Mexico packs a lot into a first trip: Aztec ruins beside the capital's main square, the pyramids of Teotihuacan, Frida Kahlo's blue house, Zapotec cities on the hills around Oaxaca, and Maya temples and swimming cenotes inland from Cancun's Caribbean beaches. Teotihuacan is about an hour from Mexico City, and the Ik Kil cenote, on the highway by Chichén Itzá, is about two hours by road from Cancun or a short taxi ride from the Tren Maya's Chichén Itzá station.
This page starts with our ranked picks for a first trip, best first, each with a practical tip on timing or booking. Below them you will find every sight we cover in Mexico City, Oaxaca and Cancun, with opening notes and checked entry fees where we have them, and then answers to the questions people ask most when planning.
The 18 best things to do in Mexico
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- 1Mexico City
See the Aztec Templo Mayor beside the Zócalo
Templo Mayor was the great temple of Mexico Tenochtitlan, the Mexica (Aztec) capital, and the center of its political and religious life. Its twin shrines honored Tlaloc, god of rain, and Huitzilopochtli, god of war. After the war of 1519 to 1521 it was taken apart and built over with houses, until excavations from 1978 uncovered its layers right beside the Zócalo, the city's main square, along with more than 7,000 objects. Walkways lead through the ruins, then the museum shows offerings, sculptures and the Tlaltecuhtli monolith, an earth deity carved in pink andesite. Its galleries follow the temple's own layout: the first half for Huitzilopochtli and war, the second for Tlaloc and farming.
Tip: The site and museum are closed on Mondays and open from 9:00 on other days, so start your Zócalo day here at opening time.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: INAH; Mexico City Tourism (mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx, official)Foreign visitors: MX$210 (about $11) · Mexican nationals: MX$105 (about $6)Last verified
- 2Mexico City
Spend a morning in the National Museum of Anthropology
Opened on September 17, 1964 in Chapultepec Park, the National Museum of Anthropology holds Mexico's richest collection of archaeology and ethnography in a stone building by architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez. Its 22 permanent galleries sit around a central courtyard. On the ground floor, 11 archaeology galleries run in order from the first settlers of the Americas through Teotihuacan, Toltec, Maya, Oaxacan, Gulf Coast and other cultures, ending in the Mexica gallery. Highlights include the Sun Stone, a colossal carved solar disk, and the Monolith of Tláloc that stands guard outside the entrance. Upstairs, 11 more galleries show the life of indigenous peoples in Mexico today. The nearest Metro stations, Auditorio and Chapultepec, are about 1.3 km away.
Tip: The museum is closed on Mondays; on other days start with the ground-floor galleries on the right of the courtyard, where the archaeology story begins.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: INAHForeign visitors: MX$210 (about $11) · Mexican nationals: MX$105 (about $6)Last verified
- 3Teotihuacan
Walk the Avenue of the Dead at Teotihuacan
About an hour northeast of Mexico City, Teotihuacan was the largest city in ancient Mexico, home to about 100,000 people at its height around 350 to 450 AD, and the first geometrically planned city in the Americas. By the third century its builders had raised the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Avenue of the Dead. Nobody knows what its people called it: Teotihuacan, place of the gods, is the name Nahua speakers gave the abandoned ruins centuries later. Its monumental buildings, murals and residential compounds earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. Buses marked Pirámides leave from the Terminal Norte bus station, which has its own Metro stop.
Tip: The site is fully exposed to the sun, so bring a hat, sunscreen and good shoes, and arrive at the 8:00 opening, before it fills up between about noon and 4 p.m.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: INAH, National Institute of Anthropology and History (official); Mexico City Tourism (mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx, official) - 4Cancun
See El Castillo rise over Chichén Itzá
Between the 9th and 13th centuries, Chichén Itzá was the most powerful city on the Yucatán Peninsula, a Maya capital with strong influence from the Toltecs of central Mexico. Its core is a huge artificial platform holding El Castillo, the Pyramid of Kukulkan, built as a representation of the solar calendar, along with the Great Ball Court, the Temple of the Warriors and the Platform of Venus. A raised Maya road, or sacbé, leads north to the Sacred Cenote, and El Caracol is a round building known as the observatory. At the spring and fall equinoxes, the shadow of the north stairway draws a serpent sliding down the pyramid. The site has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1988, and the Tren Maya has a Chichén Itzá station.
