Mexico City and the centre
a capital of museums, markets and neighbourhoods, with the pyramids of Teotihuacán an easy day out and Puebla, home of mole poblano, to the east. See our Mexico City guide.
Americas
Mexico
Pyramids, cenotes and colonial cities, and a cuisine on UNESCO's heritage list, from Mexico City and Oaxaca to the Yucatán coast.
- Currency
- Mexican Peso (MXN)
- Language
- Spanish
- Best time
- November – April (dry season in the centre and on both coasts)
- Visa
- Visa-free for tourists. Officers stamp the number of days allowed (the longest tourist stay is 180 days); keep the stamp or e-gate ticket, as you must show it to leave.
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of Mexico
See which areas are affected
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — the definitive source. Check it close to your travel dates.
Flight cancelled or delayed because of this? Your rights under UK261 / EU261 →
Why visit
Why Mexico
Pyramids, cenotes and colonial cities, and a cuisine on UNESCO's heritage list, from Mexico City and Oaxaca to the Yucatán coast.
- Día de Muertos, 28 Oct – 2 Nov
- Oaxaca's markets and Monte Albán
- Mexico City's museums and Zócalo
- Teotihuacán's pyramids
- Chichén Itzá and Uxmal
- Cenotes and the Riviera Maya
- Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende
- Pacific sunsets at Puerto Vallarta
Read more
Mexico is far bigger than the beach resorts most of us picture. In one trip we can stand on a pyramid outside the capital, eat our way through Oaxaca's markets and swim off the Caribbean coast, and at the turn of October and November the whole country stops to remember its dead. The distances are long, so we plan by region and fly between them.
Where to go
The regions of Mexico
Oaxaca
a low colonial city in a highland valley, with the Zapotec hilltop city of Monte Albán above it, craft and mezcal villages around it and the country's best-known Día de Muertos. See our Oaxaca guide and the caves of Yagul and Mitla.
The Yucatán and the Riviera Maya
Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum on the Caribbean, cenotes inland, and Maya cities at Chichén Itzá and Uxmal. Mérida is the region's colonial capital and walled Campeche sits on the Gulf coast.
The Pacific coast
Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit to the north, Mazatlán, and Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa further south. Much of this coast falls under FCDO warnings (see below), so we check the state before we book.
Baja California
desert, two seas and the resorts of Los Cabos in Baja California Sur. The northern state, Baja California, is a different place, with FCDO warnings for Tijuana and Tecate.
The colonial highlands
silver-boom cities of painted façades and tiled domes. Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende are the classic pair; Morelia is the base for Pátzcuaro; Zacatecas is in a state where FCDO advises against all but essential travel.
Mexico in pictures
Showing 9 of 11
A pillar, not a footnote
Eat your way through Mexico
The single reason many travellers come back — the food culture worth reshaping a trip around, and the dishes to seek out region by region.
Mexico
One of the world's great cuisines — corn, chilli and centuries of patience, best eaten standing at a taco stall.
Find the taco stall with the longest queue and the trompo of al pastor pork turning out front, a pineapple on top. The taquero shaves the meat onto a small corn tortilla with salsa, coriander, onion and lime: two bites, then order more. UNESCO lists traditional Mexican cuisine as intangible heritage, and the street stall is where most of us meet it.
It starts with corn, dried, cooked with lime and ground into masa for tortillas and tamales. Around it sit dried chillies, tomatillos, herbs and chocolate, which Oaxaca grinds into its moles and Puebla into mole poblano. In the Yucatán, cochinita pibil is pork marinated in achiote and slow-cooked until it falls apart. Drink an agua fresca with lunch, and in Oaxaca sip mezcal slowly.
Dishes to seek out
- tacos al pastor (spit-roast pork)
- mole poblano (chilli & chocolate sauce)
- cochinita pibil (Yucatán roast pork)
- tamales
- chiles en nogada
- pozole (hominy stew)
- guacamole
Cities and regions worth your time
12 destinations in Mexico — pick a base or link them into a route.
Browse by type
Tap a type to filter the list and the map — tap it again or “All” to see everything.
© OpenFreeMap · OSM · terrain Mapterhorn
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Mexico City
CapitalOne of the world's great megacities: Aztec ruins beneath Spanish baroque, extraordinary food, and a cultural energy that never stops.
