Do You Need a Rental Car in Los Cabos? Honestly: It Depends on Which Town You Sleep In
8 min read
The short answer: no, if you are staying in Cabo San Lucas or San José del Cabo and your days are boats, beaches and dinners. The airport shuttle, the public bus and the tour pickups cover almost all of it. Yes, if you are staying in the Tourist Corridor between the two towns, or if you want Todos Santos, La Paz or the Pacific beaches on your own timetable. The cheapest way to find out which one you are is to read the next four paragraphs.
For the arrival, the round-trip shared shuttle from the airport is €36.54 per person, 4.4 stars from 211 reviews, and it means you do not need a car on day one.
See prices and dates for the round-trip airport shuttle
What you can do without a car
Most of what visitors book here picks you up. Many boat trips, quad tours and camel rides offer hotel pickup in Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, and the booking pages say so. The marina in Cabo San Lucas is a walk from the town centre. If your hotel is in town, a car adds a parking problem and little else.
The towns are about 32 km apart, roughly half an hour by road on Highway 1. The Ruta del Desierto bus connects them for about MX$37, every eight to ten minutes from around 4:30 a.m. until about 11 at night, from near La Comer in San José to near Puerto Paraíso in Cabo San Lucas – the centres, not your hotel door. A taxi between the towns costs many times that and the price is agreed before you set off. Our guide to where to stay sets out what each town costs you.
Where a car stops being optional
In the corridor. Resorts there are built to be self-contained, and the calm bays with certified water have no bus stop. If dinner means leaving the hotel, you will be taking a taxi or driving every evening.
For anything north. Todos Santos is about an hour’s drive from Cabo San Lucas, Cabo Pulmo about ninety minutes and La Paz about two hours. Buses do not do that usefully, and a guided trip works but fixes your hours.
For being somewhere at dawn or after dark. Boats leave early, and the bus is no help for anything outside its hours. Do not plan to drive at night on the Pacific road – see Todos Santos by car.
The guided alternatives compared
| Trip | Duration | From | Rating | What it replaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round-trip shared airport shuttle | 1 hour | €36.54 per person | 4.4 (211) | The airport leg, for two to five people |
| Private airport one-way transfer | 1 hour | €96.15 per group of up to ten | 4.1 (199) | The airport leg for a large group |
| City tour of San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas | 6 hours | €74.12 | 4.9 (22) | A day of two towns and a boat ride, with no driving |
| La Paz, Balandra and Todos Santos excursion | 12 hours | €86.49 | 4.2 (101) | The long day trip north, wristbands included |
The arithmetic is yours to run, because car prices move with the season and the supplier and we do not quote them. For two people on a week in town, shuttle plus occasional taxi plus a day trip is almost certainly cheaper than seven days of a car. For a family of four who will drive every day, it is almost certainly not.
Check availability for the La Paz, Balandra and Todos Santos excursion
Who should not drive
- Anyone without a licence, or who will drink at dinner. The answer is no, and the shuttles, taxis and tours all exist for you.
- Day visitors off a cruise ship. A car makes no sense for a few hours in port.
- Families with a small child: it depends. A car makes the day easier, but you need a child seat from the supplier or your own; ask when you book, and see our guide to Los Cabos with kids.
- Anyone arriving late on a long flight and not confident on unfamiliar roads: take the shuttle on day one and collect the car in town.
The part that surprises people at the desk
If you do decide to drive, read the next page before you compare prices: Mexican third-party liability cover is required by law and is usually not in the headline rate. Our guide to excess, deposit and desk extras sets out what is typically added.
When you are ready to price a car, you can compare car hire for Los Cabos – but compare the total at the desk, not the headline.
Our recommendation
Staying in town and doing boats and beaches: skip the car. Book the round-trip airport shuttle and the trips you want, and use the bus or a taxi between towns.
Staying in the corridor, or planning two or more days north: hire one, ideally for the days you will actually use it, collected in town rather than at the airport if you are tired.
Want one big day north without driving: the La Paz, Balandra and Todos Santos excursion is the one to book, with the wristbands in the price – and it is twelve hours long.