Tip: Arrive at the 8:00 opening, ahead of the hours from 11:00 to 14:00 when tour agencies get priority entry, and remember that the site closes at 16:00.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: INAH, National Institute of Anthropology and History (official); CULTUR Yucatán; Tren Maya (official)Foreign visitors: MX$697 (about $37) · Mexican nationals: MX$310 (about $17)Last verified
- 5Mexico CityBook ahead
Step inside Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul in Coyoacán
The Casa Azul, or Blue House, in Coyoacán is where Frida Kahlo was born, lived most of her life and painted, first with her family and later with Diego Rivera. The couple wanted it to become a museum for everyone, and it opened in July 1958. The rooms keep her four-poster bed with the mirror her mother installed after her accident, the easel in her studio, her corsets and medicines, and the urn with her ashes, while the walls hold works such as Viva la Vida and her first self-portrait. Afterward, explore Coyoacán's center, where the twin plazas of Jardín Hidalgo and Jardín Centenario keep their 16th century layout in front of the church of San Juan Bautista.
Tip: Tickets are sold online only, with no sales at the door, so buy them before you go; the ticket also covers a visit to the Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Museo Frida Kahlo (official); Museo Frida Kahlo; Mexico City Tourism (mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx, official)General admission: MX$320 (about $17) · Residents of Mexico: MX$160 (about $9) · Tickets sold online onlyLast verified
- 6Oaxaca
Walk the Zapotec hilltop city of Monte Albán
The Zapotec capital of Monte Albán crowns the leveled top of Cerro del Jaguar, about 1,500 m above sea level. It was one of the first states in Mesoamerica and the longest occupied city in the region, lived in from 500 BC to 900 AD and home to about 35,000 people at its height. The main plaza, about 300 by 180 m, is lined with temple platforms and wide stairways, and carved stones such as the Dancers show signs of early Zapotec writing. High-status homes stood near the center, with tombs beneath them. It joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987, and the road toward San Pedro Ixtlahuaca climbs to it from the city.
Tip: It opens daily at 8:00 with last entry at 16:00, so go in the morning, then see the gold of Tomb 7 from Monte Albán at the Museum of the Cultures of Oaxaca.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: INAH; INAHForeign visitors: MX$210 (about $11) · Mexican nationals: MX$105 (about $6)Last verified
- 7Mexico City
Float the canals of Xochimilco on a trajinera
Xochimilco's canals wind between chinampas, farm plots built by hand in shallow lake water centuries ago and still farmed today, the reason the area is part of a World Heritage Site. Tourist rides on the painted, flat-bottomed trajineras began in the 1930s, and around 184 km of waterways remain. Nativitas, Zacapa and Las Flores are the most traditional landings, with craft markets and restaurants, while Cuemanco, Fernando Celada and Puente de Urrutia lead into the quieter protected area, where you can spot migratory and native birds. Rides usually last 1 to 3 hours. Extras come to you: quesadillas cooked on passing boats and mariachi music. Cuemanco is about 23 km south of the historic center.
Tip: The price is set per boat and by the hour, not by the number of people, so agree on the route and length of the ride with the operator before you set off.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Alcaldía Xochimilco; Mexico City Tourism (mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx, official)Boat, per hour: MX$750 (about $40) · Price per boat, for up to 18 peopleLast verified
- 8Cancun
Take the ferry to Isla Mujeres and Playa Norte
Isla Mujeres is a laid-back island town of colorful houses, just 7 km from end to end and about 20 minutes by ferry from Cancun. The town center is easy on foot, and many visitors tour the rest of the island by golf cart. Playa Norte, one of the island's best-known spots, has white sand, shallow water and usually gentle waves. At the other end, Punta Sur is the easternmost point of Mexico, with a sculpture park on cliffs 20 m above the open sea and the remains of a Maya temple to the goddess Ixchel. More than 20 snorkel and dive sites ring the island, among them the reef at Manchones and the underwater sculptures of MUSA.
