Campeche is a Gulf-coast state on the western side of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, best known for its walled capital, San Francisco de Campeche, a UNESCO World Heritage city of pastel facades, baroque churches, and Spanish colonial ramparts built to repel Caribbean pirates. Inland, the state holds two-thirds of the Yucatan Peninsula's tropical forest and the vast Maya metropolis of Calakmul, hidden inside a biosphere reserve on the Guatemalan border. Campeche receives a fraction of the visitors that reach Cancun or Merida, which is precisely its appeal.
- Public
- Campeche state is served by three complementary public networks: the Tren Maya, which stops at eleven stations inside the state (Calkiní, Hecelchakán, Tenabo, San Francisco de Campeche, Edzná, Carrillo Puerto/Champotón, Escárcega, Candelaria, Centenario, Calakmul and Xpujil); the ADO first-class bus network radiating from the Campeche city terminal on Avenida Patricio Trueba de Regil; and the Tren Ligero de Campeche, a 15.2 km electric light-rail line opened in July 2025 that links the historic centre with the airport and the Tren Maya station for 18 MXN (approx. USD 1.06). Urban Ko'ox buses inside Campeche city cap fares at 12 MXN (approx. USD 0.71), and colectivo vans cover villages, ruins and beaches that buses skip.
- Taxi
- Metered taxis are scarce; fares in San Francisco de Campeche are zone-based and typically run 40-60 MXN (approx. USD 2.35-3.53) for a ride inside the city, rising to 150-250 MXN (approx. USD 8.82-14.71) for outlying communities such as Chiná, Hampolol or Lerma. Uber and inDrive operate in San Francisco de Campeche; DiDi coverage is patchy and street taxis remain the default in Champotón, Escárcega, Sabancuy and Xpujil, where fares are agreed before departure.
- Rental
- A rental car is the single most useful tool in Campeche state. Calakmul, the Miguel Colorado cenotes, Punta Xen, Chenkán, Isla Arena and the Ruta Puuc are effectively unreachable on a fixed timetable. Compact cars rent from roughly 600-1,200 MXN per day (approx. USD 35-71) at Campeche International Airport, with mandatory Mexican third-party liability insurance adding around 250-400 MXN per day (approx. USD 15-24). Highway 180 (coastal) and Highway 261 (inland via Hopelchén) are paved and lightly trafficked; fuel stations thin out sharply south of Escárcega.
- Walking
- The walled historic centre of San Francisco de Campeche is small, flat and colour-washed, and every major sight - the Baluartes, the Cathedral, Puerta de Tierra, Calle 59 and the 3.5 km seafront Malecón - sits within a 20-minute walk. Ciudad del Carmen's Playa Norte promenade and the compact centres of Champotón, Palizada and Isla Aguada are also comfortably walkable; Calakmul, Edzná and the Río Bec sites require real walking on uneven stone in high humidity.
Transport at a glance
Airport transfers
Getting from the airport to your accommodation.
- Items
- {'airport': 'Campeche International (CPE)', 'light_rail': 'Tren Ligero de Campeche calls at the airport en route between the Tren Maya station and the historic centre: flat fare 18 MXN (approx. USD 1.06), reduced 9 MXN (approx. USD 0.53) for students, seniors and passengers with disabilities; service 05:00-23:00 daily', 'taxi': 'Authorised airport taxis to the historic centre run roughly 150-250 MXN (approx. USD 8.82-14.71) for the 6 km trip, about 15 minutes', 'ride_hailing': 'Uber and inDrive both cover the airport; app fares to the centre typically undercut the taxi rank', 'car_rental': 'Hertz, Europcar, Thrifty, Dollar, Firefly and Fox counters operate in the terminal from roughly 600-1,200 MXN per day (approx. USD 35-71)'}, {'airport': 'Ciudad del Carmen International (CME)', 'light_rail': 'No rail link; the airport sits on the eastern edge of the island city', 'taxi': 'Taxis to the centre and Playa Norte hotels cost roughly 150-250 MXN (approx. USD 8.82-14.71), about 15 minutes', 'ride_hailing': 'Ride-hailing coverage is thin and unreliable; the taxi rank outside arrivals is the dependable option', 'car_rental': 'Limited desks in the terminal, mostly serving oil-industry contractors; booking ahead is advisable and rates start around 800 MXN per day (approx. USD 47)'}, {'airport': 'Mérida International (MID)', 'light_rail': 'No direct rail from the terminal; the Tren Maya departs from Mérida Teya station, 15 km east of the airport', 'taxi': 'Airport taxi into central Mérida costs roughly 250-350 MXN (approx. USD 14.71-20.59); onward transfer to Mérida Teya station runs about 400-500 MXN (approx. USD 23.53-29.41)', 'ride_hailing': 'Uber and DiDi both operate in Mérida, though airport pickups are restricted - confirm the pickup point in the app', 'car_rental': 'The largest rental fleet in the peninsula; picking up in Mérida and driving Highway 180 to Campeche takes about 2h30m'}
Local transport
Getting around the city.
