Exploring Mexico

Colonial architecture, world-class mole, and one of the most beautiful city centres in Mexico.

Puebla is one of Mexico's most underrated cities. The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site lined with ornate Baroque churches and talavera tile facades. The food culture here is extraordinary — mole poblano and chiles en nogada were both born in Puebla kitchens. It is easy to spend two or three days here without running out of things to do.

• Zocalo and Cathedral
• Barrio del Artista
• Mercado El Parian
• Cholula Pyramid
• Talavera workshops
• Mole and cemitas

A UNESCO colonial gem in the high desert, beloved for its art scene, its light, and its pace.

San Miguel has a warmth that is hard to explain and impossible to forget. The cobblestone streets, the colour of the buildings, the way the light falls in the late afternoon — it all conspires to make you want to stay longer than planned. A thriving arts and food scene, excellent restaurants, and a genuinely magical atmosphere make this one of the most visited cities in Mexico for good reason.

• Parroquia de San Miguel
• El Charco del Ingenio
• Mercado de Artesanias
• Fabrica La Aurora
• Pozos ghost town
• Hot springs nearby

A mystical pueblo magico nestled between dramatic volcanic mountains, just south of the capital.

Tepoztlan is the kind of place that feels like a secret even though everyone knows about it. The town sits in a valley ringed by enormous basalt cliffs, and on weekends the market fills with artisans, food vendors, and locals. The hike up to the Tepozteco pyramid rewards you with extraordinary views over the valley. Close enough for a day trip but lovely enough for a night or two.

• Tepozteco pyramid hike
• Weekend artisan market
• Ex-Convent of Tepoztlan
• Tlayudas and quesillo
• Spa retreats

Mexico's food and mezcal capital. Indigenous culture, extraordinary markets, and a creative energy unlike anywhere else in the country.

Oaxaca is one of those cities that gets under your skin. The food scene is world-class — tlayudas, mole negro, chapulines, the best chocolate you will ever taste — and the mezcal culture is serious and genuine. The city itself is beautiful, the surrounding valleys hold some of the most important archaeological sites in the Americas, and the markets are a living lesson in Mexican craft and culture. Give it at least four days.

• Monte Alban ruins
• Mercado Benito Juarez
• Hierve el Agua
• Mezcal distillery visits
• Tlacolula market
• Textile villages

A grand colonial city at the heart of Maya civilisation, with cenotes, haciendas, and ruins within easy reach in every direction.

Merida is the most elegant city in the Yucatan, with wide boulevards, beautiful colonial mansions, and a food scene built on Yucatecan cuisine that is entirely its own — cochinita pibil, papadzules, sopa de lima. From here you can day-trip to Chichen Itza, swim in extraordinary cenotes, visit the pink lakes of Las Coloradas, or take a slower road through smaller towns like Izamal and Valladolid. The heat is real but the beauty is worth it.

• Chichen Itza
• Cenote swimming
• Uxmal ruins
• Las Coloradas pink lakes
• Izamal yellow city
• Hacienda stays

Clifftop Maya ruins over turquoise Caribbean water, cenotes in the jungle, and a beach town with a strong sense of style.

Tulum sits at the intersection of ancient and contemporary Mexico in a way that is genuinely compelling. The ruins perched above the sea are among the most dramatically located in the world. The cenotes of the surrounding jungle are extraordinary — crystal-clear freshwater sinkholes that you can swim and dive in, many of them part of the world's largest underground river system. The beach strip has evolved into a destination in its own right, with excellent restaurants and a creative, international crowd.

• Tulum ruins
• Gran Cenote
• Sian Kaan biosphere
• Coba pyramid climb
• Cenote Dos Ojos
• Beach clubs

A car-free island at the tip of the Yucatan where the Gulf of Mexico meets the Caribbean. Flamingos, whale sharks, and an unhurried pace that feels far from the world.

Holbox is one of the few places in Mexico that still feels genuinely off the beaten path. The streets are sand, there are no cars, and the water turns every shade of turquoise depending on the light. From June to September, whale sharks gather in the surrounding waters and you can swim alongside them — one of the great wildlife experiences in the Americas. The island has grown in recent years but has managed to hold onto its character. Go before it changes further.

