Teotihuacan | How to get there and visit on a budget?
Teotihuacan is a remarkable ancient city that was believed to be the biggest settlement in all Americas for over 300 years. This city and its Pyramids are currently located just an hour away from the outskirts of Mexico city and are listed an UNESCO World Heritage site.
Teotihuacan, the place where gods were created
Teotihuacan is a remarkable ancient city that was believed to be the biggest settlement in all Americas for over 300 years. This city and its Pyramids that are located just an hour away from the outskirts of Mexico city and are listed an UNESCO World Heritage site.
Teotihuacan was fist build by the Toltecs and, at its apex, was home to a civilization of 25,000 people and a place where politics and religion were extremely linked in ruling the society. The Teotihuacans where a civilization that extended its power all throughout Mesoamerica and as far as Tikal in Guatemala. Later, as the city was abandoned towards 650 A.D, other ancient civilizations reached the valley. One of those were the Aztecs that when they get there must have been quite overwhelmed by the greatness of the constructions of the city that were convinced who their habitants must have been giants. They named the city Teotihuacan which means “the place where gods were created”.
In this article, we will let you in on the main tips on how to visit the site on your own on a budget!
Check the official government website for updated opening/closure times and entry prices:
https://www.inah.gob.mx/zonas/23-zona-arqueologica-de-teotihuacan
There are at least two or three ways to get to Teotihuacan, however to get there on a budget...
only one real option:
public transport!
From Zócalo, the center of Mexico City, the take the metro Line 1 towards the north – to the last stop at Autobuses del Norte (a.k.a. Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte or just Central del Norte. The metro system in Mexico City is convenient, efficient, and extremely cheap (5 pesos a trip).
Buy a bus ticket at Autobuses Teotihuacan small booth near Gate/Sala 8 (check the time of leaving on your ticket – the bus will be at row 6). At the bus station you can find all the time workers with orange vests that can easily point you out at the right direction. There is a bus leaving for Teotihuacan every half an hour or so, even in low season – that is when we visited. If you have time, have cruise around the station to find a cheap meal or a takeaway. In the bus there are no fixed seats so if you get easily sick on a bus (like me) try to get there early. The bus will stop in the main road right in front of the main entrance of Teotihuacan.
To get back to Autobuses del Norte just wait for the bus on the opposite side of the road. I would advise not leaving the site later than 5:30 pm, since I was informed the last bus is at 6 pm.
Two important tips to do before going to Teotihuacan
Tip 1 – Do your own research about the history
I absolutely love a good tour, but sometimes you don’t end up with the experience you were expecting, or you just don’t have the budget to support it. I get it, I have been there …. I specially dislike that feeling of going through a whole day of touring and leaving the site you want to explore not having a clue about the important things that took place there or why it means so much to a civilisation or what is its place in history.
In Mexico, that happened to me for various reasons with “official licenced guides” more times than a so called used-to-the-road adventurer would be proud to admit. To add to that, we found the available tours in low season to be overpriced (at least for our budget). So, when we got to Teotihuacan, we decided that we were going to go back to old school – take our trusted travelling guide book and do some previous research about the city of the Gods.
This is the documentary we watched the night before visiting Teotihuacan: BBC – Lost Kingdoms of Central America – The Place Where Time Began Teotihuacan – 2014 (58 Min) and it gave a good overall idea of what to expect and the history of the site. The History Chanel also provides a good reference article about this – Teotihuacan (2018).
Going on your own gives you the independence to explore the site at your own pace which is something I love. However, we had a pleasant surprise when we got to the site and found out that the ticket comes with free tours!! So schedule a free tour as soon as you get into the permisses so you don’t miss it!! (more information below in the following topic).
Another PLUS: there is a free museum as well included in the ticket that, does not just provide a good shade for the middle of the day break, but also gives lots of information that complements your previous research.
You are getting out of Teotihuacan an expert on its history!!
Tip 2 – Take food/water with you, a sunshade/hat and some pesos ($, just in case)
Prices, Museum and Free tour
We went during mid/low season and even so we thought it was pretty packed, specially in the middle of the day. Even so, the amount of people did not impact our visit at all. We got there early in the morning around 9 am and we did not wait long in line to buy the tickets (90$pesos/person) to get in. At the entrance, you can find a paper-sheet with names of people interested in the free tour provided with your entrance fee. If you are interested in this, please request more information at the ticket point before you enter so that you can chose from the available times the tour that suits better your needs.
As soon as you enter you will see the Temple of the Sun. I would recommend the download of Maps.me App or check this 7.4 km loop map of Alltrails (link here) so you can plan your on foot visit since there is no maps available and limited information plaques.
The access to the free museum is behind the temple of the Sun.
Reminder: Check the official government website for updated opening/closure times and entry prices: https://www.inah.gob.mx/zonas/23-zona-arqueologica-de-teotihuacan
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