Things to do in Mexico

Bring your beach game and soak up those rays, baby. Hitting the beach is - simply put - one of the best things to do in Mexico. All along the Baja coast you’ll find seriously turquoise seas and bleach-white beaches, while anyone after an adrenaline kick will find it in the form of diving, fishing and kayaking, too. Tour the Sea of Cortez beaches - known as the ‘world’s aquarium’ - along Bahía Concepción, whose pristine azure waters contrast with desert-fringed mountains.

If you’ve got flippers for feet, look no further. Mexico has fantastic diving opportunities, and the coral reefs off Isla Cozumel - cast adrift from Playa del Carmen on the Yucatán peninsula - provide some of the best. They dazzled Jacques Cousteau in the early 1960s, and they’ll be certain to dazzle you today.

If you’ve already got one million and one things to do in Mexico, prioritise the capital. This pulsating mega-city of more than 25 million people has to be seen to be believed. The eternal heart of the city, the Zócalo is surrounded by a whopper of a cathedral and the ruins of Aztec Tenochtitlán.

Near Valladolid on the Yucatán peninsula that marks Mexico’s southeastern tip, you’ll find a series of spellbinding cenotes: Zací, X’keken and Samula. Take an invigorating dip in one of these crystal-clear sinkholes; at Samula, the roots of a huge Alamo tree stretch down into it. Open your Instagram and start making your followers jealous.

We all know what Frida Kahlo looks like - she's an iconic woman, after all, plastered on prints and trinkets around the world. At the Frida Kahlo Museum , you get a chance to take a more intimate look at her life and work. Politics, art and national identity combine at the home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, where several rooms have been set aside as galleries.

There’s nothing quite like being serenaded by a mariachi band. You’ll find mariachi played the length and breadth of the country, but most notably in Mexico City’s Plaza Garibaldi. Hundreds of competing mariachi bands gather here in the evenings, all in their tight, silver-spangled charro finery and vast sombreros - and they’ll play for anyone who’ll pay them.

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, more! We all know the rhyme, but why not visit the town that gave birth to Mexico’s favourite tipple in the western state of Jalisco. Tequila is - predictably - surrounded by fields of blue agave, where you can enjoy tours of local distilleries.

When you’re deciding what to do in Mexico, don’t forget to make time for its jaw-dropping Mayan sites. Set in thick jungle buzzing with insects, the ancient Maya ruins of Palenque make for one of Mexico’s finest Maya sites. It’s less crowded the Chichén Itzá, larger than Uxmal and has the most spectacular setting. It is strongly linked to the lost cities of Guatemala but has its own distinctive style.

The most famous, the most extensively restored and by far the most visited of the Maya sites, Chichén Itzá has a vast scale and ambition that cannot fail to inspire awe. The site has some phenomenal buildings and elaborately carved friezes befitting its importance.

Slam that tequila, swivel those hips and sway to the Latin beats. In the Caribbean boomtown of Playa del Carmen, you can dance on the sand or in super-hip small clubs alongside stylish Mexico City weekenders and European expats.

Any market in Mexico is a feast for the senses, by Oaxaca’s are especially vibrant, with everything from fresh produce to some of the country’s most imaginative textiles. It’s well worth staying in this lively city for a few days: search cheap holidays to Mexico for the best deals.