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Airlines
The main ones are Aerocalifornia, Reforma 332 at El Angel (tel 5207-1392); Aerocaribe, Zola 535, 28th floor, Colonia del Valle (tel 5448-3000); Aerolitoral (see Aeromexico); Aeromar, at the airport (tel 5627-0207); Air Canada (see Continental); Aeromexico, Reforma 445 (tel 5133-4000 or toll-free tel 1-800/021-4000); America West, Rio Tiber 103, 6th floor, Zona Rosa (tel 5514-0194); American, Reforma 314 at Amberes (tel 5209-1400; reservations tel 1-800/904-6000); Aviacsa, at the airport (tel 5716-9004); British Airways, Polanco Plaza, Calle Jaime Balmes 8 (tel 5387-0300 or toll-free 1-800/006-5700); Canadian, Reforma 385, 15th floor (tel 5208-1883); Continental, Andres Bello 45, 18th floor, Polanco (tel 5283-5500); Cubana, Temistocles 246, Polanco (tel 5250-5500); Delta, Reforma 381 near El Angel, Zona Rosa (tel 5279-0909); Iberia, Reforma 24 (tel 5130-3030); LACSA, Reforma 509 (tel 5211-6604); Mexicana, handiest office at Juarez 82 and Balderas and Reforma 312 at Amberes (tel 5448-0990 or toll-free 1-800/501-9900); Northwest, Paseo de las Palmas 735, 7th floor, Lomas de Chapultepec (tel 5202-4444); Qantas, Balmes 8, Col Los Morales (tel 5387-0300); United, Hamburgo 213 (tel 5627-0222). To get to the airport, it's easiest to take a regular taxi, but you can also phone SETTA the day before (tel 5571-9344) to arrange to be picked up from your hotel.
Airport enquiries Dial 5571-3600. For international arrivals and departures ask for ext 2208; for domestic flights, ext 2259. American Express Central office and clients' mail service at Reforma 234 at Havre in the Zona Rosa (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm; tel 5207-7282). Several other offices throughout the city. Banks and exchange ATMs are everywhere and with the appropriate credit or cash cards you can get money throughout your stay without ever visiting a bank. Besides, many banks will only change money in the morning, and many are unhelpful for currencies other than US dollars: Banamex is your best bet. Most large hotels and shops will change travellers' cheques and cash dollars, but the quickest and easiest places to change money are casas de cambio, scattered all over town, particularly where tourists congregate. In the Centro Historico try Impulsora Cambiaria, Madero 27 at Bolivar (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-2.30pm) or Cambios Exchange, on Madero near Filomena Mata (daily 10am-7pm). You'll find several in the Zona Rosa, especially on Amberes and Londres, and a couple on Reforma by the Hotel Crowne Plaza , just south of the Monumento a la Revolucion. Buses It's rare not to be able to get on any bus at very short notice, but it can be worth booking in advance for long-distance journeys or for express services to popular destinations at busy times - that way you'll have a choice of seat and be sure of getting the fastest service. If you're uncertain which bus station you should be leaving from, simply get into a taxi and tell the driver what your ultimate destination is - he'll know where to take you. You'll find places to eat, and stalls selling food and drink for the journey in all the terminals along with ATMs and news stands. Car rental There are thousands of agencies throughout the city, and the small local operations are often cheaper than the big chains. Either way, renting a car isn't going to be cheap, and a car can be more of a liability than a help while you're in the city. Expect to pay US$60-80 per day for a compact car with the appropriate insurance (definitely recommended). Four people with luggage will want something larger and can expect to fork out over US$100 a day. The major operators all have offices at the airport and in the Zona Rosa, and some of the smaller companies do too, a major boon as it saves you trawling around the city for the best deals. The best airport deals are with Kim Kar (tel 2599-0267) who are marginally