By taxi
If you fly into Mexico City and need to reach San Miguel, do not try to take a taxi from the airport. The taxi drivers in Mexico City are well trained to screw you out of your money by charging you three or four times the cost of a trip to San Miguel - it's simply not worth the hassle. If you're Hell-bent on flying into Mexico City and NOT taking a bus, call ahead to the hotel or B&B where you're staying and ask them to send a taxi from San Miguel. Yes, they may charge you for both the trip to and from the airport, but it will be infinitely less expensive than if you try to pick up a taxi from the street outside the Mexico City airport. For safety reasons, it is very important not to "pick up a taxi from the street outside the Mexico City airport." Take one of the official airport taxis to your hotel. These "Transporte Terrestre" taxis are the only ones allowed inside the airport. You will buy a zone-priced ticket ahead of time inside the airport by walking all the way down to the right several hundred yards after exiting the international arrivals area.
If you fly into a regional airport like Léon or Queretaro, taking a taxi the rest of your way is much safer - just make sure you use an approved taxi service the green and white cars are official taxis. Even still, if you don't know San Miguel that well, you may want to consider calling ahead to your hotel or B&B and having them provide transport - regional taxis may know how to get you to San Miguel, but only a taxi or car sent by your lodging will know how to get you straight to them.
By far the most convenient airport to fly into is Leon BJX. Arrange for a ride beforehand with one of the many shuttle services listed on San Miguel websites. Average price about $25-30 per person. This will almost alway be cheaper than taking a taxi from the airport--and the driver will know the town of San Miguel much better than a taxi driver from the airport. There is no easy way to get from the Leon airport to San Miguel by bus.
By bus
If you do want to take the bus but want to minimize the hassles associated with it, here are a few tips:
Plan your route well-ahead of time. Know not just what bus depot you plan to leave from, but what bus line you plan to take. Flecha Amarilla, Estrella Blanca, Omnibus de Mexico seem to be the most reliable.
ETN and Primera plus runs several times a day to Leon too
Have a back-up plan. At the very least, have a few extra dollars for an overnight stay in the event that your bus leaves you behind. The bus lines will fall all over themselves to help you if the bus forgets you, but they won't be able to help you if the ticket window is closed because it's 2AM.
Try to avoid getting off the bus at stops unless EVERYONE is off the bus. Be especially wary if they also claim to need to remove your baggage from the compartment saying the bus needs to be cleaned, for example - they may be trying to avoid taking you all the way to your destination.
If you're coming from USA, when planning your route, avoid a bus that crosses the border. You'll be required to get out at the border to get a visa, and more than one person has been left behind here while that was happening. There are several Mexico-side border towns with bus depots - you may want to take a plane or bus to the border, cross the border by foot, and take a bus from the other side. In particular, Nuevo Laredo across the border from Laredo, Texas has a major bus depot and an overnight bus leaves Nuevo Laredo every evening for San Miguel. If you drive to Laredo, you can park your vehicle overnight at La Posada hotel covered for about $18 per night or at Rio Grande Plaza Hotel uncovered for $5 per night. Both are within walking distance of the international bridge. After you have crossed the bridge, stop in on the Mexican side to get your visa about $25. Take a taxi to the bus station for about $5 US. Be sure you know which bus station, as there are several.
By plane
The closest airports to San Miguel are in Léon BJX, about 70 miles away and Queretaro QRO, about 45 miles away. Arriving at either of these airports will make your final journey a relatively inexpensive between US$30 and US$60 hour shuttle or cab ride. A bus ride from Queretaro is even cheaper around US$10 to US$15), but the trip will take 2-2:30 hours because the bus is not direct to San Miguel and you have to take a taxi from the airport to the bus station. Colectivos from the bus station to the city center are much cheaper.
Your flight may be less expensive if you go through Mexico City MEX, and connect to a flight to Leon or Queretaro. You may ride an airport bus from Mexico City to Leon and then catch a local bus to San Miguel. However, it's a 4-5 hour trip. Another option is a bus from MEX airport to Queretaro and on to San Miguel.
American and Continental airlines have direct flights to Leon from Dallas-Ft.Worth and Houston, respectively.
By bus: From the Mexico City airport you can get a first-class bus ticket on the line called "Primera Plus" see the section on "Buses" for about US$25 in 2006. Buses leave every 45 minutes to 1 hour throughout the day and will take you non-stop to Queretaro in less than 3 hours. You can take a bus from there to the San Miguel bus depot for about US$8 about 1 hour, or a taxi to your door in San Miguel for about US$35 about 45 minutes.
By taxi: If you're well-heeled, you can take a taxi from Mexico City directly to San Miguel. This will cost more but you´ll be safer because the driver wait you at the airport and he takes you directly to your destination in San Miguel.
Travelers should excise caution at the airport in Mexico City, especially if you are changing dollars into pesos. Only leave the main terminal with people you know or have arranged through a reputable agency.
Pre-Arranged Transportation
The best option for getting to your hotel, casa or B&B is to pre-arrange pickup at your arrival airport. The driver will meet you inside the terminal, in the area you clear customs. The rates are $70-120 USD according to your needs. A 6 passenger SUV will be the highest and a sedan for 3 is around $70. You can arrange transportation through your SMA hotel, etc. or book direct. Our favorite is Julio and Antonio at 52 415 154 0708 or (http://www.sanmigueldrive...). If you contact them directly, you will save the hotels commission. There are others that are as nice and reputable.
Transportes Turisticos del Centro SA de CV (http://sanmigueltransport...) offers a great service, they provide reliable and very comfortable vehicles, all their staff is English speaking and best of all low prices. Contact Juan Antonio to settle all your transportation needs during your staying in San Miguel de Allende down. Email [email protected].