When planning your arrival in Mexico City, keep in mind that there are two airports:

  • Benito Juárez International Airport (AICM), located northeast of the city.
  • Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), located on the outskirts, just under 50 km north of Mexico City.


AICM

  • It has two terminals that are not very close to each other. Terminal 1 has a metro station (Line 5). Terminal 2 does not, but there is a free “aerotrain” service that connects to Terminal 1 using your boarding pass. Taking the metro is a viable option if you are traveling light.
  • Another option is Uber or Didi; however, due to agreements with airport taxi services, Uber and Didi are not permitted to enter the airport grounds to pick up passengers. Fortunately, you can use these services at designated bays on Avenida Fuerza Aérea Mexicana, located 300 meters from the airport exit.
  • Finally, there are authorized taxi companies with fares based on the destination borough (delegación or alcaldía).

AIFA

  • It is indeed far from the capital, but it offers two transport options to Mexico City:
    • The Mexibús service, which takes 1 hour and 50 minutes to reach the historic center (depending on the time of day) at a cost of approximately $1.25 USD.
    • The suburban train, which takes 1 hour to reach Buenavista Station in the north of the city—located 23 km from the historic center (Zócalo)—at a cost of just under $5 USD. Once at Buenavista Station, you can take the metro, which reaches the Zócalo in approximately 22 minutes.
  • Both the bus and suburban train services stop running before midnight, leaving Uber, Didi, or authorized taxi services as the remaining options. Both can be expensive due to the distance to the city.


Recommendations

  • The Mexican peso currently has a favorable exchange rate against the US dollar and the euro. Consider exchanging some money at the airport, as foreign currencies are not commonly used in the country. Also, while credit cards are widely accepted in large cities, this is not the case in smaller towns.
  • If you are arriving late at night at AIFA, check the schedules for the Mexibus or the suburban train before you travel.
  • ITAM is located in the Álvaro Obregón borough in the southern part of the city, 17 km from the Zócalo. Please keep this in mind if you are traveling directly to the conference.