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◆ Country guide · North America

Top 10s across Mexico

Two coastlines, a high central plateau and a cuisine UNESCO lists in its own right. Mexico travels less like one country than a dozen that happen to share a flag.

City guides

126M

People

Video guides

Region

Oaxaca

Guanajuato

Mérida

Best months

Jan · Feb · Nov

Ideal length

10–14 days

Budget / day

$60–150

Language

Spanish

Getting around

Domestic flights & first-class buses

When to visit Mexico

A long dry season, a summer of afternoon rain, and a fortnight at the start of November worth planning around.

Full month guide →

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best, dry and clear, with Day of the Dead falling at the start of November Peak, Christmas, Semana Santa and spring break on the Caribbean coast Good, warm with an afternoon downpour that clears by evening Off, the wettest weeks and the height of the storm season

Quick answer · where to go in Mexico

Pick two bases, not five. Mexico City is the opening move, for museums, markets and the best eating in the country, with Teotihuacán and Puebla inside a day trip. Oaxaca is the culture leg: mezcal, weaving, and the cooking everything else gets measured against. The Yucatán closes a first trip with Maya cities, cenotes and reef. Save Baja and the Pacific coast for the second visit. The dry months run November to April.

Jump toCity guides Fun fact Stereotypes Famous Mexicans Food FAQ

6 Mexico city guides

Sorted by what travelers are saving this month.

Fun fact

One number worth knowing

Mexico carries 36 UNESCO World Heritage sites, more than any other country in the Americas, and traditional Mexican cuisine holds a listing of its own on the intangible heritage register.

Stereotypes, sorted out

The clichés you have heard, what is actually true, and how to fit in.

"It is dangerous everywhere"

The realitySecurity in Mexico is regional and the map is nothing like the headlines. Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Oaxaca and Mexico City are among the most travelled places in the Americas. Advisories are written state by state for a reason, and that is how they should be read.

"Mexican food means tacos and burritos"

The realityThe burrito is northern border food and barely eaten south of it. What UNESCO listed is the Michoacán and Oaxaca tradition: corn nixtamalised at home, moles built from dozens of ingredients, chocolate and chillies used as seasoning, not as heat.

"It is hot all year"

The realityMexico City sits above 2,200 metres and needs a jacket after dark. San Cristóbal de las Casas is colder again. The heat people picture belongs to the coasts and the Yucatán lowlands, and even there it has a season.

"Everything runs on tequila"

The realityTequila is a mezcal with a region and a rulebook. Mezcal itself is older and drunk far more widely in the south, Michoacán makes charanda, the Yucatán drinks xtabentún, and pulque is having a second life in Mexico City.

Sombreros and mariachi at every mealChilli in everything, and always hotThe afternoon siestaTequila shots with salt and limeDay of the Dead as HalloweenPyramids in the jungleOne accent, one Spanish, one culture

Cultural notes that actually help

Greet the room before you ask for anything. A buenos días to the counter, the shop or the taxi comes first, and skipping it reads as rude.
Day of the Dead is a family occasion in a cemetery, not a street party. Ask before photographing an altar, and in Oaxaca and Michoacán think twice about the graveyards at night.
The bill does not arrive until you ask. Catching the waiter's eye for la cuenta is expected, and the tip is left in cash on the table.
Do not haggle where prices are marked. A craft market is a conversation, but pushing a weaver down on a piece that took weeks is the wrong move.
Two surnames are normal and neither is a middle name. The first comes from the father, the second from the mother, and official forms will want both.
Indigenous does not mean historical. Around one in five people identify as indigenous, and the languages, dress and community governance in Oaxaca and Chiapas are living practice.

Famous Mexican faces

The names behind Mexican art, screen, music, sport, science and politics. Pick a field.

