Mexico City’s food, Oaxaca’s markets and Maya ruins in the Yucatán, finished with a week on the Caribbean coast.
Most people know Mexico for the beaches south of Cancún, and they are very good. The reason to go further is inland: the food and museums of Mexico City, the markets and mezcal of Oaxaca, and the Maya cities and cenotes of the Yucatán.
We plan a first trip as culture first and beach last. A few days in Mexico City, a short flight to Oaxaca, another to Mérida, then an easy drive to the coast near Tulum to unwind before the flight home from Cancún.
Two honest caveats. Mexico City sits at 2,240 metres, so take the first day slowly. And in some years sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean beaches between spring and autumn, so we choose hotels with that in mind.
The experiences we plan most often, with the months they are at their best.
Stay in Roma or Condesa, leafy neighbourhoods of cafés and Art Deco blocks, and spend mornings at the National Museum of Anthropology and the murals of the historic centre. The evenings are for eating, from tacos at a street stall to tasting menus. A food guide on the first night helps you order well after that.
Oaxaca City is a grid of painted colonial streets, and much of a stay here is about food. Walk the markets for mole and chocolate, drive out to the hilltop Zapotec city of Monte Albán, and visit a family mezcal distillery in the valleys. The Guelaguetza festival fills the city in late July.
From Mérida, the white city of the Yucatán, reach Uxmal and the Puuc hills in just over an hour, and Chichén Itzá on the way east to the coast. Be at the gates when they open, before the heat and the coaches. Between the ruins, swim in cenotes: the limestone sinkholes full of fresh water that were sacred to the Maya.
The Riviera Maya runs south from Cancún past Playa del Carmen to Tulum, where the Maya ruins sit on a cliff above the sea. Choose a small hotel on the beach road south of Tulum, or head north to the island of Holbox for sand streets and quiet. Ask us which beaches suffer least from seaweed.
Between November and March, millions of monarch butterflies that have flown from Canada and the USA cover the fir forests of Sierra Chincua, El Rosario and Senguio. The sanctuaries are high in the mountains, so the walk up is slow. Sunny days are best, when the butterflies warm up and fly.
Every December to April, grey whales gather in the sheltered lagoons of Baja California Sur to calve. Magdalena Bay and San Ignacio Lagoon are where mothers bring their calves close to the small boats. It is simple, remote travel, and pairs well with a few days at Los Cabos.
In the cities, stay in small hotels within walking distance of the sights: Roma or Polanco in Mexico City, the historic centres of Oaxaca and Mérida. In the Yucatán, converted haciendas give you a pool between ruins. On the coast, choose between small beach hotels near Tulum and larger, more private resorts further north.
We match each trip in Mexico to hotels, lodges and villas chosen for the way you travel. Tell us what matters and a specialist will suggest two or three that fit.
Ask for hotel suggestionsMexico has a dry season from about November to April and a wet season from about June to October. The dry months suit almost everything, from clear skies in Mexico City to calm Caribbean water, whales and butterflies.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, and on the Pacific side from 15 May. Big storms are not frequent, but most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October. Inland, the rains bring green hills and afternoon showers that rarely spoil a day.
Three cities and a week of Maya ruins, cenotes and beach, with short domestic flights between the highlands and a slow finish near Tulum. 12 nights.
Take it easy at altitude. See the Anthropology Museum, walk the historic centre and eat in Roma.
An hour’s flight south. Walk the markets, spend a morning at Monte Albán and visit a mezcal maker in the valleys.
Fly direct to Mérida. Spend a day at Uxmal and the Puuc hills, and an evening in the squares of the old town.
Drive east via Chichén Itzá and a cenote near Valladolid to Tulum. Then four nights on the beach, with a morning snorkelling the reef.
About two hours up the coast to Cancún airport for the direct overnight flight to London.
Practical notes checked against their sources. For entry and safety, the FCDO advice for Mexico (opens in a new tab) is always the authority.
Direct flights reach Mexico City from Heathrow in about 12 hours, and Cancún from Heathrow and Gatwick in about 10 hours 30 minutes. Oaxaca to Mérida is a direct domestic flight.
UK passport holders do not currently need a visa as tourists, and immigration stamps your passport with the days you may stay. Read the FCDO entry requirements page (opens in a new tab), especially if you connect through the USA.
Read the FCDO entry requirements for Mexico (opens in a new tab)
Check TravelHealthPro (opens in a new tab) and the FCDO health page before you go. Take the altitude in Mexico City gently for the first day, drink bottled or filtered water, and use strong sun cream and insect repellent on the coast.
The currency is the Mexican peso. Cards work in hotels and most restaurants, but carry small notes for markets, taxis and tips, and pay in pesos rather than dollars.
Check your UK roaming plan before you go, as charges outside Europe vary widely. Hotels have Wi-Fi, and signal is good in cities and along the coast.
Leave 10% to 20% in restaurants, towards the top in the resort areas, and tip in pesos. Check the bill first for “propina incluida”.
November to April, the dry season. Skies are clear in Mexico City, the Caribbean is calm and warm, and it is the season for grey whales in Baja and monarch butterflies in Michoacán. Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest and most expensive weeks, so book those early.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October. Major storms are not frequent, but they can close airports for a day or two. If you travel then, book flexibly, insure well and spend more time inland.
Sargassum seaweed can wash up on the Riviera Maya, mostly between spring and autumn, and some years are far worse than others. Some stretches and islands escape the worst of it. We track conditions and choose your beach with that in mind, or suggest the winter months.
The neighbourhoods where visitors stay and eat, such as Roma, Condesa, Polanco and the historic centre, are busy and relaxed. As in any big city, use registered taxis or ride apps, keep phones out of sight and avoid quiet streets late at night. Read the FCDO travel advice for Mexico, which covers regional risks, before you book.
Tell us a little and a specialist will reply with ideas, dates that work and a price. Best months: November to March.
Maya cities in the rainforest and the longest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, a short hop apart and in English.
Volcano, cloud forest, turtle beach and whale coast in one small country, with a lodge in each that puts you in the forest.
Canyon country, geyser basins and Pacific coast roads, planned so the long drives land you somewhere worth waking up in.
