Planning your first trip to Mexico? You’re about to discover why over 40 million tourists visited in 2024—and it’s not just the beaches. This is where you can climb 2,000-year-old pyramids before lunch, swim in limestone sinkholes hidden in jungles by afternoon, and eat al pastor tacos from a trompo spit at midnight. But first-time visitors consistently stumble over the same administrative details and planning mistakes. Let’s walk through exactly what you need to know.
Getting In: Visas, Forms, and Entry Requirements for 2026
If you’re from the US, Canada, the UK, EU countries, or Australia, you won’t need to apply for a visa before your trip. Mexico grants you up to 180 days for tourism without the paperwork headache. That’s six full months to explore—though most first-timers spend anywhere from one to three weeks.
Here’s where it gets slightly bureaucratic: the **Forma Migratoria Múltiple (FMM)**. Think of it as your temporary visitor permit. If you’re flying into major airports like Mexico City, Cancún, or Guadalajara, you’ll likely receive a digital stamp in your passport instead of a physical form. Immigration has been modernizing this process, and most international airports have made the switch.
Landing at a smaller airport or crossing by land? You’ll probably get the traditional paper form. Fill it out completely—they check—and guard it like your passport. You must present this form when you leave Mexico. Lose it, and you’ll face delays and potential fines at the airport while immigration processes a replacement.
Your passport needs to be valid for your entire stay. Technically, that’s the rule. In practice, airlines and immigration officers often expect six months of validity. Save yourself potential hassles by checking your expiration date well before booking. Renewing a passport takes time, especially during peak travel seasons.
The tourism tax runs about $30 to $35 USD. If you’re arriving by air, this fee is almost always built into your ticket price—check your airline’s breakdown to confirm. Crossing by land for longer than a week? You’ll pay this at the border crossing. Keep small US bills handy; some border offices don’t accept cards.
When to Go: Timing Your Trip Beyond “Avoid Hurricane Season”
Everyone knows hurricane season exists, but choosing when to visit Mexico involves more nuance than dodging storms.
**December through April** represents peak season for good reason. The entire country enjoys dry weather and comfortable temperatures. Mexico City hovers around 70°F with crisp, clear days perfect for walking between museums. Coastal areas like Playa del Carmen stay warm but not oppressive, with reliable sunshine and calm seas. This is prime time for whale watching in Baja California—gray whales migrate to the warm lagoons between January and March, and you can get close enough to touch these gentle giants from a small boat.
The downside? Everyone else figured this out too. Popular destinations swell with visitors. Hotel prices in Tulum or San Miguel de Allende can triple compared to low season. You’ll wait longer for tables at recommended restaurants and navigate crowded archaeological sites.
**May, June, October, and November** offer the sweet spot many experienced travelers target. Prices drop significantly—sometimes 40% lower than peak season. You’ll still encounter good weather in May and June, though temperatures climb. The Yucatán Peninsula gets genuinely hot, pushing into the 90s with high humidity. But fewer crowds mean you might have entire sections of Chichén Itzá nearly to yourself early in the morning. October and November bring slightly cooler temperatures, though you’ll see more afternoon rain showers.
**July through September** is hurricane and rainy season. Don’t let that scare you off entirely, but understand what you’re signing up for. Actual hurricanes remain relatively rare and typically impact the Gulf Coast and Caribbean side more than the Pacific. What you will experience: afternoon thunderstorms. Mexico’s rain pattern during these months is predictable—mornings are often beautiful and clear, then the sky opens up around 3 or 4 PM. Plan indoor activities for late afternoon, and you’ll manage just fine. Hotel rates hit their lowest point. The jungles around Palenque look absolutely spectacular after the rains, lush and vibrant green.
What to See: Beyond the Obvious Tourist Trail
Mexico’s tourism landscape has become somewhat stratified. There’s the resort Mexico—all-inclusive compounds in Cancún’s hotel zone where you barely leave the property. Then there’s the Mexico most first-time independent travelers actually want to experience: colonial cities where mariachi bands play in candlelit plazas, archaeological sites where you’re standing on structures older than European contact, and coastal villages where fishermen still bring in the daily catch each morning.
Ancient Ruins That Actually Deliver
**Chichén Itzá** tops every list for a reason, but strategy matters here. The pyramid of Kukulcán dominates photographs of Mexican archaeology, and yes, it’s genuinely impressive in person. The acoustics are bizarre—clap your hands at the base of the pyramid, and it echoes back sounding like a bird chirp. The astronomical precision in its construction, with shadows forming a serpent during equinoxes, demonstrates sophisticated mathematical knowledge.