cheaper than either Gold Car Rental (tel 2599-0091, intgold@avantel.net ) or Royal Rent A Car (tel 5786 8092; www.royalrent.com ). The majors include: Alamo (tel 5250-0055 or 1-800-849-8001, www.goalamo.com ); Budget (tel 5566-6800 or 1-800/700-1700, www.budget.com.mx ); Dollar (tel 5726-0591; www.dollar.com.mx ); Europecar (tel 5575-2279 or 1-800/003-9500, www.europecar.com.mx ); Hertz (tel 5546-7689 or 1-800/709-5000, www.hertz.com.mx ); and Thrifty (tel 1-800/021-2277, www.thrifty.com.mx ). Note that rental cars are exempt from the one day a week driving restriction. Courier services DHL (tel 5345-7000) at Madero 70, Centro Historico (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm) and Niza 5, Zona Rosa (Mon-Fri 9am-6.30pm); FedEx (tel 5228-9904 or 1-800/900-1100) at Reforma 308, Zona Rosa (Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-2pm) and other locations. Cultural institutes Several countries maintain cultural institutes and libraries for their nationals within Mexico City, often allowing short term-visitors to use some of their facilities. They can also be useful places for contacts, and if you're looking for work, long-term accommodation or travelling companions their notice boards are good places to start. The US has the Biblioteca Benjamin Franklin, Londres 16 at Berlin (Mon & Fri 3-7.30pm, Tues-Thurs 10am-3pm tel 5211-0042; Metro Cuauhtemoc); the UK has the Consejo Britanico, Antonio Caso 127 (British Council; Mon-Fri 8.30am-7.30pm, Sat 10am-1pm; tel 5566-6144; Metro San Cosme); Canadians can use the Canadian Embassy Library (see below; Mon-Fri 9am-12.30pm). Embassies and consulates Australia, Ruben Dario 55, Polanco (Mon-Thurs 8.30am-2pm & 3-5pm, Fri 8.30am-2.15pm; tel 5531-5252, dfat@ozemb.org.mx ); Belize, Bernardo de Galves 215, Lomas de Chapultepec (tel 5520-1274); Canada, Schiller 529, Polanco (Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 2-5pm; tel 5724-7900, toll-free for Canadians on 1-800/706-2900; Metro Polanco); Costa Rica, Rio Po 113 at Rio Lerma, Zona Rosa (tel 5255-7764; Mon-Fri 10am-2pm & 4-6pm); Cuba, Presidente Masaryk 554, Polanco (Mon-Fri 10am-2pm; tel 5280-8039; Metro Polanco); Guatemala, Explanada 1025, Lomas de Chapultepec (tel 5540-7520); Honduras, A Reyes 220 at Ometusco (Mon-Fri 9am-1.30pm; tel 5515-6689); New Zealand, J.L. LeGrange 103, Col Polanco (tel 5281-5486); Panama, 8th floor, Schiller 326, Polanco (tel 5250-4229); UK, Rio Lerma 71 at Rio Sena, Zona Rosa (Mon-Fri 8.30am-3.30pm, consular section Mon-Fri 9am-2pm; tel 5207-2089; Metro Insurgentes); USA, Reforma 305 at Danubio, Zona Rosa (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 5209-9100; Metro Insurgentes). Emergencies All emergency services dial 080; Bomberos (fire) dial 5527-1571; Cruz Roja dial 5557-5757; Locatel, which gives information on missing persons and vehicles, medical emergencies, emotional crises and public services (tel 5658-1111); Medica Movil (mobile paramedic unit) dial 5598-6222; and Police dial 5588-5100. Hospital The American British Cowdray Hospital (ABC) is at C Sur 136 (tel 5230-8000). Embassies should be able to provide a list of multilingual doctors if necessary and American Express cardholders can make use of their Global Assist medical referral service. Internet access Numerous cybercafes all over the city generally charge around US$2 per hour, but shop around as there are often special offers (two hours for the price of one, etc). In the centre try: Hostel Catedral (see "Accommodation"; Metro Catedral); Lafoel Internet Service , 1st floor, Doncelos 80 at Rep. de Brasil (Mon-Fri 10am-8pm; tel 5512-3584; Metro Allende); or Dist@nte , 1st floor, Tacuba 40 (daily 8.30am-8.30pm; tel 5518-8153; Metro Allende). In the Zona Rosa try Java Chat , Genova 44 (Mon-Fri 9am-11pm, Sat & Sun 10am-11pm; Metro Insurgentes). Language schools Many places run Spanish courses in the city, though most people prefer to study away from the capital in such places as