Mexico City
Mexico City, though a nightmare of urban sprawl, is totally fascinating, and the capital of the nation in every way – artistic, political, cultural. It is one of the world’s mega-cities, with over 25 million people occupying a shallow mountain bowl at over 2400m above sea level. Spreading out beyond the federal district which is supposed to contain it, the city is at once edgy and yet laid-back at the same time. Around the city lie the chief relics of the pre-Hispanic cultures of central Mexico: the massive pyramids of Teotihuacán and the main Toltec site at Tula.
Puebla
East of
Mexico City is the elegant city of
Puebla, known for its colonial architecture and fine cuisine. The republic’s fifth-largest city is an easy 40-minute trip from Tlaxcala or a couple of hours by bus from Mexico City, with glorious views of snow-capped Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl on the way. Puebla has a remarkable concentration of sights, including a fabulous cathedral, a “hidden” convent, museums and grand mansions, while the mountainous surrounding country is in places startlingly beautiful.
Tulum
To visitors,
Tulum can mean several things. First, it’s one of the most picturesque of all the ancient Maya sites, poised on 15m-high cliffs above the Caribbean. Tulum also refers to a stretch of white beach, with turquoise water and candlelit cabañas. Finally, it’s a booming town (often called Tulum Pueblo to distinguish it from the beach) that has evolved from roadside waystation to real population centre with a thriving tourism core.
Oaxaca
The state of
Oaxaca is one of the most enticing places to visit in Mexico. The state capital, cosmopolitan yet utterly Mexican, encapsulates much of what the region has to offer. Nowhere else in the country are the fiestas so exuberant, the markets so colourful or the old languages still so widely spoken. There are indigenous traditions in the villages that long predate the Spanish Conquest; yet the city can also offer sophisticated modern dining, great accommodation and wild nightlife.
Acapulco and Pacific Coast
The journey north from
Acapulco to Puerto Vallarta, some 800km along the Pacific coast, is defined by languid beach life at its finest. There’s history here, to be sure, but it’s the buttery sands studded with palms, the makeshift bars on the beach, lagoons and torpid villages that dominate. Separating these stretches of wild, untouched coastline are some of the most popular and enjoyable resorts in Mexico.
Veracruz
Few tourists venture over to the Gulf coast, despite the attractions of
Veracruz and its mysterious ruins. A pity, as for music and general bonhomie, the city’s central plaza is one of the finest places to visit in Mexico. The fertile, tropical coastal plain gave rise to the earliest Mexican civilizations: Olmec culture thrived in southern Veracruz from 1200 BC, while Classic Veracruz flourished between 250 and 900 AD at centres such as El Tajín. Today, Huastec and Totonac culture remains strong in the north.
Cancún
Independent travellers often find the glitz of Mexico’s mammoth resort city off-putting. Certainly, all the concrete can be a downer. But a night spent in
Cancún doesn’t have to be wasted, so long as you appreciate the energetic city as a successful frontier experiment, rather than lament its lack of history. A closer look reveals hidden beach bars and inexpensive taco stands frequented by friendly
cancunenses.
Playa del Carmen
Once a soporific fishing village where travellers camped out en route to Isla Cozumel, Playa del Carmen is now a hot spot with pretensions of being the next Miami Beach. Mexico City’s elite pop in to “Playa”, as do day-trippers from
Cancún and passengers from cruise ships docked on Cozumel. The quieter north side is relatively cosmopolitan and calm, and the nightlife, in particular, has a hip edge.
Guadalajara
Mexico’s second city, easy-going
Guadalajara is packed with elegant buildings and vibrant little squares. One thing no visitor should miss is hearing mariachi in its home town, specifically at the Plaza de Los Mariachis. Outside the city, the land is spectacularly green and mountainous, studded with volcanoes and lakes, most famously Laguna de Chapala.
Baja California
Graced with tantalizing desert landscapes, lush oases and rich marine life,
Baja California is one of the most compelling places to visit in Mexico. Its human history is no less enticing, with a legacy of remote cave paintings, crumbling Spanish missions and fabulous seafood. Among the most magical sights in Baja is the annual grey whale migration from December to April. Spot the magnificent creatures at the Laguna Ojo de Liebre, just off Guerrero Negro, or the lagoon near San Ignacio.
Yucatán Peninsula
In the Yucatán, traditional indigenous life sits side by side with massive tourist attractions such as the great ruins of
Chichén Itzá and the super-resort of Cancún. Once the province of Maya rebels and palm-plantation owners, the Caribbean coast is now the so-called Riviera Maya, which includes the towns of Playa del Carmen and Tulum. But beyond these big centres, you’ll discover underground springs known as cenotes to the north, along with flocks of flamingo and sea turtles along the coast.
Chichén Itzá
Chichén Itzá is the most famous, the most extensively restored and by far the most visited of all Maya sites. It lies conveniently along the main highway from
Mérida to
Cancún, a little more than 200km from the Caribbean coast. Arrive early to wander in relative peace around the extraordinary ruins, with its vertiginous temple, Chac-mool figures and dramatic, snail-shaped observatory.
North Mexico
Rich in legends of the country’s revolutionary past,
Mexico’s north has a modern history dominated by its relationship with the neighbouring United States. Though the region is far less visited than the southern states, cross-border trade – as much about the movement of people as goods – means it’s one of the most dynamic parts of Mexico. It’s not all business, though. Rugged and untamed, the north is home to deserts, mountains, seedy frontier towns, archeological remains and modern cities, as well as a rich ranching culture.
