Teotihuacan Tickets and Admission 2026

Teotihuacan admission prices 2026

Prices in Mexican pesos (MXN), with rough euro and US dollar equivalents in brackets. The ticket is valid for one day across the whole site including both museums.

* Discounts and free Sundays apply to Mexicans and residents of Mexico only; foreign visitors pay the full price, Sundays included. Prices according to INAH and Visit Teotihuacan, valid from 1 January 2026; INAH adjusts its fees at the start of each year. Euro and dollar figures are rough conversions (rate of 25 September 2026). Bus, parking and balloon are operators’ prices and change.

Early access and the hot air balloon: what is worth it?

• Arrive early: Between 8 and 9 am the Avenue of the Dead is almost empty and the air at 2,300 metres is still cool. INAH names 11.30 am to 3.30 pm as the hottest part of the day, which is also when the coach groups arrive. “Early access” tours simply use that window; there is no separate entry before 8 am.
• Hot air balloon: The balloons lift off at sunrise from the balloon port near San Martín de las Pirámides, fly for 45 to 60 minutes over the valley and both pyramids, and land before the site opens. Prices for 2026 with the operators in the valley are roughly 2,300 to 3,500 pesos per person without transfer, more with pick-up in Mexico City. The flight does not replace the visit: admission is separate, so either book a package or walk to a gate after landing.
• Sundays: Admission is free for Mexicans and residents, so the site is packed. If you can choose, come on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the quietest days according to INAH.

Teotihuacan opening hours

INAH lists 8 am to 5 pm daily for the archaeological zone, last entry 4.30 pm, ticket booths closing at 4 pm, all year round. The two museums open at 9 am; according to Lugares INAH the Mural Museum closes at 4 pm. Special rules apply around the spring equinox on 21 March, when the site is extremely busy.

Buying tickets: on site only

Just the ticket? Buy it at the ticket office of the gate where you start. INAH sells no online tickets for Teotihuacan: its ticketing portal lists Chichén Itzá, Palenque and the Templo Mayor, but not Teotihuacan (as of 25 September 2026). Offers of “official online tickets” come from resellers who add their margin. Queues form mainly at Gates 1 and 2 between 10 am and noon; Gates 3 and 5 are quicker. Current rules and routes are on visitateotihuacan.inah.gob.mx.

With a guide or transfer? Then a package from Mexico City makes sense. Providers such as GetYourGuide bundle pick-up, transport, admission and guide, often with the Basilica of Guadalupe or Tlatelolco on the same day. Teotihuacan is huge, and beyond INAH’s panels little explains itself; a good guide turns the platforms into a city.

Note: Bring pesos in cash. Card payment at the ticket offices is not reliable, the shops at the gates take cash only, and there is no cash machine inside the site; the nearest are in San Juan Teotihuacán and San Martín de las Pirámides. Food is not allowed in, water is.

Free admission and discounts

• Children under 13: free, with ID or passport.
• Students and teachers: free with valid ID; INAH does not name a nationality, but in practice Mexican credentials are expected and international student cards are not always accepted.
• Over-60s, pensioners, people with disabilities: free; for seniors the Mexican INAPAM card or a valid pension card applies.
• Sundays: free only for Mexicans and residents of Mexico with a residence permit. Foreign visitors pay 210 pesos.
• No combined ticket: all three museums on site are included in admission, so keep your ticket; there is no pass covering several INAH sites.

Teotihuacan with a guide from Mexico City

The Avenue of the Dead is two kilometres long, and the city extends far beyond it. A guided tour of three to four hours puts the Citadel, the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the Quetzalpapálotl Palace in order and explains why nobody knows the names of the people who built them. Most tours start in Mexico City and run in English and Spanish; choose the language when booking.

Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. Prices, languages and availability change; the provider’s listing prevails. Selection checked on 25 September 2026.

Getting there: from Mexico City by bus, car or Uber

Teotihuacan lies about 50 kilometres north-east of Mexico City. The cheapest way is the bus: from the Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte (Metro Line 5, Autobuses del Norte station) Autobuses Teotihuacán runs from the counter in Sala 8 every 15 to 20 minutes towards “Pirámides”, from 6 am, about 55 to 60 pesos one way. The journey takes 45 to 75 minutes depending on traffic. The bus follows the ring road around the site and stops at the gates; INAH’s 2026 visitor guide names Gate 3 as the drop-off, and most visitors get off at Gate 1 or 2. Tell the driver where you want to get out. For the return, board again on the same road; the last buses leave in the evening.

By car, take the México–Pachuca motorway (85D) and then the Ecatepec–Pirámides (132D), 45 to 60 minutes; there are car parks at all gates. Uber or taxi costs about 500 to 800 pesos each way; getting an Uber back is hard, but taxis wait at the gates. If you would rather not change, take a tour with hotel pick-up.

The five gates

Gate 1 (Puerta 1)

At the southern end by the Citadel and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, where the Avenue of the Dead begins. Main bus stop and busiest entrance; the best start if you want to walk the whole axis.

Gate 2 (Puerta 2)

On the west side directly in front of the Pyramid of the Sun. Second bus stop; buses back to Mexico City leave from here.

Gate 3 (Puerta 3)

At the northern end by the Pyramid of the Moon, with the Teotihuacan Mural Museum. Quieter; from here you walk the Avenue of the Dead southwards.

Gate 4 (Puerta 4)

On the east side near the Pyramid of the Sun and the Tepantitla compound. INAH recommends it as the start of the step-free route.

Gate 5 (Puerta 5)

South-east of the Pyramid of the Sun by the Museum of Teotihuacan Culture, with a rest area and shade. Shortest way to the museum.

All five gates, the highlights and three routes are on our Teotihuacan map. How the city rose, burned and was rediscovered is told in our history of Teotihuacan.

Museums and murals: Tetitla, Atetelco, Tepantitla

The Museum of Teotihuacan Culture at Gate 5, south of the Pyramid of the Sun, shows more than 600 objects of ceramic, shell, bone and stone in eight rooms, plus a large model of the city that you cross on glass panels. The Teotihuacan Mural Museum “Beatriz de la Fuente” at Gate 3, opened in 2001, gathers in 13 rooms the fragments of the wall paintings that once covered almost every building, including a reconstruction of Portico 25 from Tepantitla. The third museum is the Museum of the Great Teotihuacan Culture at the Citadel by Gate 1, with a café. All three are included in admission and open from 9 am.

The murals in their original setting lie outside the fenced core: Tetitla and Atetelco to the west of the site, Tepantitla with the Tlalocan mural north-east of the Pyramid of the Sun near Gate 4. INAH lists them as the “Outer Trail”, two and a half to three and a half hours, best by car or bicycle; your ticket is valid there too. If you want to see the city behind the pyramids, plan this loop for the morning.