The quickest,cheapest way to get from Cancun to Antigua(Gua)

Hi there,
Does anybody know the quickest way to get from Cancun mexico to Antigua Guatemala, I've been looking and there doesn't seem to be a direct bus route. Crossing the border to Belize seems to be one option but how many different buses would i have to take to find my way to anitgua if i did that? If anyone has done the journey before or is planning to please tell me anything you know.
Thank you

We used to have a sign in our studio on a show I worked on...it said FAST! ACCURATE! CHEAP!.....PICK TWO!

Fast and direct is going to cost you money.

The way to do it cheap is to take the bus to the Belize border, the bus to Flores, the overnighter to ANtigua. The planes out of Florese USED to be cheap...no longer.

Fast and direct. Local plane. Cost you money.

Good luck

D

Thank you for your help Piecar,
I've also got to get back to Cancun from San Jose (Costa Rica) and have got about five days to do it.
Single flights seem to cost about £400 on English written sites, and i don't know how easy it is to book a flight there 5 days before departure or how cheap it would be.
If i chose the bus how many changes would i have to make? a lot /a little?

Are there any ferry's, boats to hire on the east coast that could eventually get you to the Yucatan penisula.
Thanks again.

Three changes.

Cancun to border of Mexico/Belize
Belize to Flores
Flores to Antigua.

That is a LOOOONNNNNNG trip for one day, brother.

San Jose back to Cancun?

Shit, is it even worth the trouble?

The Costa Rican bus line, well known, but somehow escapes me as I sit in a cafe in Vienna, will do the trip all the way back to Guat. Guat to Flores. Flores to BZE BZE to the border Border to Cancun.

That's my best guess..But that trip really sucks dead donkey privates. Yuck, dude. Try to juggle something.

D

I have taken your advice about the San Jose to Cancun journey and booked a one way ticket for £350.

just to confirm when you say flores you mean the small town near the tikal mayan ruins: Flores, Petén Guatemala‎.
I'd like to know how often the buses run for the different parts of the journey. Do you know or can you point me in the direction of where i can find out.
Can you remember how long it took you when you did the journey, and any good accommodation you found?
thanks again Piecar,

Yes, Flores in the department of Peten. Santa Elena is on the other side of the bridge. Flores is quite and colonial looking. Santa Elena is the bustling broken down city indicative of CA

When you get off the bus, they're most likely going to shove you onto another bus that takes you into Flores. The reason is the entrance into Flores is this tiny alley (look to your right! Laundromat in that causeway! Important!) The van driver will take you to a decent and cheap place. Usually it bugs me when they do that....and it bugged me the first time that happened in FLores. I immediately blew the place off and went looking onmy own....But that was the best deal and I ended up going back....Point is, there are a dozen places. The owers change and a good hotel becomes shit...(Like the hotel Elena in front of the cab stand.....Mayans ran it my first time and it was clean and nice....They did so well that the owner of the property turfed them and took it over and fucked it up)

As I recall it was four hours from BZE to Flores. Plus whatever the driver adds on because he's hungry or wants to gab with a friend....CA time, dude!

Eight hours Flores to Guat. Over nighter bus. Note the locals when you get off this bus. It's five in the morning and no one leaves. You are in Zona 1 of Guat. Not a place to wander around atnight. Wait until everyone else starts to leave.

GLOT
D

cheers Piecar,
I have found a company called 'Bamba experience' which have hop on hop off bus passes, have you heard of them? if so do you think they are any good. Cancun to Antigua is 159 euros.

That is unknown to me...Actually, it's not too bad a deal. Maybe they saw the route could use a company. I'll look into it and see what I think...Nice research Marketing Boy

D

Well, it seems to be a group that organizes everything for you whenever you want to move. That seems okay, if the price is for all the travel. Adman, I never used these guys so I can't recommend them. They found a niche in that they do stuff that you could do but stress over. They make it clear that they organize ground transport and not necessarily their own. If it's legit, it takes all the stress out of the trip for a new traveller.

I don't mind the idea and I think the company is smart. Read other reviews on it. Many like it because other travellers are there with them. Some don't like it because they discover that there are occasions when they have had to sit with REAL latin americans. Sounds good to me. Even the route is correct. Excellent find.

Just ask about hidden costs. Is there a local stipend, which happens in some organizations.

Attago Adman

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Thanks for all your help Piecar, I'm off tommorrow Yipe!