Taking the Bus from Mexico City to Querétaro
The city of Querétaro (officially Santiago de Querétaro) is located just over 200km northwest of Mexico City and is easily reached by bus. Querétaro is a lovely city known for its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture and for being one of Mexico’s safest cities. If you are looking for a nice weekend trip from Mexico City we definitely recommend a visit to this beautiful place.
We found the best way to get to Querétaro is by taking a bus from Mexico City. There are a number of different bus companies that make the trip but we decided on Primera Plus. This was the company recommended to us by our Mexican friends and proved to be the most comfortable and reliable option.
Primera Plus Querétaro buses run frequently and depart from Mexico City’s Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte. You can easily connect to this terminal by taking the Mexico City metro as there is a stop right across the road. However if you have luggage with you, we suggest taking an Uber, which is what we did.
Tip: When taking long-distance buses from Mexico City ensure you head to the correct terminal. There are 4 main long-distance bus terminals in Mexico City: Terminal Central del Norte, Terminal Central del Sur, Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente (East), and Terminal Centro del Poniente (West). Each terminal corresponds with the direction you are traveling to. So, if you are visiting a southern destination, head to Terminal Central del Sur, for example.
Where to purchase Mexico City to Querétaro Bus Tickets
Tickets for the Primera Plus Querétaro bus can be purchased ahead of time directly on their website here. This is definitely recommended if you will be traveling during a busy time such as a weekend or holiday.
Note: If you purchase tickets online, you will need to arrive 30 minutes early to show your confirmation number and get your tickets printed out at the Primera Plus desk.
However, you can also just show up at the Terminal Central del Norte and purchase tickets at the desk. There are buses departing every 15-30 minutes depending on the time of day. You shouldn’t have to wait too long to get on a bus if you are traveling at a non-busy time, such as mid-day during the week.
We ended up just showing up at the terminal and were given tickets for a bus departing 5 minutes later. However on the way back from Querétaro to Mexico City we pre-purchased tickets online since we were traveling on a Sunday evening.
The cost for a one-way ticket on the Mexico City to Querétaro bus is approximately $16 US.
Mexico City to Querétaro Bus Schedule
As mentioned above, the Primera Plus Querétaro buses depart every 15-30 minutes from the Terminal Central del Norte. You can search on the Primera Plus website for the exact schedule for the day you will be traveling on.
The first bus departs at 4:50am and the last departs at 11:40pm.
Taking Luggage on the Mexico City to Querétaro Bus
If you have luggage with you, not to worry! Primera Plus makes it very easy. When you board the bus they will tag your luggage and place it in the luggage hold underneath the bus. They will give you a numbered tag which you will use to retrieve your bag once you arrive in Querétaro. You are only allowed to bring a purse or small bag onto the bus.
Tip: Take your coat on the bus with you. The air conditioning was pretty strong and my coat was left in my luggage, so I was pretty cold the entire ride!
When we arrived in Querétaro the man handling the luggage was carefully examining everyone’s luggage tags. It felt very safe and we didn’t feel like anyone would wrongfully take off with our luggage.
Mexico City to Querétaro Bus Experience
Primera Plus Querétaro buses are spacious and comfortable. They are air-conditioned and modern – much nicer than any long-distance bus I’ve taken in Canada or the US!
Every seat had a touch screen TV! It reminded me of an airplane. If you would rather read, there are reading lights overhead that you can switch on.
The seats reclined and there was leg support, too! It would be easy to sleep on longer bus rides (Ryan indeed slept the whole way).
In fact, most people on our bus slept so it was a very quiet and peaceful bus ride. I, myself, enjoyed staring out the windows and checking out the towns we passed along the way.
No need to worry about stopping at rest stops, or making sure to use the baño before you board. There was a spacious bathroom on board the bus!
My favorite part of the ride was that we each received a little lunch bag as we boarded! We were pleasantly surprised.
The bag contained a sandwich, snacks and we got our choice of drink as we boarded. So, no need to purchase food at the terminal before boarding 🙂
Wondering where to eat in Querétaro? Check out our Where to Eat in Queretaro, Mexico post!
Primera Plus Querétaro Terminal
The bus terminal in Querétaro was very nice and modern. Instead of loading our luggage under the bus, we instead had to check it before lining up to board.
The important thing here is to pay attention to which buses they are checking luggage for. With so many buses departing, you can only check your luggage at certain times. We ended up standing around and listening carefully to the Spanish announcements to ensure we checked our luggage at the correct time. Of course, if you get to the desk and they are not loading for your bus, they will let you know and you will just have to wait in line again.
Tip: Have some coins on you as most people appeared to tip the luggage handlers, so we followed suit.
Mexico City to Querétaro Bus Verdict:
While you can fly from Mexico City to Querétaro, I would not waste the money. Taking the Mexico City to Querétaro bus is simple and comfortable enough that I would not justify spending approximately $200 RT to fly.
I suppose if you absolutely needed to get there as quick as possible and didn’t have extra time to waste then you could choose to fly. However, even flying takes 1 hour plus you still need to factor in time for security at the airport.
As for which bus company to use, I would definitely choose the Primera Plus Querétaro bus again in the future, and would for sure take them for further destinations in Mexico.
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Check out our other Queretaro posts:
Things To Do In Queretaro, Mexico
Where to Eat in Queretaro, Mexico
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