Tip: Ferries from Puerto Juárez make the shortest crossing and leave most often, every half hour, while boats from the Hotel Zone run less often, so check the time of the last one back.
Search tours on TiqetsSources: Caribe Mexicano, Quintana Roo state tourism board (official)Free to visit - 9Oaxaca
Tour Santo Domingo and the Cultures of Oaxaca museum
The church of Santo Domingo and its former monastery are counted among the finest Baroque buildings of the colonial period, built by the Dominicans with indigenous labor; work began in 1575 and the last stage was finished in 1731. A restoration of the whole complex that began in 1994 won the Queen Sofia International Prize, and in 1998 the monastery reopened as the Museum of the Cultures of Oaxaca. Its galleries cover archaeology, history and ethnography. The star is the treasure of Tomb 7 at Monte Albán, found by archaeologist Alfonso Caso in 1932: Mixtec jewelry of gold, silver, turquoise and rock crystal. A historic ethnobotanical garden and an old library share the complex, at the top of Macedonio Alcalá street.
Tip: The museum opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00, so see it on a weekday and keep Sunday for the market at Tlacolula.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: INAH; Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official)Foreign visitors: MX$210 (about $11) · Mexican nationals: MX$105 (about $6)Last verified
- 10Mexico City
Tour the rooms of Chapultepec Castle
On the highest point of Chapultepec Park, the castle was built from 1785 to 1787 as a stately home for the viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez. It later housed the military academy, saw fighting during the war of 1847, and was home to Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota and to several presidents, before opening as the National Museum of History in 1944. More than 65,000 objects trace the country's story from the Spanish conquest to the 1910 Revolution, with murals by José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Juan O'Gorman. In the Alcázar, the furnished rooms of Maximilian and Carlota and of President Porfirio Díaz show how they lived. The nearest Metro stations are Auditorio and Chapultepec.
Tip: Pair it with the Museum of Anthropology in the same park on any day from Tuesday to Sunday, since both are closed on Mondays.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: INAH; INAHForeign visitors: MX$210 (about $11) · Mexican nationals: MX$105 (about $6)Last verified
- 11Mexico City
See the Ballet Folklórico at Bellas Artes
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is Mexico's leading arts venue, art nouveau in white marble outside and art deco inside. Building began in 1904 to a design by Adamo Boari, and with long pauses during the Revolution it took more than 30 years to finish. The upper floors hold murals by Rufino Tamayo, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera, and the theater's glass curtain, made by Tiffany's in New York from around a million pieces, shows the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. Many international visitors come for the Ballet Folklórico de México, founded by Amalia Hernández in 1952, whose regional dances from across the country need no Spanish to enjoy.
Tip: Check the Ballet Folklórico's website for upcoming performance dates before you fix your Mexico City days, and book seats once they are listed.
Search tours on TiqetsSources: Mexico City Tourism (mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx, official); Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández (official)Entry: MX$95 (about $5) · Free on SundaysLast verified
- 12Oaxaca
Admire the stone mosaics of Mitla
Mitla takes its name from the Nahuatl Mictlán, but in Zapotec it was Lyobáa, the resting place of the dead. Zapotec groups settled here around 200 AD, and it grew in importance after the fall of Monte Albán, peaking around 1200 and leading the Tlacolula valley until the Spanish conquest. Its palace courtyards are covered inside and out with geometric mosaics of finely cut stone, a style considered unique in Mexico. The Hall of Columns holds a row of columns, each carved from a single block. In one courtyard, palaces were torn down for stone to build the church of San Pablo, which still stands among the ancient walls. Today Mitla is a busy Zapotec town around the ruins.
