betamay

We are planning a trip to Oaxaca where we will pick up a car rental and tour the surrounding areas and then several days later drive to Puebla and finally from Puebla to airport in Mexico City. Can anyone recommend a map [or maps] that are up to date and which covers those areas in enough detail to be of use. [We will use sat nav but always prefer to have a paper version as well as back up]

baldone

Guia Roji. It should be available at stores such as Mega and Sanborn's. Kudos also for being adventurous enough to rent a car. There are simply times when public transportation, while cheap, just doesn't fit the bill of a vacationer, if you can afford it. And the scenery between Oaxaca and Puebla is amazing and offers good photo ops that you can't get from a bus. If you haven't selected a hotel in Puebla, I might suggest Hotel Colonial. They have enclosed parking attached to the hotel, double pane windows for sound proofing and a perfect centro location for under $70 US. That said, a couple of things to keep in mind. GPS in Mexico often is not accurate for one way streets and dead ends and such. Depending on the length of your trip, a Telcel sim card for your smart phone (if unlocked) could be a useful option too.
That's the good news. It seems you're looking at renting in Oaxaca and dropping of in DF, yes?. The bad news is that drop off charges are ridiculous, probably over $1,000 US. So, check that out first. Worst case is you rent a car while in Oaxaca, return it there and bus on to Puebla and DF.

betamay

Thanks Baldone will try and hunt the Guia Roji maps down. Will also definitely look at Hotel Colonial as not yet firmed up hotel in Puebla.

Interestingly the one way drop off fees Oaxaca to Mexico city airport don't seem as high as you fear [at least when booking from a UK car rental site] In region of £200 or circa $300 US over and above the rental fee for returning in Oaxaca.

baldone

Good for you that the drop off fees are not what they've been in the past. Is Oaxaca your first leg? I'm not certain they have Sanborn's, they're fairly ubiquitous throughout the larger cities, tho I don't think they have a Oaxaca store.
I'd be curious as to your agenda in Puebla and Mexico City, as you are probably better off not driving as the traffic can awful and confusing and public transportation is cheap and plentiful, at least to areas that you'd likely visit as a tourist. Also, you Ned to know that in Mexico City certain license plate numbers are prohibited from driving to help combat pollution. So, depending on the plate number of your rental, you might be at risk for a ticket.

betamay

Hi Baldon. Thanks for your input and the detail around how poluttion measures might impact on car rental in Mexico city. We are planning to fly into Mexico City from London and sight see there for 4 or 5 nights without a car [looks far to scary to drive there particularly as, to us Brits, it is all on the 'wrong' side of road !] and then fly to Oaxaca. It was here we were thinking of picking up a car in order to be able tour independently around Oaxaca countryside for a few days and then the drive to Puebla for a couple of nights and from there returning car to Mexico city airport. I can see that also possible to do same itinerary by a combination of taxis and public transport and am now exploring pros and cons of all options.

baldone

FYI, Estrella Roja has a route directly from Puebla to the airport in Mexico City.
Here are the driving restrictions: http://www.ontheroadin.com/travelinn...n_mexico_c.htm

betamay

Thanks Baldone, really useful link re driving restrictions. Happily we would be going to Mexico city airport on a Sunday which seems to have no restrictions.

Stewbear

If you go to www.guiaroji.com.mex you can order the Guia Roji Mapa in the US