Come along with us and explore luxury bus travel in Mexico. Mexico is beautiful, and ETN luxury bus lines are a comfortable way to travel from city to city and view this incredible country. Buck and I are from the United States where the bus is one of the least desirable ways to travel. However, Mexico has a first class bus service that provides many great features and a relaxing ride at a great price. Here are 10 reasons to try luxury bus travel in Mexico, as well as some additional tips for making the most of your ride.
Check out this video of our ETN bus experience.
10 Reasons To Try Luxury Bus Travel In Mexico
Luxury Bus Rides Are Temperature-controlled.
This is a big distinction from many other intra-city bus rides. And it can make a huge difference in comfort. Our first ETN ride began in Puerto Vallarta when the outside temperatures were in the 80s with high humidity. We took a local bus to get to the central bus station – and it was not temperature-controlled.
Room To Stretch Out Your Legs.
The extra leg room was one of the reasons we took a luxury bus ride instead of booking a cheap flight from one city to another. Buck couldn’t believe his knees weren’t close to bumping the seat ahead of him. And the seats resemble a recliner not just because you can lean back, but because there is a small foot rest. The video gives you a look at our seats when we traveled from Morelia to Guadalajara.
Routes Are Dependable, Provide Multiple Departure Times and Follow Direct Routes.
Although the bus you are taking may not pull in from being cleaned until 5 minutes before departure, the buses leave on-time. And, for the most popular destinations, you will find multiple departure times. Some people wait to buy their tickets until the day of their departure, knowing that they can probably catch a bus to their destination within a couple of hours.
These buses don’t make 15 stops along the way. The driver may need to take a quick break, and perhaps the bus ultimately stops at 2 bus stations in the destination city. The only exception we have seen is when we went from Guadalajara to Guanajuato – the bus stopped in three cities: Leon, Guanajuato and finally San Miguel de Allende. However, you knew that before you got on the bus. Beyond that, you are only slowing down for towns, toll booths, and perhaps a police blockade. This is very different from ‘non-luxury’ Mexican cross country bus lines which include frequent stops (similar to taking a bus in the United States) as well as picking up people that wave down the bus.
Clean Buses, Including the On-bus Bathrooms.
Even my Mom would be comfortable riding on these buses. And since you’re on the bus for several hours, and aren’t going to make a million stops, having clean bathrooms is great. Like a plane bathroom, they are small. On many routes, the ‘damas’ (female) bathroom has a toilet seat that will not stay down unless you hold it – by design. And buses generally move around a bit more during a trip than a plane, but that’s a very small price to pay. Last note about the bathrooms: We understand that, if you are extra tall, you may not be able to stand up straight in the bathroom. Buck (5’10”) nor I (5’7″) had that issue.
Economical.
You definitely can find a cheaper bus ride, but luxury bus travel in Mexico is more than worth the price. A ticket for a 4- to 5-hour ultra-comfortable bus trip cost us less than $40 USD per person. And that price is from purchasing our ticket at the bus station, with no discounts. If you purchase your ticket on-line you will receive a discount. Also, there are often student, military or other discounts available. However, before you purchase your ticket on-line, please read the first two tips in the ‘Making the Most of Your Ride’ section of this blog. You can also make phone reservations if you speak Spanish.
Individual Entertainment Options.
Each seat has its own entertainment screen. You can watch a movie, listen to music, hear a book on tape or play a game. You are in Mexico, so you can expect your choices to be in Spanish, but just think of this as an opportunity to enhance your Spanish-speaking skills. Headphones are provided for your use.
Wifi and Outlets For Charging Electronics.
Yep, these rides come with wifi. Understandably, coverage can become spotty in some locations. And similar to some airports, you can not connect if you try to use a VPN. In addition, each seat has a standard Mexican/US plug, as well as USB ports. Hunt around, they may be in different places on different buses. Occasionally, a port may be out of order at a particular seat. Also, the bus station waiting areas usually have multiple charging stations for your electronic devices.
Select Your Seat.
On luxury bus rides, you select your seat. These buses are a kind of double decker bus. Even the buses that are called ‘un piso’ (single floor), as opposed to ‘doble piso’, actually have many seats upstairs. And the seats at the front of this second level have tall windows in the front and on the side of you. The view enhances the entire trip. You may get great views of rock fences, blue agave or grain fields, mountains, rain, as well as pueblos of all sizes. Even if you don’t want the front row view, try getting a seat away from the bathrooms and stairs.
Buses Generally Take Well-maintained, Military-controlled Routes.
This bit can be helpful if you have family and friends that have the misconception that danger lurks behind every corner of Mexico. You can give them this fact – before you turn and roll your eyes.
Free Snack and Extra Water.
When boarding the bus you’ll receive a bottle of water or soda and a little individually-sealed snack. Twice we’ve received a ham and cheese sandwich, and once a small yogurt and mini-muffin. This isn’t the main reason you take a bus, but on a 4- to 5-hour ride, a little snack is nice. Also, outside of the bus bathrooms, there is often a hot and cold water dispenser, as well.
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR LUXURY BUS RIDE
Double and Triple-check Your Departure Station Location.