Tip: Open daily from 8:00 with last entry at 16:30, Mitla fits best into a full valley day with Teotitlán, Tlacolula and Hierve el Agua by tour or hired car.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: INAH; Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official); Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official)Foreign visitors: MX$210 (about $11) · Mexican nationals: MX$105 (about $6)Last verified
- 13Oaxaca
Watch rug weavers at work in Teotitlán del Valle
On the road east from Oaxaca, two villages make an easy first stop on a valley day. Santa María del Tule, about 11 km from the city, is home to the Árbol del Tule, an ahuehuete cypress more than 2,000 years old and one of the largest trees in the world, framed by its colonial church. About 17 km further on, Teotitlán del Valle is known for wool rugs woven on traditional pedal looms and colored with natural dyes, including red from cochineal, in designs both pre-Hispanic and modern. Workshops show how the wool is dyed and woven, and the village church and a lookout over the valley round out a visit of about an hour and a half.
Tip: Start early, around 8:00, to see the Tule tree first and reach Teotitlán's workshops by mid-morning, leaving the afternoon for Mitla.
Sources: Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official); Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official)Free to visit - 14Oaxaca
Go to the Tlacolula market on a Sunday
Tlacolula de Matamoros sits on the valley road east of Oaxaca, between Teotitlán del Valle and Mitla, and its traditional market is at its fullest on Sundays. Stalls sell crafts in clay, reed, stone and palm alongside textiles, and the food is the other draw: barbacoa, tlayudas, pan de cazuela and artisanal mezcal. In town, the church of Santa María de la Asunción is known for its chapel of the Señor de Tlacolula. About an hour is enough for a walk through the stalls and a meal before you move on to Mitla, around 15 km away.
Tip: Plan your valley day for a Sunday if you can, and arrive hungry for barbacoa and tlayudas.
Sources: Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official); Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official)Pay as you go - 15Oaxaca
Swim above the petrified falls of Hierve el Agua
Hierve el Agua, in the heart of a dry, rugged mountain range in Oaxaca state, is known for two petrified waterfalls, about 30 m and 12 m tall. They are rock, not ice or water: mineral-rich water from springs at the top runs over the cliffs and leaves new layers that reach toward a ravine more than 200 m deep. On the terrace called El Anfiteatro, small natural pools face the formations, and the water stays between about 22 and 25 degrees Celsius, well below boiling despite the name. The site was probably sacred to the ancient Zapotecs and is an important archaeological site too, and walking or cycling trails follow its pre-Hispanic irrigation system.
Tip: Access has been interrupted at times by local disputes, so confirm the site is open with Oaxaca's tourism office before you go, and bring a swimsuit and towel for the pools.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official)Entry: MX$[fee] - 16Cancun
Swim in the sacred Cenote Ik Kil
Ik Kil means the place of the winds in Maya, and this cenote was sacred to the Maya, who worshipped Chaac, the god of rain, there. It lies on the Mérida to Puerto Juárez highway at Pisté, the town beside Chichén Itzá, so the two pair naturally in one long day. Swimmers wear life vests, which are compulsory and included with entry along with a locker, and lifeguards keep watch. It is open every day from 9:00 to 17:00. From Cancun or Playa del Carmen the drive takes about 2 hours, and from the Tren Maya's Chichén Itzá station it is about 5 minutes by taxi.
Tip: Bring a swimsuit, towel and sandals, and if you bought tickets online, show your purchase code at the entrance and go straight to the changing rooms.
Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Cenote Ik Kil; INAH, National Institute of Anthropology and History (official)Entry: MX$240 (about $13) · Life vest, locker and parking includedLast verified
- 17Cancun
Spend an evening in colonial Valladolid
Valladolid, a Pueblo Mágico between Mérida and Cancun, was founded in the 16th century and keeps colonial houses painted in strong colors and old neighborhoods with their own churches. Start at the Church of San Servacio on the main square, then walk the cobbled Calzada de los Frailes, lined with small hotels, cafes and craft shops, to the former Franciscan convent of San Bernardino de Siena in the Sisal neighborhood, one of the oldest religious buildings in Yucatán. Cenote Zací lies right in town. After dark, video mapping shows are projected on San Servacio and the convent, telling Maya history and the Spanish conquest of 1543. Valladolid has its own Tren Maya station.
Tip: Stay into the evening for the video mapping at the convent, which is free and shown in English and Spanish.
