In collaboration with
Rough Guides
Things to do in Mexico
Mexico’s most exciting attractions
The home of tacos, Aztecs, sombreros and tequila, not to mention Pancho Villa, Salma Hayek and Frida Kahlo: almost everyone on the planet knows something about Mexico. But there’s far more to the country than stereotypes. Mexico offers a spellbinding blend of Mesoamerican cultures, Spanish traditions and contemporary arts. You can climb volcanoes, watch whales, sunbathe on golden beaches and tour agave farms. And that’s without mentioning its colonial churches, giant pyramids and some of the tastiest food in the world. Welcome to Mexico.- Laze on the Baja beaches
- Dive off Cozumel
- Explore Mexico City’s Zócalo
- Take a dip in a cenote
- Marvel at the Frida Kahlo Museum
- Listen to mariachi
- Sink some tequila
- Rove Palenque
- Discover Chichén Itzá
- Party in Playa del Carmen
- Shop Oaxaca’s markets
1. Laze on the Baja beaches
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.
Best for: Chasing a tan
While you’re there: Between December and April, thousands of grey whales come to mate in the lagoons of Guerrero Negro and San Ignacio. This is the stuff bucket lists are made of.
2. Dive off Cozumel
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.
Best for: Water babies
While you’re there: Even if you don’t dive, there’s thrills to be had in spotting Mayan ruins and birds in the dense forest.
3. Explore Mexico City’s Zócalo
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.
Best for: Getting a feel for Mexico City
While you’re there: Check out the Palacio Nacional with its striking Diego Rivera murals.
4. Take a dip in a cenote
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.
Best for: Ice-cold refreshment
While you’re there: Valladolid itself is a great place to try some traditional Yucatecan food - arrive with an appetite and leave with a new belt hole.
5. Marvel at the Frida Kahlo Museum
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.
Best for: Culture vultures
While you’re there: Witness the blue and yellow kitchen with ‘Diego’ and ‘Frida’ picked out in tiny ceramic mugs on the wall.
6. Listen to mariachi
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.
Best for: Music lovers
While you’re there: At the back of the square is a huge market hall where a series of stalls serve simple food and vie furiously for customers.
7. Sink some tequila
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.
Best for: Free-flowing spirits
While you’re there: World Tequila Day (May 27) is celebrated with parades and - you guessed it - lots of drinking.
8. Rove Palenque
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.
Best for: Jungle-clad ruins
While you’re there: The helter-skelter town of Palenque also runs trips for exploring waterfalls in the nearby hills.
9. Discover Chichén Itzá
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.
Best for: Mayan marvels
While you’re there: After seeing the ruins, make for the village of Yokdzonot to snorkel in its well-kept cenote.
10. Party in Playa del Carmen
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.
Best for: Letting your hair down
While you’re there: Head to Playa Norte, where the deep, silky sand drops into waist-high green water with mid-size swells.
11. Shop Oaxaca’s markets
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.
Best for: Traditional trinkets and stellar souvenirs
While you’re there: Wander around Oaxaca’s colonial centre while you’re in town: those boots were made for walking, after all.
