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🇲🇽Things to Do in Mexico
From the pyramids of Chichen Itza to Tulum's beaches - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Mexico usually splits into two very different trips: Mexico City's museums, food and day-trip pyramids inland, or the Yucatan Peninsula's Mayan ruins, cenotes and Caribbean beaches around Cancun and Tulum. Both are common first destinations on their own, and combining them means a domestic flight rather than a drive. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Chichen Itza
A UNESCO World Heritage Mayan city and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, centered on the step pyramid of El Castillo. Arrive at opening to beat both the heat and the tour-bus crowds from Cancun.
📍 Chichén Itzá, Yucatán
🚉 There is no metro or train: ADO coaches run daily from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Merida and Valladolid to the site entrance, and the new Tren Maya has a station at Chichen Itza on the Cancun-Merida route.
Mexico City Historic Center
The Zocalo square, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and Templo Mayor's Aztec ruins sit within a few blocks of each other in the heart of one of the world's largest cities.
📍 Mexico City
🚉 Nearest station: Zocalo-Tenochtitlan on Metro line 2, which surfaces on the main square itself; Bellas Artes on lines 2 and 8 covers the western half of the centre.
Tulum
Mayan ruins set directly above a Caribbean beach - one of the few ancient sites in Mexico where you can see the ocean from the ruins themselves. Go early; it's one of the most visited sites on the Yucatan coast.
📍 Tulum, Quintana Roo
🚉 Tren Maya's Tulum station sits inland near the airport, with shuttles into town; ADO buses stop in the town centre, and colectivo vans run the hotel strip down to the ruins.
Cenotes, Yucatan Peninsula
Natural sinkholes filled with clear freshwater, some open-air and some in caves, considered sacred by the ancient Maya. Cenote Dos Ojos and Gran Cenote near Tulum are among the most accessible for swimming and snorkeling.
📍 Near Tulum, Yucatán Peninsula
🚉 Colectivo vans along Highway 307 between Tulum and Playa del Carmen will drop you at the roadside gates of Dos Ojos, Gran Cenote and Cristalino - the more remote cenotes need a taxi, bike or hire car.
Teotihuacan
The ruins of one of the largest pre-Columbian cities in the Americas, an hour from Mexico City, centered on the Pyramid of the Sun - the third-largest pyramid in the world by base area.
📍 Teotihuacán, State of Mexico
🚉 Coaches leave every 20 minutes from Mexico City's Terminal Central del Norte, itself on Metro line 5 at Autobuses del Norte, and take an hour to the Puerta 1 and Puerta 2 gates.
Frida Kahlo Museum, Mexico City
The Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo's lifelong home, now a museum of her work and possessions. Book a timed ticket online in advance - it's one of the city's hardest tickets to get without planning.
📍 Coyoacán, Mexico City
🚉 Nearest station: Coyoacan or Viveros on Metro line 3, both about a 20-minute walk through the neighbourhood, or a short ride on the Metrobus line 1 to Dr Galvez.
Cozumel & Playa del Carmen
A ferry ride apart, Cozumel offers some of the best reef diving in the Caribbean while Playa del Carmen provides an easier, more walkable beach-town base on the mainland.
📍 Cozumel & Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo
🚉 Playa del Carmen has a Tren Maya station and the main ADO terminal on Fifth Avenue; Cozumel is reached only by the passenger ferries from Playa's pier, which run roughly hourly.
Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)
Celebrated November 1-2 with altars, marigolds and parades - Oaxaca and Mexico City both host some of the country's most elaborate public celebrations.
📍 Oaxaca & Mexico City
🚉 In Mexico City the parade route runs along Reforma, best reached at Metro Hidalgo or Bellas Artes; in Oaxaca everything happens on foot in the centre, a 20-minute walk from the ADO bus terminal.
Mark Mexico, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Mexico?
A week suits either Mexico City or the Yucatan Peninsula on its own. Ten days to two weeks lets you combine both with a domestic flight between them.
What's the best time to visit Mexico?
November-April is the dry season across most of the country and the most popular travel window. Hurricane season on the Caribbean coast runs roughly June-November, peaking August-October.
Is Mexico good for a first-time visit?
Yes - Mexico City and the Yucatan's main tourist areas are both well set up for visitors, with English widely spoken in hotels and major sites, though a few Spanish basics help outside them.
Do I need a visa to visit Mexico?
Many nationalities, including the US, Canada, the EU and UK, can visit visa-free for short tourist stays; travelers holding a valid US, Canadian, Schengen or UK visa often qualify for simplified entry even if their own passport would otherwise need a visa. Check the official visa information for your nationality: gob.mx/sre.
What are some things to do in Mexico on a tight budget?
Street tacos are cheap and excellent nearly everywhere, Mexico City's historic center and main plazas are free to wander, and local buses (camiones) cost a fraction of taxis for getting around most cities.
Can I rent a car in Mexico, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and it is the easiest way to link the cenotes and the smaller Yucatan ruins. Your home licence is accepted for visits, and no International Driving Permit is legally required, though carrying one alongside a non-Spanish licence smooths things at the counter. The rule that surprises visitors is insurance: Mexican law requires third-party liability cover issued in Mexico, so the headline rental price online is never the final price - budget for the mandatory policy at pickup. Minimum age is normally 21 with a credit card in the driver's name. Government transport information is at gob.mx/sct; cars come from Hertz, Avis and the Mexican chain Mex Rent a Car.