Items
Taxis & rideshare
What to expect from taxis and apps.
- Items
Intercity travel
Getting between cities and regions.
Items
- Route
- San Francisco de Campeche - Mérida
- Mode
- ADO / ADO GL / OCC first-class bus
- Duration
- 2h 25m - 2h 35m
- Frequency
- Up to 82 departures a day, roughly every 30 minutes
- Price
- 372-553 MXN (approx. USD 21.88-32.53)
- Booking
- ado.com.mx, the ADO app, or the counter at Avenida Patricio Trueba de Regil 237, Campeche
- Route
- San Francisco de Campeche - Mérida Teya
- Mode
- Tren Maya (Turista and Premier class)
- Duration
- 2h 14m - 2h 38m
- Frequency
- Several departures daily between roughly 07:00 and 19:30
- Price
- Turista from about 400-572 MXN (approx. USD 23.53-33.65); Premier about 686 MXN (approx. USD 40.35); peninsula residents with local ID pay a subsidised fare from about 258 MXN (approx. USD 15.18)
- Booking
- trenmaya.gob.mx and the Tren Maya app; dynamic pricing rewards booking well ahead
- Route
- San Francisco de Campeche - Palenque
- Mode
- Tren Maya
- Duration
- About 4h 59m
- Frequency
- Daily service via Escárcega and Candelaria
- Price
- Turista about 975 MXN (approx. USD 57.35); Premier about 1,171 MXN (approx. USD 68.88)
- Booking
- trenmaya.gob.mx; ADO also runs the route by road in about 6 hours for roughly 740 MXN (approx. USD 43.53)
- Route
- San Francisco de Campeche - Escárcega
- Mode
- Tren Maya, ADO bus and SUR second-class bus
- Duration
- 2h 08m by train; about 2h 30m by road
- Frequency
- Daily train plus frequent buses through the day
- Price
- Train Turista about 449 MXN (approx. USD 26.41), Premier about 539 MXN (approx. USD 31.71); second-class bus from roughly 200 MXN (approx. USD 11.76)
- Booking
- trenmaya.gob.mx or ado.com.mx; Escárcega is the junction for Xpujil, Calakmul and Chetumal
- Route
- San Francisco de Campeche - Ciudad del Carmen
- Mode
- ADO Primera / ADO GL / OCC
- Duration
- About 3 hours
- Frequency
- Around 29 departures a day, first at 00:05 and last near 23:51
- Price
- 374-532 MXN (approx. USD 22.00-31.29)
- Booking
- ado.com.mx; the route follows Highway 180 through Champotón, Sabancuy and Isla Aguada
- Route
- San Francisco de Campeche - Villahermosa
- Mode
- ADO / ADO GL / OCC
- Duration
- About 6h 20m
- Frequency
- Several departures daily, mostly overnight and early morning
- Price
- 722-918 MXN (approx. USD 42.47-54.00)
- Booking
- ado.com.mx; the route connects onward to Palenque and Tabasco
- Route
- San Francisco de Campeche - Cancún
- Mode
- ADO first-class bus
- Duration
- About 7-8 hours
- Frequency
- Several daily services, mostly overnight
- Price
- From about 1,220 MXN (approx. USD 71.76)
- Booking
- ado.com.mx; the Tren Maya alternative requires a connection at Mérida Teya
- Route
- San Francisco de Campeche - Xpujil (for Calakmul and the Río Bec sites)
- Mode
- ADO / AU with a connection at Escárcega
- Duration
- 8-12 hours depending on the connection; about 5 hours by car via Highways 180 and 186
- Frequency
- Roughly two services a day
- Price
- 558-664 MXN (approx. USD 32.82-39.06)
- Booking
- ado.com.mx; the Tren Maya Xpujil station on the Escárcega-Chetumal section is the faster alternative
- Route
- San Francisco de Campeche - Mexico City
- Mode
- ADO GL / ADO Platino overnight coach
- Duration
- About 18 hours
- Frequency
- One to two overnight departures daily
- Price
- From about 1,954 MXN (approx. USD 114.94)
- Booking
- ado.com.mx; Aeroméxico flies the same city pair from CPE in about 2 hours
