How to Get to Palenque City in Chiapas, Mexico
In this guide we’ll discuss all the possible ways you can get to Palenque City in the Chiapas state of Mexico. If you’re also curious about how to get to the beautiful archeological site of the same name, then read our detailed Palenque Ruins guide, which includes plenty of useful tips. This article only focuses on the different transport methods available to reach the city itself, from both Mexico and Guatemala. We’ve also included pros and cons for each to help you decide which one is most suitable for you.
Check out our short videos we made about Palenque. If you’re interested in more Mexico content, then watch our Mexico Playlist on our YouTube Channel.
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Where is Palenque in Mexico?
Palenque is located in the state of Chiapas in southeast Mexico, close to the border with Guatemala. The city is about 150km southeast of Villahermosa in Tabasco state and over 200km northeast of San Cristobal de las Casas, a popular city for tourists within Chiapas.
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How to Travel to Palenque, Chiapas from Other Parts of Mexico
By Air
Depending on where you’re coming from, taking a flight may be the fastest way to get to Palenque. The city has a small domestic airport, Palenque International Airport (PQM), but you can only fly from Mexico City. They only have a few flights a week, and the plane is usually quite small.
Another, slightly bigger, airport is Carlos Rovirosa Perez International Airport (VSA) in Villahermosa in Tabasco state. They offer direct flights to Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara and Monterrey. There are direct minibuses operated by ADO from the airport to the main bus terminal. From there you can catch a bigger ADO bus to Palenque, which will take about 2.5 hours.
By Bus
If you have time, or just wish to be more environmentally friendly, then consider taking a long-haul bus to Palenque. Mexico is well connected by buses, which are very comfortable compared to buses in the USA or Europe. We actually never took a domestic flight during our 4-month stay.
If you’re backpacking through Mexico, then Palenque may be your next stop when travelling from places like San Cristobal de las Casas, Campeche or Merida. Back in 2022, we travelled from San Cristobal de las Casas to Palenque and during our latest visit we arrived from Merida. Both journeys took around 9 to 10 hours. This is because the road from San Cristobal de las Casas via Ocosingo is unsafe, so the bus goes via Tuxtla Gutiérrez and Villahermosa.
The southern regions in Mexico are served by either the ADO or OCC bus companies. We’ve used both multiple times and never had any issues with them. Make sure to read our detailed guide if you wish to learn more about long-haul bus travel in Mexico.
By Hire Car
Reaching Palenque with a hire car could also be an option for you. If you’re travelling through Chiapas, then having a hire car would give you the freedom to visit some incredible places around the state. Alternatively, you could also add Palenque to a Yucatan Peninsula road trip.
Now, we’d like to warn you that not every road is considered the safest to drive on. As mentioned above, we wouldn’t recommend driving the road from San Cristobal de las Casas to Palenque via Ocosingo. In addition, we would generally avoid driving at night too.
You’ll also likely encounter many more police checks in Chiapas than in other states. Make sure to always read up-to-date official travel advice before your trip. Asking locals, who know the state better than anyone else, is always a good idea too.
By Tour
The last option to get to Palenque is with a tour, although this only really works if you’re in San Cristobal de las Casas. Whilst there’s an option to visit Palenque Ruins as a day trip, it’s a long way to travel back and forth to in just one day.
Luckily, many tours offer the option to join the day trip from San Cristobal, but leave you in Palenque afterwards. This way you can visit a few waterfalls as well as the Maya ruins. In 2022, we were actually booked on one of these trips. However, we had to cancel it at the last minute due to falling ill, so we ended up taking an ADO bus in the end.
How to Travel to Palenque from Guatemala
If you’re backpacking through Central America, then Palenque may be your next destination after Guatemala. Travellers who finish their Guatemala trip usually either cross the border into Belize, or travel to Mexico.
A popular land border crossing is between Flores, Guatemala and Palenque, Mexico via the El Ceibo border. Flores in Guatemala is usually the base for visiting Tikal, one of the most beautiful Maya ruins.
The most convenient way to travel from Flores is with a tourist shuttle. One will take you to the Mexican border and another one will pick you up on the other side and transport you to Palenque. Usually there’s a chance to change your leftover Quetzales to Mexican Pesos at the border.
Of course, if you speak some Spanish and want a bit of an adventure, then there’s an option to cross the border with a mix of public buses, colectivos and taxis. First you’ll have to take a small bus from Santa Elena in Flores to the El Ceibo border. After immigration, take a colectivo from El Ceibo to Tenosique. From where the colectivo drops you off, it’s a 30-minute walk (or a taxi ride if available) to the colectivo stop to Palenque. It’s definitely a more adventurous journey, so we only recommend it if you don’t carry too much stuff and speak some Spanish.
Now, let your adventure begin,
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