Bus Travel and Bus Stations
Mexico has two companies providing great service, Estrella Blanca and Estrella de Oro, (or White Star and Gold Star, respectively). Other bus lines such as Elite, Turistar, Futura, and others are really just subsidiaries of these larger companies. Both offer several levels of service including the sublime ejecutivo / luxury class. Most, with the exception of third class, are air-conditioned and come with movies, though the movies are not always very good.
The main difference between first class and luxury is that luxury has a lot of leg room with seats that recline to the point you are almost lying down. There are fewer seats; thus the bus is not cramped. It is quite comfortable, even for long trips. Third class, if you dare try it, stops constantly so it's extremely slow, no air conditioning, cramped seats, and livestock has been known to make an appearance on the buses.
Acapulco's bus stations, and Mexican bus stations generally, are quite nice, more like what one would except in an airport back home, where the bus stations may often be dingy. In Mexico, everyone takes the bus. There is no train service. Luxury buses are the next best thing to flying.
Acapulco has five main bus stations, two of which are located near Papagayo Park.
Bus Stations in Acapulco
| Estrella Blanca Stations | One of Acapulco's most popular lines, you can get buses all the way to the US border here. It is located in front of Parque Papagayo on the side of Avenida Cuauhtémoc. A second station can be found farther down Cuauhtémoc, closer to downtown. It is where Cuahutémoc crosses under the "Vía Rápida," near the IMSS (social security) complex. |
|---|---|
| Estrella de Oro Station | Acapulco's biggest bus station is located on Avenida Cuauhtémoc, three blocks down the street from Estrella Blanca (going away from the center of town), and on the Parque Papagayo side of the street. |
| Ejido | Ejido offers third-class buses down the coast and up towards Mexico city. You can get buses all the way to the US border here. It's located near downtown. Estrella Blanca - Av. Ejido No. 47, Col. Carabalí (744) 469 2028/29. Estrella de Oro - Av. Ejido No. 82, Col. Carabalí (744) 480 5033 & 483 5033. |
| Diamante Station | Estrella de Oro also operates a brand new station on the Boulevard de las Naciones in the Diamante area. It is on the Laguna side of the boulevard, past the Puerto Marqués turnoff, but before arriving at the large shopping malls across from the Princess Golf Courses. |
From Mexico City, if you are riding Estrella de Oro, you'll need to leave from Central del Sur Taxqueña, Mexico's
large terminal in the south of the city. Buses operated by Estrella Blanca (including Futura and Costa Line) leave for Acapulco from the northern terminal in Mexico City. Both have convenient metro connections towards the center of town.
