Your Mexico Travel Guide On And Off The Beaten Path [2022]

This Mexico travel guide will show you all the most amazing places to visit in Mexico, its culture, food, natural wonders, and more. I am sharing all the practical information and insider tips that you need to organize your trip to Mexico and help you travel in a flawless and safe way. It is also a guide to navigate through this extensive Mexico travel blog where you will find everything you need to know to plan your trip to Mexico

Mexico Travel Guide: essential information

Geographical location: Mexico is the southern country of North America and the third-largest country in Latin America after Brazil and Argentina.

Official Name: Estados Unidos Mexicanos (Mexican United States)

Official Language: Spanish and over 66 Indian languages.

Government: Federal presidential constitutional republic

Currency: Mexican Peso. 1 USD =19 MXN at the present time

Borders: On the north side the Mexican frontiers border with The United States of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas for a total of 3,141 km. In the south, Mexico shares borders with Guatemala for 962km and Belize for 250 km.

Tallest mountain in Mexico: Pico de Orizaba 5.636 mt in the state of Veracruz.

Total area almost 2,000,000 square kilometres (770,000 sq mi)

Largest Lake: Lake Chapala

Total Population: 108,701,000

Capital city: Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico – CDMX) – with a population of almost 9 million people and a maximum elevation of 3,930 m (12.890 ft) ( about 2300 in the city center)

Second biggest city: Guadalajara, the capital city of the Jalisco State.

The biggest pre-hispanic civilizations: the Mayas, located in the south of Mexico in what is nowadays called the Yucatan Peninsula, and Chiapas. Aztecas, in the central and northern region. Olmecas, in Veracruz and Tabasco.

National Day: 16th September

Religion: 83% Roman Catholicism

Country Number/Prefix: +52

Country Code: MX

cenote corazon tulum - a girl sitting on a platform by the edge. — Cenote Corazon – Tulum

Mexican Culture

Safety in Mexico

Safety is always the main concern when you travel in a foreign country, especially in a place such as Mexico which is sadly known more for its drug cartels and drug-related violence rather than its incredible natural wonders and historical landmarks.

In the below articles I am sharing my views on How to stay safe while traveling to Mexico

Is Mexico safe to travel?

Is Tulum safe to travel?

Is Cancun Safe to travel to right now?

Is Puerto Vallarta safe to travel?

Is Mexico city safe to travel?

BACALAR VIEW WITH THE DRONE - MEXICO TRAVEL GUIDE

Mexico Travel Resources

When is the best time to visit Mexico?

Mexico is a humongous country and there is no best time to visit Mexico in general. When is the best time to visit Cancun, it may not be the best time for visiting Baja California, for example, considering many different factors depending on your interests. I will write a series of “Best time to visit …” posts for each main city or area, for your convenience.

Mexico Pueblos Magicos

**Find out the best Pueblos Magicos in Mexico**

Mexican Food

CHILE EN NOGADA - FOOD IN PUEBLA — Chile en Nogada – Typical dish from Puebla

Mexico Itineraries

Organized Multi-day Tours in Mexico

There are many reasons why you prefer to join an already made tour itinerary, such as:

You are not comfortable traveling alone
you simply don’t have time to organize your trip around Mexico,
you can take only a few days off and you want to pack as many things to see as possible
You want to have a guide that explains everything you see and offers historical and cultural information

Those are only some of the many reasons why you might want to decide to join an organized guided itinerary. Here I have the solution for you. There are many travel organizations nowadays that put together groups and build amazing itineraries that you can choose from.

VIEW ALL G ADVENTURE MEXICO ITINERARIES

Where to stay in Mexico

In this section, I am sharing all my hotel review posts where you can see all my suggested hotels in Mexico by destination.

DIVING IN MEXICO

Mexico is also one of the most incredible destinations for diving. We have Cozumel, right on the Mesoamerican reef and we also have the sea of Cortes, the world’s aquarium. \You can dive with whale sharks and bull sharks from Playa del Carmen and see the white shark from a cage from Isla Guadalupe.

I had the fortune to find, Adrienne a dive instructor based in Cozumel, Mexico who is also a great writer she is writing for this site about diving in Mexico and she will give you professional tips on where to go diving and have the best experience in Mexico. Here below is the list of her articles.

