We had been in Mexico for just 24 hours when we decided we had fallen in love with this wonderful country. It has so much to offer the visitor – fascinating historic sites, amazing culture, a friendly welcome, and a food scene that is just sublime. Our Mexico travel itinerary covered many kilometres and took us from Mexico City to Cancun, visiting some of the country’s key cities along the way.
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How To Get Around Mexico
There are plenty of transportation options for getting around Mexico.
Buses: We used buses to get around. The bus network is cheap, convenient and largely reliable. Buses are comfortable and air-conditioned (sometimes a bit too cold, so take a jacket). And they are a great way of seeing the countryside as you travel. There are multiple bus companies and you can buy tickets at the bus stations or pre-book online. The bus stations in the major cities are very large but the bus companies and buses are well signposted.
Other Transportation Options: Hiring a rental car is possible, although this itinerary covers a lot of miles and there will be a cost connected with dropping off the car at a different location. Some roads are safer than others, and there often roadblocks, especially when crossing state lines, so we were very happy with bus transportation because we didn’t have to drive or navigate.
It is also possible to fly between many of the cities in this itinerary. Mexico City, Puebla, Oaxaca and Merida all have airports; San Cristobal’s closest airport is 1.5 hours away from the centre so you could catch a bus or get a colectivo from there into the town.
Generally our accommodation was located the centre of the cities so that we were close to the attractions. However, the inter-city bus stations are usually located on the edge of town, so we caught taxis from the bus station to the hotel. These didn’t cost too much, usually a few dollars.
Getting Around Cities: If you want to get around cities, taxis are useful, although we recommend learning basic Spanish, especially learning to count. Most taxi drivers were scrupulously honest, but we did get seriously overcharged in Merida, so make sure you agree a price before you get in the cab.
An alternative is a collectivo – private cars/mini-buses that run a set route with a set fee. You can usually get close to your destination but won’t be able to go door to door. Be prepared to squeeze in with other passengers. If you are visiting tourist sites there are often shuttle buses that will take you to the attraction and run on a regular schedule.
A Mexico Travel Itinerary
The map below shows the route for this itinerary. This trip took us two and a half weeks, and covered over 2000km, so it was quite full on. This is the minimum time needed to complete the journey. However, this itinerary is very flexible so if you are able to spend more time in each city we encourage you to do so. The map below shows the route from city to city ‘as the crow flies’ to give an indication of the distance covered and location of the key sites. The buses used main highways and local roads.
Mexico City
Arrive Mexico City. Metrobus line 4 or Metro line 5 will take you into the centre from the airport. Taxis and Ubers are also available and they are reasonably priced for taxis ($10-15 USD), although they are the more expensive option. We stayed in the city centre, close to Alameda, Mexico City’s oldest park, so we were within walking distance of many attractions. We regret that we only had a day in this amazing city but we managed a lot of sightseeing.
Art Museums
Museo Mural Diego Rivera showcases the fabulous mural Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central, which features Rivera’s artist wife, Frida Kahlo amongst over 150 figures. (We didn’t have time to visit the Kahlo museum in Mexico City but plan to on our return.)
Nearby, the Labaratorio Arte Alameda is a modern art gallery with fantastic interactive exhibitions.
Palacio de Bellas Artes is located at the eastern end of the park. It has a superb collection of Mexican art, particularly grand murals.
The Zocalo and Plaza de la Constitution
It’s a short walk to the zocalo (the central square) and Plaza de la Constitution, a lively area with the cathedral, Catedral Metropolitana de la Cuidad de Mexico, located at the far end.
Museo del Templo Mayor nearby is a museum dedicated to the Aztecs.
Pop-up Museums
There are a surprising number of pop-up museums and galleries in the area. We were thrilled to find a Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) exhibition. We adore the old Santo and Blue Demon films so really enjoyed this.
You will not have difficulty finding great food in the area. We enjoyed scoffing our very first tacos at Tacos El Huequito, Ayuntamiento 21, but there are loads of excellent eateries to enjoy this quintessential food. At the end of the day enjoy a tipple of mezcal or tequila at Tio Pepe, Independenica 26, one of the city’s oldest cantinas, dating back to 1869, with its splendid Art Nouveau bar.
