Taking the bus from the Cancun airport to Puerto Juarez ferry….is it worth it?
On a recent trip we decided to give the bus from the airport, terminal 3 to the Ultramar ferry at Puerto Juarez. After exiting the terminal we headed to the bus stop that is located to the right just passed the Air Margaritaville restaurant & bar. Here you will find the ticket booth.
Buy your ticket from the attendant.
Prices are in pesos. As you can see they do post their exchange rate for U.S.dollars.
One way bus ticket for one passenger, 170 pesos. We didn’t realize that we actually had seat numbers.
Asiento 19. We just got in and sat down, most did the same.
After purchasing your ticket, bus personnel will direct you to the parking space where you should wait if your bus isn’t already there. Timing really comes down to luck—if you exit the terminal and the bus is waiting, you’re good to go. Otherwise, like us, you may be in for a bit of a wait. In our case, we waited about 30–40 minutes. This particular bus from the airport to Puerto Juárez only runs 2-3 times per day.
Once we boarded and stowed our luggage underneath, we set off for Terminal 4 to pick up a few more passengers, then continued to Terminal 2 for additional pickups. By this point, we had already been on the bus for over an hour—and we still hadn’t left the airport property.
Eventually, we finally departed the airport and headed toward the downtown Cancun bus station, which turned out to be a relatively quick ride. I was surprised by how brief the stop in Cancun was—a few passengers got off, quickly retrieved their luggage, and we were back on the road, heading to the ferry.
By the time we reached the ferry terminal, I’d estimate there were only about 10 people left on the bus. We all got off and made our way to the ferry. It did make me wonder whether enough people use this service to keep it running long-term, although it’s possible we were just traveling on a slow day.
Another alternative is to take the bus to the downtown Cancun bus station for 145 pesos and get an uber for around 80 pesos.
The takeaway: while this is a very budget-friendly option—especially for solo travelers—it does take quite a bit of time, with plenty of waiting along the way. Personally, I’d rather spend a little more to get to the island faster.