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Welcome to our Mexico Travel Guide! We’ve been lucky enough to travel to some incredible places around the World. But after spending 2 weeks in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico has quickly become one of our favorite. This country was on our radar for a long time, and we’ve finally decided to visit it after two longs years without leaving Europe. It was the perfect place to escape from the cold winter, and we couldn’t be more excited to jump on a long-haul flight again!
To be honest, we’ve always felt like the Yucatan peninsula would be a place full of tourists and all-inclusive resorts – exactly what we try to avoid. But after so many travel restrictions, canceled trips, requirements, and vaccines shots, we felt like even a tourist trap plan would be a dream. Guess what: Yucatan has much more to offer than what we had in mind. If you ask us if you can get to know authentic towns, lay on desert beaches, and try genuine Mexican food, our answer is YES. If you are looking to explore Mexico looking for the most off-the-beaten spots, do not underestimate Yucatan Peninsula
Why Mexico?
– The food: If food doesn’t come out as a highlight of your Mexico trip, you did something extremely wrong! The food in Mexico is some of the best in the world. You’ll find yourself eating when you’re not hungry, mouth-watering at streets carts, and wanting to start the day with a burrito.
– The good energy: From the moment we set foot in Mexico, we knew it would be special. The sun is warm, the music is vibrant, the streets are colorful and the margaritas are endless. Everything feels like an exciting celebration that you don’t want to miss.
– Diversity: Mexico gathers diverse ecosystems and has varied and spectacular landscapes. You can find volcanoes, canyons, lakes, and deep jungles which make it a nature lover’s paradise. Apart from that, you can also visit one of the most electrifying cities in the world: Mexico City. The buzzing atmosphere and historical richness can be a good break from the dreamy beaches and mind-blowing cenotes. During a trip to Mexico, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to places to visit and things to do. And we’re sure there’s something for everyone!
best time to go
First of all, Mexico is huge and you should check the local forecast for your chosen destination.
Wrapping up, the best time to visit Mexico should be during the dry season, between December and April. The weather is dry, days are warm (around 28°C) and nights are cool. It’s a great time to explore the country so it should come as no surprise that it’s also the busiest time of year. If you want to skip the crowds, avoid the last two weeks of December and Spring break weeks.
The rainy season, which is also the hottest, starts in May and lasts until October. It’s also important to note that the Caribbean coast can be affected by hurricanes between June and November.
If you want to take advantage of shoulder months, when prices remain lower and there are fewer tourists, you might consider booking your trip for November and catch the celebrations of “Dia de los Muertos”!
HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD YOU SPEND IN Mexico?
During our two weeks-trip, we were able to visit Yucatan Peninsula at a perfect pace. To add places like Chiapas, Oaxaca, or CDMX (Ciudad de México) to our itinerary, we would need one more week, at the very least. So, for those wanting to explore the whole country, we would say at least 3 weeks.
Health and Safety
For many people, the first thought that comes to mind when they think of Mexico is safety. We were no exception and did quite some research about it.
While it stands as one of the most visited places in the World, Mexico holds a bad reputation due to gang-related violence, kidnappings, and the biggest problem of all: the atrocities committed by the Mexican Drug Cartels. It’s only normal if this seems like too much to handle. But we do have good news for you: most visitors to Mexico are unaffected by crime since violence occurs especially between gangs and cartels. If you stay away from dodgy situations and drug related-stuff, it’s very unlikely you become a target.
Nevertheless, we leave you some tips we have used during our trip:
- Use the safety boxes of your hotel room to keep your passport, credit cards, laptop, and other valuable stuff
- Carry around a small wallet with non-important cards and some pocket money inside. In that case, if you happen to be robbed, you can just hand out that “fake wallet” and avoid losing the important things.
- Don’t use flashy things. Mexico is a very poor country and you don’t want to stand out. Leave your jewelry at home.
- Print a copy of your passport. In case you lose it, it will be easier to deal with that situation.
- Avoid putting yourself in vulnerable situations, like getting completely wasted on a night out. It’s when you let your guard down that bad things are more likely to happen.
- Do your homework to know which areas you should avoid and where you should stay. Read the reviews and get informed!
Most of all, trust your gut feeling. If something doesn’t feel right, leave.
We’re sure we’re not the first ones to tell you this but nowhere on earth is 100% safe and bad sh*t can happen anywhere. And while there are places you should definitely avoid, we don’t think you should just skip Mexico because of its safety issues. It’s still a pretty safe place to travel if you know what to do.
Costs and currency
The best way to put it is by saying that Mexico can be as cheap or as expensive as you like. You can eat 1$ tacos in the street, or go to an upscale restaurant and leave with empty pockets. You can decide to sleep in inexpensive hostels or go for that trendy villa by the beach. Also, depending on where you go, prices can vary a lot. While in general Mexico is a budget-friendly place and easy to explore on a tight budget, if you go to Tulum you might be surprised by the high prices practiced.
We used Revolut like we always do during our trips outside the Euro zone. It never failed us!
must see
We’ve only been to the Yucatan Peninsula (yet!). You can check our full itinerary here, but we’ll leave you a list of the highlights of our trip:
- The dreamy island of Holbox
- The historical town of Valladolid and city of Merida
- The unreal blue waters of Bacalar
We have also been to Tulum and you can read our honest opinion about it here.
If only we’ve had more time we would definitely have explored:
– Oaxaca
– CDMX
– Chiapas Region
– Puerto Escondido
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