Estrella Blanca is the big bus group for northern Mexico and the Pacific coast. If ADO owns the south, Estrella Blanca owns the north. Their network of subsidiary lines — Futura, Turistar, Chihuahuenses, Elite, Transportes del Norte — connects the border cities, Guadalajara, the Bajio and the northern Pacific coast.
In This Article
The main Estrella Blanca terminal in Mexico City is at Terminal Norte. From there you can catch buses north to Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Monterrey, Chihuahua, and all the border crossings from Matamoros to Tijuana.
Service Levels
Futura and Turistar Ejecutivo are the luxury options under the Estrella Blanca umbrella. Turistar Ejecutivo is their top tier — oversized reclining seats, individual screens, snacks included. Futura is solid first-class without the extras. Regular Estrella Blanca is a step below — still air-conditioned with assigned seats, but older coaches on some routes.
Elite runs the Guadalajara to Mexico City corridor and some Pacific coast routes. Their buses are decent first-class, roughly on par with regular ADO.
Northern Routes
The bread and butter of Estrella Blanca is the Mexico City to northern border corridor. The run up to Monterrey takes about 12 hours. Chihuahua is 16-18 hours depending on stops. These long hauls are best done overnight on Turistar Ejecutivo — the seats recline almost flat and you save a night of hotel costs.
For the Pacific coast, Estrella Blanca subsidiaries run from Guadalajara down to Tepic, Mazatlan, Los Mochis and on to Baja. The Guadalajara to Mazatlan run is about 5 hours and leaves several times daily.