• Whale shark swimming
• Flamingo lagoon
• Bioluminescent waters
• Punta Mosquito sandbar
• Island golf cart rides
• Sunset at Punta Cocos

The Lake of Seven Colors. A vast freshwater lagoon near the Belize border that most visitors to the Yucatan never find.

Bacalar is one of Mexico's most beautiful and least hyped destinations. The lagoon stretches for 42 kilometres and shifts through seven distinct shades of blue depending on the depth and the light — from pale mint to deep cobalt. It is serene, it is genuinely stunning, and it attracts a traveller who prefers quiet beauty to beach clubs. The town itself is small and sweet, with good restaurants and a 17th-century fort. A few days here feels restorative in a deep way.

• Lagoon swimming and sailing
• Fuerte de San Felipe
• Canal de los Piratas
• Cenote Azul
• Kayaking at sunrise
• Day trip to Chetumal

Mexico's second city, and the cultural capital of the west. Mariachi, tequila, and some of the country's best craft traditions.

Guadalajara is where mariachi music was born and where tequila is a way of life. The historic centre is grand and walkable, and just a short drive away is Tlaquepaque, a neighbourhood village entirely given over to galleries, craft shops, and excellent restaurants. Lake Chapala is nearby, and the town of Tequila is an easy day trip with distillery visits along the way. A city with enormous personality and a pace that is more relaxed than the capital.

• Hospicio Cabanas murals
• Tlaquepaque galleries
• Tequila distillery tour
• Mercado San Juan de Dios
• Lake Chapala
• Tortas ahogadas

A small, unhurried Pacific fishing village that has stayed genuine while the towns around it have grown. Creative, warm, and genuinely beautiful.

San Francisco, known as San Pancho, is one of those rare places that has managed to grow slowly and well. The beach is long and uncrowded, the surf is real, the jungle presses close to the village streets, and the restaurants are excellent. It attracts an international crowd of artists, writers, and travellers who come once and keep coming back. Fewer people know about it than they should. It is the Pacific coast at its most honest and most lovely.

• San Pancho beach
• Entreamigos community centre
• Jungle hikes
• Surf lessons
• Lo de Marcos nearby
• Local seafood

A private peninsula on the Pacific that is among the most exclusive resort destinations in all of Latin America.

Punta Mita sits at the tip of a gated peninsula in Banderas Bay, facing the open Pacific with the Sierra Madre behind it. The water is exceptional for surfing, snorkeling, and whale watching in season. Four Seasons and St. Regis both have properties here, and the standard of the restaurants, spas, and beach clubs reflects that. It is genuinely world-class — the kind of place where you do very little and feel very restored. If you are considering a splurge at any point on the trip, this is where to do it.

• Four Seasons and St. Regis
• Marietas Islands snorkeling
• Whale watching in season
• World-class surf breaks
• Beach clubs and spas
• Deep sea fishing

A lively Pacific resort city with a beautiful old town, a thriving food scene, and direct access to one of Mexico's most dramatic coastlines.

Puerto Vallarta has a warmth and charm that bigger resort destinations often lose. The Zona Romantica is walkable and full of excellent restaurants, the Malecon seafront is lovely at sunset, and the Sierra Madre comes right down to the water creating a landscape that is part jungle, part beach. Day trips to the surrounding bay and the Marietas Islands are easy and worthwhile. It works as a base for exploring the whole Banderas Bay area including Punta Mita and San Pancho.

• Zona Romantica
• Malecon at sunset
• Marietas Islands
• Jungle zip-lining
• Los Muertos beach
• Sayulita day trip

Where the Sonoran Desert meets two oceans. World-class fishing, dramatic rock formations, and resort luxury at the tip of the Baja peninsula.

Los Cabos encompasses Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, two towns with quite different characters connected by the Tourist Corridor. Cabo San Lucas is lively and resort-driven; San Jose del Cabo is quieter, with a genuine art district and excellent restaurants. The setting is extraordinary — enormous rock arches rising from the sea where the Pacific and Sea of Cortez meet. World-class sport fishing, humpback whales in winter, excellent spas, and some of the best deep-sea diving in Mexico. The food scene in San Jose has grown considerably in recent years.

• El Arco rock formation
• San Jose del Cabo art district
• Deep sea fishing
• Whale watching
• Sea of Cortez snorkeling
• Valle de Guadalupe wine country