The best diving sites in Cozumel
Guide to the best Mexico caves diving
The best snorkeling spots in Cozumel
The Best Scuba Diving in Cancun: all you need to know

MEXICO BY STATE

YUCATAN

Did you know that Yucatan is considered one of the safest places in Mexico? It’s the land of the 6000 cenotes and amazing colonial town, the luxury haciendas and the most lovely and welcoming people, and delicious cuisine.

Tulum Beach - how to get from Cancun to Tulum

Quintana roo is the Mexican Caribbean State, which endless white-sand beaches, a turquoise blue sea, great diving, and snorkeling but also world-class hotels. You can also find cenotes and interesting villages as well.

Jalisco is a spectacular and diverse region, with the vibrant Guadalajara as its capital city, and its cute Pueblos Magicos, Lake Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico, and the popular Riviera Nayarit, with the friendly city of Puerto Vallarta and the quaint surf town of Sayulita and much more.

Queretaro is one of the smallest states and yet so rich in history and culture besides its amazing natural gems, such as the wine regions and the Sierra Gorda. Let’s not forget the delicious food and the amount of Museums that you can find in the Capital city, and the lovely people.

I would say Puebla is the Mexican food capital, home of famous Chile en Nogada and the Mole Poblano among many other delicacies. But also a city rich in history and culture and amazing surroundings to explore.

OAXACA

Oaxaca state is the home of one of the most active indigenous populations that are still fighting for their own rights. But it’s also a beautiful city and spectacular roughed cost, loved especially by surfers and photographers.

AERIAL VIEW OF GUANAJUATO CITY AT SUNSET WITH THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE

The vibrant university city is home to the Festival Cervantes, a yearly celebration of all kinds of art. Walk around the narrow lanes and kiss in the Callejon del Beso. Enjoy the colonial art and architecture of Guanajuato city and San Miguel de Allende.

CHIAPAS

An interesting state with a culture of its own, an overwhelming nature, with natural gems to explore, rivers and waterfalls, lakes, and hidden archaeological sites. Explore San Cristobal de las Casas and the surrounding communities.

HIDALGO

Hidalgo is home to the popular Grutas de Tolantongo but also incredible natural resources and historical towns to explore.

Las Grutas de Tolantongo: the complete guide

SAN LUIS POTOSI

San Luis Potosi is maninly renown for the Real de Catorce Pueblo Magico and the Huasteca Potosina, but there is much more than that. Let’s discover it together

How to visit the Huasteca Potosina, a spectacular region in central Mexico

ESTADO DE MEXICO

Valle de Bravo sunset over the city — Valle de Bravo Sunset

Estado de Mexico is the territory around Mexico city and it’s full of interesting towns to visit, including Valle de Bravo and Tepotztlan, both Pueblo Magicos, with a lot of Magic indeed.

MEXICO CITY

Mexico City has recently been appointed as a state on its own, abbreviated to CDMX. It’s one of the most interesting cities in the world for its history and culture and you could spend one year there and still haven’t explored all of it. I have been there for a few days multiple times and I will continue to return and see as much as I can every time, especially art museums which are my favorites.

BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR

One of the most incredible states in Mexico with the best landscapes and natural wonders. A paradise for outdoorsy people.

This page will be updated as I add more content. You can save it in your browser and check back to see more content or you can subscribe to my Newsletter to receive monthly updates 🙂

I have started this blog to create a Mexico Travel guide that will make it easy for you to organize your trip to Mexico and help you travel in a flawless and safe way. As I am writing more and more posts I realize it will get difficult to find everything you are looking for. That’s why I thought to build this site map, to help you easily find all the information you are looking for.

Isabella, author, editor, and founder

A passionate traveler and photographer, in love with life and adventures, Isabella is the founder and editor of Letstraveltomexico where she shares her love for Mexico, a fascinating country that she’s proud to call home. When she’s not exploring a new place you will find Isabella in a cafe, writing on this blog, or on her other sites Boundless Roads, Mexico Cenotes and Ruins and Letstraveltocancun.com where she loves to share her travels on and off the beaten path in Mexico and around the world.