Mexico Itinerary Ideas

The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Three classic first-trip shapes, each about 10 to 14 days. Pick one region and go deep rather than racing across the country.

Yucatan classic (10-12 days)

Cancun or Playa del Carmen (3 days: beaches, Isla Mujeres or Cozumel), Tulum and Coba (2 days: ruins, cenotes), Valladolid and Chichen Itza (2 days), Merida (3 days: city, Uxmal, Celestun).

Colonial heartland (10-12 days)

Mexico City (4 days: center, museums, Teotihuacan), Puebla and Cholula (2 days), Oaxaca (4 days: city, Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua, coast optional).

Pacific and Baja (10-14 days)

Guadalajara and Tequila (3 days), Puerto Vallarta or the Riviera Nayarit (4 days), Los Cabos or La Paz (4 days: whales in season).

The deep south (12-14 days)

Oaxaca (4 days), San Cristobal de las Casas (3 days: highlands, Sumidero), Palenque and the Usumacinta ruins (3 days), Campeche or Merida (2 days).