Lonely Planet Mexico (Travel Guide)

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Bring a sweater for high-altitude destinations like San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, which can be chilly at night and in the morning. In the Western Central Highlands, the forests of the Reserva de la Biosfera Santuario Mariposa Monarca (Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve) turn orange as millions of large monarch butterflies winter there from late October to mid-March. Visit Mexico at the end of October, and you’ll see the nights turn festive as people crowd the squares, with businesses and museums to judge the best-decorated altars. In towns like Naolinco, Pátzcuaro and Mixquic, mass processions drift to the cemeteries for a night of drinking and singing. If traveling to Mexico City with friends or family, it's also worth booking lunch and dinner reservations in advance because it will be harder for sought-after restaurants and bars to accommodate walk-ins of large parties. Almost every visitor to Mexico City makes a pilgrimage to Casa Azul, Kahlo's former home and studio, to gain a deeper understanding of the painter. In fact, it has become such a tourist hotspot that visits must now be booked in advance online.

The beaches here, Playa Los Cocos, Playa Miramar and our favorite Playa Las Islitas are popular for surfing and have palapas under which you can lounge and drink fresh coconut water. Playa Las Islitas is wonderfully swimmable with a very gentle surf, just perfect for beginners. Mexico is a wonderland. One moment, you're sipping smoky mezcal, and the next you're floating in the bluest of natural pools or being serenaded by mariachi singers while Frida Kahlo peers down from a mural. Many of the buses are level with the platforms to allow for easy boarding and have preferential seating and spaces for wheelchairs. Underwater photographers, cavers and snorkelers revel in the clear cenotes, as do swimmers who want a peaceful swim shielded by the glorious tree canopy.Planning tip: Tulum Pueblo (the town center) is where the really cheap eats and sleeps are found, but it’s a 20-minute bike ride or 12-minute taxi to the beach. Plan ahead to find well-priced beach accommodations if that’s where you’d prefer to stay. 12. Los Cabos Cultural capital Oaxaca's combo of authentic regional flavor and big city grit makes it one of the most intriguing destinations in Mexico, and it's one of the safest, too. So whether you're hanging in atmospheric mezcal bars or embracing soulful Day of the Dead festivities, these top tips should serve you well. Toolkit - all of the planning tools for solo travelers, LGBTQIA+ travelers, family travelers and accessible travel

Mexican eateries – fondas – cook mostly from scratch and always have a vegetarian dish on the daily menu. Corn tortillas are everywhere in Mexico City, so you will be good to go if your restriction is gluten. Unlike seawater, the turquoise water in cenotes is fresh and wonderfully mineral-rich. Floating in these still waters feels like slipping into prehistory. Look up at the columns of vines and the shafts of sunlight drifting through. Hummingbirds zigzag by, and it seems like little has changed since the Maya were here. Sister cities Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo need no introduction. The former is notorious among party-hearty North American crowds, while the latter is more sedate with art galleries, celebrity-frequented luxury resorts, upscale boutiques and over-the-top decadent tequila tasting rooms. Unfortunately, strict veganism or vegetarianism, gluten intolerance, severe allergies or other religious or cultural-related food restrictions will be hard to accommodate in most places, especially when visiting street food stands.In 2012, the new Cablebús system opened with two lines. The first goes from Indios Verdes to the northern neighborhoods of Cuautepec and Tlalpexco. It has halved transport time into the city center for residents and attracted tourists to this outlying area. You’d hardly know Cenote Yokdzonot was there. There is another, more famous cenote a 10-minute drive from the Mayan pyramids of Chichén Itzá, but Cenote Yokdzonot is only 10 minutes further, just enough for the crowds and tour buses to have vanished. Today, San Miguel de Allende’s narrow, sloped streets house boutiques and cafes that dangle multicolored ribbons from wrought iron window bars, and its vibe is akin to a sepia-toned postcard from the past. Many of the towns have a leafy zócalo piazza or square at their center where families and lovers laugh, whisper and enjoy a weekend or long summer evening outdoors. What makes them "magical" is not just that they’re lookers – most are – but they maintain some natural or historical charm.

With the hurricane season in full swing on the Yucatán Peninsula and Mexico’s coasts, it’s rainy in most places, with poor visibility for Caribbean divers in September. However, inland Mexico tells a different story. The island’s turquoise waters also mark the beginning of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second longest in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Isla Contoy’s marine diversity includes over 240 species of tropical fish, crustaceans and eight species of rays. The park’s northern shores also are important nesting grounds for hawksbill, loggerhead and white turtles in the summer months. Whale sharks, too, are sighted nearby between May and September. The island has been protected from development for over 60 years, a big reason for its amazingly rich ecology today. Isla Contoy history Another accessible way around the city is with Turibús, the bus tour service that offers fun and fuss-free trips around the Centro Histórico, Polanco and Chapultepec Park. Grupo Estrella Blanca Runs between Mexico City and the center, north and west of Mexico. Major cities include Guadalajara, Tijuana, Puebla, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta and Ciudad Juárez. Several international travelers and remote workers have been called out on social media for posting: "Mexico City is so cheap!". If you earn USD, Euros or GBP, you will find that your income or travel budget goes further in Mexico City than, for example, New York, San Francisco, or London.Mexico City is a predominantly working-class city, and there is a lot of economic disparity in the service and hospitality industry. Consider a 15% tip as the standard and even 20% based on the full tab at restaurants, bars and coffee shops or the amount paid for booking experiences and services. This Mexican beauty has it all: a fantastic spring-like climate, extraordinary light, breathtaking architecture, superb handicraft shopping, and well-attended art workshops. With a high gallery-to-resident ratio, San Miguel de Allende is one of the best places for creative types to visit in Mexico. Wandering barefoot through the surreal SFER IK art museum pronounced "spheric"), its circular windows peeking into Tulum’s dense tropical forest, you feel like you’re in a giant cocoon made of bejuco (vine-like wood) and undulating cement. All your senses take over, the contemporary works of art becoming part of this place as much as you, which is exactly the point of this architectural beauty. Located just steps from the beach, a visit here is dreamy, unique and unmissable. 11. Steam and cleanse yourself in a temescal Planning tip: Join Mexico City's free Sunday bike rides, when the main avenues of the country’s capital turn into a car-free zone. Cyclists go for pleasure rides, and you can be part of the action at any time with a free or low-cost bike rental. 4. Learn to dance the salsa and danzón