- Route
- Escárcega - Chetumal
- Mode
- Tren Maya Section 7
- Duration
- About 4 hours with stops at Centenario, Calakmul, Xpujil and Nicolás Bravo
- Frequency
- Daily service; note the one-hour time-zone change between Campeche and Quintana Roo
- Price
- Turista fares scale with distance from roughly 300 MXN (approx. USD 17.65)
- Booking
- trenmaya.gob.mx - the easiest public-transport approach to the Río Bec region
Transportation details
Full breakdown of how to get around.
Campeche is Mexico's second-least-densely-populated Gulf state, and distances are long: 190 km from the capital to Ciudad del Carmen, 300 km to Escárcega and Xpujil, and 120 km of dirt-and-asphalt approach road to Calakmul from Highway 186. Since December 2023 the Tren Maya has transformed north-south travel, putting Mérida 2h14m away and Palenque within a five-hour ride of San Francisco de Campeche. ADO buses remain the backbone for anything the train misses, running 82 daily departures to Mérida alone. Inside the capital, the new Tren Ligero light-rail line stitches the airport, the Tren Maya station and the historic centre together for a flat 18 MXN (approx. USD 1.06). For the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, the Petenes wetlands and the state's quiet Gulf beaches, a rental car or an organised tour is the realistic answer.
Airports
Campeche International Airport - Ingeniero Alberto Acuña Ongay
Ciudad del Carmen International Airport
Mérida International Airport - Manuel Crescencio Rejón
Useful apps
Download before you arrive.
Transport tips
Travel smarter, not harder.
The Tren Ligero de Campeche connects the airport, the Tren Maya station and the historic centre for a flat 18 MXN (approx. USD 1.06) between 05:00 and 23:00 - far cheaper than the 150-250 MXN taxi run
Tren Maya fares are dynamic: booking on trenmaya.gob.mx several weeks ahead can cut the Campeche-Mérida Turista fare from about 572 MXN to nearer 400 MXN (approx. USD 33.65 down to USD 23.53)
Several Tren Maya stations are named for places they do not sit in - Edzná station is roughly 15 minutes from the ruins and Carrillo Puerto is about 30 km inland from Champotón town, so a taxi or colectivo connection is needed at each
Colectivo vans for Edzná leave from near Puerta de Tierra in Campeche city for about 50 MXN outbound and 60 MXN on the return (approx. USD 2.94 and USD 3.53), running roughly hourly through the morning
Calakmul takes cash only: budget about 300 MXN for Mexican nationals and 400 MXN for foreign visitors (approx. USD 17.65 and USD 23.53) across the Conhuás community gate, the biosphere reserve and the archaeological site, and note that the gate stops admitting vehicles at 14:30
Fill the fuel tank in Escárcega before heading south or east - stations are widely spaced along Highway 186 and there are none on the 60 km Calakmul access road
The ADO first-class terminal at Avenida Patricio Trueba de Regil 237 (corner of Avenida Casa de Justicia) is about 2 km south of the walled centre and operates 24 hours; second-class SUR and ATS services leave from the separate Terminal Sur near Puerta de Tierra
Highway 180 along the Gulf between Campeche, Seybaplaya, Champotón and Sabancuy is scenic and slow, with speed bumps through every village - allow 30 percent more time than mapping apps suggest
Night driving is best avoided outside the capital: unlit topes, free-roaming livestock and long stretches without phone signal are common on Highways 186 and 261