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Bus Travel

Arriving & Departing

Getting to Mexico by bus is no longer for just the adventurous or budget-conscious. In the past, bus travelers were required to change to Mexican vehicles at the border, and vice versa. Now, however, in an effort to bring more American visitors, the Mexican government has removed this obstacle, and more transborder bus tours are available. Buy a ticket for Guadalajara from any Greyhound station in the U.S. and you will transfer to a Mexico-bound bus in Phoenix or another city. Once across the border you will at some point transfer to a Mexican bus, but these are first-class and affiliated with Greyhound. Those that travel to Guadalajara are on the Mexican bus line Estrella Blanca. If you'll be leaving Mexico for points north of the border by bus, you can buy tickets from the Greyhound representative in Guadalajara. (There is no direct Greyhound service to or from PV.)

Within Mexico the bus network is extensive. PV's Central Camionero, or Central Bus Station, is 1 km ( 1/2 mi) north of the airport, halfway between Nuevo Vallarta and downtown Puerto Vallarta. Elite/Futura has first-class service to Acapulco, Mexico City, the U.S. border, and other destinations. ETN has the most luxurious service to Guadalajara, Mexico City, and many other destinations, with exclusively first-class buses that have roomy, totally reclining seats. Primera Plus, which has upgraded its fleet, connects PV with destinations throughout Mexico. Basic service, including some buses with marginal or no air-conditioning, is the norm on Transportes Cihuatlán, which connects the Bahía de Banderas and PV with southern Jalisco towns such as Barra de Navidad. Transporte del Pacifico is the economist's choice for destinations throughout the Pacific Coast.

Classes

First-class Mexican buses (known as primera clase) are generally timely and comfortable, air-conditioned coaches with bathrooms, movies, and reclining seats -- sometimes with seat belts. Deluxe (de lujo or ejecutivo) buses offer the same and usually have refreshments (soft drinks, bottled water, and white-bread sandwiches). Second-class, or segunda clase, can be dilapidated "vintage" vehicles without air-conditioning, although they are sometimes fairly comfortable and with working air-conditioning.

A lower-class bus ride can be interesting if you're not in a hurry and want to experience local culture; these buses make frequent stops and keep less strictly to their timetables. Often they will wait until they fill up to leave, regardless of the scheduled time of departure. Fares are up to 15%-30% cheaper than first-class buses. The days of pigs and chickens among your busmates are largely in the past. Unless you're writing a novel or your memoir, there's no reason to ride a second-class bus if a first-class or better is available. Daytime trips are generally safer.

Bring snacks, socks, and a sweater -- the air-conditioning on first-class buses is often set on high -- and toilet paper, as restrooms might not have any. Smoking is prohibited on all buses.

There are several first-class and deluxe bus lines. Estrella Blanca goes from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta as well as other destinations on the Pacific coast and the northern border. Primera Plus connects Mexico City with Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta along with other central and western cities. TAP serves Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, and Tepic before continuing north through Sinaloa and Sonora and to border cities like Tijuana (BCN) and Agua Prieta (Sonora). ETN is a deluxe line serving Mexico City and central Mexico, including Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and the states of San Luis Potosi, Aguascalientes, Colima, and Michoacan. Transportes Cihuatlán has second-class buses connecting PV to the Costalegre, San Patricio-Melaque, and Barra de Navidad.

Paying

Rates average 20-60 pesos ($2-$6) per hour of travel, depending on the level of luxury. For the most part, plan to pay in pesos, although most of the deluxe bus services have started accepting Visa and MasterCard.

Reservations

Tickets for first-class or better -- unlike tickets for the other classes -- can and should be reserved in advance. You can make reservations for many, though not all, of the first-class bus lines, through the UNO/Ticketbus central reservations agency. To travel by bus from the United States, you can buy tickets for destinations served by Estrella Blanca at Greyhound counters in San Diego, California, and Brownsville, Dallas, Houston, Laredo, and McAllen -- all in Texas -- and other gateway cities.

Bus Information

Central Camionero (Puerto Vallarta-Tepic Hwy., Km 9, Las Mojoneras. 322/290-1008). ETN (01800/800-0386 toll-free in Mexico; 322/290-0996; 322/290-0119 in PV. www.etn.com.mx). Estrella Blanca (01800/507-5500 toll-free in Mexico; 322/290-1001 in Puerto Vallarta. www.estrellablanca.com.mx). Greyhound (33/3647-5070 in Guadalajara; 01800/710-8819 toll-free in Mexico; 800/231-2222 in U.S.; 800/661-8747 in Canada. www.greyhound.com). Primera Plus (322/290-0715 in PV). Transporte del Pacifico (TAP) (322/290-0119; 322/290-0993 in PV). Transportes Cihuatlán (322/290-0994 in PV).