Definitely check three times if you are not proficient in Spanish. I read this advice on others’ blogs and thought, how hard can this be? In Guadalajara, there are four ETN bus stations, including the airport. But if you are heading south, the nearby Tlaquepaque station is your best best. And although the departing stations are listed in alphabetical order when you are choosing your departure (origin) station, the airport station is under the ‘A’ (which makes sense with the Spanish noun/adjective word order). And of course, Tlaquepaque is not grouped with other Guadalajara stations; it’s a convenient Uber, taxi, or local bus ride away. Hint: Use the ‘Destinos’ (translated ‘Destination’) menu option on the right of the screen – it provides an interactive map that includes bus station addresses: https://etn.com.mx/destinos.html . Be sure to use the full station address, spelled correctly.
Also, do not rely solely on google maps to verify the location of the bus station. For instance, if you are using an English version of google maps, type in ‘ETN bus stations’ for Puerto Vallarta or Guadalajara. You will see a couple options that you realize are corporate offices – easy enough to figure out. However, in both cities I THOUGHT I had figured out where the bus station was. Short story is, in both cities, our first ‘dry runs’ to the station led to an adventure, not the bus station. Despite having half a brain most moments and attempting to triangulate available information, I got a bit sloppy with my English to Spanish translations and that’s all it took.
Discounts Are Available For Purchasing Your Ticket On-line.
You can receive a ticket discount by purchasing on-line. If your Spanish is poor, just remember the previous tip about verifying the location of your departure bus station; do your checking PRIOR to purchasing your ticket. Buck and I choose to purchase our tickets at the station beforehand; this serves as a dry-run so we’re sure we are on-time for our bus and that we provide the correct location to our Uber or taxi driver.
Give Yourself Some Extra Time.
Prep for your luxury bus ride by arriving a bit early. No need for added stress. Depending on when you are leaving, there could be traffic delays, or lines to purchase your ticket. And some destinations require passengers to go through a security check, similar to taking a flight. Also, if you have baggage to check, sometimes you need to do that before boarding the bus – similar to taking a flight.
Bring Additional Snacks; Bus Station Food/Snack Options.
A five hour ride can feel like a long time without some good snacks. Besides eating your complimentary snack and beverage, you can also bring your own nibbles. Like in any airport or bus station, you can purchase snacks/beverages in the bus station for a higher price. One thing that is different from major airports, you will also find at least one place where you can get a sit down meal, but often the seating is limited.
Get the Front Row Seats.
That’s the best view! I know, I mentioned this already as a perk but it’s worth repeating. Especially since I initially was expecting ho-hum bus rides, getting such a tremendous view makes a ho-hum bus ride seem more like a tour. And we have always had great drivers. The only time I had a ‘moment’ in the front seat was when we were winding around in the mountains. To compensate, I turned on a Spanish reading of ‘The Little Prince’ which distracted my body enough so I could again enjoy the trip.
Bus Station Bathrooms.
There are bathrooms on the bus, available to use for no additional charge. However, be prepared to pay a small amount if nature calls while you are still in the station. And for those still learning Spanish, bathrooms may be designated with the word “Banos” or “Sanitarios”. The amount can vary; 6-9 Mexican pesos is what we’ve seen thus far. In exchange, the bathrooms will be clean. There will also be tip containers to give additional pesos for the cleaning staff.
Often there will be one turnstile labeled “Entrada” to enter separate mens and womens bathrooms; you will simply turn one way or another. And you will use the other turnstile “Salida” to exit.
And one other thing – either bring your own toilet paper or remember to get a little when you first come into the bathroom. In this pic, you can see the rolls on the wall behind the in/out turnstiles. You will not find individual toilet paper rolls in each stall. And in many bathrooms, the toilets will not include an actual toilet seat.
Don’t Lose Your Baggage Receipt, If Applicable.
ETN, and some other Mexican luxury bus lines, tag stowed luggage with your seat number. Don’t forget to tip the porter for stowing your luggage. And you don’t want to lose the luggage receipt they give you, or you will have to wait until everyone else has claimed their luggage. This information was provided to us from others; we are each currently traveling with a 30 liter bag, which we take on-board with us. There is plenty of room to stow it and still have leg room.
CG and I are traveling long term in Mexico, but we only carry the things we need. We’ve been traveling now for more than a year, each carrying a single Osprey Porter 30 Travel Backpack. We don’t check these bags, but bring them aboard the bus with us. You can find more info about our travel packs and the current prices for these packs on Amazon.
Have Tipping Change.
If you use the bus station restroom or a porter helps you load your luggage under the bus, have some change to tip them.
Realize There Are Several Luxury Bus Lines.
ETN is not the only luxury bus line in Mexico. There are a few other bus lines we may opt to try in the future, however, after talking with fellow travelers who have ridden other bus lines, we’ve heard that ETN buses have the most room per seat. And we found the ETN website the easiest to navigate, which is a definite plus.
If you’re thinking of trying luxury bus travel in Mexico, we hope this video and blog will make your trip easier. Warning: It may spoil you for other bus rides, as well as many flying experiences.
And if you’re the adventurous type, check out our trip to a public market in Morelia.
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