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Mexico Lodging GuideFind Resorts, Hotels, Motels, Inns and Lodges
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Across Mexico, in villages and cities, in mountains, tropical coasts, and jungle settings, enchanting surprises await travelers. These might take the form of a fantastic small-town festival, delightful dining in a memorable restaurant, or even a stretch of road through heavenly countryside.
Mexico is a land of contrasts, which makes it the perfect destination for those seeking a little variety in their travels. Several of the suggested itineraries will take you through changing landscapes and both big-city and small-town Mexico. A few itineraries conclude at a beach resort so that you can relax a little at the end of your trip. But there's another reason for this: I wanted to make use of Mexico's major points of entry -- the large international airports -- and many of these happen to serve resorts. When I visit Mexico, I seldom book a round-trip ticket, preferring to enter through one airport and leave through another; usually I don't have to pay any extra for doing this. Times have changed and round-trip fares aren't what they used to be.
Once inside Mexico, most travel is by bus, rental car, or a hired car and driver. Domestic flights are expensive, and there is only one true passenger train still operating. This train runs along the Copper Canyon to Chihuahua City and works well for the surf-to-sierra approach that I like. I've tried to keep time spent traveling to a minimum for obvious reasons. None of these can be called exhaustive explorations of Mexico, but neither are they exhausting. If you want to put together a tour linking all of Mexico's most famous sites, you can connect the central archeological tour with the Ruta Maya. This would take 3 weeks and cover most of what Mexico is famous for.
Renting a car works really well for the Yucatán and a few other parts of the country. In other areas it can be confusing as road signs are not always posted. Hiring a car and driver or taking the bus for certain legs of the trip are reasonable options. Mexico has good buses with an array of categories of service. Once you're inside a town or city it's usually best to use taxis, which are for the most part cheap and plentiful.
Most of Mexico's great archaeological sites, aside from those left by the Maya, are located in the center of the country, from Mexico City to the east. This trip takes you to the best of these and to the three most impressive archeological museums in Mexico. The area in which all of this is located is relatively compact. It doesn't require a lot of travel time to cover, unless you add on a side trip to Oaxaca for the ruins of Monte Albán and Mitla.
When you arrive in Mexico City, go straight to the very heart of the nation: Mexico's zócalo or main square. There, poetically situated between the nation's preeminent cathedral and its National Palace, are the ruins of the Aztec's Templo Mayor, left buried and forgotten until 1978. Explore the ruins and the museum. Dedicate your first full day of activity to the Museo Nacional de Antropología. By the third day you may have adapted to the altitude and are ready for a day trip to Teotihuacán, "City of the Gods," where you can explore palaces and pyramids and climb to the summit of the Pyramid of the Sun.
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Drive or take a bus to colonial Tlaxcala to view the vivid murals of Cacaxtla and the hilltop stronghold of Xochitécatl. The murals are painted in an intriguing Maya style, with rich symbolism that invites speculation. Stay the night here and enjoy the slow rhythms and street life of the town. Though it is a state capital (in the smallest state in Mexico), Tlaxcala is small and off the beaten path. It still retains an unhurried, graceful air. Stroll over to the Government Palace to view the modern murals of artist Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin, which chronicle the history of the Tlaxcaltecans, ancient rivals of the Aztecs.
From Tlaxcala it's a quick car or bus ride to colonial Puebla and its satellite town, Cholula, which was the ancient religious center of central Mexico. In the afternoon, visit the Museo Amparo to see its stunning collection of pre-Hispanic art, then over to Cholula the next day to view the ruins of Mexico's largest pyramid with the beautiful volcano "El Popo" as a backdrop. If you have time, visit the local churches of Tonantzintla and San Francisco Acatepec for their beautiful Indian baroque design.
From Puebla it's on to bustling Xalapa, a 3-hour drive from the dry central plateau to the misty slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental. Visit the city's wonderful Museo Antropológico with a collection of megalithic Olmec heads and expressive Totonac art.
Next travel down to the old port city of Veracruz. Enjoy a relaxing day in this lively town with its coffee shops, tropical music, and dance. From here, you can fly out directly or via Mexico City. To extend your trip, you can head north to see the ruins of El Tajín or south to Oaxaca to see Monte Albán and Mitla.
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