Mexico Vacation Guide

Introduction

Mexico is a traveller's paradise, crammed with a multitude of opposing identities: desert landscapes, snow-capped volcanoes, ancient ruins, teeming industrialised cities, time-warped colonial towns, glitzy resorts, lonely beaches and a world-beating collection of flora and fauna.

This mix of modern and traditional, the clichéd and the surreal, is the key to Mexico's charm, whether your passion is throwing back margaritas, listening to howler monkeys, surfing the Mexican Pipeline, scrambling over Mayan ruins or expanding your Day of the Dead collection of posable skeletons.

On the west coast of Mexico, the small fishing towns like Puerto Vallarta and resorts like Acapulco overlook the Pacific Ocean, while to the east, the white beaches of Cozumel and Cancun are known the world over for their enticing beauty. Mexico is truly a blend of cultures and customs, a place where history comes alive and beauty is second nature.

Full country name: Estados Unidos Méxicanos
Area: 1.95 million sq km
Population: 101 million
Capital City: Mexico City
People: Approximately 60% mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian descent) and 30% Amerindian (indígena - including Nahua, Maya, Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Totonacs, and Tarascos or Purépecha), 10% other
Language: Spanish
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant, 4% other
Government: federal republic
Time Zone: GMT/UTC -6 (Most of Mexico) to GMT/UTC -8
Dialling Code: 52
Electricity: 127V ,60Hz
Currency: Mexican New Peso

We constantly update Mexico vacation deals and flights + hotel packages. There are vacation guides and useful travel information for Cancun, Acapulco, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, Cozumel, Monterrey, Mazatlan, Guadalajara and Mexico City.

We also have last minute Mexico vacations or if you just need a hotel, check out some of the best hotels and resorts in Mexico with exciting attractions like golf, scuba diving and other water sports.

Citizens of many countries - including the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Chile and virtually all western European countries - do not require visas to enter Mexico as tourists. However, if they are staying longer than 72 hours, or are travelling beyond the Border Zone or certain exempted areas, they must obtain a government tourist card (tarjeta de turista) valid up to 180 days, available from embassies or at border crossings. The card is free but brings the responsibility of paying a fee of 20.00 at a bank or border post. For those flying in, the fee is included in the price of the ticket.
More Information About Visa Requirements

Most visitors to Mexico arrive by air. Around 30 Mexican cities receive direct flights from North America and Canada, and there are relatively cheap connections to the Caribbean and the rest of Latin America. From Europe you can fly to Mexico City and Cancun. Aeroméxico and Mexicana are the largest Mexican airlines.

Travellers can cross into Mexico by road from the USA at one of the 40 official crossing points. Most cross-border bus services travel from Texas. There are 10 border crossings between Mexico and Guatemala, and fairly frequent bus services between border points and Guatemalan towns. Frequent buses also run between Belize City and Chetumal. Trains run from San Diego to Tijuana, El Paso to Ciudad Juárez and Del Rio to Ciudad Acuna.

Flying still represents good value for money in Mexico, especially considering the long, hot bus trip that may be the only alternative. The majority of domestic air connections go through Mexico City. Buses are the most common mode of public transport and bus routes are extensive. Long-distance buses are fairly comfortable, air-conditioned and acceptably fast. Renting a car is an option but driving in Mexico is certainly not for everyone: you should know some Spanish. Car and passenger ferries connect Baja California with the Mexican mainland; ferries also run between the mainland and the Caribbean islands of Isla Mujeres and Cozumel.

Mexico is enjoyable year-round, but October to May is generally the most pleasant time to visit. The May-September period can be hot and humid, particularly in the south, and inland temperatures can approach freezing during December-February. Facilities are often heavily booked during Semana Santa (the week before Easter) and Christmas/New Year, the peak domestic travel periods.

Mexico's reputation for full-blooded festive fun is well founded: just about every month sees a major national holiday or fiesta, and every other day is a local saint's day or town fair celebration. Carnaval (Carnival) is held late February or early March in the week before Ash Wednesday.

Watersports: Sport fishing is especially popular off the Pacific coast and in the Gulf of California. Snorkeling and diving is wonderful in Mexico, particularly at Caribbean coast resorts like Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Punta Allen and Banco Chinchorro. On the Pacific coast, try Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco and Huatulco. Inland, there are many balnearios, bathing places with swimming pools, often centered on hot springs in picturesque surroundings. Surfing is popular on the Pacific coast. Some of the best surf spots are between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, Bahía de Matanchen, Ensenada, Mazatlan, Manzanillo and the 'Mexican Pipeline' at Puerto Escondido. Los Barriles is Baja California's windsurfing capital, and further south Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo can be good too. Veracruz state is the epicenter of the country's white-water rafting industry.
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Golf: Mexico has around a dozen top-class golf courses and numerous other courses. Many are located in spectacular natural settings, with some specially designed by famous golfers such as Jack Niklaus. In contrast to North American courses, they are usually uncrowded and comparatively reasonably priced.
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Spa holidays: The Aztecs, Tarascans and other native peoples used to frequent the countless hot springs which abound in the country, especially in the area around Mexico City. Nowadays, there are many resorts with high-class facilities offering a range of treatments. Visitors can choose from spiritual retreat spas, with a New Age bias and a meditation programme, mineral water spas, hot springs and ‘upscale spas’, which are mini-resorts offering complete packages based on weight reduction, stress management and body fitness.
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