Arrive when the gates open at 8 AM or you’ll be fighting through tour bus crowds by 10. The heat also becomes brutal as morning progresses. You can no longer climb Chichén Itzá’s main pyramid, but the Ball Court remains the largest in Mesoamerica, and the Sacred Cenote nearby adds context to the site’s ceremonial importance.
**Teotihuacán** sits about an hour northeast of Mexico City and offers something Chichén Itzá doesn’t—you can still climb the pyramids. The Pyramid of the Sun ranks as the third-largest pyramid in the world. The climb is steep and unrelenting, roughly 250 steps without handrails, but the view from the top across the entire archaeological complex and surrounding valley makes your burning thighs worthwhile.
Go on a weekday if possible. Weekends bring massive crowds from Mexico City. The site opens at 9 AM; be there at opening. The altitude (7,500 feet) combined with pyramid climbing and sun exposure exhausts people quickly. Bring more water than you think you need. The Avenue of the Dead stretches about 2.5 miles from end to end, so wear proper walking shoes.
**Palenque** in Chiapas gets fewer first-time visitors due to its remote location, but it offers the most dramatic setting of Mexico’s major ruins. The temples emerge from dense jungle on the edge of mountains. Howler monkeys roar in the canopy above. The architecture is distinctly different from Yucatán sites—more delicate and ornate. The tomb of Pakal the Great, discovered deep inside the Temple of Inscriptions, ranks among archaeology’s most significant finds.
Palenque requires more effort to reach—you’ll either fly into Villahermosa and drive two hours, or take a long bus ride from San Cristóbal de las Casas. The payoff is a ruin experience that feels more like exploration than tourism.
Beaches Worth the Hype (and Some That Aren’t)
**Tulum** has become simultaneously famous and problematic. Yes, the beachfront ruins create an unbeatable visual—13th-century Mayan temples perched on cliffs above turquoise Caribbean water. Yes, the beaches stretch for miles with powder-soft white sand. But Tulum has also transformed from a quiet fishing village into an expensive, overcrowded scene. Hotel prices now rival those in coastal California. Traffic crawls along the single main road. The beach zone (Carretera Tulum-Boca Paila) turns into a dusty, potholed mess during busy periods, with bicycles, cars, and pedestrians all competing for space.
If you go to Tulum, split your time between the beach zone and Tulum town. The town offers better restaurant values—fish tacos for $3 instead of $12—and a more authentic feel. Visit the ruins right when they open at 8 AM before tour groups arrive. Consider staying in town and taking a bike or taxi to the beach rather than paying $200+ per night for beachfront accommodations that may lack reliable electricity.
**Sayulita** on the Pacific coast near Puerto Vallarta delivers a completely different vibe—surf town meets bohemian village. The waves break consistently year-round, forgiving enough for beginners to catch their first rides but interesting enough that experienced surfers stay engaged. The town has managed to preserve more of its character despite growing tourism. You’ll find excellent fish tacos at stands like Burrito Revolution for under $4, proper third-wave coffee shops, and a walkable town center lined with locally-owned surf shops and galleries instead of Señor Frog’s franchises.
The beaches aren’t as pristine as the Caribbean side—the Pacific brings rougher water and darker sand—but the energy is better. Live music spills from bars like Don Pedro’s in the evening. Locals actually live here year-round rather than just working tourism jobs and leaving in low season. You can rent a surfboard for $10 a day, take a lesson for $40, and actually improve your skills over a week.
**Cozumel** exists primarily for one thing: diving. Jacques Cousteau filmed a 1961 documentary here calling it one of the best diving spots in the world, and that assessment holds up. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef runs along Cozumel’s western coast, creating spectacular drift dives where current carries you effortlessly along walls of coral and through schools of tropical fish. Sites like Palancar Reef and Colombia Wall offer 80+ foot visibility most days.
Even if you’ve never dived before, Cozumel is an excellent place to learn. The water temperature stays around 78-80°F year-round, visibility often exceeds 100 feet, and dozens of PADI-certified dive shops offer quality instruction starting around $100 for a discover scuba experience. If diving doesn’t interest you, honestly, skip Cozumel. San Miguel (the main town) is pleasant enough with decent restaurants along the malecón, but nothing you can’t find better elsewhere, and the beaches don’t compare to nearby Playa del Carmen.
