If you only have time for one trip outside the city centre during your stay in Mexico City, I recommend Teotihuacán without hesitation.

The ancient city, with its monumental Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon, is one of the most important archaeological sites in all of the Americas, and for us it was one of the greatest experiences in Mexico.

• 👉 The greatest experience? The hot air balloon ride over the pyramids at sunrise

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Is it worth a visit?	Absolutely yes
Length of visit	1-3 hours (the site itself)
Admission	210 mxn
Booking	Not required
Distance from CDMX centre	50 km
How to get here	Car, bus, organized trip
Our tip	Combine with a balloon flight and breakfast in La Gruta

What is Teotihuacán?

Teotihuacán was one of the largest cities in the world at the time.

At its peak, it probably had over 100,000 inhabitants, making it one of the largest cities on the planet.

To this day, it's not entirely clear who exactly founded the city. What is certain, however, is that it was founded long before the arrival of the Aztecs, who gave it its current name, meaning 'place where the gods were made'.

Construction of the older Pyramid of the Moon probably began around 100 BC.

What you'll see here

• Pyramid of the Sun (the largest, you can't climb it)
• Pyramid of the Moon (second largest, can be climbed)
• Alley of the Dead
• Temple of the Feathered Serpent (Quetzalcóatl)
• The famous mural of the puma
• a large archaeological complex with a museum

Don't just expect two pyramids in the middle of a field. The entire complex is huge and will surprise most visitors with its sheer size.

How long to spend here?

For us, ideally half a day.

If you arrive after the balloon flight, count approximately:

• 1 hour balloon
• 1 hour breakfast
• 1-3 hours tour of the pyramids depending on how quickly you want to visit the site and if you also go to the Temple of the Feathered Serpent

If you only want to see the 2 main pyramids then it can be done in 1 hour.

Is it possible to climb the pyramids or go inside?

You can't go inside and probably never could.

Unlike the Egyptian pyramids, the Aztec pyramids are solid structures with no interior. They served as platforms for temples.

However, one can climb up very steep stairs to the pyramids.

• Pyramid of the Sun: currently inaccessible
• Pyramid of the Moon: accessible, you can climb the stairs to the magnificent viewing platform

Practical information: is a reservation required?

This was my biggest concern before visiting the pyramids

Opening hours

• 📆 Open daily
• 🕚 8:00-17:30 (last entry at 16:30)

Admission

There is a one-time admission fee to the entire archaeological site.

• 210 mxn
• Payment is only possible in cash
• advance booking: neither necessary nor possible
• if you have a GoPro or a conventional camera, you must pay a fee 63 mxn (there is no charge for filming on a mobile phone)

How and where to buy tickets?

You can buy tickets at all official gates to the venue. Always cash only.

• Puerta 2: the main gate on the west (public transport) closest to the Pyramid of the Sun
• Puerta 3: the gate on the northwest (not all buses go here, only some) closest to the Pyramid of the Moon
• Puerta 5: the gate on the east closest to La Gruta restaurant and ideal when travelling after a balloon flight
• Puerta 1: the gate in the southwest closest to the Temple of Quetzalcóatl

All gates have the same opening hours.

Can I enter the area repeatedly?

Yes. The ticket is valid for the whole calendar day.

You can enter the site in the morning, have lunch at La Gruta restaurant and then return to the pyramids.

How big is the site?

Most tourists only go between the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon.

The distance between them is about 800 meters.

The longest distance is between the Pyramid of the Moon and the Temple of Quetzalcóatl: about 2 km.

Shops and toilets

At all gates there are many stalls selling souvenirs or drinks or ice cream and sweets.

There are also always free public toilets at the main gates. However, there are none inside the complex.

Security check

You go through a security checkpoint similar to those at airports.

However, you can bring drinks in any quantity.

Getting there: convenient Uber, cheap bus

The Pyramids of Teotihuacán are 50 km from the center of Mexico City, so transportation is one of the main things everyone is concerned with. Including us.

How did we travel?

We combined Teotihuacán with a balloon flight, but didn't purchase organized transportation.

So:

1. 4:30am Uber ride to the departure point for the balloon flight (610 mxn and 60 minutes, booked in advance via the app with no problems)
2. Balloon flight
3. Uber ride from the balloon base to La Gruta restaurant and gate number 5 (approx. 50 mxn and 10 minutes)
4. Return journey by public bus (81 mxn and 90 minutes)

However, there are options for a balloon flight + organized transportation to/from Mexico City + tours of Teotihuacán.

Discover the balloon flight + transfer offers

Now for the more practical.