Cuernavaca, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. The Casa de los Amigos , Av Ignacio Mariscal 132 (see "Accommodation") keeps lists and details of language schools in Mexico and Central America, and it is also worth checking out www.planeta.com which has good links to Mexican language schools. Laundry Self-service launderettes are surprisingly rare in Mexico City, but most hotels should be able to point one out for you. Options include Lavanderia Automatica Lavajet, Danubio 123b at Lerma (Mon-Fri 8.15am-6pm, Sat 8.15am-5pm), close to the Zona Rosa; and Lavanderia Automatica Edison, Edison 91 at Arriaga near the Plaza de la Republica (Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm; Metro Revolucion). Left luggage Most hotels will hold your bags for the rest of the day after you've checked out, and some will allow you to leave excess luggage for several days, sometimes for a small charge. At the airport there is left luggage at two locations (Sala A and Sala E3) for US$5.50 a day. Terminal del Norte has left luggage for US$1-2 a day depending on the size of your bag. Opening hours Hours for most businesses in Mexico City are from 10am until 7pm. Very few now close for the traditional 2pm to 4pm siesta. Pharmacies Sanborn's offers a wide range of products at most branches (for addresses see "Eating"), as well as dispensing some prescription drugs. Other options include El Fenix branches at Isabel la Catolica and 5 de Mayo, and at Madero 41 at Motolinia. There's a homeopathic pharmacy at Mesones 111-B. Phones Local, domestic long-distance and international phone calls can be made from any public phone with a phonecard. Otherwise, a number of shops have public phones (for international services look for the blue "Larga Distancia" signs). You can dial direct from most big hotels, but it will cost much more. Useful casetas de larga distancia include those at: Madero 53 in the city centre (Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-7pm); Izazaga 10, near the Salto de Agua Metro (Mon-Fri 10am-8pm); Terminal del Norte (the one at the southern end of the terminal is open 24hr); TAPO at Local #20 in the tunnel to the Metro (daily 7am-11pm); Terminal del Poniente (one open 24hr); and two at the airport (daily 7am-11pm). Photographic supplies Film is available almost everywhere - pharmacies, tourist locales and so on - at reasonable prices, but for specialist needs head to one of several large shops on Avenida Juarez, along the south side of the Alameda, such as Foto Imagen at #56 (tel 5510-0240). Post office The main post office is at the corner of Lazaro Cardenas and Tacuba, behind Bellas Artes (Mon-Sat 8am-9pm, Sun 8am-7pm). Tourist cards Should you lose yours, or want an extension, officially you apply to the Instituto de Migracion, Ejercito National 862 (Mon-Fri 9am-1.30pm; tel 5626-7200). Extensions are only issued when your original length of stay is almost finished, and will require proof that you have sufficient funds to support yourself. Trains Mexico City now only has train services to Queretaro (Mon, Wed and Fri at 9am), and Tlaxcala and Apizaco (Tues, Thurs & Sat at 8.45am); buy your ticket on the train. Travel agencies The widest selection is in the Zona Rosa, where you'll find American Express; Amparo, Rio Sena 82, Col Cuauhtemoc (tel 5207-2188), who usually have the best prices for international flights; and Mundo Joven, Havre 15 (tel 5525-0407), particularly good for youth and student fares. Women's groups La Casa de los Amigos (see under "Language schools" above) have details of women's groups and support general social development projects.
Work
Very hard to come by - there's some chance of finding a job teaching English, or maybe au pair-type work. Look in the
The News
classifieds, or advertise your services to give private lessons in one of the Spanish papers. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Mexico,
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