Latin America
Ancient pyramids, world-class food, and a capital that never stops.
Mexico is a vast, vivid country of ancient civilisations, colonial cities, Caribbean and Pacific coasts, and a culture as rich and colourful as anywhere on earth. Mexico City, the sprawling high-altitude capital, is having a moment: a cultured megacity of Aztec ruins and grand plazas, leafy walkable neighbourhoods, some of the world's most exciting food (from street tacos to fine dining), and a warmth that surprises first-timers. Big, safe in its central barrios, and endlessly rewarding.
What things cost: Mexico City is good value — superb street tacos cost a euro or two, the metro is nearly free, and even smart restaurants undercut Western prices, though the trendiest neighbourhoods and mezcal bars are catching up. Tip 10–15%. When a zone below says 'low', that means low for the capital, which is affordable.
Cabo San Lucas
Cancún
Mexico City
Tulum
Sometimes the event picks the city for you.
One of Formula 1's most electric rounds, at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — famous for its stadium section where a packed, roaring grandstand engulfs the cars. A huge weekend for the city, with concerts and a fiesta atmosphere; tickets and hotels go fast.
Mexico City · Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
Mexico's most beautiful and famous celebration — families build marigold-strewn altars (ofrendas) to their dead, cemeteries glow with candles, and the streets fill with painted 'Catrina' skeletons and, in the capital, a huge parade. Joyful rather than morbid, and utterly unforgettable; book far ahead.
Mexico City · Citywide
Mexico's most beautiful festival — marigold altars, candlelit graves and painted faces honouring the dead. Tulum and the wider Yucatán mark it with the local 'Hanal Pixán' Maya traditions; moving, colourful and deeply felt.
Tulum · Townwide
A free beachfront jazz festival up the coast in Playa del Carmen drawing international names to a stage on the sand — an easygoing, world-class few nights of music by the Caribbean.
Tulum · Playa del Carmen (Mamitas Beach)
One of the ancient world's most astonishing spectacles — at the spring (and autumn) equinox, the late-afternoon sun casts a shadow down the staircase of El Castillo pyramid at Chichén Itzá that forms a slithering serpent of light, the feathered serpent god Kukulcán descending to earth, a testament to the Maya's astronomical genius. Thousands gather to witness it. If your visit coincides, it's an unforgettable, goosebump-inducing event (expect big crowds). A remarkable, only-here highlight. Go early and prepare for crowds.
Cancún · Chichén Itzá
The equinox draws crowds to the Maya sites of the Yucatán for the sun's alignments — a mystical time on the Riviera Maya, with ceremonies and a buzz around Tulum and the great pyramid at Chichén Itzá.
Tulum · Maya ruins