	Uber	Bus	Organised tour
Price	From 560 mxn	81 mxn	From 1 200 mxn
Frequency	Anytime waiting time 10-20 minutes	15-20 minutes	- in the morning from the centre - afternoon return
Travel time	60-90 minutes	90-120 minutes	60-90 minutes

Uber or Taxi?

Definitely Uber. I wouldn't hesitate at all.

We didn't use official taxis in Mexico City even once, because we were always offered a price several times higher than Uber.

Moreover, Uber always worked perfectly.

Car availability is good both early in the morning for the trip from the center to the pyramids and in the afternoon on the way back.

On the return trip, however, it can still take 15-20 minutes for the driver to arrive.

• Average price 550 mxn to 650 mxn depending on current demand
  • of which 110 mxn is the motorway toll.
• journey time 60 minutes in the morning / 90-120 minutes in the afternoon
  • if you drive off the motorway, the journey takes about 90 minutes in the morning / more than 120 minutes during the day

Bus / public transport

There is a company called Autobuses Teotihuacán that runs to the pyramids. There are no famous red ADO buses, no regular city buses and certainly no metro or train.

The buses have the following stops:

• Terminal Central del Norte
  • the main long-distance bus station for Mexico City.
  • the only convenient pick-up point for the Pyramids
  • Travel from the centre: metro line 3 to La Raza station -> metro line 5 to Autobuses del Norte station. Or Uber.
• Deportivo 18 de Marzo
  • on the way to the pyramids, many buses do not stop at this station at all
  • BUT a great exit point on the way from the pyramids
  • it's about a 15-minute walk to the Basilica of Guadalupe, and there's a metro line 3 direct to the centre
• Indios Verdes
  • on the way to the pyramids many buses do not stop at this station at all
  • on your way from the pyramids, get off here if you are heading straight to the centre of CDMX (also served by metro line 3)
• Piramides Puerta 2
  • this is the main boarding and alighting point for the Archaeological Zone

How to find the stop?

Mexico City -> Pyramids: always start at Terminal del Norte:

1. Enter the station building
2. Take a left and go all the way to the end to "Puerta 8"
3. Find the counter of Autobuses Teotihuacán
4. Buy your ticket
5. Find the platform (it is often unmarked and you will probably have to ask the locals)

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Journey Pyramids -> Mexico City

Most buses only stop at Gate 2.

Some buses also stop at Gate 3, but this is not so certain.

Here is the exact location of the bus stop at Puerta 2 - location on Google Maps. It actually corresponds to reality, this is exactly where we boarded the bus.

How to buy a ticket?

• Mexico City -> Pyramids: you buy the ticket at the ticket office or at the adjacent vending machine in Terminal del Norte
  • you can also buy a return ticket (on the way back you can get on any bus regardless of the time)
  • but the price is the same as if you buy 2 one-way tickets
  • you can pay by card or cash
• Pyramids -> Mexico City: the ticket is bought from the driver
  • can only be paid with cash ( MI transport card payment does not work either)
  • 💬 I read on various forums that you can pay by card at the driver, but in our case only cash could be used. Do you have any other experience? Let us know in the comments below the article, thanks!

The price is 81 mxn for one way.

Are the buses comfortable and safe?

There are older large buses on the line. Sometimes with working and sometimes with non-functioning air conditioning, but basically the ride was quite comfortable.

Between the pyramids and Mexico City, they still stop in downtown Teotihuacán, which makes the trip roughly 20-30 minutes longer compared to Uber.

Otherwise, though, it's highway driving.

Safety is not a problem.

Organized tour

If you don't want to deal with transportation from Mexico City at all, there are many local travel agencies that offer organized tours with both transportation and guides.

Usual prices and offers:

• Guided tour + transportation + lunch = approx. 1 200 mxn / 8 hours
• Guided tour + transport + lunch + stop at the Basilica of Guadalupe = approx. 1 350 mxn / 9 hours
• Guided tour + transportation + breakfast + balloon flight + lunch + stop at the Basilica of Guadalupe = approx. 5 000 mxn / 10 hours

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Is it worth choosing a hotel in Teotihuacán?

In my opinion, no.

Apart from the pyramids, there are no other attractions around Teotihuacán. You'll drive to the pyramids from downtown Mexico City anyway, and you'll be returning to downtown Mexico City again.

Even on early morning balloon flights, the morning traffic from downtown CDMX is seamless (in contrast, better than daytime or afternoon for me).

We stayed downtown and in retrospect I certainly wouldn't change.

• 👉 Here are my tips for safe locations

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