Cities That Reward Exploration
**Mexico City** overwhelms first-time visitors with its size—over 21 million people in the metro area, making it one of the largest cities in the Western Hemisphere. But don’t let that intimidate you. The neighborhoods you’ll actually spend time in are walkable and surprisingly manageable. Stay in Roma Norte with its tree-lined streets and Art Nouveau mansions, Condesa with its circular parks and café culture, or Polanco’s upscale restaurants and shopping, and you can walk to world-class museums, parks, and markets.
The National Museum of Anthropology deserves a full day. It houses the Aztec Sun Stone (a 24-ton carved calendar), massive Olmec heads weighing up to 40 tons, and the most comprehensive collection of Mesoamerican artifacts anywhere. Understanding these cultures before you visit ruins elsewhere in Mexico makes those sites dramatically more meaningful—you’ll recognize the rain god Tlaloc and the feathered serpent Quetzalcóatl when you encounter them carved into temple walls.
Street food in Mexico City represents the country’s cuisine at its most creative and delicious. Tacos al pastor—pork marinated with chilies, pineapple, and achiote, carved from a vertical spit similar to shawarma—originated here in the 1960s. Mercado de Coyoacán overflows with stalls selling everything from steaming tamales wrapped in banana leaves to blue corn quesadillas filled with huitlacoche (corn fungus, a delicacy) to chapulines (grasshoppers, if you’re feeling adventurous). A full meal at a market stall runs $4-6 and will be better than most sit-down restaurants back home.
**Oaxaca** competes with Mexico City as the country’s food capital, though the style is entirely different. Oaxaca specializes in moles—complex sauces that can include 20+ ingredients including multiple types of dried chilies, chocolate, nuts, seeds, and spices, taking days to prepare properly. The seven classic Oaxacan moles range from negro (dark and slightly sweet) to amarillo (lighter with guajillo chilies). The city’s markets sell hand-ground chocolate mixed with cinnamon and almonds, over 400 varieties of mezcal, and quesillo (Oaxacan string cheese that melts beautifully).
The city itself centers around one of Mexico’s most beautiful zócalos—a tree-shaded central plaza where balloon vendors, shoeshine stands, and outdoor restaurants create constant activity. Evenings bring marimba bands and couples dancing. The surrounding valleys produce the majority of Mexico’s mezcal, and you can visit small palenques (distilleries) where families have made it for generations using traditional methods—roasting agave hearts in underground pits, crushing them with a stone wheel pulled by a horse, and distilling in clay pots.
**San Miguel de Allende** has transformed over the past two decades into a significant expat retirement destination—the American population alone numbers over 10,000. This creates both advantages and drawbacks. The architecture is legitimately stunning—cobblestone streets too narrow for two cars to pass, colonial buildings painted in ochre, terracotta, and deep blue, and the neo-Gothic pink spires of the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel dominating the skyline (designed in 1880 by an indigenous stonemason who learned Gothic architecture from postcards).
Art galleries fill the streets radiating from El Jardín, the central plaza. Restaurants serve creative fusion cuisine—Mexican ingredients with European techniques—alongside traditional food. Fabrica La Aurora, a converted textile factory, now houses dozens of galleries and design studios worth an afternoon of browsing.
The downside is that prices reflect its popularity with wealthy expats and American tourists. You’ll pay $8-12 for breakfast instead of $4-5 in most Mexican cities. English is spoken almost everywhere, which makes it easy but less culturally immersive—you can spend a week here and barely use Spanish. Still, if you want a beautiful, safe, easy introduction to colonial Mexico with excellent food and infrastructure, San Miguel delivers.
Natural Wonders Beyond Beaches
**Cenotes** are sinkholes formed when limestone bedrock collapses, revealing groundwater underneath. The Yucatán Peninsula has over 6,000 documented cenotes, ranging from open pools surrounded by jungle to cave systems requiring advanced scuba certification to explore. Swimming in a cenote feels otherworldly—crystal-clear water in a cavern with stalactites overhead, shafts of sunlight piercing through openings in the rock ceiling, and small fish darting around your legs in water that stays around 75°F year-round.
Near Tulum, Cenote Dos Ojos offers relatively easy access with spectacular underwater formations visible even while snorkeling. The name means “two eyes” because two cenotes connect through underwater passages. Gran Cenote stays busy but for good reason—excellent snorkeling visibility, the chance to see turtles, and easy access just a few miles from Tulum. For a more adventurous experience, cenote diving tours take you through underwater cave systems with proper guides and equipment, though you need open water certification first.
