Mexico

Pyramids older than anything in Europe, thirty-five World Heritage sites, and two coastlines that behave nothing like each other. Mexico City for the food alone would be a trip worth making

Where to stay

Downtown Mexico, a Member of Design Hotels

Mexico City · historic centre · near the Zócalo

A rooftop pool over the historic centre, minutes from the Zócalo.

See if your Mexico City dates are free

  • In the historic centre near the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Zócalo, with a rooftop terrace, an outdoor pool and a poolside bar that guests consistently single out. Continental breakfast is included. The Centro Histórico is the right base for a first trip — you can walk to the Templo Mayor, the Palacio de Bellas Artes and most of the museums, and the metro handles the rest.

    • In the Centro Histórico, near the Zócalo

    • Rooftop terrace and outdoor pool

    • Poolside bar and restaurant

    • Continental breakfast included

    • Walk to the Cathedral and Bellas Artes

Grana B&B

Oaxaca · near the Zócalo

A small B&B in Oaxaca, in the best food city in Mexico.

See if your Oaxaca dates are free

  • A small bed and breakfast near Oaxaca's Zócalo, with a terrace, rainfall showers, multilingual staff and full breakfast included. Oaxaca is where most people's best meal in Mexico happens — the markets, the mole, the mezcal — and it's compact enough to walk everywhere. It's also the place to be for Día de Muertos, though you'll need to book many months ahead.

    • Near Oaxaca's Zócalo

    • Full breakfast included

    • Terrace and rainfall showers

    • Multilingual staff and concierge

    • Walkable to the markets and mezcalerías

Casa Malca

Tulum · beachfront · art collection

A beachfront art collection you can sleep in.

See if your Tulum dates are free

  • Seventy individually furnished rooms on the beach at Tulum, near the Mayan ruins, with an art gallery on site and original work through the rooms. There are indoor and outdoor pools with free cabanas, a full spa, two restaurants, a beach club, yoga classes and free bikes. Cooked-to-order breakfast is included, and there's a daily manager's reception.

    • 70 individually furnished rooms, beachfront in Tulum

    • Art gallery and original artwork throughout

    • Indoor and outdoor pools with free cabanas

    • Full spa, two restaurants and a beach club

    • Cooked-to-order breakfast included; free bikes and yoga

Bucket List things in Mexico

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10 of the best Mexican Tours

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Live in Mexico

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Some of the best places to stay in Mexico

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      • Mexico has 35 UNESCO World Heritage Sites — more than any other country in the Americas.

      • Día de Muertos, on 1 and 2 November, is recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. It's a celebration, not a solemn occasion, and Oaxaca is the place to see it.

      • Mexico City is built on a drained lake bed, and is slowly sinking into it.

      • 68 indigenous languages are officially recognised alongside Spanish.

      • Chichén Itzá is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

  • Best time — November to April is the dry season and the most comfortable across most of the country. The Caribbean coast has a hurricane season from June to November. If Día de Muertos is the reason you're going, book Oaxaca six months out.

    Getting around — Domestic flights are cheap and frequent. The ADO bus network is genuinely good — comfortable, punctual and the standard way to move around the Yucatán. In cities use Uber or DiDi

    • Mexico City, Oaxaca and the Yucatán are all well travelled by solo women and easy to be in alone. The practical version of staying sensible: use Uber or DiDi rather than street taxis, particularly in Mexico City; take official ADO buses rather than informal transport between towns; don't walk unfamiliar streets late at night; and check government travel advice by state rather than for the country as a whole, because conditions vary enormously between them.

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