How to get to Xochimilco from central Mexico City

The short version: MX$8 pesos from the Zócalo on public transport — MX$5 on Metro Line 2 (blue) to Tasqueña, then MX$3 on the Tren Ligero to Xochimilco, 18 stations and about 13 km, roughly 30 minutes after the 2025–26 refit. Two catches. The Tren Ligero takes no cash: you need a Movilidad Integrada card, MX$20, which includes one trip. And this line has been under near-continuous reconstruction since mid-2025 — I could not confirm its status on 13 August 2026, so check @STECDMX on the day you travel.

Metro fareMX$5

Tren Ligero fareMX$3

Transit cardMX$20, one trip included

Journey18 stations, about 13 km

Time after the refitAbout 30 min

Cash on the light railNot accepted

The route

Metro Line 2, the blue one, south to Tasqueña. Change there to the Tren Ligero, the light rail run by the Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos, and ride it to the Xochimilco terminus — 18 stations, about 13 km, trains roughly every four minutes. Metro CDMX holds the Metro fare at MX$5 for 2026; the light rail is MX$3. Eight pesos, end to end, and that is the whole reason to take it.

The card is what catches people out

The Tren Ligero does not take cash and it does not sell you a paper ticket at the gate. You need a Movilidad Integrada card, which costs MX$20 and includes one trip. Buy it before you are standing at the barrier with a hundred-peso note and a queue behind you. It works on the Metro too.

Listed hours, and why I would not plan around them

The published timetable is Monday to Friday 05:00 to 23:30, Saturday 06:00 to 23:30, Sunday 07:00 to 23:30. Those are the listed hours rather than a promise, for the reason in the next section.

The reliability story, which nobody tells you

This line has been rebuilt more or less continuously since the middle of 2025. The sequence, as reported:

July 2025 — Tasqueña closed for a planned month and stayed shut for about nine.
3 May 2026 — a promised reopening date, missed.
About 11 May 2026 — full service resumed, the line rebranded “El Ajolote”.
28 May to 3 June 2026 — partially suspended again. Weekend closures as recently as 9–10 May 2026.

Status on 13 August 2026: not confirmed. The operator’s own site, ste.cdmx.gob.mx, blocks automated access, so I could not read it, and I am not going to tell you a line is running because it was in May. Check @STECDMX on the morning you go, and have a fallback in mind for the way back.

Insider tip

Plan the return leg before you leave the dock, not after dark at the dock. The light rail is the cheap way home and it is also the leg most likely to be missing.

From the light-rail station to a dock

The station is not the water. Xochimilco terminus puts you in the town, and the docks are scattered across the borough — Nativitas is not adjacent to the station, whatever a map at a glance suggests. From the station it is a walk or a short ride: RTP route 142-B runs from Francisco Goitia toward Nuevo Nativitas. The exception worth knowing is Belem and Belem de las Flores, which the government’s own page puts a 10-minute walk from the Tren Ligero.

Which dock you are aiming for genuinely changes this last leg, and the docks are not interchangeable: see which embarcadero to leave from.

Metrobús

Metrobús Línea 5 reaches Preparatoria 1, inside Xochimilco borough. No Metrobús reaches any embarcadero. You would still transfer to RTP 142-B at the end of it, which is why the light rail is the route worth learning.

Uber, DiDi and the rest

They operate across Mexico City and Xochimilco is a Mexico City borough, so coverage is what you would expect. Beyond that I have nothing verified: no operator or government page defines a service boundary here, and nothing I could find confirms pickup at the docks themselves. So I am not going to publish a fare, a drive time, or the confident line other pages carry about how hard it is to get a ride back. I do not know, and neither do they.

One tip on this that is solid, and it is the single most useful sentence on the page: type the exact embarcadero name into the app, not “Xochimilco”. The borough is large and the docks are scattered, and people are routinely dropped at the wrong one. The FCDO’s note that unlicensed taxi drivers have robbed and assaulted passengers is on the safety page.

Which tours get you there, and which do not

Transport is where the per-person prices on this site diverge most, and the operators are specific about it:

The nine-to-ten-hour Coyoacán and Frida Kahlo day includes transport to and from the meeting point, and the meeting points are in the historic centre. If you are staying downtown without a plan for the journey, that is what you are paying the difference for.
The five-hour version includes pickup from the meeting point — not hotel pickup. The operator lists those separately and excludes the second. Meeting points are central hotels, which is exactly why the distinction gets missed.
The party boat states in its own exclusions that transportation to the meeting point is not included. It is the only one of the eight products here to say so outright, and its dock is Embarcadero Las Flores Nativitas.
The rest simply start at the water. That is not a criticism — the cheapest tour on this site is cheapest partly because of it.

Most reviewedTransport from the city included

Costs, including the arithmetic on hiring a whole boat instead, are on the cost page. Timing is on the best day to go and opening hours.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get to Xochimilco from Mexico City?

Metro Line 2, the blue line, to Tasqueña, then the Tren Ligero light rail to Xochimilco — 18 stations, about 13 km, roughly 30 minutes after the 2025–26 refit, with trains about every four minutes. From the Xochimilco terminus the docks are still a walk or a short ride; RTP route 142-B runs toward Nuevo Nativitas.

How much does it cost to get to Xochimilco?

MX$8 from the Zócalo: MX$5 on the Metro plus MX$3 on the Tren Ligero. The light rail takes no cash, so you also need a Movilidad Integrada card at MX$20, which includes one trip.

Can you Uber to Xochimilco?

Ride-hailing operates across Mexico City and Xochimilco is a Mexico City borough, so coverage is expected — but no operator or government page defines a service boundary and nothing confirms pickup at the docks, so I will not quote you a fare or a drive time. The tip that does hold: type the exact embarcadero name into the app rather than “Xochimilco”, because the docks are scattered across a large borough.

Is the Tren Ligero to Xochimilco running?

I could not confirm it. The line has been under near-continuous reconstruction since mid-2025 — Tasqueña shut about nine months from July 2025, a 3 May 2026 reopening was missed, full service resumed around 11 May 2026 under the name El Ajolote, and it was partially suspended again from 28 May to 3 June 2026. The operator’s site blocks automated access, so check @STECDMX on the day you travel.