Things to Do in Mexico

Dating back to the 16th century when it was first built, the impressive Church of Santo Domingo towers over the historic center of Puebla, Mexico. Painted in deep reds and built with faded gray stone, the Roman Catholic cathedral and square is a major landmark for the town. It was constructed by the order of the Dominicans and was once part of a larger Dominican convent that stretched more than two blocks. The main altarpiece of the church is its most impressive sight, opulently decorated in gold life-size statues of religious figures. The interior stretches four stories from floor to ceiling, with domed ceilings and windows letting in soft, natural light.

Behind the facade lies the Capilla del Rosario, or chapel of the rosary, one of the most ornately decorated interiors in all of Mexico. Its detailed use of gold leaf, tile, and gilded stucco is widely regarded as a masterpiece of Mexican Baroque art and architecture. 

The Choco Story is an eco-chocolate museum near the Uxmal ruins of the Yucatan. It sits on the site of an original hacienda and now operates as an interactive museum and cacao bean plantation. Its focus on the history, culture, and sustainability of cacao growth in the area makes for a unique and educational visit. The growth and production here is run in a community-driven, eco-friendly manner and is fair trade. 

Exhibits tell the story of cacao in this region, its importance and use in the Mayan culture, as well as economic and health properties. Visitors can view indigenous plants, experience chocolate cooking demonstrations, and even take part in a Mayan ceremony. The museum teaches about the differences between dark, milk, and white chocolate. Near the end of the museum route there is an interactive tasting, which unsurprisingly many cite as their favorite part of the experience.

Copalita River, or Río Copalita, is a river in Huatulco that is popular with surfers and river rafters. During Huatulco’s rainy season from May to October, the Copalita River swells, becoming an ideal spot for river rafting excursions.  Río Copalita empties into the ocean several miles northeast of Tangolunda. On the beach, you are likely to find local surfers and boogie boarders hanging out. The surfing is so popular here that there is an annual Huatulco surfing and boogie board championship that dates back to 2003.  Rafting along the Copalita River takes rafters through a series of adrenaline-pumping rapids – everything from Class I to Class IV rapids. Class I rapids are considered easy with fast moving water, but few obstructions and small waves. Class IV rapids are advanced, with intense turbulent water and a risk of unavoidable obstacles and waves. Tours that include river rafting typically require rafters to travel between 5 to 7 miles (8 to 11 km) on the Copalita River.

Guides will start with a required safety briefing and then a provide examples on how to properly use the paddle. Each raft will have a guide who will provide navigational instructions as you hit each class of rapids.

The scenery you will experience on a Copalita River rafting trip is unsurpassed. During the slower Class I rapids, you can observe natural habitats of animals and birds, which live amongst the riverbank’s pristine landscape. Stunning rock formations and waterfalls round out the epic adventure in Huatulco.

Chapultepec Park, named for the Aztec word chapoltepec (at the grasshopper’s hill), is one of the world's largest city parks. The green space spans 1,695 acres (686 hectares) and is dissected by walking paths connecting quiet ponds, monumental buildings, and museums, including the Museum of Anthropology and the Rufino Tamayo Museum.

 

Located in the center of Mexico City, Chapultepec Park (Bosque de Chapultepec) is found 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the zócalo, or central plaza, along the border of the popular upscale neighborhoods of Reforma and Polanco. Considered one of the world’s oldest urban parks, it’s believed to have been set aside as green space in the 1300s, but wasn't officially protected until 1428 by King Nezahualcoyotl.

 

In addition to exploring the grounds by bike, Segway, or on foot, many tours also provide the option to visit main attractions, such as Chapultepec Castle, which is home to the National History Museum (Museo Nacional de Historia) and the National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropología).

 

 

Within walking distance to many Mexico City hotels, Chapultepec Park is easily accessible via public transportation. Take Line 1 to Chapultepec Station, which drops you off right at the park. The Turibus’ main line (Chapultepec–Centro Historico) also travels through the park.

 

Chapultepec Park draws both locals and tourists throughout the week (admission is free). It’s especially busy on weekends (particularly Sundays) and holidays. The first section is open during daylight hours, while the second and third sections are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 

Found inside Chapultepec Castle, which is famous for being the only castle in North America to have housed royalty, the National History Museum features a permanent collection that includes paintings, documents, artifacts, and clothing from different periods in Mexican history. It also serves as a venue for concerts and theater productions. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 5pm.

Columbia Reef is famous for its complex architecture of caves, arches, and coral spires. Here you can find schools of snapper, barracudas, sea turtles, scorpion fish, and even the rare passing nurse shark. With both shallow coral gardens and deep ocean-floor caverns, the reef is accessible to snorkelers and scuba divers alike. 