Puebla
Travel from Mexico City to Puebla (2 hours).
We recommend staying at the Colonial Hotel which is very central, just a few minutes walk from the zocalo.
Puebla is a delightful city, its historic centre is a UNESCO heritage site. It has multiple churches and a fascinating museum, Museo Amparo which combines a display of historic artifacts from the locale with an art gallery.
Biblioteca Palafoxiana (below, left) is the first and oldest library in the Americas and The Church of Santo Domingo (below, right) has a wonderfully ornate interior, showing the magnificence of Spanish Baroque design.
Puebla’s food scene is amazing. This is the place which invented mole, Mexico’s famous sauce that contains many, many ingredients, including chocolate, and which has a sophisticated and complex flavour. We recommend taking a food tour here – your tastebuds will thank you. Visiting the market give you the chance to stock up on a huge variety of chillies, eat delicious cemitas and try mole poblano, which is a far more authentic version of this delicious sauce than many hotels offer.
You can read our detailed post about visiting Puebla, which includes loads of recommendations for food to enjoy.
Oaxaca
Travel from Puebla to Oaxaca (6 hours).
We stayed at the Casona Oaxaca which was very central, just a 10 minute walk from the centre.
Oaxaca is a very cool city. It is also the loudest city we’ve ever visited. It’s vibrant and lively and there’s always something happening at the zocalo. Often with fireworks that seem to be set off at random and make you jump when you’re not expecting a very loud bang!
There was always music in the air in Oaxaca. We particularly loved the bands playing in the zocalo. Sometimes they were performing as part of a festival, sometimes we’d get an impromptu concert from local musicians. Street food sellers meander through the crowd and everyone gets up to dance when the music plays, even the old ladies. The atmosphere is delightful and very friendly.
There are plenty of museums, galleries and churches to visit in the city. The Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca and Museum of Contemporary Art (MACO) are popular attractions. The Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán has beautiful baroque architecture and amazing frescoes. The botanical gardens showcase a wide variety of plants from the region. However, you can only see these gardens as part of a guided visit, so you need to check tour times, especially if you would like a tour in English.
The delightfully quirky Museo De La Filatelia MUFI showcases stamps from all around the world. A must visit for philatelists and curious visitors alike.
Day Trip to Monte Alban
One of the essential sites to see in the area is Monte Alban, the former centre of the Zapotec Empire. It’s located a short drive out of town, 10km away, and we recommend visiting as a day trip. You can get a bus, a taxi or shuttle bus. There are agencies in Oaxaca who can sell tickets for the shuttle bus which departs regularly from the Centro Historico.
More intrepid visitors can hire a bike but bear in mind it’s located on a very steep slope. Some bike companies will drive you up to the top, lock away your bikes while you explore the site, and then you cycle back to the city, with gravity doing the work on the steep downward slope.
This extensive city of Monte Alban is a UNESCO world heritage site, founded in around 500 BCE. It was inhabited for over 1500 years.
There are a huge number of temples and tombs within this remarkable place, many of which were carved from the mountainside. Over the years the site was fortified. The architecture is fascinating, especially the bas-reliefs which show how cultured the citizens were. At its height it is believed that some 30,000 people lived here.
There are even ball courts where the residents played a form of football.
If you are interested in learning to cook Mexican food, Oaxaca is a great place to take a cookery class. It starts with a market visit followed by a trip to a local kitchen. We learned to cook a variety of dishes with the lovely Esperanza, including tacos, mole rojo, and a number of salsas. It’s difficult to find authentic Mexican cuisine in the UK, so this course was not only very tasty, it was also educational. We regularly make these dishes at home and can confirm the flavours are delicious.
San Cristobal De Las Casas
Travel from Oaxaca to San Cristobal De Las Casa on an overnight bus (12 hours). The aircon in the bus can be quite cool so we recommend bringing a coat or jumper on board.
We stayed at Casa Mexicana , a wonderful hotel. They let us check in at 9am so we could have a shower after the longest bus ride of the trip.
San Cristobal is a delightful, colourful town, nestled in the mountains of the state of Chiapas.
