupe, tel. 967/631-4329, 9 a.m.– 2:30 p.m. and 4:30–7 p.m. daily, US$5 first two hours, US$2 per additional hour).

Liza Prado

About the Author

Liza Prado was working as a corporate attorney when she took her love of travel and photography (and a leap of faith) to try travel journalism instead. Twenty years later, she has become an Americas expert, authoring almost 60 guidebooks plus countless articles and photographs to destinations in Latin America, the Caribbean, USA, and Canada.

Covering the Yucatán Peninsula was one of Liza’s first assignments and it remains one of her favorite places in the world. For this book, she dived through coral reefs and swam in crystalline cenotes, listened to howler monkeys and watched flamingos in flight; she also explored colonial cities and Maya ruins, ate countless salbutes and even walked in a two-mile-long Day of the Dead procession. A graduate of Brown University and Stanford Law School, Liza lives in Denver, Colorado with her frequent coauthor Gary Chandler and their children, Eva and Leo.

Gary Chandler grew up in a small ski town south of Lake Tahoe, California. He earned his bachelor's degree at UC Berkeley, including a year abroad in Mexico City and Oaxaca. After graduation, Gary backpacked through much of Mexico and Central America, and later Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. His first guidebook assignment was covering the highlands of Guatemala, followed by assignments in El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere.

Gary has contributed to almost 40 guidebooks, many coauthored with wife and fellow travel writer/photographer Liza Prado. Between assignments, Gary earned a master's degree in journalism at Columbia University, worked as a news reporter and criminal investigator, and published numerous articles and blogs about travel in Latin America. He and Liza have two children and live in Colorado. 

Learn more about this author

Gary Chandler

About the Author

Gary Chandler grew up in a small ski town south of Lake Tahoe, California. He earned his bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley, and also studied abroad in Mexico City and Oaxaca. After graduation, Gary backpacked through much of Mexico and Central America, and later Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. His first guidebook assignment was covering the highlands of Guatemala, which was followed by assignments in El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere.

Gary has contributed to almost 30 guidebooks, many coauthored with wife and fellow travel writer/photographer Liza Prado. Between assignments, Gary earned a master’s degree in journalism at Columbia University, worked as a news reporter and criminal investigator, and published numerous articles and blogs about travel in Latin America. He and Liza have two children and live in Colorado.

Liza Prado was working as a corporate attorney in San Francisco when she decided to take a leap of faith and try travel writing and photography. Ten years later, she has coauthored 20 guidebooks and written dozens of feature articles and travel blogs to destinations throughout the Americas. Her photographs have been published by Moon Travel Guides and websites like Gogobot and Away.com.

Since her first visit to the region in the early 2000s, the Riviera Maya has remained one of Liza’s favorite places to travel. For this assignment, she dived on coral reefs and snorkeled through cenotes, climbed Maya ruins and toured monkey reserves, explored beach towns and fishing villages, caught a few local bands and listened to rock-star DJs – all with two kids in tow (well, at least part of the time).

A graduate of Brown University and Stanford Law School, Liza lives in Denver, Colorado, with husband and coauthor Gary Chandler and their children, Eva and Leo.

Learn more about this author