Destinations in Mexico — where to go
Two totally different Mexicos — the megacity and the mountains — and why you want both.
Mexico City and Oaxaca are the two cultural heavyweights outside the beach resorts, and they're worth combining if you have 10+ days: Mexico City (world-class museums, food scene, day trips to ancient ruins, 3–4 days) and Oaxaca (colonial architecture, mezcal, the country's best regional cooking, 3–4 days). Both pair naturally with a few beach days on the Caribbean coast.
Most people plan a Mexico trip around a beach and stop there — which is fine, the beaches are genuinely great, but it also means skipping the two cities that make Mexican food, art, and history actually click into place. Mexico City and Oaxaca aren't 'add-ons' to a beach trip; for a lot of travelers they end up being the best part. Here's what each one is actually like, and how long to give it.
Mexico City sits at roughly 7,350 feet (2,240m) — higher than Denver — and a lot of first-day headaches and "why am I so tired" moments blamed on jet lag are actually altitude. Don't book a packed sightseeing day for the morning you land. Give yourself an easy first day — a slow breakfast, a short walk, an early night — and the rest of the trip goes a lot better.
Mexico City
3–4 days, stay in Roma or Condesa, and go hungry.
Oaxaca
3–4 days, mezcal palenques, and food that rivals anywhere in the country.
Guadalajara
2-3 days, mariachi's birthplace, and Mexico's real tequila country next door.
San Miguel de Allende
2-3 days, pink Gothic spires, and a genuinely serious art scene.
Guanajuato
2-3 days, a rainbow hillside city built on silver, and genuinely strange museums.
Merida
2-3 days, colonial Yucatan, and consistently ranked one of the safest cities anywhere in Latin America.