North America
Mexico
Ancient civilisations, colour-washed colonial towns and a cuisine that is a reason to travel in itself.
Photo: Raul Varela / Unsplash
Mexico is often presented as a beach destination, but its true spirit lies elsewhere: in a market square fragrant with toasted cacao and chilli pastes, in baroque churches painted like sweet boxes, or on the steps of pyramids that people climbed a thousand years ago.
It's a large and remarkably varied country. Mexico City is one of the world's great museum cities, the central highlands hold colonial towns such as Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende, and in the south Oaxaca and the Yucatán keep Indigenous traditions very much alive. The best journeys here combine a few regions and leave time for long lunches.
Experiences to consider
- 01
Oaxaca and its kitchen
Mole sauces, hand-pressed tortillas, small mezcal distilleries in the valleys and craft villages around the city. Above the valley rise the ruins of Monte Albán, the ancient Zapotec city.
- 02
The colonial highlands
Guanajuato's underground tunnels and narrow alleys, San Miguel de Allende's galleries and rooftop terraces facing its pink church spire — towns made for wandering without a plan.
- 03
The Yucatán: cenotes and Maya cities
Swimming in the clear water of cenotes, the pyramids of Chichén Itzá and Uxmal, and in the evenings the plazas of Mérida and haciendas given new life.
- 04
Mexico City, unhurried
The National Museum of Anthropology, Frida Kahlo's house in Coyoacán, the tree-lined streets of Roma and Condesa, and food that ranges from street tacos to tasting menus.
Ways to travel
Ways to experience it
Ways to travel aren't separate paths — the best journeys often bring several together.
Culture & discovery
Archaeological sites with a guide, markets, cooking classes and time with weavers, potters or mezcal makers.
Tailor-made journeys
Several regions in one journey, linked by domestic flights and private transfers to keep travel days short.
Honeymoons & special journeys
Colonial-town romance, restored haciendas and a few quiet days beside the Caribbean.
Family journeys
Pyramids to marvel at, swims in cenotes and beaches — Mexico easily captures children of all ages.
Sample journey
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