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Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Updated September 2026
Two coastlines, a thousand years of ruins, and some of the best food on the continent. From the turquoise shallows of the Riviera Maya to the colonial streets of the interior — this is the Guild's chapter on Mexico.
You go ashore with the documents you boarded with — a passport, or on a round-trip cruise from a U.S. port, the passport card or certified birth certificate and photo ID your cruise line accepted. There is no tourist card for a day in port. Mexico’s cruise passenger fee ($10 a person since 1 August 2026) is collected by your cruise line. Carry a passport book if you have one: if you miss the ship, it is the only document that flies you home.
If a child is not travelling with both parents, bring a signed, notarised letter of consent from the parent staying home, and a copy of the child’s birth certificate. Mexico can refuse entry to a minor travelling without a parent or guardian and without that permission.
Every international visitor staying in the state of Quintana Roo — Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel — pays VISITAX: a few hundred pesos a person, children included, paid online once per stay before you fly home — we do not print an exact figure because the published amounts disagree with one another and the rate is revised, and the official site shows the current one before you pay. It is checked at Cancún airport on the way out.
Checked against the U.S. State Department’s Mexico page (updated 11 August 2026) and Mexico’s immigration and state tourism authorities, 15 October 2026. Rules change — confirm before you travel.
Few countries give you this much variety within a short flight.
Caribbean turquoise on the east, Pacific surf and Baja's desert-meets-sea on the west — pick your water.
Chichén Itzá, Tulum and Cobá sit within easy reach of the beach, alongside freshwater cenotes you can swim in.
The Riviera Maya has one of the world's deepest all-inclusive markets, from family resorts to adults-only.
Oaxacan moles, Yucatán cochinita pibil, Baja fish tacos, Mexico City street stalls — reason enough to go.
Each region is its own trip. Seven now have a full Guild guide; the rest are on the shelf next.
The Caribbean coast — beaches, reefs, ruins and cenotes.
Surf, whale watching and desert cliffs above the sea.
Cities, museums, markets and the country's kitchen.
The experiences worth building a trip around.
The great pyramid of Kukulcán, a day trip from Cancún or Mérida. Go early to beat the heat and the buses.
The Yucatán is riddled with freshwater sinkholes — Dos Ojos, Ik Kil and Gran Cenote are the classics.
Palancar and the Mesoamerican Reef make Cozumel one of the best drift-diving destinations in the hemisphere.
A walled Maya city built right on the coast — the temples sit on a cliff straight above the Caribbean.
The Anthropology Museum alone justifies the trip; then Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul and Teotihuacán's pyramids.
Seven moles, mezcal palenques and one of the great market cultures on earth.
December–April is the dry season and the most reliable weather — also the busiest and most expensive, especially around the holidays and spring break.
May and November are the sweet spots: good weather, thinner crowds, better rates.
June–November is the Caribbean hurricane season. Trips can be excellent value, but consider flexible bookings and travel insurance.
See our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Mexico for weather, crowds and prices through the year.
Cancún (CUN) is the gateway to the Riviera Maya, with the widest choice of direct flights from the US and Canada.
Mexico City (MEX) serves the interior; Los Cabos (SJD) and Puerto Vallarta (PVR) cover the Pacific.
The currency is the Mexican peso. Cards are widely accepted in resort areas. Always check your current entry and passport requirements before booking.
One charge that catches people out: the state of Quintana Roo — Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel and Isla Mujeres — levies its own visitor tax, Visitax, on foreign visitors. It is paid once per trip, online, and the QR receipt is asked for on the way home. Pay it at the state’s own site, visitax.gob.mx, and nowhere else: look-alike sites charge several times the official amount for the same receipt. We are not printing a figure here because the published amounts disagree with one another and the rate is revised; it is a few hundred pesos a head, and the official site shows the current one before you pay. The state’s own FAQ says all foreign tourists pay, with no exemption for children. (Checked 27 September 2026.)
December through April is the dry season and the most reliable weather, which also makes it the busiest and priciest. May and November are good shoulder months. The Caribbean hurricane season runs roughly June to November — travel then can be great value, but book flexibly.
The Mexican peso (MXN). Cards are widely accepted in resort areas and cities, and US dollars are often taken in tourist zones — though you'll usually get a better rate paying in pesos.
Cancún has the biggest hotel zone, the easiest airport access and the widest range of all-inclusives. Playa del Carmen is more walkable and lively. Tulum is smaller, more boutique and design-driven, with ruins above the beach. Many travellers base in one and day-trip to the others.
For a Riviera Maya beach trip, five to seven nights is comfortable — enough for beach time plus a ruins or cenote day. To pair a beach with Mexico City or Oaxaca, plan on ten days or more.
Conditions vary a great deal by state and region, and the main tourist areas are visited safely by millions of people every year. Because guidance changes, check your government's current travel advisory for the specific states you plan to visit, and take the usual big-city precautions.
Compare hotels, flights and tours across Mexico — booked through Trip.com.
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