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Bucketlist Bri

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How to Get From Tuxtla Airport to the Pueblo Mágico of San Cristóbal

Last Updated: November 3, 2021 · Chiapas, Mexico

Finding out how to get from the Tuxtla airport to San Cristobal de Las Casas was the first thing on my agenda when moving to the lovely and wild state of Chiapas, Mexico.

Turns out, our journey would be fairly easy and that’s partially thanks to a lovely Chiapaneca woman and her mini Chihuahua named Chile (which I called “chile relleno” because she was a chunk) with whom we shared our taxi.

Our first introduction to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the bustling and humid capital of Chiapas, was when we decided to live in San Cristóbal de Las Casas as digital nomads for a few months. In fact, it was our first time living or traveling in Chiapas in general. The city, as we soon discovered, is much hotter and crowded than our soon-to-be home in the cool and slow-paced Chiapas Highlands (Los Altos de Chiapas).

There are a handful of ways to get to San Cristobal from Tuxtla, but the easiest we found was by sharing a taxi. There are also public buses, private shuttles, and of course, the option to rent a car straight from the airport.

In this guide, I’ll share exactly how to get to San Cristobal de las Casas from the Tuxtla Gutíerrez airport and what you should consider before hitting the road.

Table of Contents show
Getting From Tuxtla Airport to San Cristobal de las Casas
Where Is Tuxtla and San Cristobal?
Getting to San Cristobal From Tuxtla Airport By Taxi
Renting a Car in Tuxtla
Taking an OCC Bus or Colectivo
Getting Around San Cristobal

Getting From Tuxtla Airport to San Cristobal de las Casas

map with red pin locating tuxtla gutiérrez mexico

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Where Is Tuxtla and San Cristobal?

The capital city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez is located in the central-western part of Chiapas state.

Its airport, officially known as Ángel Albino Corzo International Airport, but more commonly and simply referred to as Tuxtla Gutiérrez International Airport (TGZ), is located about 30 minutes and 30 km south of the city center via Hwy 190.

San Cristobal de las Casas, the ever so charming pueblo mágico (“magic town”) of the Chiapas Highlands, is located approximately 1 hour 20 minutes and 77 km east of Tuxtla Airport via Hwys 190 and 190D.

Seeing as the colonial town sits at 2,200 m (7,700 ft) in elevation, a stark 1,700 m more than Tuxtla, you can expect quite the temperature difference.

Note: When you first arrive, you may experience difficulty in breathing or at least the feeling that you become out of breath more quickly. Altitude sickness symptoms can occur at and above altitudes exceeding 8,000 ft high, so San Cris isn’t that far off!

 

Getting to San Cristobal From Tuxtla Airport By Taxi

Whether to get to/from the airport, or to simply visit on weekends, we’ve experienced traveling between Tuxtla and San Cristobal by taxi, car, and colectivo (shared van).

But the best and most convenient way we’ve found to get from the Tuxtla Airport to San Cristobal is either by taxi or rental car.

Taxis

Taxis from the airport to San Cristobal will cost $800 MXN pesos total, which means you can split the cost if you share the taxi with a friend or even a stranger who just got off the same plane as you. That’s what happened to us, at least, with this young woman and her dog Chile.

Organizing a taxi to San Cristobal is fairly easy. Once you collect your luggage from the baggage claim and pass through the security and health check, you will exit out white and glass-paned doors. Head to your right where you will see a few desks. There you just need to ask for a taxi to San Cris, indicate who all is in your party, and pay the fee upfront.

You will take your ticket and hand it to your driver waiting right outside. That’s it!

Seeing as we arrived at the airport at night, around 9 PM, we were glad to have found someone to share the taxi with, split the cost, and make a new friend in the process.

If you are a solo female traveler going alone to San Cris, I would highly recommend just asking fellow women to share the taxi with. We are not used to doing this but it seems this is common practice among locals. You will also undoubtedly see a handful of foreigners get off your plane as well and they’re all likely heading to the same place you are.

By taking a taxi, you save yourself lots of time for waiting on a bus or having to go pick up your rental car. The cost difference is worth it, in my opinion, especially for an hour and a half drive.

screenshot of driving directions from tuxtla airport to san cristobal de las casas

Renting a Car in Tuxtla

If you are traveling with a group or aren’t arriving at night, then I would recommend renting a car at Tuxtla Airport to have during your stay in San Cristobal. We use DiscoverCars.com for the best rates for rentals in Mexico ($10-15 USD per day).

If you plan on going on a Chiapas road trip then you will definitely have the best rates by renting at the airport instead of in San Cristobal. You also can’t rent automatic cars, for some reason, in San Cris so keep that in mind if you don’t know how to drive stickshift.

From the airport, the road to San Cris is fairly easy. Pop the address of your hotel in San Cristobal and prepare for a quick and windy trip up the mountain.

Note that if you drive yourself, you will need to pay the $25 MXN pesos Tuxtla toll fee. If you take a bus or taxi, this fee is included in the price.

Taking an OCC Bus or Colectivo

If you are a budget traveler, you might prefer to take an OCC bus from the ADO bus terminal at the airport instead.

The OCC buses serving direct routes from Tuxtla Airport to San Cris run four times a day. In the case that your flight arrives too late for the last service (which seems to be around 21:00 or 9 PM), you can always rely on taxis. But if you arrive before one of the below departure times, and want to save a bit on the taxi fare, then you can go by bus.