5–7 days
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Campeche
A pastel-painted, walled Caribbean colonial town on Mexico's Gulf coast, once besieged by pirates.
about 1–2 days
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Guanajuato
Mexico's most colourful colonial city: underground tunnels, silver-mining history, Diego Rivera's birthplace and a UNESCO-listed historic core.
about 2–3 days
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Morelia
A stately colonial city of rose-pink stone in central Mexico, spanned by a graceful old aqueduct.
about 2 days
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Oaxaca
Oaxaca's food and craft city: Zapotec ruins, colonial baroque and mole negro in a UNESCO-listed valley.
3–4 days (5–7 with valley trips)
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Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza
The Maya-Toltec metropolis of Yucatán, crowned by the great pyramid of El Castillo and its serpent shadow.
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Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan
The 'City of the Gods' near Mexico City — colossal pyramids along a grand ancient avenue.
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Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal
The finest of the Maya Puuc cities — intricately carved facades and the great oval Pyramid of the Magician.
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Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Central Valley of Oaxaca
Oaxacan valley caves holding some of the earliest evidence of plant domestication in the Americas.
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Puebla
A colonial Mexican city of tiled facades, baroque churches and one of the country's great cuisines.
about 2 days
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San Miguel de Allende
A romantic colonial arts town in Mexico's highlands, crowned by a pink neo-Gothic parish church.
about 2–3 days
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Zacatecas
A silver-rich colonial city of pink stone spilling through a narrow Mexican ravine, crowned by a cable-car ridge.
about 2 days
Nature, culture and the outdoors
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Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres
Warm, waist-deep turquoise water reaches far offshore, so kids can wade out and adults just float.
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Tulum Beach (Playa Paraíso)
Powder-white sand runs for miles beneath swaying palms and a clifftop Maya ruin at the north end.
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Playa Delfines, Cancún
Big Caribbean rollers crash on open sand below the hilltop lookout and the giant Cancún letters.
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Akumal Bay
Green sea turtles graze the seagrass just past the shallows, seen on a mandatory guided snorkel.
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Playa Maroma
A soft, palm-backed crescent of pale sand and glassy shallows, fronted mostly by low-key resorts.
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Xpu-Ha
A sheltered cove of shallow, gentle water and soft sand that suits toddlers and snorkelers alike.
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Playa del Carmen
Lively beach clubs, music and boat traffic spill onto the sand a block off busy Fifth Avenue.
More tickets & tours in Mexico
Day trips and sights outside the cities we cover, booked through our partners.
Plan your trip
Browse all Mexico trips → Curated Mexico itineraries
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6 Nights 7 Days in Mexico: Mexico City, Yucatan & the Riviera Maya Itinerary
One base, six nights, no repacking — Playa del Carmen as the hub for Tulum's cliff-top ruins, Chichén Itzá, a cenote swim, a Cozumel reef day and the sea turtles at Akumal.
Price on enquiry
View trip
Where to stay
Browse all Mexico stays → Hand-checked places in Mexico
Plan
Getting there, getting around and where to stay
Getting there from the UK
British Airways and Aeroméxico both fly non-stop from London Heathrow to Mexico City. Virgin Atlantic flies Heathrow to Cancún on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 18 October 2026 to 11 April 2027, about 10–11 hours, and British Airways flies to Cancún from London Gatwick. Compare flights to Mexico City and flights to Cancún.
Getting around
Domestic flights are the practical way to cover the distances; Aeroméxico flies to Oaxaca from both of Mexico City's airports, Benito Juárez (MEX) and Felipe Ángeles (NLU). For buses, FCDO advises first-class coaches on toll roads (cuota), which have fewer incidents than buses on the free (libre) roads. In cities we use authorised sitio taxis, a taxi ordered by the hotel or the pre-paid desks at airports, never a car hailed in the street.
Where to stay
For a first trip we split the time between a city and a coast: Mexico City or Oaxaca for food and culture, then the Riviera Maya or the Pacific for the sea. Our stays include Maison Lezard in Mexico City, Chablé Yucatán in the Yucatán, Maroma on the Riviera Maya, Ser Casasandra on Holbox, One&Only Mandarina and Naviva on the Riviera Nayarit, and Amanvari on Baja's East Cape.