Sources: Yucatán State Tourism (yucatan.travel, official); Yucatán State Tourism (yucatan.travel, official); Yucatán State Tourism (yucatan.travel, official); Tren Maya (official)Free to visit - 18Oaxaca
Taste mezcal where it is made in Santiago Matatlán
Santiago Matatlán, on the valley road beyond Mitla, is known as the capital of mezcal, and fields of agave announce the town before you arrive. Its distilleries and shops show the whole process. A mezcal maker waits more than eight years for an agave to mature, then cuts away the leaves and keeps the heart, the piña, which is cooked, ground, fermented and distilled. Tastings often compare spirits made from different agaves, such as espadín, tobalá and tepeztate, and the style also depends on how long the mezcal rests or ages. Allow about an hour and a half here, plus about the same again for the drive back to Oaxaca.
Tip: Book a tour or hire a driver for the valley day so nobody has to drive back to Oaxaca after the tasting.
Sources: Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official); Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official)Pay as you go
Every sight, city by city
Avenida Hidalgo, Isla Mujeres
The pedestrian main street of the island town, lined with restaurants, bars and shops.Entry: Pay as you goBazar Municipal, Valladolid
A food court of small kitchens on Valladolid's main square.Entry: Pay as you goCenote Ik Kil
A deep, round cenote with hanging vines, near Chichén Itzá.Entry: Life vest, locker and parking includedSearch tickets and tours on TiqetsCenote Zací, Valladolid
A large cenote partly roofed by rock, a few blocks from Valladolid's main square.Entry: MX$[fee]Search tickets and tours on TiqetsChichén Itzá
The great Maya city and its El Castillo pyramid, about 2.5 hours west of Cancun by road.Search tickets and tours on TiqetsConvent of San Bernardino de Siena, Valladolid
A fortress-like Franciscan convent from the 1500s, at the end of Calzada de los Frailes.Entry: MX$[fee]Search tickets and tours on TiqetsEl Rey archaeological zone
Small Maya ruins in the middle of the Hotel Zone, home to many iguanas.Search tickets and tours on TiqetsMercado 28
A downtown craft market with restaurants around an inner courtyard.Entry: Pay as you goMercado Municipal, Isla Mujeres
The island town's small municipal market, with counters serving inexpensive Mexican food.Entry: Pay as you goMuseo Maya de Cancún
Maya artifacts from across the region, with the San Miguelito ruins in its grounds.Closed MondaysSearch tickets and tours on TiqetsParque de las Palapas
Downtown Cancun's main square, where food stands open in the evening and local families gather.Entry: Pay as you goPlaya Delfines
A wide public beach with no resorts on it and the colorful Cancun sign above the sand.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsPlaya Langosta
A calm beach on the bay side of the Hotel Zone, a short ride from downtown.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsPlaya Norte, Isla Mujeres
Calm, shallow turquoise water at the north tip of Isla Mujeres.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsPunta Sur, Isla Mujeres
Cliffs and a sculpture garden at the southern tip of the island.Entry: MX$[fee]Search tickets and tours on TiqetsValladolid
A colorful colonial town on the way back from Chichén Itzá.Entry: Free to visitÁngel de la Independencia
A golden winged Victory on a tall column over Paseo de la Reforma, built for the 1910 centenary of independence.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsChapultepec Castle
Hilltop castle in Chapultepec Park, now the National History Museum, with city views.Closed MondaysSearch tickets and tours on TiqetsCoyoacán center
Colonial plazas, a busy market and churros, in the old village south of the center.Entry: Free to visitFrida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul)
The blue house where Frida Kahlo was born, lived and died.Entry: Tickets sold online only. Closed MondaysSearch tickets and tours on TiqetsLeon Trotsky House Museum
The house where Leon Trotsky lived in exile until he was assassinated in 1940.Entry: MX$[fee]Search tickets and tours on TiqetsMercado de Coyoacán
Coyoacán's covered market, known for its tostada stalls.Entry: Pay as you goMercado de San Juan
A market known for hard-to-find produce, cheeses and meats, with counters that serve food on the spot.Entry: Pay as you goMercado Medellín
