It is not difficult to fall in love with this country upon arrival. The amount of essential places to visit in MexicoThey are one of the many incentives, besides being a country full of color, history, delicious cuisine, traditions, natural landscapes and friendly people, who welcome you with open arms.
During our trip to Mexico in 45 days for free we have been able to discover many of its wonders, which have shown us that Mexico is much more than the famous Riviera Maya and that, in addition, this country is not only what we see in the media.
Unfortunately, the fame of dangerous country, it makes it receive much less tourism than it should, in addition to removing many Travellers from less touristy areas, but they are really incredible.
We have toured different cities in the center and south of the country, both by public transport and by rental car and we can assure you that at no time have we had the feeling of insecurity, quite the opposite. Obviously we can not deny that things happen, but it is not something widespread and less in the places where tourism usually moves. That's why we recommend you visit this amazing country and leave some topics parked, focusing only on the really important thing: enjoy it.
Based on the experience of our trip we have made a list of the 10 essential places to visit in Mexico. We start!
1. Teotihuacán
Teotihuacán, the place where men become gods, It's one of the essential to see in Mexico. Located less than 50 kilometers from Mexico City, the archaeological zone of Teotihuacán still presents many puzzles around the town that built and inhabited it for centuries.
The huge Pyramid of the Sun, one of the largest pyramids in the world, welcomes thousands of tourists who visit it every day. The Causeway of the Dead and the Pyramid of the Moon complete one of the places in Mexico that exceeded all our expectations.
We recommend you visit the pyramids of Teotihuacán in the early hours, they open at 8 in the morning, to avoid the hours in which the majority of organized groups are concentrated. If you want to make this visit for free, you can arrive by bus from the Central Station of the North of Mexico City, after a journey of one hour, with a departure frequency of half an hour.
To get to the bus station, you can do it by subway, although for prices, we recommend using Uber, one of the safest ways to get around Mexico City.
Another more comfortable option is to book this bus tour at dawn with a guide in Spanish or this balloon ride over the impressive Teotihuacán Valley. You loved among the best excursions in Mexico City.
Teotihuacan
2. San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende was the first city that fell in love on our trip to Mexico for free. Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, the city is like a brightly colored canvas in which it is forced to get lost in its historic center. Its cobbled streets surrounded by color, the colonial architecture of its houses, handicraft markets, its squares and ancient churches form a difficult set to overcome.
We arrived in San Miguel de Allende from the Central Station of Mexico City by bus with the ETN company, with very comfortable seats, even better than first class of many airlines, in a journey of about 4 hours.
If you have only one day, a good option is to book this excursion to San Miguel de Allende from Mexico City with a guide in Spanish.
San Miguel de Allende
3. Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is one of the seven wonders of the modern world and one of the most essential places to visit in Mexico. Considered the most famous Mayan ruin in the world, Chichen Itza is located in the tourist area of the Yucatan Peninsula and receives more than one million tourists every year.
It is for this reason that it is advisable to arrive a little before 8 at the ticket office to avoid finding the enclosure full of people or organized groups, which usually start arriving around 10-11 in the morning.
During the visit, which usually lasts between 3 and 5 hours depending on the areas you visit and what you entertain in each of them, you can visit the central area of the site, where the most important structures such as the Pyramid of Kukulkan or the amazing Ball Game. Further away from these are several spectacular buildings that you can enjoy with more tranquility, as there are travelers who do not reach them, but are really interesting.
If you do not have a car to get there, a good option to also know, the history of this ancient Mayan city is to book this tour with a guide in Spanish where you will be picked up at your hotel in Riviera Maya (Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Adventures and Tulum) or this one where they pick you up in Cancun. Both options include a visit to the spectacular Ik Kil cenote, which is very close.
Chichen Itza
4. San Cristobal de Las Casas
San Cristóbal de Las Casas, located in the beautiful state of Chiapas, is a photogenic city and our favorite in Mexico. Recognized as Magic Town, stands out for its colonial buildings and its bohemian atmosphere, full of places to relax while enjoying life.
Stroll through its cobbled streets, surround yourself with color, drink coffee or chocolate in a charming place, taste its rich gastronomy, find a bargain in its markets, listen to music in the street or watch an incredible sunset from a viewpoint, they are just Some of the many things that, we are sure, will make you fall in love with San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
From this city we recommend you to make several excursions in the surroundings, such as touring the incredible Sumidero Canyon by boat or visiting the amazing church of San Juan Chamula.
San Cristóbal de las Casas
5. Palenque, one of the best places to visit in Mexico
After arriving in Palenque from San Cristóbal de Las Casas by bus, we have to confess that what was our first visit to a Mayan city in Mexico, amazed us and exceeded all the expectations we had.
Palenque is a Mayan archeological site, smaller than Chichén Itzá or Calakmul, which is located in the middle of a tropical jungle and stands out for the good state of conservation of its buildings and sculptures.
To reach the Mayan ruins from the city of Palenque, 9 kilometers away, you can do it by taxi or in a shared van from the city bus station. Keep in mind that there are two entrances, the upper one and the lower one, although we recommend you enter through the second one, since this being the one at the top you will make the whole route in plain and down.
The visit to Palenque usually lasts between 3 and 4 hours, depending on the areas you visit and what you entertain and at the entrance you can hire a guide to learn more about the history and places you will visit.
Although it is not very popular, at the end of the visit we recommend entering the Museum "Alberto Ruz Lhuillier", one of the most important Mayan museums, where you can see really incredible pieces.
