Mexico travel guide

Mexico’s sun-kissed coastline has sugar-white sands at luxurious all-inclusive resorts, waterside Mayan ruins, and the technicolour Mesoamerican Reef. Turtles, whale sharks and coral-munching parrotfish are just a few of the marine creatures that can be spotted in the tropical waters here.
Inland, there are active volcanoes, ancient pyramids, and fascinating cities waiting to be discovered.
Its bustling markets are full of colourful decorative pom-poms and piñatas, stunning woven fabrics and wraps, and bargain ceramics and copperware. Travel out with a light suitcase and you won’t have trouble filling it, even if you’re not a big spender.
And then there’s the food and drink. Tacos, tamales, quesadillas, margaritas — the menu here is undeniably one of the best in the world; moreish, heavily corn-based and zesty with a squeeze of lime.
Whether you drive round a small region or coach and plane-hop a bigger slice, your Mexico trip is guaranteed to be packed with colour, noise, sunshine and deliciously unfamiliar flavours.
• Are Tulum and Cancun safe to travel to right now?
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Mexico is bursting with cool places to stay, for all manner of tastes and budgets; unsurprising, perhaps, for a country that’s known for its extraordinary diversity in everything from food and drink to the landscapes and cultural identities. Expect all sorts of properties from the last word in A-list glam to all-inclusives, soulful indigenous-owned hotels, sprawling villas and apartment rentals.
While glitzy, American-style family-friendly resorts are peppered across the country’s northernmost coastal regions such as Baja California and Riviera Maya, the real A-list secrets are to be found in sprawling private estates outside the main drag. Cuixmala is a 30,000-acre nature reserve, private estate and eco-hotel just south of Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coast. It was the escape of choice for sitting US presidents; think wildlife-rich land, pristine beaches, lavish architecture and near-total privacy.
Mexican-owned properties are more dominant in cultural hubs like Oaxaca and the Yucatan Peninsula. We love Condesa DF in Mexico City — which, though owned by Mexican hotel group, Grupo Habita, owes its distinctive interiors to Iranian-French designer, India Mahdavi — and female-run Hotel Taselotzin (in Nahuatl, “small plant or shoot”) in Puebla’s Sierra Norte mountains.
While Tulum — long a mainstay for bohemian travellers — has become hugely popular over the years, youthful hubs such as Isla Holbox or Todos Santos are comparatively under the radar and have a more spiritual approach to beach life.
Just an hour’s drive from the centre of Mexico City are the mystical pyramids of Teotihuacan; a half-day tour with a guide will help you to decipher the meanings and significance of the pyramids, carvings, ball-game court and the Avenue of the Dead.
It’s just two hours’ drive from the capital to petite Puebla, famed for local crafts and pastel churches, while Guadalajara is “tequila town” and has a little of everything you’ll love about Mexico: balmy evenings, rugged scenery, vibrant street art and quesadillas for breakfast. Stock up on limited-edition bottles of tequila with pretty labels and come away feeling like an expert.
If you base yourself along the Riviera Maya or in Tulum you are near the most impressive Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula. The most famous — Chichen Itza and jungle-shrouded Coba — are both reachable within a two-hour drive.
In general, November to February are the best months to visit Mexico — you’ll miss the hurricane season and the weather is dry and pleasant. Festival-goers won’t want to miss Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations in November, best experienced in Oaxaca or Mexico City, while December and January are busy with those escaping for Christmas and new year. But the country offers up plenty of reasons to travel at other times of the year too. To glimpse the moving snake shadows at Chichen Itza’s El Castillo pyramid, visit during the spring or autumn equinoxes. And to be in a chance of seeing whale sharks, book your holiday for any time from June to September.
• Best time to visit Mexico
Take me thereInspired to visit Mexico but yet to book your trip? Here are the best packages from Tui and BA Holidays, as well as the best tours of Mexico from our trusted partners.
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