Centro Histórico is only minutes from Mexico City’s international airport. This is how I cheaply, safely, and quickly made the trip via the metro system.
You’ve just spent days soaking in the rich cultural environment that is the world-famous Centro Histórico in Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México, abbreviated CDMX), and now it’s unfortunately time to go home. If the CDMX airport is your next destination, you could jump in a taxi for around $300 MXN ($16 USD). There’s an alternative option, however, that’s cheaper and similarly safe and speedy: taking the metro (i.e., subway) like a local for less than $1 USD. Here’s how I did it:
Find the Mexico City Metro Station Nearest You
1. Ensure you and your travel partner(s) have $5 MXN each
A single ticket to enter the CDMX metro system is only $5 MXN (25 cents USD). That’s a full 60 times cheaper than hiring a cab. In addition to your fare, I suggest having a little extra on hand just in case of incidentals.
2. Consult my map of metro stations in Centro Histórico
Below is my color-coded map of metro stations and lines in Centro Histórico. You can compare it to a more comprehensive map of the area to determine the station nearest you.
3. Plan on how to get to the pink metro line
As illustrated in my map, the Mexico City Metro’s pink line runs along the southern edge of Centro Histórico. It’s also the line that will take you east toward the airport. You will need to walk to a nearby pink line station or figure out how to head south to intercept (more on that below).
Enter the Mexico City Metro System and Intercept the Pink Line
1. Locate the ticket window
Once you have reached the metro station nearest you, walk down the steps. You will find a line of turnstiles. Before approaching them, look for the nearby ticket window.
2. Buy a ticket for $5 MXN
Ask the attendant for a ticket (Spanish: Un boleto, por favor.) As I mentioned earlier, the cost is the rock-bottom price of $5 MXN (Spanish: cinco pesos), giving you one-time access to the entire CDMX metro system for around 25 cents USD.
3. Redeem the ticket at a turnstile
Walk to an open turnstile and feed the ticket into the marked slot. Wait for the light to turn green and proceed through the gate.
4. Begin finding your way to the passenger loading area
You have now successfully entered the metro system and are ready to make your way to the airport. Click for a map of the entire color-coded network on the official CDMX public transportation website. It’s time to determine which train to board.
5. If you entered a blue or green station, go south to the pink line
If you didn’t initially enter a pink line metro station along the southern edge of Centro Histórico, you will need to head south on the blue or green line in order to intercept either the Piño Suarez or Salto del Agua pink line stations. Consult the official CDMX public transportation map (link in the above step) for the direction you should take.
6. Prepare to head east on the pink line to Pantitlán
The Pantitlán metro station serves as the eastern terminus of Mexico City’s pink line. It is also a short walk from the airport’s Terminal 2 and only a few stops north along the yellow line from Terminal 1.
Make Your Way to the Correct Airport Terminal
1. Make the journey to the Pantitlán metro station
Once you are on the eastbound pink line train car leaving Centro Histórico, you can sit back and relax for a few minutes; the Pantitlán metro station is 11 stops from Salto del Agua and nine from Piño Suarez. Click to view information for the Pantitlán station on the official CDMX public transportation website.
2. If you fly out of Terminal 2, take a short walk from the Pantitlán station
Pantitlán is the end of the line for Mexico City’s eastbound pink metro trains. It’s also within short walking distance (around 700 meters) of Terminal 2. If your flight leaves from there, exit the station and walk northwest; you will be at Terminal 2 within minutes. If you are departing from Terminal 1, there’s a few more metro stops left on your journey.
3. If you fly out of Terminal 1, take a short ride on the yellow metro line
The Pantitlán station is one of the busiest in the Mexico City Metro. It connects the brown, pink, purple, and yellow lines. After arriving on the pink line and heading toward the airport’s Terminal 1, the yellow trains are your next destination. Follow the yellow signs in the Pantitlán station to your final metro line.
4. Arrive at the Terminal Aérea metro station next to Terminal 1
The Pantitlán station is the southern terminus of the yellow metro line, so you can only head in one direction: north toward the airport’s Terminal 1. The yellow line’s Terminal Aérea station is only two stops away from Pantitlán. Click to view information for the Terminal Aérea station on the official CDMX public transportation website. The station is next to the entrance to Terminal 1.
Commuters walk to their boarding platforms as vendors call out in the Mexico City Metro’s yellow line. The subway is the cheapest way to get around the city. Click the icon in the lower righthand corner of the player to expand the video.
Related Content
– Click to read my travel guide “A Weekend Guide to Mexico City’s Centro Histórico” to learn about where I went, ate, and stayed in the world-famous urban district.
– Click to view my high-resolution photo collection from Templo Mayor in the historic center of Mexico City.
– Click to read my feature article “Teotihuacán: Down the Avenue of the Dead” for an in-depth look into the mysterious history of the ancient ruins near Mexico City.