Depths rarely exceed 40 feet (12 meters) in the Columbia Shallows, making this portion of the reef ideal for snorkelers, photographers, and novice divers. Columbia Deep, with an impressive drop-off of 80 feet (24 meters) is better suited for experienced divers looking to explore caves and tunnels. 

Because of its proximity to Cozumel, Columbia Reef is best explored on a snorkeling or diving tour from the island’s downtown marina. Most excursions visit Columbia Reef along with Palancar Reef and El Cielo Marine Park, and sometimes include hotel pickup and drop-off. 

Columbia Reef is located off the southern coast of Cozumel, near Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. You can get there by guided tour or private charter boat—although the reef may be hard to locate on your own. 

You can visit Columbia Reef year-round, but it’s busiest from December through April, when the weather tends to be sunny and warm. There are fewer crowds during hurricane season (May through October), but be sure to check the weather for storms.

Cozumel’s Coral Reefs

Cozumel’s expansive coral reefs are some of the largest in the world. Paradise Reef and Palancar Gardens are ideal spots for novice divers and snorkelers due to their shallow depth, and offer a chance to glimpse sea turtles, colorful fish, towering coral spires, and gently waving sea fans. The Palancar Caves are probably the most famous dive site, with huge brain corals and swim-through tunnels. Palancar Horseshoe, a natural underwater amphitheater made entirely of coral, is another must-see.

The Basics
Chichén Itzá is a UNESCO World Heritage site, made up of many stone buildings in various states of preservation, all connected by a network of roads called sacbeob. The three most well-known of these monument complexes are El Castillo, the Temple of Warriors, and the Great Ball Court.

The highlight of Chichen Itza's Mayan ruins is the Kukulcan Pyramid, known as El Castillo. Mesoamerican cultures occasionally built larger pyramids on top of smaller ones, and this is the case for the 79-foot (24-meter) step pyramid of El Castillo, where an excavation discovered a temple with an elaborate jaguar throne. History and archaeology buffs would do well to choose a tour that combines a visit to Chichen Itza with the ruins at Ek Balam, Coba, and Valladolid. Alternatively, choose a tour with access to the Mayaland Resort and a buffet lunch.

• Many tours are led by archaeologist tour guides, who are well-versed in Mayan culture.
  
• The Ossario group and Central group are open to everyone; Chichen Viejo (Old Chichen) is only open to archaeologists.
  
• Come prepared for the heat with light clothing, sunscreen, bottled water, and a hat.
  
• This popular site can get extremely crowded—book an early-access tour to beat the crowds.
  

How To Get There
Chichen Itza is roughly two hours from Cancun, Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, Quintana Roo by car. Visitors to those coastal resorts will have plenty of options for day trips to the archaeological site. Departures are also available from Cozumel and Merida.

When to Get There
The best time to get to Chichen Itza is at opening time, before the crowds arrive and the sun is high in the sky. Some private tours and small-group tours offer early access to the ancient ruins. At sunrise and sunset on the spring and fall equinoxes, the corner of the pyramid casts a shadow of Kukulkan, a feathered serpent god, creating the illusion of a snake slithering down the north side with the sun's movement.

Nearby Cenotes

The Cenote Sagrado is also an impressive natural site at Chichen Itza, featuring a sinkhole gateway into an underground body of water 197 feet (60 meters) in diameter. Another nearby cenote is Ik Kil, and some Chichen Itza day trips combine visits to these freshwater sinkholes on the Yucatan Peninsula with a stop at the ruins.

Still relatively unknown to tourists, the Copalita Ruins sit on the shores of the Pacific Ocean in the Huatulco resort area. Remnants of pyramids, temples, a ball court, and a pre-Hispanic lighthouse dot the lush landscape of the archaeological park, which also includes a massive stone believed to have once been used in sacrifices.

Travelers to the Oaxaca coast shouldn’t miss a visit to the Copalito Ruins, an archaeological park near the Copalita River with wooded trails, a museum, and ruins that date back more than 2,000 years. Home to some 60 different species of animals and a wide variety of indigenous birds, this spot is a haven for nature and wildlife lovers. Visit the park independently or on a hassle-free day trip from Puerto Escondido with round-trip transport.  

The Copalita Ruins are located on Boulevard Tangolunda-Copalita, just minutes from La Crucecita. Most visitors arrive by taxi or as part of a guided tour. For those looking to save money, collectivo taxis are available to shuttle passengers to and from the park.

The archaeological park is open daily from 8am to 5pm, and there really isn’t a bad time to visit. It receives just a fraction of the visitors of some of the larger archaeological sites in Oaxaca, so you can visit just about any time without having to worry about crowds.

Originally built as the service town for the Huatulco resort area, La Crucecita has the feel of a small Mexican town. It’s located just minutes from the Copalita Ruins and serves as a jumping off point for exploring Huatulco’s nine different bays. Here, visitors can sample Oaxacan cuisine and shop for artisan crafts at the traditional La Probadita market.    

