Mexico Travel Guide: Destinations
Every state, city, ruin, beach and cenote covered in this guide, in one index. Start with the map, then browse the states and cities below.
Hover a state to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.
The essentials
Quintana Roo
Capital: Chetumal
Cancun, the Riviera Maya and Tulum: the Caribbean coast that made Mexico famous
Towns: Isla Mujeres · Cozumel · Bacalar · Puerto Morelos · Mahahual · Akumal
Mexico City
Capital: Mexico City
The capital: Aztec ruins, grand museums and one of the world's great food cities
Towns: Coyoacán · Xochimilco · San Ángel · Tlalpan
Jalisco
Capital: Guadalajara
Guadalajara, tequila country and Puerto Vallarta: the home of mariachi
Towns: Tequila · Tlaquepaque · Ajijic · Mazamitla · Tapalpa · Lagos de Moreno +1 more
Oaxaca
Capital: Oaxaca de Juárez
Colonial Oaxaca, Monte Alban and the Pacific surf coast: Mexico's cultural heart
Towns: Puerto Escondido · Huatulco · Mazunte · Mitla · Zipolite · San José del Pacífico +1 more
Yucatan
Capital: Mérida
Chichen Itza, Uxmal and the cenotes: the Maya heartland
Towns: Valladolid · Izamal · Progreso · Celestún · Sisal · Maní
Baja California Sur
Capital: La Paz
Los Cabos, gray whales and the Sea of Cortez: desert meets ocean
Towns: La Paz · Cabo San Lucas · San José del Cabo · Todos Santos · Loreto · El Triunfo +1 more
Go deeper
Guanajuato
Capital: Guanajuato
Silver cities and the Cervantino festival: Mexico's most beautiful colonial state
Towns: Dolores Hidalgo · Mineral de Pozos · Yuriria · Salvatierra
Puebla
Capital: Puebla de Zaragoza
Talavera tiles, mole poblano and the great pyramid of Cholula
Towns: Cholula · Atlixco · Cuetzalan · Zacatlán · Chignahuapan · Tlatlauquitepec
Chiapas
Capital: Tuxtla Gutiérrez
Palenque, jungle waterfalls and highland villages: Mexico's deep south
Towns: San Cristóbal de las Casas · Palenque · Comitán · Chiapa de Corzo · Ocosingo · Tapachula
Michoacán
Capital: Morelia
Morelia, Patzcuaro and the monarch butterflies: the soul of old Mexico
Towns: Morelia · Pátzcuaro · Uruapan · Tzintzuntzan · Cuitzeo · Angangueo
Nayarit
Capital: Tepic
The Riviera Nayarit: Sayulita, Punta de Mita and the San Blas coast
Towns: Sayulita · San Blas · Compostela · Rincón de Guayabitos · Jala
Veracruz
Capital: Xalapa
El Tajin, the voladores and Mexico's oldest port: the Gulf coast
Towns: Veracruz · Xalapa · Coatepec · Papantla · Tlacotalpan · Orizaba +1 more
Baja California
Capital: Mexicali
Valle de Guadalupe wine country and the northern Baja coast
Towns: Ensenada · Tijuana · Mexicali · Rosarito · Tecate · Bahía de los Ángeles
Guerrero
Capital: Chilpancingo
Acapulco, Taxco's silver and the birthplace of pozole
Towns: Acapulco · Taxco · Zihuatanejo · Ixtapa · Ixcateopan
Querétaro
Capital: Santiago de Querétaro
The aqueduct city, Bernal's monolith and the wine-and-cheese route
Towns: Querétaro · Bernal · Tequisquiapan · Jalpan · Cadereyta
Morelos
Capital: Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca's eternal spring, Tepoztlan and the Xochicalco ruins
Towns: Cuernavaca · Tepoztlán · Tlayacapan · Cuautla · Oaxtepec
For the devoted
Aguascalientes
Capital: Aguascalientes
The San Marcos fair and a handsome colonial capital
Towns: Aguascalientes · Calvillo · Real de Asientos · San José de Gracia
Campeche
Capital: San Francisco de Campeche
The walled pirate-era city and the jungle temples of Calakmul
Towns: Campeche · Ciudad del Carmen · Champotón · Palizada · Isla Aguada
Chihuahua
Capital: Chihuahua City
The Copper Canyon and the Chepe train: Mexico's grandest railway journey
Towns: Chihuahua · Creel · Parral · Batopilas · Casas Grandes
Coahuila
Capital: Saltillo
Parras wine country and the desert pools of Cuatro Cienegas
Towns: Saltillo · Torreón · Parras de la Fuente · Cuatro Ciénegas · Arteaga
Colima
Capital: Colima
The volcano state: Colima's fire mountain and Manzanillo's beaches
Towns: Colima · Comala · Manzanillo · Cuyutlán
Durango
Capital: Victoria de Durango
The land of cinema: colonial Durango and old-west film country
Towns: Durango · Mapimí · Nombre de Dios
Hidalgo
Capital: Pachuca
Cornish mining towns, basalt prisms and the Atlantes of Tula
Towns: Pachuca · Real del Monte · Huasca de Ocampo · Tula · Mineral del Chico
State of Mexico
Capital: Toluca
Teotihuacan, Valle de Bravo and the volcanoes around the capital
Towns: Toluca · Valle de Bravo · Malinalco · Tepotzotlán · Ixtapan de la Sal · Metepec
Nuevo León
Capital: Monterrey
Monterrey's mountains: the industrial capital with a wild backyard
Towns: Monterrey · Santiago · Linares · Bustamante · Villa de García
San Luis Potosí
Capital: San Luis Potosí
Real de Catorce, the Huasteca waterfalls and Xilitla's surreal garden
Towns: San Luis Potosí · Real de Catorce · Xilitla · Aquismón · Ciudad Valles · Santa María del Río
Sinaloa
Capital: Culiacán
Mazatlan's carnaval and the Chepe's Pacific gateway
Towns: Mazatlán · Culiacán · El Fuerte · Cosalá · Mocorito
Sonora
Capital: Hermosillo
The Sea of Cortez beaches and the Pinacate desert
Towns: Hermosillo · Álamos · Puerto Peñasco · Bahía de Kino · San Carlos · Ures +1 more
Tabasco
Capital: Villahermosa
Olmec heads, cacao country and the Maya brick city of Comalcalco
Towns: Villahermosa · Comalcalco · Tapijulapa · Teapa
Tamaulipas
Capital: Ciudad Victoria
The El Cielo biosphere and Tampico's Gulf port
Towns: Tampico · Ciudad Victoria · Reynosa · Tula · Mier
Tlaxcala
Capital: Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl
Mexico's smallest state: Cacaxtla's murals and the firefly forests
Towns: Tlaxcala · Huamantla · Val'Quirico · Ixtenco · Tlaxco
Zacatecas
Capital: Zacatecas
The pink-stone silver capital and the Eden mine
Towns: Zacatecas · Jerez · Sombrerete · Guadalupe · Nochistlán
Top Cities
Mexico City
Mexico City Travel Guide
Cancun
Cancun Travel Guide
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen Travel Guide
Tulum
Tulum Travel Guide
Oaxaca City
Oaxaca City Travel Guide
Guadalajara
Guadalajara Travel Guide
Mérida
Merida Travel Guide
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta Travel Guide
San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende Travel Guide
Puebla
Puebla Travel Guide
Guanajuato City
Guanajuato City Travel Guide
Towns locals love
The smaller places Mexicans themselves escape to: silver towns, highland villages, surf hamlets and pueblo magico favourites.