**Copper Canyon** (Barrancas del Cobre) in northwestern Chihuahua state comprises six distinct canyons that together are larger and deeper than Arizona’s Grand Canyon—some sections reach depths over 6,000 feet. The El Chepe train journey through the canyon ranks among the world’s great rail trips, climbing from Los Mochis at sea level to Creel at 8,000 feet through 86 tunnels and across 37 bridges. The journey takes about 9 hours covering 400 miles, with the landscape transforming from tropical vegetation to pine forests to dramatic canyon vistas.
This trip requires more time—figure at least three to four days for the train journey with stops in towns like El Fuerte and Creel—and takes you far from typical tourist routes. The Tarahumara (Rarámuri) people still inhabit these canyons, maintaining traditional practices including long-distance running (they’re famous for running 50+ miles in a single day in sandals). But if you have the time and want to see a completely different side of Mexico beyond beaches and ruins, few experiences compare.
**Hierve el Agua** near Oaxaca features petrified waterfalls and natural infinity pools perched on a cliff edge 1,500 feet above the valley floor. The “waterfalls” are actually mineral formations created over thousands of years as water rich in calcium carbonate and magnesium flows down the cliff face, leaving deposits that form shapes resembling cascading water frozen mid-flow. You can swim in the mineral pools right at the cliff edge with views across the Sierra Norte mountains—absolutely stunning and genuinely unique. The minerals make the water slightly chalky but are said to have therapeutic properties. Getting there requires about 90 minutes from Oaxaca city, often combined with a visit to the Tule tree and mezcal distilleries.
What You’ll Actually Spend
Budget travel in Mexico remains realistic in 2026, though costs have risen as the peso has strengthened against the dollar (hovering around 17-18 pesos per USD compared to 20+ just a few years ago) and tourism has rebounded post-pandemic.
**Budget backpacker range: $45–$60 per day**
This assumes hostels ($10–$15 per night in dorms, slightly more for private rooms in hostels), street food for most meals ($2–$5 per meal), public buses for transportation, free or cheap activities like beaches and hiking, and the occasional paid entrance to archaeological sites ($5–$10 typically).
You can eat incredibly well on this budget if you eat where locals eat. Tacos from street stands cost $0.50–$1 each, and three or four make a filling meal. A full breakfast of chilaquiles or huevos rancheros at a local comedor might run $4–$5. The food is delicious, though you need to choose busy places where turnover is high and food is fresh—look for lines of local workers during lunch hours.
**Mid-range comfort: $130–$180 per day**
This budget covers nice boutique hotels or comfortable Airbnbs ($50–$80 per night), sit-down restaurant meals ($10–$20 per meal), guided tours to archaeological sites or natural attractions ($40–$80), and private transportation when convenient or necessary.
This range gives you significantly more comfort without going luxury. You’ll have air conditioning, hot water reliability, and a comfortable bed. You can take that snorkeling tour in Cozumel or hire a knowledgeable guide at Palenque to get deeper context about Mayan cosmology and architecture. You can afford a nice dinner at Casa Oaxaca or Quintonil in Mexico City serving creative regional cuisine with proper cocktails.
**Luxury experience: $400+ per day**
All-inclusive resorts in the Riviera Maya run $300–$600+ per night per couple. Places like Grand Velas or Secrets Maroma offer unlimited premium drinks, gourmet restaurants, and beachfront suites. Private drivers eliminate bus station hassles. High-end restaurants like Pujol in Mexico City (ranked among the world’s 50 best) charge $200+ per person for tasting menus. Spa treatments, premium diving certification courses, and helicopter tours to remote ruins all add up quickly. Mexico has genuinely world-class luxury options if that’s your priority—places like the Rosewood Mayakoba or Las Ventanas al Paraíso in Los Cabos compete with the best resorts anywhere.
A few money-saving strategies regardless of budget: Book accommodations with kitchens and prepare some meals yourself—markets sell incredible produce cheaply. Visit museums on Sundays—many offer free or reduced admission to Mexican nationals and residents, and some extend this to all visitors. Take ADO buses instead of taxis for longer distances; they’re comfortable first-class coaches with bathrooms and air conditioning, dramatically cheaper than private transport (Mexico City to Oaxaca costs about $40 versus $300+ for a private driver). Avoid touristy restaurants within two blocks of the zócalo in any colonial city; walk five more blocks for better food at half the price.