When to go
Weather & timing in Mexico RIGHT NOW 14°C cloudy
Best Dec–Feb · Shoulder May, Oct
Units
Monthly figures are for Central (Mexico City); other regions of Mexico vary. See every region, month by month →
Next 7 days · Central
Forecast · Met Office · updated 13 Nov · Powered by Met Office data
Typical · climate data
Best time to visit
November – April (dry season in the centre and on both coasts)
Best for
At a glance
Part of Central America →
Sunshine 10.9 hr/day
Rainfall 87 mm/mo
Wettest August · 252.9mm
Driest January · 5.6mm
By season
Units
Spring (Mar–May)
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 28°C with overnight lows near 12°C, and it stays largely dry.
What's best — Warm & dry, then Warm. Mar, Apr and May are among the best months here (warm & dry, sunny).
Summer (Jun–Aug)
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 24°C with overnight lows near 13°C — the wettest stretch of the year.
What's best — Shoulder season, then Wet.
Autumn (Sep–Nov)
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 23°C with overnight lows near 11°C, with plenty of rain.
What's best — Shoulder season, then Warm, then Warm & dry. Oct and Nov are among the best months here (warm, sun and cloud).
Winter (Dec–Feb)
What to expect — Daytime highs average about 23°C with overnight lows near 8°C, and it stays largely dry.
What's best — Warm, then Warm & dry. Dec, Jan and Feb are among the best months here (warm, sunny).
Local weather agencies
- Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN, CONAGUA) · National service
- US National Hurricane Center · Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and eastern Pacific tropical cyclones
When to go, region by region
Mexico has 4 climate regions
Each month our cards and map show the region with the best weather that month: Jan–Mar Central · Apr Yucatan / Caribbean · May–Jun Pacific coast · Jul–Sep Yucatan / Caribbean · Oct–Dec Central.
Region JFMAMJJASOND
CentralMexico City · best Oct–May January: great, shown on the cards February: great, shown on the cards March: great, shown on the cards April: great May: great June: good July: not ideal August: not ideal September: not ideal October: great, shown on the cards November: great, shown on the cards December: great, shown on the cards
Yucatan / CaribbeanCancun · best Jan–May January: great February: great March: great April: great, shown on the cards May: great June: not ideal July: good, shown on the cards August: good, shown on the cards September: not ideal, shown on the cards October: good November: good December: good
NorthMonterrey · best Oct–Mar January: great February: great March: great April: good May: not ideal June: not ideal July: not ideal August: not ideal September: not ideal October: great November: great December: great
Pacific coastPuerto Vallarta · best Mar–May, Nov–Jan January: great February: good March: great April: great May: great, shown on the cards June: good, shown on the cards July: not ideal August: not ideal September: not ideal October: good November: great December: great
Great Good Not ideal Shown on our cards that month
Heat, rain and the best months, region by region
November to April is the dry season in the centre and on both coasts, and the best time for a first trip. Mexico City, at altitude, has average highs of about 22–28°C all year; most of its rain falls between June and September, at about 150–250 mm a month. Cancún and the Yucatán are warm all year, with average highs of about 27°C in winter and 31°C in August, and summer nights that stay at about 25°C. The Caribbean side is driest in March and April and wettest in June and from September to November. On the Pacific, Puerto Vallarta gets little rain from November to May and gets about 215–235 mm a month from July to September. The north is the hot one: Monterrey averages highs of about 32–34°C from May to August, so in summer we go out early and late in the day. Mexico's Servicio Meteorológico Nacional starts the tropical-cyclone season on 15 May in the Pacific and 1 June in the Atlantic, and FCDO says hurricanes normally run from June to November and can hit both coasts, so September and October on either coast need flexible plans.
| Area | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central (Mexico City) | 23 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 22 |
| Yucatan / Caribbean (Cancún) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 27 |
| North (Monterrey) | 20 | 22 | 27 | 29 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 31 | 27 | 23 | 22 |
| Pacific coast (Puerto Vallarta) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 27 |
Colours as on the month tiles above. Bold: hot, 32°C or more (go early or late in the day). Outlined: very hot, 35°C or more. Wet: 150 mm of rain or more.
