Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board - Road report from U.S. to Zihuatanejo -for traffic use Waze

Road report from U.S. to Zihuatanejo -for traffic use Waze (reply)

Talley Ho — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 00:11:54 +0000

Believe it or not, some of who are not old, and very computer literate, don't have smart phones, or even cell phones at all!
Yes, we drove here, yes, we make our living on our computers.

Road report from U.S. to Zihuatanejo -for traffic use Waze (reply)

BL — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 23:57:02 +0000

Hello everyone,
Consider using Waze (app on your smartphone) for passing through Morelia. It is always a hassle and you never know if it's better straight or through the Periferico. With Waze, since it is crowd sourced, you will know what is the best route. It might take you through roads/streets that you normally would not think to use, but it saves a lot of time.

Good luck!

Road report from U.S. to Zihuatanejo (reply)

Talley Ho — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 22:28:42 +0000

It's well worth seeing, as is the city of Queteraro, and lots of other sights in the area, historical and natural.
We enter Mexico at Lukeville/Sonoyita, and take about 10 leisurely days to get from our So Cal beach to Zihua. This gives us time to stop at favorite places like Tepic and Patzcuaro, and skip a couple hundred miles of border area.
Morelia? We take the periferico around the north side of town. It's easy, well marked, and has a wider right lane for those of us that are "larger." It takes us about 40 minutes from when we turn off the road through town to when we rejoin it, and miss a lot of hassle, but we don't get lunch!
LOVE the toll roads. Sure, they cost, but the savings in time, gas and wear and tear is well worth it, to say nothing of the security.

Road report from U.S. to Zihuatanejo (reply)

CathyMarie — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 22:12:20 +0000

Ditto to all three posts. We enter Mexico thru Laredo. Our first night is always in Matehuala. Really look forward to Las Palmas and the first Margarita. We too drive thru historic centro in Morelia and have been staying at Hotel Soledad. Plan on stopping on way home at Queratero and visiting worlds 3rd largest monolith.

Road report from U.S. to Zihuatanejo (reply)

BobM — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 21:52:53 +0000

We came down from Laredo on December 30, and passed through San Miguel de Allende, Mexico City, and Morelia on the way. Had no problems at all. I recommend getting your car permit online. Then, all you need to get at the border is your tourist card.

I second the report that the traffic around Morelia can be bad. If I have to go through Morelia, I have taken to going straight through town and stopping for a meal. The traffic on the Periferico can be a real hassle.

We went up to Patzcuaro and Morelia this past week. You could tell from all the army and federales around Nuevo Italia that *something* was going on. There was a checkpoint at one of the toll booths, but once they saw our U.S. plates, they just waved us through.

Bottom line: I second the sentiments that driving through Mexico generally seems quite safe. Some Mexicans have told me that the "narcos" come out after dark. I have no idea what that means, but there are a number of good reasons not to drive after dark in Mexico in any case.

Road report from U.S. to Zihuatanejo (reply)

Talley Ho — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 17:05:21 +0000

Thanks for the post. More people need to make it known that driving in Mexico is perfectly OK.
We have been driving and wintering in Mexico since the early 80s, and have watched things change dramatically, and they still are.
We also tell people that the toll roads in Mexico are better than the freeways in California!

Road report from U.S. to Zihuatanejo

Mar Cus — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 15:53:06 +0000

A brief travel report for anyone considering driving in Mexico: My wife and I just arrived in Zihua. We drove down from Michigan and crossed the border into Reynosa, Tamp., across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas, on Jan. 8th, 2014. The time spent getting tourist visas and papers for our vehicle was less than one hour. By 10:15 a.m., we were on our way south on good roads and no tolls this day. We drove to Ciudad Victoria arriving early afternoon, a drive of 231 miles. On Jan. 9th we drove to San Miguel de Allende, Gto., a trip of 309 miles. Total distance from the border to San Miguel de Allende was 540 miles. There were road tolls of $138 pesos on this section of the drive. We left Ciudad Victoria at 9:35 a.m. and arrived in San Miguel de Allende at 4:10 p.m. We stayed in San Miguel de Allende for 27 days enjoying the culture, food and beauty of this colonial city. On Feb. 5th we drove to Pátzcuaro, a trip of just 153 miles, but a taxing drive through Morelia. This is one big city and traffic was heavy. On Feb. 6th we drove 171 miles to Zihuatanejo, Gro., and our hotel on Playa la Ropa. This section of the road from Pátzcuaro, the toll road,el rápido, was heavily patrolled by the army and federal police. We passed one convoy of some twenty-five military vehicles carrying army troops. We were stopped just once at a check point by the federal police and given a paper with a number to call in the event of trouble. The tolls on this highway totaled $266 pesos. When we called before entering Mexico, we were assured by our friends here in Zihuatanejo (a dentist, a taxi owner/driver, a hotel owner, and a couple from Canada living in Barrio Viejo), that our trip should be uneventful, and it was. We have lived and traveled throughout Mexico over the years. We have a deep affection for this country and its people. We would recommend caution while traveling anywhere, whether in Mexico or the U.S. From our observation and recent driving experience, we would have no reservation regarding driving Mexican roads and visiting the towns and cities of this great country.