Ancient ruins, colourful towns and a cuisine with world-heritage status.
Mexico spans high-altitude colonial cities, Maya pyramids and Caribbean beaches. Mexico City alone could fill a week with world-class museums and some of the best food in the Americas, while Oaxaca and San Miguel de Allende show off the country's craft and colour.
The Yucatán Peninsula combines ancient sites with cenotes and turquoise water. The dry season from November to April is the most comfortable time for most regions.
Best time to visit Mexico
January, February, March, April, November, December.
Places to visit in Mexico
Mexico City: A sprawling capital of museums, markets, murals and taco stands on every corner.
Oaxaca: The heart of Mexican cooking and crafts, with mezcal villages in the surrounding valleys.
Tulum: Clifftop Maya ruins above white-sand beaches, with cenotes to swim in nearby.
Chichén Itzá: The Yucatán's most famous Maya city, crowned by the El Castillo pyramid.
San Miguel de Allende: A colonial hill town of cobbled streets, galleries and rooftop terraces.
Cancún: Mexico's biggest beach resort, a strip of hotels on white sand facing the Caribbean, and the gateway to the Riviera Maya.
Guadalajara: Jalisco's grand capital and the home of mariachi and tequila, with grand cathedral squares and Orozco's fiery murals.
Puerto Vallarta: A Pacific resort town on the Bay of Banderas, with a lively seafront Malecón, jungle-backed beaches and whale-watching in winter.
Los Cabos: Where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific, with the rock arch of El Arco, luxury resorts, sport fishing and whales.
Mérida: A colonial city of pastel mansions and Yucatecan cooking, a base for Mayan ruins, cenotes and haciendas.
Guanajuato: A UNESCO-listed silver town of brightly painted houses, underground tunnels and narrow alleys, with a lively student population.
Teotihuacán: A vast ancient city north of Mexico City, laid out along the Avenue of the Dead beneath two colossal pyramids.
San Cristóbal de las Casas: A cool mountain town of cobbled streets, colonial churches and Indigenous Maya markets in the highlands of Chiapas.
Palenque: One of the finest Maya cities, its carved temples and palace set in dense rainforest in the hills of Chiapas.
Puebla: A handsome colonial city of tiled façades and baroque churches, famous as the birthplace of mole poblano.
Copper Canyon: A vast network of canyons in the Sierra Tarahumara, crossed by the El Chepe railway and home to the Rarámuri people.
Essentials
Currency: Mexican peso (MXN)
Language: Spanish
Plugs: Type A / B, 127 V
Driving: Right side
Time zone: Several zones; Mexico City is UTC−6
Tipping: 10–15% in restaurants is customary
Getting around: Domestic flights and comfortable long-distance buses
Entry: Check the official rules for your passport before booking