A little context
A little history
To read what you're looking at — the empires and eras that shaped Mexico's food, art and streets.
Great pre-Columbian civilisations — Maya, Aztec, Teotihuacán — left pyramids and gave the world corn, chocolate and chilli
the 1521 Spanish conquest layered Catholic colonial cities directly over the ancient stone
that collision is why the food fuses native maize and chilli with European pork and cheese
independence in 1821, then a revolution a century later, forged the proud mestizo identity of today
Culture
Culture and etiquette
Día de Muertos
Mexico's Day of the Dead is on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage as the indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead. Families build ofrendas (altars) of marigolds, candles, pan de muerto and the dead person's favourite food, and keep vigil at the graves. The days follow a sequence: 28 October for those who died by accident or violence, 30 and 31 October for children who died unbaptised, 1 November (All Saints) for children and 2 November for adults. In 2026, Mexico City holds its Gran Desfile on Saturday 31 October at 14:00, from the Diana Cazadora along Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo, where a monumental ofrenda stands from 29 October to 2 November. In Oaxaca the Gran Comparsa leaves the Fuente de las Ocho Regiones at 18:00 on 31 October, and the cemeteries of Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán hold their night vigil the same evening. On Lake Pátzcuaro the cemetery on Janitzio island is closed to the general public this year for restoration, with a viewing walkway instead. Our Day of the Dead page has the details. These are family occasions at family graves: we ask before taking photographs and keep out of the way.
Food and culture
UNESCO lists traditional Mexican cuisine as intangible heritage: maize, beans and chilli, the nixtamal that turns corn into masa, and the cooks and markets that keep it going. Every region has its own table, from Oaxaca's moles and tlayudas to the Yucatán's cochinita pibil and Puebla's chiles en nogada. Spanish is the main language, and a few words of greeting go a long way.
Grand Prix weekend in Mexico
Local events
See all Mexico events → What's on in Mexico
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29 OCT Sport & Spectacle See the event → -
31 OCT Cultural & Traditions See the event →
Practical
Entry, money and health
Entry and visas (British passport holders)
British citizens visiting as tourists do not need a visa. FCDO says you get a stamp in your passport showing how many days you can stay, and you must show it to leave, so we check it before walking away from the desk; replacing a lost stamp costs about 700 pesos. At some airports adults can use e-gates instead: keep the printed e-gate ticket, as you must show it when you leave. Arriving by land, you must fill in an immigration form online first. Your passport must be valid for your whole stay (the Mexican Embassy recommends at least 180 days), and officers may ask to see an onward ticket, where you are staying and that you have enough money. Visitors to Quintana Roo (Cancún, Tulum, Playa del Carmen) must pay the state's entry tax, Visitax, online, and show proof at the airport before leaving. The currency is the Mexican peso (MXN), issued by the Banco de México. FCDO advises using ATMs in daylight inside shops or malls. The emergency number is 911.
UK government travel advice
FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of Mexico. As of 28 October 2026 (advice last updated 20 October 2026) that covers: the cities of Tijuana (except airside transit, the Cross Border Xpress and toll road 1D/Vía Rápida to the border) and Tecate in Baja California; Chihuahua state, except Chihuahua city, the Ciudad Juárez crossing on toll roads 45/45D, and the Copper Canyon railway and Creel; Sinaloa, except Los Mochis, Mazatlán, road 32 between El Fuerte and Los Mochis, toll road 15D and the Copper Canyon railway; Tamaulipas, except the listed highways and the area south of them; all of Zacatecas state; Guanajuato south-west of road 45D; Michoacán, except Morelia (by toll roads 15D, 126 and 43, and 48D to the airport) and Pátzcuaro (by toll roads 14D and 15 from Morelia, including boat trips to the lake islands); Jalisco south and south-west of Lake Chapala to the Colima border, and eleven northern municipalities; Colima state, except Manzanillo reached by sea or air; Guerrero state, except Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa reached by air (and FCDO separately names Acapulco); and in Chiapas, within 40 km of the Guatemalan border and on Federal Highway 199 between Rancho Nuevo and the Chancalá junction. FCDO also notes protests blocking road access to Oaxaca airport. Travel against FCDO advice can invalidate your insurance. Read the full FCDO advice for Mexico before booking.