Staying Safe: Practical Steps That Actually Matter
Mexico’s safety situation is complicated and often misrepresented. Some areas face serious cartel violence that makes headlines. Most tourist areas remain quite safe—safer than many major American cities by crime statistics. The key is understanding specific risks and taking reasonable precautions rather than either dismissing all concerns or being paralyzed by fear.
**Driving in Mexico requires specific knowledge.** If you rent a car, always use toll roads (called cuotas). They cost more—sometimes significantly more than free roads—but the safety difference is substantial. Toll roads are well-maintained, well-lit, patrolled, and have emergency phones every few kilometers. The free roads (libres) can pass through areas with cartel activity, offer no security infrastructure, and may have vehicles or animals in the road unexpectedly.
Never drive between cities after dark. This rule is non-negotiable and applies even on toll roads. Mexican highways often lack shoulders, lighting, or adequate signage. Vehicles break down and remain partially in lanes. Livestock wander onto roads. And in certain regions, cartel checkpoints can appear at night. Leave early, arrive before sunset, or take a bus instead.
**Transportation within cities has its own logic.** In major tourist areas, apps like Uber and Didi work well and offer safety advantages—the trip is GPS-tracked, you see the driver’s photo and ratings before they arrive, and you know the price upfront. If you need to take a taxi without an app, use only sitio taxis—authorized taxi stands usually marked with signs, phone numbers, and taxi numbers painted on vehicles. These drivers are licensed, registered, and accountable.
Never hail random taxis from the street in Mexico City. “Libre” taxis (the ones that cruise looking for passengers) have been involved in express kidnappings—criminals force victims to withdraw money from ATMs—and worse. The risk is real enough that Mexico City residents avoid them entirely, calling sitios or using apps exclusively.
**Water safety remains important.** Don’t drink tap water anywhere in Mexico, even in luxury hotels. The infrastructure simply doesn’t support potable tap water in most areas. Brush your teeth with bottled water in smaller towns and remote areas. Most hotels and restaurants in tourist zones use purified water for ice and washing produce, but when in doubt, ask. A bout of traveler’s diarrhea won’t kill you, but it’ll ruin several days of your trip.
Bottled water costs about $1 for a large bottle and is available at every corner store. Many accommodations provide large garrafón dispensers (5-gallon jugs). Staying hydrated is crucial in Mexico’s heat—you’ll drink 3-4 liters daily easily, more if you’re being active.
**Regional safety varies dramatically.** The Yucatán Peninsula states (Quintana Roo with Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum; Yucatán with Mérida; Campeche) remain very safe for tourists with crime rates lower than many US cities. Baja California Sur (Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Todos Santos) is generally safe. Central tourist cities like Oaxaca, San Miguel de Allende, and Guanajuato are safe if you exercise normal urban caution—don’t flash expensive cameras, keep your phone in your pocket in crowded areas, and stay aware of your surroundings.
Border states like Tamaulipas, parts of Sinaloa, and sections of Chihuahua face serious cartel violence related to drug trafficking routes. These areas aren’t on most tourist itineraries anyway—there’s not much to see—but do your research if you’re planning something off the beaten path. The US State Department maintains updated travel advisories broken down by Mexican state—they’re sometimes overly cautious but worth checking for current information.
Common sense prevents most problems. Don’t flash expensive jewelry or cameras unnecessarily. Keep your phone in your front pocket or bag in crowded markets. Avoid getting extremely drunk in unfamiliar places—most incidents involving tourists happen when alcohol impairs judgment. Don’t buy drugs—cartel violence is real, and you don’t want any involvement. Most of the millions of annual visitors to Mexico never encounter any problems beyond maybe some mild food sensitivity.
Making Your Trip Easier
**Language considerations:** English is widely spoken in major tourist areas—Cancún’s hotel zone, popular archaeological sites with tour groups, tourist-oriented restaurants in places like Playa del Carmen. Step outside those zones into real Mexico, and you’ll need some Spanish. Learning basic phrases (buenos días, gracias, cuánto cuesta, dónde está…) shows respect and makes everything easier—Mexicans appreciate the effort even if your pronunciation is terrible. Download Google Translate with the Spanish language pack for offline use. Most Mexicans are patient and helpful with visitors attempting Spanish, often slower in their responses to help you understand.
