Getting there
By air. Morelia’s General Francisco J. Mujica airport (MLM) sits about 40 minutes east of the center and handles domestic flights, mostly from Mexico City, Tijuana and Monterrey, plus some US routes to California and Texas. It is small and easy to navigate. A taxi or ride app into town takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes; budget the equivalent of a mid-range city cab fare, more if you use the airport’s official taxi desk, roughly 350 to 500 MXN (approximate).
By bus. This is the mainstay, and Michoacan’s bus service is good. First-class operators run frequently from the Terminal de Autobuses on the edge of town. To Mexico City (Terminal Poniente/Observatorio) it is about 4 to 4.5 hours; look for ETN (the most comfortable, wide seats) and Primera Plus. To Guadalajara it is around 3.5 to 4 hours, also on ETN and Primera Plus. To Patzcuaro it is under an hour on Purhepechas or Autobuses de Occidente second-class services. From the terminal, grab an authorized taxi into the center, roughly 100 to 150 MXN (approximate). Always take the toll-highway first-class services, which are the safest and most comfortable.
By car. The toll (cuota) highways from Mexico City (via the Maravatio autopista) and from Guadalajara are good and reasonably quick, roughly 3.5 to 4 hours from either. Drive in daylight and stay on the cuota roads rather than the free libre routes, which wander through rural areas better avoided. Once in the city, the center’s one-way streets and scarce parking make a car more hassle than help, so use a hotel garage and leave it parked.
Getting around
The historic center is small and flat enough to do entirely on foot, and that is how you should see it, cathedral to aqueduct in about fifteen minutes. For anything beyond walking distance, use ride apps, which work well in Morelia, or sitio (authorized) taxis, both cheap by international standards, most short rides 60 to 120 MXN (approximate). City buses (combis and larger units) run everywhere but the routes are confusing for a short visit and not worth the puzzle. There is no metro or tram. The center is walkable but cobbled in places, so wear real shoes.
Honest notes
For day trips to Patzcuaro and the artisan towns, buses work fine and are cheap, but they eat into your day with waits and connections. For the monarch butterfly reserves (El Rosario, Sierra Chincua) you will really want either a car or an organized tour; public transport technically reaches the nearest towns but the last leg to the sanctuaries is awkward and slow. The highland toll roads are smooth and not especially winding, so motion sickness is less of an issue here than in the mountains further out, but the drive up to the butterfly reserves does climb and curve. Avoid night driving anywhere outside the city on principle. See day trips and the Michoacan hub for how to link it all together.