North America > Mexico > Durango (MX) (DGO)
The Car or no Car advice for Durango (MX) can be broken down into three similar questions - do you need a car in Durango (MX) ; is it worth it (based on costs), and ultimately - should you rent one? (a balance of the two).🚆 🚌⛴️ Do we need to rent a car in Durango (MX) ?
These scores are based on the quality of public transport and other travel options. If these are good enough to see the main points of interest, then you don’t need to rent a car.
💰💶💳 Is it worth hiring a car in Durango (MX)?
These scores reflect the practical factors that affect whether renting a car is convenient, good value, and stress-free.
✈️ Arriving at Durango Airport (DGO)
Durango’s airport is small but efficient, with flights mainly from Mexico City, Tijuana, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. You can rent a car directly at the terminal, and availability is generally good. Public transport to the city centre exists, but it is very limited. Most visitors choose taxis or rideshares because the distance is short and the cost is low.
🏙️ Getting around Durango city without a car
The central area of Durango is walkable, historic, and genuinely attractive. Highlights include:
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The Cathedral Basilica
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The Government Palace
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The Pancho Villa Museum
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The well-preserved Plaza de Armas
Because the streets are compact and the main sights cluster tightly, you will not need a car to explore the centre. Buses and taxis work well for short hops, and rideshare coverage is improving. Therefore, spending a couple of days in the city itself without a vehicle is very easy.
🎬 Film history — Durango as “Mexico’s Hollywood of the West”
One of the biggest surprises here is Durango’s deep film heritage. For decades, Hollywood studios flocked to the state to shoot Westerns. The broad plains, jagged mesas, and empty desert backdrops made Durango the perfect stand-in for the “Old West.” Classic productions such as How the West Was Won and various John Wayne films were partly shot in the region.
A rental car allows you to visit the old film sets scattered around Nombre de Dios and the surrounding countryside. These sites are too remote for buses and make for a fun and unusual day trip.
🌄 When a rental car becomes essential
Durango’s real magic lies far outside the city. The Sierra Madre Occidental mountains rise to the west, and the landscapes shift quickly from arid desert to pine forests and high plateaus. Major highlights include:
🌉 The Baluarte Bridge
One of the highest cable-stayed bridges in the world, sitting on the Durango–Mazatlán highway. You can only reach it by car, and the drive itself is spectacular.
🏞️ Mexiquillo Natural Park
Known for its surreal rock formations, waterfalls, and forests. Again, this is a classic road-trip destination.
🏜️ Desert viewpoints and ghost towns
Durango State has several atmospheric abandoned mining towns. Public transport does not reach these areas, so a rental car is the only practical option.
Because the region’s beauty is spread out and the terrain varies widely, a car gives you freedom, flexibility, and far better access to Durango’s most memorable attractions.
🚌 Are bus options useful at all?
Long-distance buses are excellent for travel into Durango (e.g., from Mazatlán, Torreón, or Zacatecas). However, they are not designed for sightseeing. They run between major cities only, and they will not help you explore the mountains or film locations. Local buses exist but work better for commuting than tourism.
For most rural trips, taxis are costly, and routes are too long for rideshares.
Conclusion — Should you rent a car in Durango, Mexico?
Should you rent a car in Durango, Mexico? If you want to explore beyond the historic centre, then yes — a rental car is almost essential. The best landscapes, film sets, viewpoints, and mountain parks are scattered across the state and are not served by public transport. However, if you plan to stay in the colonial core and enjoy a gentle urban trip, you can manage perfectly well without one.
