Mexico is the most colourful country in the Americas. Mayan pyramids, the turquoise Caribbean coast and underground cenote pools are gathered in one country, and on top of that the world’s best street food and the museums of a capital of twenty million are here too.
There is a serious opportunity for us: holders of a valid US or Schengen visa enter Mexico without a visa, and there is a direct flight from Istanbul to Mexico City. The country is big and safety varies by region, and that needs to be known in advance. Below I have gathered the capital, Yucatán and Cancún, Oaxaca, the transport, the food, the season, the safety rules and the budget.
Mexico in brief
| Capital | Mexico City, at 2240 metres, more than 20 million people |
| Language | Spanish; English in Cancún and the tourist zones |
| Currency | Peso (MXN), 1 dollar ≈ 18 pesos; card in the cities, cash in the markets |
| Visa | Visa-free with a valid US or Schengen visa; without one, the embassy |
| Best time | November–April; May–October rain, June–November the hurricane season |
| Flights | Direct to Mexico City via Istanbul, 16–18 hours; or a Madrid connection |
| Daily budget | 70–110 dollars at a mid-range level |
Mexico City and Teotihuacan
Mexico City is the largest city in North America and wants three or four days. On the Zócalo stands the Metropolitan Cathedral and beside it the Aztecs’ Templo Mayor. In the National Palace there are Diego Rivera’s frescoes. The Anthropology Museum is one of the best in the world and a whole day goes there. Nearby are Chapultepec park and castle. Frida Kahlo’s Blue House is in Coyoacán, and the ticket is bought weeks ahead — you will not get one on the spot. The Roma and Condesa neighbourhoods are known for their cafés. On the Xochimilco canals you ride in colourful boats. And the Lucha Libre wrestling show is worth seeing once. The altitude is 2240 metres, so move slowly on the first day.
Teotihuacan is fifty kilometres from the city. There are the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the Avenue of the Dead. Early in the morning you get there in an hour by bus, and if you like you look down on it from a hot-air balloon. Puebla and Cholula are a day trip, and Guanajuato, a colourful mountain town, and San Miguel de Allende are four hours away. Oaxaca is six hours by bus and an hour by plane. It is considered the country’s culinary capital. The Day of the Dead on 1–2 November is best spent there. Nearby are the ruins of Monte Albán and the petrified waterfalls of Hierve el Agua.
Cancún, the Riviera Maya, Tulum, Chichén Itzá: Mexico on the Caribbean coast
Cancún is a city of all-inclusive hotels with white sand and turquoise water on the Caribbean. The hotel zone stretches along twenty kilometres of coast, and to the island of Isla Mujeres it is thirty minutes by boat.
The Riviera Maya runs south. Playa del Carmen is the centre of the region, a ferry goes from there to the island of Cozumel, and the second largest reef in the world is right there. Tulum has Mayan ruins looking out over the Caribbean and boutique hotels, the new Tulum airport has opened, and in Akumal you swim with turtles.
Cenotes are Yucatán’s underground freshwater pools. Ik-Kil, Dos Ojos and Gran Cenote are the most famous, you can both swim and dive there, and entry is 10–20 dollars. The water is so clear that you think you are floating in air.
Chichén Itzá is one of the seven wonders of the world, with the pyramid of Kukulkán at its centre. It is two and a half hours from Cancún and the ticket is 35 dollars. Go in at eight in the morning, because by midday it is both hot and crowded.
Valladolid is a colourful colonial town seen on the way, Mérida is Yucatán’s quiet capital, and Bacalar is known as the «lagoon of seven colours». The Maya Train links Cancún, Tulum, Chichén Itzá and Mérida.
Know one more thing: from March to July and in the autumn sargassum seaweed covers some beaches. Isla Mujeres and the west coast of Cozumel stay clean at that time.
Transport in Mexico: ADO, the metro, Uber, flights
With their first-class cabin, air conditioning and screen, ADO buses are the country’s main transport. Cancún to Tulum takes two hours and costs 10 dollars, Mérida four hours and 25 dollars, and Mexico City to Oaxaca six hours and 40 dollars; you buy the tickets in the ADO app. You will constantly need maps and Uber on your phone, so landing with an eSIM makes things easier from day one.
Domestic flights with Volaris, VivaAerobus and Aeroméxico are cheap; Mexico City to Cancún takes two hours and costs 60–120 dollars, with baggage paid separately.
The Mexico City metro has twelve lines and a ride costs thirty cents, but the carriages get crowded and pickpocketing happens, so the Metrobús is more comfortable. In every big city the main taxi is Uber and DiDi, and take a street taxi only from an official rank called a «sitio». In Cancún the ADO bus from the airport to Playa del Carmen takes an hour and costs 12 dollars, while a hotel transfer is 30–50.
