Local Transportation - Playa Del Carmen

Public transport within Mexican towns and cities is always plentiful and inexpensive, though also crowded and not very user-friendly. Mexico City has an extensive, excellent Metro system, and there are smaller metros in Guadalajara and Monterrey, but elsewhere you'll be reliant on buses , which pour out clouds of choking diesel fumes; often there's a flat-fare system, but this varies from place to place. Wherever possible we've indicated which bus to take and where to catch it, but often only a local will fully understand the intricacies of the system and you may well have to ask: the main destinations of the bus are usually marked on the windscreen, which helps.

In bigger places combis or colectivos offer a faster and perhaps less crowded alternative for only a little more money. These are minibuses, vans or large saloons that run along a fixed route to set destinations; they'll pick you up and drop you off wherever you like along the way, and you simply pay the driver for the distance travelled. In Mexico City, combis are known as peseros .

Regular taxis can also be good value, but be aware of rip-offs - unless you're confident that the meter is working, fix a price before you get in. In the big cities, there may be tables of fixed prices posted at prominent spots. At almost every airport and at some of the biggest bus stations you'll find a booth selling vouchers for taxis into town at a fixed price depending on the part of town you want to go to - sometimes there's a choice of paying more for a private car or less to share. This will invariably cost less than just hailing a cab outside the terminal, and will certainly offer extra security. In every case you should know the name of a hotel to head for, or they'll take you to the one that pays the biggest commission (they may try to do this anyway, saying that yours is full). Never accept a ride in any kind of unofficial or unmarked taxi.