Places to visit in Mexico

Mexico is a large country that offers an enormous number of potential vacation spots. How to decide where to go?

From the tourist’s point of view, there are three "Mexico’s" that attract attention. The most popular of these is the Yucatan peninsula, which encompasses the delightful area that has come to be known as the Riviera Maya by some and Caribbean Riviera by others. Including Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and other gorgeous beach towns and islands (such as Cozumel), the Riviera Maya is known for its majestic, white-sand beaches, warm sunny weather and Mayan ruins. We provide a concise description of the Yucatan and its many attractions below, as well as links to our detailed guides for these areas.

The second most popular area of Mexico is known as the Mexican Riviera, a delightful swath of beaches spanning over 2,000 miles of the Pacific coast between Ensenada and Acapulco. The distances separating the major resort areas are great and, as a result, the leading resort towns are not likely to be explored during in a single vacation.

In some ways the concept of the Mexican Riviera is marketing-speak coined by the Mexican government and eagerly adopted by cruise lines, since the best way to sample this beautiful and enchanting region is see it during a cruise. Although there are a number of great vacation spots for cruise itineraries, we recommend only three for an extended land vacation – Cabo San Lucas, the Puerto Vallarta area and Ixtapa. We provide a concise description of these locations below, as well as links to our detailed guide for the Mexican Riviera, where we cover these locations and more in greater detail.

The “third” Mexico runs down the center of the country and includes Copper Canyon, Morelia and Mexico City.