A Roma Sur neighborhood market with fondas serving set lunches and stalls selling foods from across Latin America.Entry: Pay as you goMetropolitan Cathedral
The largest cathedral in the Americas, built between 1573 and 1813.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsNational Museum of Anthropology
A huge museum of Mexico's ancient cultures, home to the Aztec Sun Stone.Closed MondaysSearch tickets and tours on TiqetsPalacio de Bellas Artes
Art nouveau palace with murals by Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros.Entry: Free on Sundays. Closed MondaysSearch tours on TiqetsParque México
The leafy park at the heart of Condesa, laid out inside the oval of an old racetrack.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsPlaza de la Conchita
A quiet square around a small colonial chapel, a few blocks from Coyoacán's main plazas.Entry: Free to visitPlaza Garibaldi
The square where mariachi bands gather to play for hire, with the San Camilito food market on its north side.Entry: Free to visitRoma Norte
Leafy streets of early 1900s houses, cafes, bars and some of the city's best restaurants.Entry: Free to visitTemplo Mayor
Excavated ruins of the Aztec capital's main temple, with a museum of the finds.Closed MondaysSearch tickets and tours on TiqetsTorre Latinoamericana
A 1950s skyscraper with an observation deck at the top, known for riding out the 1957 and 1985 earthquakes.Entry: Observation deck and floor 38 museum included.Search tickets and tours on TiqetsXochimilco canals
Canals left from the lake that once filled the valley, lined with chinampa farm plots and toured on painted trajinera boats.Entry: Price per boat, for up to 18 peopleSearch tickets and tours on TiqetsZócalo
Mexico City's main square, framed by the cathedral and the National Palace.Entry: Free to visitÁrbol del Tule
A giant cypress in Santa María del Tule with one of the widest trunks in the world.Entry: MX$[fee]Search tickets and tours on TiqetsBasílica de la Soledad
The basilica of the Virgin of Solitude, patron saint of Oaxaca, with ice cream stands in the plaza beside it.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsHierve el Agua
Mineral springs and cliff-edge pools above rock formations that look like frozen waterfalls.Entry: MX$[fee]Search tickets and tours on TiqetsJalatlaco
Cobbled lanes, murals and small cafes a few blocks from the center.Entry: Free to visitMacedonio Alcalá street
The pedestrian street that runs up to Santo Domingo, lined with galleries, shops, cafes and restaurants.Entry: Free to visitMercado 20 de Noviembre
Food market famous for its smoke-filled grill aisle, where you pick your meat and have it grilled on the spot.Entry: Pay as you goMercado Benito Juárez
The main market hall next to Mercado 20 de Noviembre, selling chocolate, mole paste, cheese, crafts and more.Entry: Pay as you goMercado de la Merced
A neighborhood market east of the center, known for its fondas serving breakfast and lunch.Entry: Pay as you goMitla
Zapotec and Mixtec ruins known for their stone mosaic walls.Search tickets and tours on TiqetsMonte Albán
The hilltop Zapotec capital, with views over the whole valley.Search tickets and tours on TiqetsMuseo Textil de Oaxaca
A museum of textiles from Oaxaca and beyond, in a restored colonial building.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsMuseum of the Cultures of Oaxaca
In the former convent of Santo Domingo, with the treasure of Tomb 7 from Monte Albán.Closed Sundays and MondaysSearch tickets and tours on TiqetsRufino Tamayo Museum
Pre-Hispanic art collected by the Oaxacan painter Rufino Tamayo, shown in a colonial house.Entry: Official register lists renovation. Skip this optional stop unless reopening is confirmed. Entry: MX$[fee]Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSantiago Matatlán
A valley town of small family distilleries that make mezcal from agave.Entry: Pay as you goTemplo de Santo Domingo
A baroque church covered inside in gilded stucco.Entry: Free to visitSearch tours on TiqetsTeotitlán del Valle
A Zapotec village known for wool rugs woven on foot looms and colored with natural dyes.Entry: Free to visitTlacolula market
The market hall of Tlacolula de Matamoros, the center of one of the valley's biggest Sunday markets.Entry: Pay as you goZócalo de Oaxaca
The shaded main square, busy with vendors and music in the evening.Entry: Free to visitQuestions travelers ask
What are the best things to do in Mexico for a first trip?
