Country guide
Mexico took 42.2 million international arrivals in 2022, sixth most of any country in the world, and a large share of them never left the Caribbean coast. That...
Photograph · Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Mexico took 42.2 million international arrivals in 2022, sixth most of any country in the world, and a large share of them never left the Caribbean coast. That coast is a reasonable holiday and a very small fraction of 1,972,550 km2, thirteenth-largest on Earth, holding 32 states and more than 134 million people. Mexico City sits high in a valley in the middle of it, with colonial silver towns a few hours north and the Maya sites of the Yucatan two hours east by air. No country in the Americas has more World Heritage Sites.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Gobierno CDMX · CC0
Photograph · dronepicr · CC BY 2.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
100 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
La Isla Shopping Village is an open-air retail and entertainment complex in Cancún's Hotel Zone. The destination features a Venetian-inspired canal design with bridges, walkways, and waterfront positioning along the Nichupté Lagoon.
Playa Langosta
Playa Langosta is a beach area in Cancún, Mexican Caribbean. It sits along the Hotel Zone's northern coastline, facing the calmer waters of Bahía de Mujeres rather than the open Caribbean Sea.
Las Palapas Park, known locally as Parque de las Palapas, is a public square in downtown Cancún, Mexico. It serves as a central gathering space for residents and visitors seeking an alternative to the Hotel Zone's beachfront resorts.
Playa Las Perlas
Las Perlas Beach, also called Playa Las Perlas, is a public beach on Cancún’s Caribbean coastline in the Hotel Zone. It offers a straightforward seaside setting where white sand meets turquoise water.
Mercado 23
Mercado 23 is a traditional public market in Cancún, Mexico, serving as a commercial hub where local vendors gather to sell goods.
Mercado 28
Mercado 28 is a traditional Mexican market in Cancún, serving as a prominent visitor destination within the city's documented scope. The market operates as a commercial hub where vendors gather to sell goods to both residents and tourists.
Playa Marlín
Playa Marlín, known in English as Marlin Beach, is a public beach situated in the Cancún Hotel Zone along Mexico's Caribbean coast. It represents one of the distinct visitor destinations within the documented Cancún scope.
Mercado de San Juan is a historic-centre food market known for specialist and unusual ingredients. It serves chefs, adventurous cooks and curious travellers who want to see a more distinctive side of Mexico City’s food culture.
The Museum of Natural History and Environmental Culture is a natural-history museum in Chapultepec Park, Mexico City. Its subject is the natural world and environmental culture, making it a different experience from the nearby National Museum of Anthropology.
Museo del Caracol is a history museum in Mexico City’s Chapultepec complex. Its formal name is Museo Nacional de Historia, Museo del Caracol, while the popular name refers to the building’s distinctive spiral form.
The Museum of Antique Toys Mexico, known locally as Museo del Juguete Antiguo México or MUJAM, is a distinctive private museum in Mexico City dedicated to popular culture and folk art through the lens of vintage toys.
Museo Kaluz is a Mexico City museum devoted to Mexican art. It occupies a restored former hospice facing Alameda Central, placing a private cultural collection directly within the historic centre.
Museo Maya de Cancún is an INAH archaeology museum on Boulevard Kukulcán in Cancún's Hotel Zone.
Museo Soumaya is a private art museum in Mexico City's Polanco district. The building features a distinctive reflective exterior that has become an architectural landmark in the city.
Punta Cancun lighthouse
Punta Cancun Lighthouse, known locally as Faro de Punta Cancún, stands as a navigational landmark at the northeastern tip of Cancún's Hotel Zone. This coastal beacon marks a prominent point where the Caribbean Sea meets the lagoon system.
Torre Escénica de Cancún
The Scenic Tower Cancun, known locally as Torre Escénica de Cancún, is an observation tower offering panoramic views of the Cancún area. Operated by Grupo Xcaret, the tower provides visitors with elevated sightseeing opportunities over the coastal landscape.
Ventura Park is an amusement park in the Cancún area of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. The venue combines water-based recreation with dry amusement attractions, giving visitors a leisure option beyond Cancún’s beaches, resorts, and archaeological excursions.
Xochimilco is a district in southern Mexico City renowned for its extensive canal system and artificial agricultural islands called chinampas.
Xoximilco Cancún is a themed floating-fiesta park operated by Grupo Xcaret near Cancún, Mexico. It recreates the atmosphere of Xochimilco, the historic canal district of Mexico City famous for trajinera boats, music, and communal celebration.
Ten to fourteen days should focus on one Mexican region, such as the central highlands, Yucatán or a Pacific corridor. Domestic distances are too large for a first trip that treats Mexico City, Cancún and several coasts as nearby stops.
Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Migración provides the official entry process and forms. Admission conditions depend on passport, purpose and route, so use its current service rather than an airline summary or an old exemption list.
Mexico City and Cancún are major international gateways, with domestic flights and intercity buses linking regional centres. Urban transport is city-specific, and road legs should be planned against current official route guidance.
November to April is a useful broad window for many central and coastal routes. Hurricane exposure, altitude and regional rainy seasons differ sharply, so the selected coast or highland region should control timing.
The Mexican peso (MXN) is the recorded currency. ATM fees, card acceptance and conversion terms are Not recorded in this guide; read the amount in pesos before approving a transaction.
Mexico uses 911 for emergencies and Type A or B plugs at 127 V. Tap-water guidance is Not recorded nationally in the cited source and should be checked at the destination.
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