Getting there
Driving from Mexico City is the usual way, roughly two and a half to three hours depending on how bad the exit out of the city is. You take the Toluca highway and then peel off onto the winding mountain road for the last stretch, which is scenic but slow, full of blind curves, and not something to rush after dark. Weekend traffic runs heavy in both directions, out on Friday evening, back on Sunday afternoon, and can add well over an hour, so leave early or travel midweek. Fuel up before the last mountain leg.
By bus, Autovías and its partner brand run from Mexico City’s Terminal Observatorio (Poniente) to the Valle de Bravo terminal. Reckon on roughly three to four hours with the mountain section, and a fare in the ballpark of 250 to 400 MXN (approximate). The buses are comfortable enough but slower than driving, and the winding final descent is the part that gets to people prone to motion sickness, take something beforehand and sit toward the front. Buy ahead for weekends, when seats sell out.
The nearest airport is Toluca (TLC), about an hour and a half by road, but flight options there are thin, so most travelers fly into Mexico City (MEX or the newer AIFA) and drive or bus in from there. There is no rail line and no airport shuttle worth planning a trip around; from either Mexico City airport you are driving or busing the rest of the way.
The motion-sickness and night-driving honest note
The final mountain road is genuinely twisty. If you or your passengers get carsick, dose up before the descent and keep the windows cracked. And do not drive this road at night if you can avoid it: it is narrow, unlit in stretches, and shares the curves with trucks. Time your arrival and departure for daylight.
Getting around town
The center is compact but steep, so you cover it on foot and just accept the uphill walk back from the malecón to the plaza. There is no metro, no colectivo network worth using for a visitor, and no bike-share; this is a walk-and-taxi town.
Taxis are easy to find in the centro and at the muelle for hops up the hill or out to Avándaro, agree the fare before you get in, as most do not run meters. Rideshare coverage is thin and unreliable up here, so do not count on an app.
For the things that actually justify the trip, the paragliding launch at El Peñón, the Piedra Herrada monarch sanctuary, and the outlying restaurants and waterfalls, you need a car or a hired taxi. They sit 15 to 40 minutes out and are not walkable. If you came by bus, arrange transport through your hotel or a local operator for the sanctuary and the launch rather than assuming you will flag something at the trailhead. And keep all excursions to daylight: the roads outside town are narrow and unlit. More on how to structure the days is in the main Valle de Bravo guide.