Frida Kahlo

Painter of the self-portraits. Her Casa Azul books out weeks ahead

Diego Rivera

Muralist whose walls in the Palacio Nacional tell the country's history in paint

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Seventeenth century nun and poet who argued for a woman's right to study

Benito Juárez

Zapotec lawyer from Oaxaca who became president and separated church from state

Emiliano Zapata

Revolutionary leader of the south, and the land and liberty slogan still painted on walls

Guillermo del Toro

Director of Pan's Labyrinth and The Shape of Water, and an Oscar winner twice over

Mario Molina

Shared the 1995 Nobel in Chemistry for the ozone work behind the Montreal Protocol

Alfonso Cuarón

Director of Roma and Gravity, and the first Mexican to win the Academy Award for directing

Alejandro González Iñárritu

Took the directing Oscar in consecutive years for Birdman and The Revenant

Salma Hayek

Actor and producer from Coatzacoalcos, Oscar-nominated for playing Frida Kahlo

Gael García Bernal

Actor of Amores Perros and Y Tu Mamá También, and the face of the new Mexican cinema

María Félix

The defining star of Mexico's golden age of film, and never a Hollywood export

Cantinflas

Comic actor whose wordplay put a verb into the Spanish dictionary

Pedro Infante

Singer and actor, and still the voice most associated with the golden age

Juan Gabriel

Songwriter of Amor Eterno, and the most covered songbook in the country

Chavela Vargas

Stripped the ranchera down to a voice and a guitar and sang it her own way

José Alfredo Jiménez

Wrote hundreds of rancheras with no formal musical training

Lila Downs

Oaxacan singer working in Spanish, Mixtec, Zapotec and English

Natalia Lafourcade

Rebuilt the Latin American songbook for a younger audience, one album at a time

Silvestre Revueltas

Composer of Sensemayá, the orchestra's answer to the muralists

José Clemente Orozco

Muralist, and the darkest and least sentimental of the three great ones

David Alfaro Siqueiros

Muralist and agitator who painted with industrial lacquer and a spray gun

Rufino Tamayo

Oaxacan painter who broke with the muralists to work in colour and myth

Luis Barragán

Architect of pink walls, water and light, and a Pritzker Prize winner

Juan Rulfo

Wrote Pedro Páramo, a short novel that redirected Latin American fiction

Carlos Fuentes

Novelist and diplomat behind The Death of Artemio Cruz

Elena Poniatowska

Journalist and novelist of La noche de Tlatelolco, and a Cervantes Prize winner

Hugo Sánchez

Striker who took five Spanish league scoring titles, most of them at Real Madrid

Julio César Chávez

Boxer who went unbeaten for close to 90 fights across three weight classes

Lorena Ochoa

Held the world number one ranking in women's golf, then retired at 28

Ana Guevara

World champion over 400 metres and an Olympic silver medallist in Athens

Fernando Valenzuela

Dodgers pitcher whose 1981 rookie season is still remembered as Fernandomania

Soraya Jiménez

First Mexican woman to win Olympic gold, in weightlifting at Sydney 2000

Sergio Pérez

Formula One race winner from Guadalajara who sells out the Mexico City Grand Prix

Guillermo González Camarena

Patented an early colour television system while still in his twenties

Manuel Sandoval Vallarta

Physicist whose work on cosmic rays shaped the field for a generation

Ruy Pérez Tamayo

Pathologist and essayist who argued science into Mexican public life

Lázaro Cárdenas

President who nationalised the oil industry in 1938 and redistributed the land

Pancho Villa

Revolutionary general of the north, and the raid that brought the US army over the border

Claudia Sheinbaum

Scientist and Mexico City mayor who became the country's first woman president

Elvia Carrillo Puerto

Yucatán suffragist, and one of the first women elected to office in Mexico

Octavio Paz

Poet and essayist of The Labyrinth of Solitude, Nobel laureate in literature in 1990

Emmanuel Lubezki

Cinematographer with three Academy Awards in a row, and the long unbroken take

Carlos Santana

Guitarist from Jalisco who welded blues phrasing onto Latin rhythm

Luis Ernesto Miramontes

Co-invented the synthesis behind the first oral contraceptive, aged 25

Rodolfo Neri Vela

First Mexican in space, flying aboard the shuttle Atlantis in 1985

Miguel Hidalgo

Parish priest whose call to arms in 1810 started the war of independence

Rosario Castellanos

Writer and diplomat from Chiapas who put indigenous Mexico into the national novel