Protected by the Chileno Bay, the waters at Chileno Beach are calm, warm, and clear, and the reefs just offshore act as a home to an abundance of sea life. The beach, considered one of Los Cabos’ best-kept secrets, mimics the feel of a Caribbean beach. Sun-seekers will enjoy the seclusion and the top-notch snorkeling opportunities. 

Chileno Beach is a popular destination for those looking to do a bit of underwater exploration or just relax on the sunny shores of a secluded spot. Remember, though, that there are few accommodations to be found here (aside from restrooms), so if you’re planning on making the trek to Chileno Beach on your own, pack food and snorkeling gear. Tours to the area, which include sailing, snorkeling, and kayaking excursions, typically supply the equipment.

Chileno Beach, located just off Los Cabos’ tourist corridor, is accessible by bus from both Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo (tell the driver to drop you off at Bahia Chileno). From the bus stop, it’s about a half-mile walk down to the beach. If you decide to rent a car and drive, there’s an ample amount of free parking. Most sailing and snorkeling tours depart from the Cabo San Lucas marina.

There are no set hours of operation at Chileno Beach, but arrive early in the morning to beat the crowds. Like most beaches, Chileno is a popular spot for locals on the weekends and is less busy during the week. Also, during whale-watching season, which takes place from December to April, you might be able to hear a humpback whale singing if you listen closely while underwater. 

Another favorite spot for snorkeling, Santa Maria Beach boasts pristine white sands and similar conditions to Chileno; many tours combine the two locations since they’re just around the bend from each other, and some scuba-diving excursions include dives at both. The areas are home to sea turtles, some species of moray eels, starfish, sea fans, sea urchins, sea horses, and sponges.

Specifically designed for cruisers, Costa Maya Cruise Port sits on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, south of Riviera Maya and the Yucatan region, and just north of Belize. While the port’s resort–like atmosphere draws many tourists, visitors can also venture out on shore excursions if they would like to get out on the water or visit ancient Maya ruins.

Costa Maya Port has everything you need to kick back and relax:  restaurants, bars, shopping, pools, a swim-up bar, and a beach club. Alternatively, head into Mahahual, a former fishing village that’s becoming a lively tourist town, where you can stroll along the boardwalk (malecón), get some fresh ceviche, or plop down at a beach club to swim and relax. Popular shore excursion options include scuba diving with marine life on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and visiting the Chacchoben Maya ruins, an archaeological site dating back to the year AD 700. The site is 43 miles (69 kilometers) from Costa Maya, so booking a tour is the easiest way to get there.

 

 

Ships dock right at Costa Maya's purpose-built facilities. The pier is long, but a free shuttle bus ferries passengers back and forth. The fishing village of Mahahual is located just south of the port, five minutes by road.

 

Costa Maya’s dry season lasts from November through May. While rainy season visitors risk cloudy weather and potential hurricanes, they can benefit from lower prices and fewer crowds. 

Mexico’s currency is the peso, although US dollars are often accepted around the port area.

In a country that attracts tourists from around the world, Comitan, a thriving city in the southern state of Chiapas, proves a popular destination for a local set of travelers. Mexicans looking to get away from the day-to-day find Comitan’s charming colonial architecture, clean, narrow streets, perfect temperatures and close proximity to home ideal for a weekend escape. And increasingly, visitors from other parts of the globe are flocking to this unsung destination in search of a more authentic Mexican experience, too.

The city’s popular central town square comes alive at night, when locals and travelers gather in surrounding streets to watch live music and performers dance to traditional beats. Visitors to Comitan can tuck into plates of traditional or continental cuisine at one of the city’s numerous restaurants, or spend a day exploring nary attractions, like Parque Nacional Lagunas de Montebello or Zona Arquelogica de Chinkultic. From art museums to outdoors, travelers agree, Comitan is calling. 

Designed by Juan Pelaez de Berrio, this popular town center has been attracting locals and travelers since it first opened back in 1529. The lively town square, known as Constitution Garden, has become a gathering space for those looking to find respite from the hustle of Oaxaca’s streets. Cobblestone sidewalks and a pristine marble fountain lend a touch of old world charm to this urban green space, and easy access to several museums, galleries and shops make it the perfect place to circle up before exploring city streets.

Travelers in search a slice of local life will find it at Constitution Gardens, where street vendors gather to sell fresh local fare, and a central bandstand framed with laurel trees proves the ideal stage for live music, including the state’s own marimba band. 

In the heart of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula lie the ruins of Coba, an ancient Maya city considered to be one of the most important settlements in Mesoamerican history. During its peak between AD 500 and 900, Coba housed 50,000 residents and was the central terminus for the complex Maya system of roadways. The jungle site is still being excavated, but visitors can experience the already discovered remains of these sacbes, or stone causeways, as well as a number of engraved and sculpted monuments.