There are lots of places to visit in the town but the main reason to visit this area is to tour some of the indigenous villages and learn about the heritage of the Mayan Tsotsil people. The Tsotsil have their own time zone, calendar, language and customs, and live in a very close-knit society.
Visitors are welcome but the townspeople fiercely protect their culture. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet local people and understand their traditions. You can read our detailed post about things to do in San Cristobal de las Casas.
Palenque
Travel from San Cristobal De Las Casas to Palenque (5-8 hours depending on the traffic).
Although Palenque is only just over a hundred kilometres from San Cristobal, the bus route goes the long way round via the main highways, rather than through the mountain roads, so this is quite a long journey. But it’s most definitely worth it.
Palenque is another UNESCO site, a wonderful example of Mayan city-state which was inhabited between 226 BCE and 799 CE. It is an extensive site, the highlight of which is the Temple of Inscriptions, a grand pyramid which is 60 meters wide, 42.5 meters deep and 27.2 meters high and records much of the city’s history.
There are a large number of temples, pyramids and palaces and the craftsmanship is quite remarkable. There are many bas-reliefs showing Mayan myths.
We absolutely loved Palenque, it was much quieter than the more famous Chichen Itza, and there were many wonderful sites to explore.
There are other things to do in this beautiful area. There are lovely waterfalls and it’s possible to pick up a bus/taxi/tour who will take you there. Don’t forget your swimming gear. There are different falls to visit but we chose the Roberto Barrios, a system of multiple falls with lots of choice for swimming or walking in the area.
Campeche
Travel from Palenque to Campeche (~5 hours)
Campeche is a former pirate town, located on the coast on the Yucatan peninsular. Another UNESCO heritage site, the city’s colourful architecture and fascinating history make this a worthwhile place to stop over.
There are some interesting museums showcasing the pirate history as well as Mayan artefacts found in the region.
We were in Campeche during the Day of the Dead festival celebrations. It was really lovely to be in a smaller town rather than the big cities – it was a more intimate celebration, although no less spectacular.
Merida
Travel from Campeche to Merida (3 hours).
Merida is a former colonial town and is a popular tourist destination.
It has a lively zocalo and lots of interesting museums and art galleries to explore. We also enjoyed visiting a local food festival where it was possible to enjoy local cuisine.
Foodies might enjoy a trip to the Museum of Yucatecan Gastronomy on Calle 62 466-x 55-y 57 Parque Santa Lucia. Part restaurant, part teeny museum, you can learn about ingredients from the region and enjoy a tasty local meal with cocktails.
A fantastic day trip from the city is to visit some of the nearby cenotes, natural sinkholes that form water-filled grottoes where you can go swimming. These are easy to arrange.
The colour of the water is stunning, especially when the sunlight shines through.
Travel Merida To Chichen Itza– 2 hours
We recommend travelling from Merida in the late afternoon, to arrive at a hotel on the night before, so that you can get to the entrance to Chichen Itza early in the morning to avoid the crowds. The site is a popular day trip from Cancun, so by 11am there are likely to be hordes of visitors and many, many hawkers on-site wanting to sell their wares.
Note: If you are travelling using public transport, there is no bus station at Chichen Itza so make sure you have a ticket for onward travel. The bus stop is basically a tree with a very nice man nearby, who can direct you to the correct bus.
Chichen Itza
One of the seven wonders of the modern world, Chichen Itza was one of the largest of the Mayan cities. Although the Castillo (Kukulcán) pyramid is the primary attraction, this is another extensive site which will take several hours to explore. Apparently the name Chichen Itza means “At the edge of the well of the Itza.” The Itza were a powerful group in the area, it is thought that a translation could be “enchanter of the water.” There are four cenotes in the area which means that the city would have enjoyed a constant supply of water.
The Temple of Kukulcán is the main pyramid. Kukulcán was a feathered serpent deity revered by the Maya.
The site is extensive and contains many features including the Temple of the Warriors and Group of a Thousand Columns. Like Monte Alban, Chichen Itza also has a Great Ball Court.
Much of the joy in exploring the site lies with the details of the architecture. The Tzompantli, or Skull Platform (Plataforma de los Cráneos) is macabre. The locals would hang the heads of their enemies here.