Enrique Olvera

Chef of Pujol, which put Mexico City on the world restaurant lists

Gabriela Cámara

Chef of Contramar, and the case for Mexican seafood cooked simply

Elena Reygadas

Chef of Rosetta, named the world's best female chef in 2023

Ricardo Muñoz Zurita

Chef and lexicographer who wrote the encyclopedia of Mexican gastronomy

Abigail Mendoza

Zapotec cook in Teotitlán del Valle who kept pre-Hispanic technique in daily use

Must-try Mexican food

The classics first, then the street, Oaxaca, the Yucatán, the coasts and the sweets. Pick a category.

Chiles en nogada

Stuffed poblano chillies under walnut cream and pomegranate, a late summer dish.

Pozole

Hominy and pork stew, dressed at the table with radish, lettuce and lime.

Carnitas

Michoacán pork cooked slowly in its own fat, then chopped to order.

Barbacoa

Lamb wrapped in maguey leaves and cooked in a pit overnight. A Sunday dish.

Chilaquiles

Fried tortilla simmered in green or red salsa, and the breakfast the country argues over.

Tacos al pastor

Pork off a vertical spit with pineapple, a Lebanese technique made entirely Mexican.

Tamales

Corn dough steamed in husk or banana leaf, sweet or savoury, eaten standing up.

Quesadillas

In Mexico City they arrive without cheese unless you ask. Nobody has settled this.

Torta ahogada

Guadalajara's pork roll drowned in chilli sauce, and eaten over the plate.

Gorditas

Thick corn pockets split open on the griddle and stuffed to order.

Tlayuda

A wide tortilla crisped over coals with beans, quesillo and meat, then folded.

Chapulines

Grasshoppers toasted with lime, garlic and chilli, sold by the bag in the market.

Quesillo

Oaxacan string cheese, wound into a ball and unwound in front of you.

Churros con chocolate

Ridged, fried and dipped in chocolate thick enough to stand a spoon in.

Pan de muerto

Orange-scented bread with a bone pattern, in every bakery from October.

Cajeta

Goat's milk caramel from Celaya, spooned over crepes, ice cream and itself.

Mezcal

Agave roasted in a pit, which is where the smoke comes from. Sip it.

Tequila

Blue agave from Jalisco and four neighbouring states, protected by region.

Mole poblano

Chillies, spices and chocolate cooked down for hours, poured over turkey.

Elote and esquites

Corn on the cob or in a cup, with mayonnaise, cheese, chilli and lime.

Mole negro

The deepest of the Oaxacan moles, and the one kept for occasions.

Tejate

A cold maize and cacao drink with a flower foam on top, poured from a gourd.

Cochinita pibil

Pork in achiote and sour orange, cooked underground, served with pickled onion.

Sopa de lima

Turkey broth with lime and crisp tortilla. Sharper and lighter than it sounds.

Papadzules

Egg tacos under a pumpkin seed sauce, a dish older than the Spanish arrival.

Panuchos

Fried tortilla stuffed with bean paste, topped with turkey, onion and habanero.

Queso relleno

Dutch edam hollowed out and filled with spiced pork. The peninsula's oddest classic.

Aguachile

Raw prawns in lime, chilli and cucumber, served the moment it is mixed.

Pescado zarandeado

Whole fish butterflied and grilled over wood on the Pacific coast.

Tacos de pescado

Battered fish, cabbage and crema. Ensenada's export to the rest of the world.

Ceviche sinaloense

Chopped fine, heavy on lime, and eaten on a tostada.

Pulpo en su tinta

Campeche octopus cooked in its own ink, dark and unapologetic.

Flan napolitano

Denser than the Spanish version, and on the menu whether it is listed or not.