The Coba ruins are an easy day trip from Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Tulum, and the Riviera Maya. Visitors can stroll or bike past two ball courts and the roads that once linked major Maya cities, and climb 120 steep steps up Nohoch Mul (the tallest ancient pyramid on the Yucatan Peninsula) for panoramic views of the lush Mexican jungle. Take a small-group or private tour of the ruins to gain deep insights into ancient Maya culture, or beat the crowds with an archaeologist-led, early-access tour of both Coba and Chichen Itza. If you’re feeling adventurous, combine your visit with a cenote swim, a snorkeling excursion, or a visit to an authentic Maya village.

Coba is roughly 45 minutes by road from Tulum, traveling inland. If driving, take extra precaution at small villages that are known for their speed bumps. Several public buses also make the 3-hour journey each day, but you can save the hassle by taking a guided day trip, many of which include hotel pickup and drop-off. 

The archaeological site is open year-round. High season (December through April) brings sunny weather along with lots of visitors; go early to avoid the crowds that start pouring in at about 11am. Visit during the rainy season (May through October) for lower prices and fewer crowds, but be prepared to change your plans according to the weather.

The Yucatan jungle surrounding the Coba ruins is worth exploring on its own. Try combining a tour of the ancient city with a trip to cool off in a cenote, a limestone sinkhole filled with clear water that’s great for swimming, tubing, or kayaking. You can also explore the nearby Tulum and Chichen Itza ruins, try your hand at ziplining in the forest, or visit the Xel-Ha aquatic park. 

A popular day trip from the state capital of Tuxtla, the small colonial town of Chiapa de Corzo lies on the Rio Grijalva and is the starting point for boat rides through the Sumidero Canyon National Park. Although inhabited since prehistoric times, Chiapa de Corzo is best known as the region’s oldest Spanish settlement, founded in 1528, and traces of its past can be seen in its exquisitely preserved colonial architecture. The red-brick mudejar-style La Pila Fountain (Fuente Colonial) is the grand centerpiece of the central Plaza Ángel Albino Corzo, dating back to the 16th century and shaped like the Spanish crown, while one block south, the Santo Domingo Church (Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzman) is famous for its original copper and silver bell and now houses a traditional handicraft museum.

The town is also renowned for its annual Feria de Enero festival, a colorful carnival held each January in honor of the feast of San Sebastian, when marching bands and dancing troops take to the streets for a vibrant procession and the city hosts an enormous street party. The highlight of the festival is the performance of the Dance of the Parachicos, a cultural tradition so important it’s been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. 

In the remote Sierra Tarahumara Mountains, Mexico’s Copper Canyon system is longer and deeper than the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Native Raramuri people live in and around the canyons. The Raramuri are famous for their long distance running abilities, and there is a maze of foot trails all around the canyons, where visitors can hike with the help of a guide. Adrenaline-pumping adventures abound in the Copper Canyon, from white-water rafting the Ulrique River to visiting an adventure park along the canyon for ziplining and rock climbing. Or simply take in the spectacular views. The scenic train ride from Chihuahua offers opportunities to stop and sightsee along the canyons.

CoCo Bongo in Cancun isn’t your typical nightclub. For starters, there’s no traditional dance floor. Instead, the popular venue hosts energetic performances including acrobats, bands, and musical impersonators who belt out tunes by artists ranging from Rihanna to Elvis. This lively spot is a must-visit for those looking for a fun night out in Cancun but don’t want to simply dance to DJs.  

This favorite nightlife franchise boasts three locations in the Caribbean—Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Punta Cana. Each location features a huge video screen and seating on multiple levels for viewing the productions, along with festive touches like soap bubbles, balloons, confetti, and streamers. You’ll find plenty of skip-the-line booking options, and some even include an open bar for groups. This can be advantageous to avoid long lines at the door and bar during busy times.

Located in Cancun’s Hotel Zone, one block from the Caribbean Sea, CoCo Bongo is within walking distance from most accommodations. Taxis are also readily available in the area and bar-hopping tours typically include the venue on their routes. Keep in mind that most skip-the-line ticket options don’t include transportation.

On the weekends and during high season (from December to April), lines to get into CoCo Bongo can be long. If you want to avoid the crowds, stop by on a weeknight. The venue opens at 10pm and closes at 4am, but the shows end at 2am; you can stay and dance until closing, however. Some tickets will give you access until 3:30am.

Two of Cancun’s other hot nightclubs, Carlos'n Charlie's and Señor Frog's, offer similar VIP service packages with open bar and skip-the-line access, and are located right next door to CoCo Bongo. These spots don’t offer the range of performances like CoCo Bongo, but visitors can still expect plenty of fun party vibes with a spring break–style atmosphere and funky cocktails.