In Mexico City, start with Templo Mayor beside the Zócalo, the National Museum of Anthropology, Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul and a trajinera ride at Xochimilco, and give a day to the pyramids of Teotihuacan. In Oaxaca, see Monte Albán and Santo Domingo, then spend a day in the valley with weavers, a market, Mitla and mezcal. From Cancun, pair Chichén Itzá with a swim in Ik Kil, take the ferry to Isla Mujeres and spend an evening in Valladolid.
Sources: INAH; Mexico City Tourism (mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx, official); Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official); Cenote Ik Kil; Caribe Mexicano, Quintana Roo state tourism board (official)How many days do you need in Mexico?
Plan by region rather than for the whole country. Mexico City's big museums and ruins fill several days, and Teotihuacan, about an hour away, takes most of another. In Oaxaca, give the city and Monte Albán a day or two, plus a full day in the valley, which runs from about 8:00 to 20:30 with all the stops. Around Cancun, Chichén Itzá with Ik Kil and Valladolid is a long day trip, Isla Mujeres another, so add beach days on top.
Sources: Mexico City Tourism (mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx, official); Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official); Cenote Ik Kil; Caribe Mexicano, Quintana Roo state tourism board (official)When is the best time to go sightseeing in Mexico?
December to April falls outside the rainy season in all three regions. Mexico City's rainy season runs from June to early October, though rain usually lasts only a few hours a day; Oaxaca's runs from June to October, wettest in August. On the Caribbean side in Quintana Roo the rains last from May to November, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, busiest from mid-August to mid-October. At Chichén Itzá, the equinoxes bring the serpent shadow to El Castillo.
Sources: Mexico City Tourism (mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx, official); Government of Mexico, INECC climate data (official); Government of Mexico, INECC climate data (official); Government of Mexico, INECC climate data (official); NOAA National Hurricane Center; INAH, National Institute of Anthropology and History (official)Which attractions in Mexico should you book ahead?
Book the Frida Kahlo Museum first: tickets are sold online only, with no sales at the door. Check the Ballet Folklórico's performance dates at the Palacio de Bellas Artes before fixing your Mexico City days. For the Torre Latinoamericana lookout, online tickets speed up entry, and Ik Kil lets online buyers go straight to the changing rooms. At Chichén Itzá, timing matters more than booking: arrive at the 8:00 opening, before tour agencies get priority entry from 11:00.
Sources: Museo Frida Kahlo; Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández (official); Mirador Torre Latino; Cenote Ik Kil; INAH, National Institute of Anthropology and History (official)How do you get around Mexico City, Oaxaca and Cancun?
Mexico City's Metro has 12 lines and 195 stations; Line 2 crosses the Zócalo and Bellas Artes, Line 5 reaches Airport Terminal 1, and you pay with the MI card or a contactless bank card. Buses to Teotihuacan leave from Terminal Norte. Around Oaxaca, the valley sights are easiest by tour or hired vehicle. From Cancun, the Tren Maya stops at the airport, Chichén Itzá and Valladolid, and ferries cross to Isla Mujeres from Puerto Juárez.
Sources: Mexico City Tourism (mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx, official); Mexico City Tourism (mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx, official); Oaxaca State Tourism Ministry (oaxaca.travel, official); Tren Maya (official); Caribe Mexicano, Quintana Roo state tourism board (official)Is Mexico safe for tourists, and what precautions should you take?
Street crime is a risk in big cities and resort areas, including pickpocketing on public transport, so keep valuables out of sight. Use regulated sitio taxis from official ranks or a taxi your hotel orders, and only authorized prepaid taxis at airports. Withdraw cash in daylight from ATMs inside shops or malls. Never leave drinks unattended, and move away from demonstrations. Some regions carry stronger warnings, so read your own government's travel advice before you go.
Sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (GOV.UK)