Paletas

Fruit ice lollies made with real fruit, perfected in Tocumbo, Michoacán.

Pulque

Fermented agave sap, sour and viscous, and back in fashion in Mexico City.

Michelada

Beer with lime, salt and chilli, and a house version in every bar.

Café de olla

Coffee brewed in a clay pot with cinnamon and unrefined cane sugar.

Horchata

Rice and cinnamon, cold, and the counterweight to a plate of chilli.

Know before you go

The essentials for planning a Mexican trip.

Currency

Mexican peso (MX$)

Cards work in cities and resorts. Cash runs markets, comedores and small towns. Use bank ATMs inside a branch and skip the standalone machines on tourist streets. Decline the conversion offered.

Language

Spanish

Alongside Spanish, 68 indigenous languages with 364 variants are national languages. Nahuatl, Maya, Zapotec and Mixtec are the most heard, and come first in parts of Oaxaca and Chiapas.

Visa

Visa-free for many, permit on arrival

Most travellers from Europe and the Americas need no visa. The tourist permit (Forma Migratoria Múltiple) is now a passport scan and a stamp. The officer sets the days, up to 180.

Getting around

Domestic flights & first-class buses

Fly the long distances. First-class buses fill the gaps, with reserved seats, air conditioning and overnight routes. The Tren Maya has crossed the Yucatán since 2023, the south still opening.

Altitude

Mexico City at 2,240 m

The capital sits higher than most expect. Take the first day slowly: less alcohol, more water, no early pyramid climb. Puebla, Toluca and San Cristóbal are higher still, with cold evenings.

Storm season

June to November

Both coasts sit in an active hurricane basin from June into late November, and September disrupts travel most often. Inland the season means an afternoon downpour that clears by evening.

Tipping

10 to 15% in restaurants

Voluntary, and never added without your agreement. Around 10 to 15 percent at a table, small change for the grocery bagger or the car watcher. Cash is preferred everywhere.

Time zones

Four

Southeast, Central, Pacific and Northwest. Most of Mexico dropped daylight saving in 2022. Baja California and the border municipalities still change, so check cross-border connections.

Ruins & museums

Run by INAH

Archaeological sites and the national museums are federal, with published hours and a set admission. Most close earlier than you would like, so a big site is a morning, not an afternoon.

Mexico travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Mexico?+

Ten to 14 days, split between two regions. Mexico City with Oaxaca is the strongest first pairing. Mexico City with the Yucatán is the easier one, because the flights are short and the second half is a beach. Anything less than a week means one base and day trips.

When is the best time to visit Mexico?+

November to April is the dry season and the reliable window. November is the pick: the rains have finished, the highlands are clear, and Day of the Dead runs from the end of October. Avoid Semana Santa and Christmas unless you have booked well ahead, and treat September as the month most likely to be rained on.

Do you need a visa for Mexico?+

Most European, North American and South American travellers do not. You are issued a tourist permit on arrival instead, now usually a passport scan and a stamp in place of the old paper form. The officer sets the number of days and it cannot exceed 180. Confirm your own nationality with the Instituto Nacional de Migración before booking.

Is Mexico safe to travel in?+

Security is regional. Read your government's advisory state by state, and the states this guide covers are among the most heavily travelled in Mexico. The usual city rules apply: registered taxis or ride-hailing after dark, no phone out on a quiet street, and long-distance road trips done in daylight.

Is Mexico expensive to visit?+

It is one of the better value destinations in the Americas. Our Mexican city guides work out around $60 to $150 per person per day mid-range, with Mexico City at the top of that range and Guanajuato well under it. Street food, museums and public transport are all cheap. Beach resorts on the Caribbean are the exception and price in dollars.

Mexico by theme

Themed Top 10s across the country.

All themes →

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Hidden gems

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Scuba diving

Mexico on Wimup Videos

City vlogs to watch before you book.

YouTube ↗

17:14

Best of Guanajuato

3:10:14

Mexico City on Foot

12:27

Best of Oaxaca

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