Toronto → Mexico City (YYZ–MEX): what changes when you land

It usually goes like this. You leave Pearson on a grey morning, doze through a movie, land in sunshine, drop your bag at the hotel and head straight up two flights of stairs to a rooftop bar in Roma Norte. By the top step you’re breathing like you’ve run for a bus. Nobody mentioned that you’d just gained two kilometres of altitude in five hours of sitting still.

It’s a short, easy flight — 3,247 km (2,017 mi) great-circle, with non-stops from Air Canada (on its Rouge brand) and Aeromexico at the time of writing, according to FlightStats. Air Canada’s AC1887 leaves Pearson at 08:00 and lands at 10:55; Aeromexico’s AM693 leaves at 11:01 and lands at 14:05. That’s roughly five hours gate to gate once you account for the time difference, against our route page’s distance-based estimate of about 4h03 in the air. (The route page also shows the historical OpenFlights list, which includes Avianca.) Compare fares on KAYAK Partner or book with the airlines directly.

What’s worth planning for isn’t the flight. It’s everything that’s different on the ground.

What changes when you land: the air is thinner

Toronto Pearson sits at 569 ft (173 m) above sea level. Mexico City’s airport sits at 7,316 ft (2,230 m), and the city itself at about 2,240 m. You climb more than 2,000 metres without doing anything.

Mexico City is just below the height where the CDC Yellow Book says unacclimatised travellers are at risk of altitude illness — though it explicitly adds “and sometimes lower”. Most visitors don’t get sick. Many notice something: shortness of breath on stairs, a mild headache the first night, poorer sleep, alcohol hitting harder than usual.

What helps:

• Go easy on day one. Walk, eat, sit in a park. Save the pyramid climb at Teotihuacán and the big night out for day two or three.
• Drink more water than you think — the air is dry as well as thin.
• Halve your usual drinks for the first evening. Mezcal at 2,240 m is not the same as mezcal at 173 m.
• Sunscreen. More altitude means less atmosphere between you and the sun, even when it feels mild.
• If you have heart or lung conditions, talk to a doctor before you go.

Air quality is the other thing the thin air affects. Mexico City has improved a lot since the 1990s, but the metro area remains the most ozone-polluted part of the country. If you have asthma, pack your inhaler and check the air quality index before long outdoor days.

What changes when you land: money

Mexico uses the peso (MXN). Card acceptance in Mexico City is good at restaurants, hotels and chains, and contactless is common — but markets, street food stands, small shops and tips run on cash. Take out pesos from a bank ATM inside the terminal or a bank branch rather than the standalone machines on the street, and always decline “dynamic currency conversion” when a machine or card terminal offers to charge you in Canadian dollars; the rate is worse.

A multi-currency card such as Wise Partner lets you hold pesos and pay at the mid-market rate plus a fee. Our currency page shows today’s CAD–MXN rate.

What changes when you land: plugs (almost nothing)

This is the easy one. Mexico uses Type A and B plugs at 127 V, 60 Hz — the same plug shapes as Canada and close to Canada’s 120 V. Your phone charger, laptop and hair dryer will work without an adaptor. The only catch is older buildings with two-slot sockets and no ground pin: a small three-to-two adaptor is worth packing if you rely on a three-prong laptop plug.

What changes when you land: the clock

Mexico abolished daylight saving time in October 2022 for most of the country; only municipalities along the US border kept it. Mexico City now stays on Central Standard Time (UTC−6) all year.

Toronto still changes its clocks. That means the time difference between the two cities changes, even though Mexico City’s clock doesn’t:

• Early March to early November (Toronto on EDT, UTC−4): Mexico City is two hours behind Toronto.
• Early November to early March (Toronto on EST, UTC−5): Mexico City is one hour behind.

In 2026, Toronto’s clocks go back on 1 November. If you’re travelling around that date, check your connection times and any meeting invitations — calendar apps usually get it right, humans often don’t.

What changes when you land: getting from AICM into the city

You’ll arrive at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) — not the newer Felipe Ángeles airport (AIFA), which is well north of the city. At the time of writing, Aeromexico uses Terminal 2 and most foreign carriers use Terminal 1; check your boarding pass. If you need to switch terminals, the free Aerotrén monorail links them in about five minutes, but you need a boarding pass to ride it.

Entry first. Canadians don’t need a visa for tourist stays of up to 180 days, but the maximum stay isn’t granted automatically — the officer decides, so have your return date and accommodation ready. Arriving by air, you complete a digital immigration form (FMMD) on arrival; keep a copy with you for the whole trip, as Global Affairs Canada advises.

Then, from the city’s official AICM visitor guide:

• Metrobús Line 4 — the city recommends it as the fastest, most affordable and safest public option. It serves both terminals and runs to the Historic Centre. The airport fare is 30 pesos, paid by the city’s mobility card or contactless card — no cash.
• Metro Line 5 (Terminal Aérea) — just 5 pesos, near Terminal 1, but the station involves more than 110 steps and crowded transfers. Fine with a backpack, miserable with a suitcase.
• Authorised taxis — buy a ticket at an official counter inside the terminal; fares are fixed by zone. Global Affairs Canada likewise advises booking and paying inside the terminal.
• Rideshare — Uber, DiDi and Cabify operate legally, but drivers can’t pick up at the terminal doors, so you walk to a pickup point outside. Doable, but tiresome with heavy bags.

Before you step outside, make sure your phone works: an eSIM set up in Toronto — Airalo Partner sells Mexico plans — means you can check the Metrobús route or a rideshare pickup point without hunting for airport Wi-Fi.

One last thing about the weather: Mexico City is mild all year, but the rainy season runs from May to October, usually as afternoon downpours. Plan outdoor sightseeing for the morning and carry a compact umbrella.

Our Mexico country page has entry rules, public holidays and costs, and our AICM page covers the terminals in more detail.