**Money matters:** ATMs (cajeros automáticos) are widely available in cities and tourist towns, typically offering better exchange rates than currency exchange booths. Withdraw larger amounts to minimize international transaction fees—your bank probably charges $3-5 per withdrawal regardless of amount. Credit cards work in hotels, nicer restaurants, and larger shops, but Mexico remains much more cash-dependent than the US or Europe. Always carry pesos for street food, most taxis, market purchases, and tips. Small bills (20, 50, 100 peso notes) are most useful—many small vendors struggle to make change for 500 peso notes.
**Cell service:** Major US carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon) offer Mexico coverage on many plans—T-Mobile includes it free on most plans, while others charge daily fees. Verify your specific plan before you go to avoid surprise charges. Alternatively, buy a Mexican SIM card from Telcel or AT&T Mexico at the airport or any OXXO convenience store—they cost about $10-15 for a week of data and give you a local number. Having reliable data access helps enormously for Google Maps navigation, translating menus, researching restaurants or attractions on the go, and staying in touch.
**Tipping culture:** In restaurants, 10–15% is standard service—less than US expectations but generous by Mexican standards. For hotel housekeeping, leave 20–40 pesos per day on the pillow or nightstand with a note (“gracias”). Taxi drivers don’t expect tips unless they help with heavy luggage or go above and beyond. Tour guides should receive 10–20% if you’re pleased with the service—they often work primarily for tips. Gas station attendants who pump your gas (full service is standard in Mexico) appreciate 10-20 pesos. Bag packers at grocery stores work only for tips—give them 5-10 pesos.
**Health precautions:** Travel insurance is smart, especially if you plan any adventure activities like diving, zip-lining, or ATV tours. Mexico has excellent private hospitals in cities and tourist areas—Hospital Angeles locations in major cities offer US-standard care—but they expect payment upfront or proof of insurance before treatment. Bring any prescription medications in original containers with your name on them to avoid customs issues. Sunscreen is expensive in Mexico compared to the US; bring it from home. The sun is intense, especially at archaeological sites with limited shade—SPF 50+ is not overkill. Altitude in Mexico City (7,350 feet) and other highland cities can cause headaches and fatigue for the first day or two—stay hydrated and take it easy until you acclimate.
Your Mexico Awaits
Mexico delivers experiences that stay with you long after you return home—the moment you first see Teotihuacán’s pyramids emerging from morning mist, the complex layering of flavors in properly prepared mole negro that somehow includes chocolate and chilies in perfect balance, swimming in Gran Cenote while rays of sunlight pierce the water from an opening 30 feet above, watching gray whales breach in Magdalena Bay so close you can see barnacles on their skin.
First-time visitors often make the same mistake: they try to see everything. Mexico is huge—761,000 square miles, about three times the size of Texas—and rushing between destinations means spending more time in buses and airports than actually experiencing places. Pick one or two regions and explore them properly. The Yucatán Peninsula gives you Mayan ruins, jungle cenotes, and Caribbean beaches all within a few hours’ drive. Oaxaca and Chiapas offer indigenous culture, exceptional food, and both highlands and jungle terrain. Baja California provides desert landscapes meeting the ocean, excellent Valle de Guadalupe wine country, and some of the best fish tacos you’ll ever eat.
You’ll want to return. Mexico has a way of getting under your skin. The colors are more vibrant—buildings painted in deep purples, bright oranges, and turquoise blues. The food is more flavorful—the result of complex pre-Hispanic techniques meeting Spanish influence meeting modern creativity. Life feels more immediate and present than in many places, with less separation between public and private, work and leisure, formal and casual. That friend who went to Mexico once and now goes back every year, sometimes twice? You’re about to understand exactly why.
Start planning. Your first trip to Mexico will be memorable—and likely not your last. For more travel inspiration in fascinating destinations, check out our guide on [traveling to Angola 2026] https://jetsettrail.com/travel-to-angola-2026/
Official Travel Information
https://www.visitmexico.com/
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mexico-travel-advisory.html
https://www.gob.mx/sectur
Transportation & Logistics
https://www.ado.com.mx/
https://www.chepe.mx/
https://www.metro.cdmx.gob.mx/
Archaeological Sites
https://www.inah.gob.mx/
https://www.inah.gob.mx/zonas/146-zona-arqueologica-de-chichen-itza
Practical Planning
https://www.xe.com/currency/mxn-mexican-peso
https://weather.com/weather/today/l/Mexico
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Mexico
Diving & Marine Activities
https://www.padi.com/dive-shop-locator
https://www.bajawhalewatching.com/