Tips for visiting Chichen Itza: The site opens at 8am. Arrive early. We arrived at 7:30 am and still had to queue.
Because we were travelling onwards to Cancun, we needed storage facilities for our luggage. There are lockers for small bags and, for a small fee, your large bags can be stored in a locked room. Just ask at the information desk.
It is possible to buy skip-the-line tickets and have a guided tour, which is definitely worth considering. There are guides hanging around the queue at the start of the day and they will offer you a tour of the site. If you decide to join them you will get you in more quickly but of course this is at a price. One option is to consider whether other visitors in the queue might want to join with you, so that you can split the costs.
Cancun
Travel from Chichen Itza to Cancun (3-4 hours).
Bear in mind that there will be a time change as you travel – the state of Quintana Roo is one hour ahead of Chichen Itza.
Cancun is the sunshine resort city on the coast. It’s hot and sunny. If you have time to explore there are plenty of Mayan ruins in the area to visit. Or you could just relax on the beach after your journey.
Mexico for Foodies
Where do we start? Mexican food is truly one of the world’s greatest cuisines and foodies will enjoy tasting a huge variety of dishes from posh nosh to street food. Each region has local variations and specialties. Here is our guide to the essential foodie dishes – but there are many, many more.
Tacos are probably the first thing that visitors think of when visiting Mexico. What could be more enticing than seeing and savouring the aroma of meats roasting on a spit?
Taco al pastor and taco Arabe are the two main varieties. Both are delicious.
Mole (pronounced Molay) is a rich sauce. It’s famous because it’s a chocolate sauce, but actually it’s far more sophisticated than that. Moles often contain over 20 ingredients – including a large variety of herbs and spices as well as nuts and chillies – and take many hours to make. Many moles are recipes handed down between generations.
Cemitas are posh sandwiches, found in Central Mexico.
Cochinita pibil – pulled pork – is a typical Yucatan dish.
Tortillas play an important part of Mexican cuisine. Enchiladas are rolled, filled tortillas, chilaquiles are made with fried tortillas – they are usually topped with a red or green salsa and an egg. Quesadillas are filled tortillas. These are often eaten for breakfast. Many dishes are often accompanied by frijoles refritos – refried beans. Even the most apparently simple dishes are packed with flavour.
Many ingredients, such as vanilla and chillies, are native to Mexico. Most Mexican cuisine is accompanied by a variety of embellishments – a squeeze of lime, chillies, salsas – all of which go towards enhancing the complexity of the flavour of the food.
If you get a chance to visit a local market, marvel at the sheer variety of produce. We were astonished to learn about how many different types of chilli there are.
If you enjoy a drink, don’t forget to have a tipple of mezcal or tequila. Shots are usually accompanied by a squeeze of lime and salted chilli powder for an extra kick.
Oaxaca is a great producer of mezcal and it’s possible to visit local producers in this region.
Final Thoughts On This Mexico Travel Itinerary
Mexico is a very special country. We thoroughly enjoyed the variety of places that we visited on this itinerary – from historic sites to beautiful countryside and ecosystems, from loud and lively cities to local villages. We also found that the local people were very friendly and the welcome was warm. The cuisine is spectacularly good and we recommend eating local food at every opportunity. This Mexico travel itinerary covered a long distance across many states and some of the most important sites, giving us a taste of this amazing country. It was the sort of holiday that you need a holiday to recover from. But we’re longing to return.
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Wow this was quite the journey and itinerary to follow along. You packed in a lot during those two and a half weeks, I am sure you guys must have been sightseeing fatigued? I am interested in Mexico and have a learnt a few handy insights e.g. that travelling by bus is the quickest and most effective way around the country. I would probably scale down the itinerary a bit and only do city connections under 4h, as I am aware that travel time can eat up your hols too.
Carolin | Solo Travel Story
Thank you! Yes, the itinerary was very intense but we loved seeing so much of the country. We did find that the long bus journeys were a surprisingly good way to relax between the sightseeing. We could just chill out and watch the world go by. We’re very keen to return to Mexico and next time will explore a particular region, which will reduce the journey times between cities.