We do not want to stop commenting on something that has surprised us greatly in the Mayan sites and it is the large number of children that are offered as guides for visits and unfortunately, the number of people who hire them. We recommend you not to do so that your families do not always have them there and go to school.
Palenque, one of the best places to visit in Mexico
6. Holbox
There is something unquestionable in Mexico: Holbox Island is a paradise and one of the places to see in the Riviera Maya. Its white sand beaches, its crystalline waters of an intense turquoise green, its restaurants of delicious local and international food, its murals and its beautiful sunsets, make it one of the essential places to visit in Mexico.
In addition, the island is still not very crowded, allowing you to relax and enjoy its beaches to the fullest, if you move away from the most central area, practically alone.
To move around the island we recommend you to walk along the beach until you reach Punta Cocos or Punta Mosquitos, two of the most incredible points, although you also have the possibility to rent a golf cart, since in Holbox motor vehicles are not allowed .
One of the most famous activities on the island is swimming with the whale shark, which can reach 20 meters in length, between June and September. You can also attend the turtle nesting on its beaches or do the bioluminescence tour, the so-called luminous plankton, which is the favorite food of the whale shark, although it is also advisable to consult the best time, since it cannot be seen during all year.
To get to Holbox you have to do it by ferry from Chiquilá. If you arrive by car there, do not worry, there are several parking lots next to the ferry area, where you can leave it on the island for 100 pesos a day.
If you only have one day to visit Holbox, a good option is to book a tour from Riviera Maya or this one from Cancun.
Holbox
7. Calakmul
Located in southern Mexico, near the border with Guatemala, Calakmul was one of the most important cities of the Mayan civilization. This archaeological site expands over 70 km² with more than 6000 structures and is hidden in the middle of a huge jungle. Its structures full of moss and vegetation give it an aspect of an adventure film scene, which delight all those who visit it.
In the site there are three large pyramids to which you can climb and contemplate from them incredible panoramic views of the jungle.
Its major drawback is the isolation compared to the rest of places to visit in Mexico, so it also has very little hotel infrastructure. Although we can not deny that this is also a great advantage and that is if you go first thing in the morning, you can walk through the ruins practically alone.
We arrived by rental car from Campeche and stayed at the beautiful Hotel Puerta Calakmul, the closest to the entrance of Calakmul.
Calakmul
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
8. Izamal
Izamal, was one of the great surprises of our trip. This beautiful Magic Town of Yucatan, known by the nickname of the city of the three cultures, is another one of the essential places to visit in Mexico, where walking through its streets becomes a show where you can see from Mayan pyramids to beautiful colonial houses and churches, all painted yellow.
Stresses the impressive set that form the temple of the Immaculate Conception and the Convent of San Antonio de Padua, built on a pre-Hispanic platform and that are one of the icons of Izamal.
Although we can not forget the typical Yucatecan food, another of the claims to visit the city, within which we recommend you try the stuffed cheese, the egg chaya, the panuchos or the cochinita pibil, especially in the Kinich Restaurant, all An institution of the place.
Izamal
9. Tulum
Tulum is one of the best excursions in Riviera Maya and one of the places to visit in Mexico essential. The archeological zone of its ancient Mayan city with the iconic castle, located on a cliff above the turquoise green waters of the Caribbean Sea, form one of the most beautiful images in the country.
The visit to the ruins of Tulum can last about 2 or 3 hours, depending on the stops you make and one of its great attractions is to go down to the beach of the ruins, one of the most impressive in the world, once the visit is over. Even if it is very crowded, do not worry, another option is to walk to Playa Paraíso, one of the best beaches in Tulum, where you will find 2 kilometers of white sand beach, with places and restaurants to have a drink or eat.
If you are not staying in Tulum you can arrive by bus to the city and from there take a van to the ruins. Another more comfortable option is to book a tour with a Spanish guide at dawn or this one that also includes a visit to the Mayan ruins of Cobá. On both tours they will pick you up at the hotel.
Tulum
10. Cenotes of Valladolid
There are hundreds of cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula, although according to our personal opinion, the cenotes of Valladolid and its surroundings are the most interesting. These cave-like cenotes, full of incredible karst formations, in which you can bathe alone in its crystalline waters or with very few people, are a real wonder.
After touring several cenotes during our trip to Mexico, our favorites are: Ik Kil, Samulá, X'kekén, Popcorn, Agua Dulce, Xcanahaltun, Hubiku and Suytun.
What we cannot deny is that it is not easy to visit the cenotes by public transport, especially the less known ones, since they are far from each other and since they do not have many visits, there is no transport.
If you want to visit them with peace of mind, we recommend you rent a car in Mexico, not only to see the cenotes, since the states of Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo are very safe to travel, with the freedom of having your own car.
Valladolid Cenotes
We cannot deny that we have left many others places to visit in Mexico They are worth it like Uxmal, Oaxaca, Río Lagartos, Laguna Bacalar, Guanajuato, Campeche, among many others, but it was impossible to include them all. Some of us visited them during our trip and others, as we are sure we will return more times, will visit them. Long live Mexico!
How to have internet in Mexico?If you want to have internet in Mexico a good option is to buy one Holafly SIM card, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, several GB of data, keeping your WhatsApp number and support service in Spanish.
You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader.
If you feel like helping us expand the list 10 essential places to visit in Mexico, add yours in the comments.