Festivals worth planning around
- Day of the Dead · next: 31 Oct 2027, Oaxaca
Sources · last checked 28 October 2026
We write this guide from official sources only: GOV.UK, national immigration portals, tourism boards, airports and operators, central banks and met services. Rules change, so check the linked pages before you book.
- Tropical cyclone season start dates: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Hurricane season (FCDO): mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- UNESCO Día de Muertos inscription: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Día de Muertos day sequence: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- CDMX Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos 2026: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Oaxaca Gran Comparsa 2026: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Janitzio cemetery access 2026: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- UNESCO traditional Mexican cuisine: mediumDescription; foodNarrative (checked 2026-10-28)
- Virgin Atlantic LHR–CUN: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Aeroméxico LHR–MEX: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- British Airways LHR–MEX and LGW–CUN direct: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Aeroméxico MEX/NLU–OAX: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Tourist visa: visa_note; mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Quintana Roo entry tax: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Currency: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Emergency number: emergency_number; mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Mexico City Tourist Police: emergency_number (checked 2026-10-28)
- FCDO regional advice: mediumDescription (checked 2026-10-28)
- Climate: Mexico City: mediumDescription; seasonality (checked 2026-10-28)
- Climate: Cancún: mediumDescription; seasonality (checked 2026-10-28)
- Climate: Puerto Vallarta: mediumDescription; seasonality (checked 2026-10-28)
- Climate: Monterrey (heat rule): mediumDescription; seasonality (checked 2026-10-28)
Before you book
Know before you go
The practical back-matter — safety, earthquakes & tsunamis, drones and the essentials, in one place.
Safety
FCDO advisory in force — see above FCDO advice →
Official UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance is the definitive source — check it close to your travel dates.
Earthquakes & tsunamis
There is a risk of earthquakes in most parts of Mexico, especially Oaxaca and Guerrero, and the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Colima are active.
When the shaking starts
- Drop, cover and hold on: get down low, protect your head and neck, and hold on until the shaking stops.
- Expect aftershocks, and drop, cover and hold on again each time.
- Then follow instructions from local authorities and your hotel staff.
Near the coast
- If you are near the coast and feel shaking that makes it hard to stand, or a rolling quake that lasts a minute or more, move to high ground or as far inland as you can as soon as the shaking stops.
- Do the same if the sea suddenly pulls back or rises, or you hear a loud, unusual roar from the water.
- Don't wait for an official warning. Walk or cycle if you can, and stay away until the authorities give the all-clear.
Around volcanoes
- Keep out of exclusion zones around active volcanoes: they can change at short notice, so check the latest local advice before you go.
On arrival When you check in, look at your hotel's evacuation map and note the nearest high ground or evacuation route.
Coasts most exposed to tsunami Mexico's coastlines; the national tsunami centre monitors all of them
Official sources to follow
- Official agency Servicio Sismológico Nacional (SSN), UNAM Official national earthquake reports (Spanish; English version available)
- Official agency Centro de Alerta de Tsunamis (CAT), Secretaría de Marina (SEMAR) Official tsunami bulletins, 24 hours a day (Spanish)
- Official agency Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres (CENAPRED) Volcano alert levels, incl. Popocatépetl (Spanish)
- App Tsunami MX (SEMAR) Official Navy tsunami alert app (Spanish)
General guidance, not a live alert · Sources checked Nov 2026 FCDO advice for Mexico →
Drone rules (sub-250g)
- Mexico A sub-250g drone is exempt from AFAC registration — fly below 120 m, within sight, away from crowds and at least 9 km from airports; anything heavier must be registered through a portal that in practice needs a Mexican ID. ⚠ Archaeological zones are the trap: INAH bans drones at Chichén Itzá, Teotihuacán, Tulum and every other site without a permit rarely given to tourists, and national parks and biosphere reserves need their own clearance. Some readings of the rules bar foreign operators outright, so ask locally before you fly. Rules checked: Jul 2026
National parks, protected sites and religious/heritage venues often have their own rules and permits — always check the specific site before you fly.
The essentials
Plug & voltage Type A/B · 127V
Daily budget Budget-friendly
Region Central America