Taking a bus from TGZ airport to San Cristobal will cost around $250 MXN pesos. You can book online in advance via the ADO website, but make sure to put “Aeropuerto Ángel Albino…” in the search box instead of Tuxtla Airport, or it won’t register it.

screenshot of ADO bus schedule Tuxtla Airport to San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico

If you prefer to take a colectivo, then you should do so during the day and will need to first head into the city of Tuxtla or into the magic town of Chiapa de Corzo. There is a lot to see and do around here, including taking a river cruise in the Sumidero Canyon National Park, so you might consider staying overnight before moving on.

You can also go from Tuxtla’s city center (Plaza Las Américas) to San Cristobal by OCC bus for as little as $3 USD when you book online through Busbud.

From there, you can hop on colectivos and buses to get to San Cristobal for as little as $60 MXN pesos.

No matter which option you choose to get to San Cristobal, know that on the route up your ears will likely pop since you are going up in elevation by about 5,5570 ft.

Getting Around San Cristobal

Sunset over Guadelupe church in San Cristobal de las Casas Chiapas, Mexico

Once you arrive safely in San Cristobal de Las Casas, you won’t have much need for a car to actually get around the downtown. In fact, I’d recommend walking everywhere.

One of the best things to do in San Cristobal de Las Casas is actually taking a free walking tour around the city to familiarize yourself with its culture, history, and indigenous groups.

You will only need a car if you plan to go road tripping on your own. Otherwise, you can easily organize day trips from San Cristobal to popular places to visit such as the Cascadas El Chiflón, Lagos de Montebello, Palenque Ruins, etc.

There are also three ecotourism parks around San Cristobal (i.e. Arcotete) and two indigenous Tzotzil Maya towns – San Juan Chamula and San Lorenzo Zinacantán – located 15 minutes outside of the city center worth checking out. You can get to those by shared colectivos or by taxi, though, in case you don’t have a rental car or don’t want to pay extra money for an organized tour.

I hope this guide about getting to San Cristobal de las Casas from Tuxtla Airport helps plan your trip! The road is a bit windy and drivers go fast, but taxis are very safe and you should have no problem going from point A to point B, even if you arrive at night.

If you have any questions about either town, feel free to get in touch and drop a comment below!

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By: Bri · In: Chiapas, Mexico

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Comments

  1. Linda Mansour says

    October 28, 2022 at 1:32 am

    Arriving into TGZ airport at 11:30pm .
    Are taxis still available at that hour. Aeromexico flight.
    Need to get to hotel in San Christibal.

    Reply
    • Bri says

      October 28, 2022 at 12:50 pm

      Hi Linda! There should be. Our flight arrived around 9pm and there were plenty taxis — they know there’s always a need, so I’m sure one will be waiting. Try to share with someone coming off your flight if you need to split the bill!

      Reply
  2. Ken says

    September 12, 2021 at 8:22 pm

    Hola Bri,

    I’m making my 2nd visit to San Cristobal November 17, 2021. I’ll be flying in and looked at the ADO website. It says nothing available. I’m probably doing something wrong. Any idea?

    Reply
    • Bri says

      September 13, 2021 at 7:43 am

      Hola Ken! It may be because the ADO buses run mainly from Tuxtla city center to San Cris. From the airport, I believe it’s the OCC bus line that takes you to San Cristóbal. The ADO website is showing under maintenance for me right now, but I’ll check again later. Otherwise, you could consider getting a shuttle (van) to Tuxtla center and then get a bus for $3 from the Plaza las Americas to SCLC.

      Reply
  3. Elijah says

    August 7, 2021 at 1:04 am

    Hello, Thank you for your blog! I am looking to rent a car at the airport in Chiapas, but have read some horrible stories. Did you rent from a particular company? Thanks for the heads up!

    Reply
    • Bri says

      August 7, 2021 at 5:18 pm

      Hi Elijah! I have had previous success with Sixt in Mexico, in two states (but not in Chiapas). Online reviews of most rental car companies in Mexico are terrible 😂 If you can rent online in advance, the better. From what I’ve seen, prices are around 12-15 € or $15-20 (via Discover Cars), which is pretty typical. Safe travels!

      Reply
  4. sherrill madden says

    May 22, 2021 at 8:47 am

    Hola, Thanks for the transportation info. I will be teaching in Chiapa de Corzo starting in August thru December. I am also a blogger and enjoyed reading yours.

    Reply
    • Bri says

      May 23, 2021 at 10:28 am

      Hola Sherrill! Thanks so much for reading! Happy to hear you’ll get to enjoy Chiapa de Corzo for a few months – that’s exciting! All the best and have a safe trip xx

      Reply
  5. Sara Martin says

    April 28, 2021 at 8:28 am

    Hola! I am a 70 yo retired woman. I have been in Mexico 4 years. So, I have read a LOT of blogs about different places. Yours is the only one I have ever saved. Thanks for all the straight forward info without a lot of fluff! I’m currently in Gringolandia other wise known as Chapala, Mx (ugh). Heading for San Cris May 4th. I was there briefly 3 years ago but now I have your blog to help me out!
    Sara

    Reply
    • Bri says

      April 28, 2021 at 10:19 am

      Hola Sara! Thanks so so much for your sweet comment. Truly means a lot to me that you follow along! We consider Mexico home as well and so I’m so pleased to share about it and help others. I hope you enjoy San Cris! We are already itching to go back 🙂 xx

      Reply

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