Things to do in Mexico

Mexico is two coasts and a high plateau. Tours in Mexico are therefore bought region by region, because little crosses between them by road. Mexico City to Cancún is two and a half hours in the air.

Where the country divides

The two seas are nothing alike. The Caribbean is warm, shallow and turquoise; the Pacific and the Gulf of California run cooler and rougher.

• The Caribbean coast. Quintana Roo: Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, the reef and the cenotes behind it.
• The Baja peninsula. Los Cabos at the desert tip, and Ensenada with its wine valleys near the border.
• The central highlands. Mexico City at 2,240 metres, with Teotihuacan and Puebla inside a morning's drive.
• The Bajío. Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende, silver towns and World Heritage sites.
• The Pacific west. Guadalajara, the agave fields around Tequila, and the beaches of Nayarit.

What the country is bought for

Ruins anchor most itineraries. Teotihuacan, Chichén Itzá, Cobá and Tulum are all sold as day trips from a beach or a capital hotel.

• Water, twice over. Reef and cenote snorkelling in the east; kayaks, surf and whales in Baja.
• Agave. Tequila is a protected name from Jalisco and parts of four neighbouring states. Mezcal covers nine.
• Food on foot. Taco walks run in almost every city, and are the cheapest guided hour going.
• Rough ground. Jeep and quad routes work in the Baja desert and the scrub behind the Riviera Maya.
• Wine. Most of it is grown in Baja California, half an hour inland from Ensenada.

How the day is sold

The same route is often listed twice, shared and private. The private version runs a quarter to a third more per person. Transfers are priced by the car.

Practical

• Seasons. The Caribbean stays hot and humid, with hurricanes from June to November. The highlands are dry from November to April, then wet in the afternoons.
• Seaweed. Sargassum lands on Caribbean beaches from April to October, worst in June and July. The Pacific never sees it.
• Altitude. The capital is higher than most alpine resorts. Give the first day to slow walking.
• Clocks. Mexico dropped daylight saving in 2022, though Baja California kept it to match California.
• Distances. Cancún to Los Cabos is a flight, not a drive, and domestic fares are low.
• Money. Cards work in cities and resorts. Markets and small towns want pesos.
• Meals and tips. The main meal runs from two to four. Leave ten to fifteen per cent in restaurants.
• Day of the Dead. The first two days of November, on the UNESCO intangible list since 2008.