A car is comfortable and safe in Yucatán, daily hire is 30–50 dollars and insurance is compulsory. In central Mexico do not drive between cities at night, and choose the toll roads called «cuota»; they are both safer and faster.
Tacos, mole, cochinita: Mexican food
Mexican cooking is on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list and it starts right there on the street. Taco al pastor is meat cooked on a spit like shawarma, served with pineapple, sells for a dollar, and there is a queue in front of it even at two in the morning. Carnitas and the lamb barbacoa served on Sundays are classics too.
The regional dishes are a list of their own. Cochinita pibil is Yucatán’s meat dish in sour orange, and mole is Oaxaca’s chocolate sauce with thirty spices. Tamales are wrapped in corn husks, chilaquiles are breakfast, and guacamole, ceviche and churros complete the list.
The prices are low. A street taco is 1–2 dollars, a «comida corrida» lunch at a «fonda» eatery 4–6, a restaurant 15–25, and in the Cancún hotel zone 30–50.
Halal food in Mexico City is limited to a few Lebanese restaurants, and in Cancún it is scarce too. Fish, prawn and vegetable tacos and beans are found everywhere, and ask about the pork question. Do not drink the tap water; the ice served in restaurants is factory-made and safe, and take medicine for «Montezuma’s revenge».
Read next: A Mexican visa: not needed if you have an American or Schengen visa; without one, the embassy
Safety and season
The tourist routes are relatively safe. That includes the central neighbourhoods of Mexico City, Yucatán, Oaxaca and Guanajuato, and Yucatán state is the quietest place in the country. The northern border states, Sinaloa, Guerrero, Michoacán and Colima are not for tourists; look at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ advice before the trip.
The rules are the usual ones. Do not walk alone at night, call a car by app, use the ATM inside a bank, and do not show your phone in the street. Keep the passport at the hotel and carry a copy, and in Cancún’s night clubs watch your drink.
From November to April the weather is dry and stays at 25–30 degrees, while December to March is the busiest and dearest period. From May to October the rainy season starts, afternoon downpours fall and the humidity rises in Cancún.
From June to November there is a hurricane risk, and the riskiest months are September and October. In Mexico City itself the weather stays at 15–25 degrees all year, May is the hottest month and the summer passes rainy. Regional and festival information is on the site of Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism.
Budget and tickets
Accommodation varies sharply by region. In Mexico City a boutique hotel in the Roma and Condesa districts is 80–140 dollars and a three-star 50–80. In Oaxaca the price is 50–90 dollars and in Playa del Carmen 60–120. In Cancún an all-inclusive hotel is 150–400 dollars a night for a couple, Tulum’s boutique hotels start at 200, and hostels are 15–25.
The sights are cheap. Chichén Itzá is 35 dollars, Teotihuacan and the Anthropology Museum five, a cenote 15, and the Cozumel ferry comes to 25. Taking the day trips from Cancún to Chichén Itzá online is both cheaper and safer than hiring a car. Excluding the flight, a two-week trip covering Mexico City, Oaxaca and Yucatán fits into 1500–2200 dollars per person.
Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul to Mexico City and Cancún, while Iberia and Aeroméxico go via Madrid. A ticket to Mexico City is between 1100 and 1600 dollars, and a connection through the USA is possible only with a US visa. For those travelling Mexico City, Yucatán and Cancún on one route, Mexico tour packages settle the domestic flights, the cenote trips and safe transfers together.
Frequently asked questions about Mexico
How many days does a trip to Mexico need?
Four days for Mexico City, three for Oaxaca, six or seven for Yucatán and Cancún — two weeks in all. For the Caribbean coast alone, seven or eight days.
How does entering on a Schengen visa work?
Those with a valid multiple-entry Schengen, US, Canadian, British or Japanese visa in the passport enter at the border without a visa, for up to 180 days. The visa must be valid throughout the trip; the details are in our visa article.
Cancún or Tulum?
Cancún is for all-inclusive comfort, a wide beach and families. Tulum is boutique hotels, cenotes and ruins, for couples. Playa del Carmen is between the two and is cheaper.
In closing
For those with a US or Schengen visa Mexico is a visa-free trip of pyramids, cenotes and the Caribbean, with a direct flight and cheaper than Europe, and with the right region and the safety rules it becomes unforgettable. The entry rules are gathered on the Mexico page, and to build the Yucatán or capital route together, fill in the application form.
Note: the prices here are as of the publication date and can change with the season.
