Things to do in Mexico

32 things to do in Mexico

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Swim in a Yucatan cenote

  Cool off in clear limestone pools after a morning around ruins or old towns.

  Yucatan

• Eat tacos al pastor in Mexico City

  Stand at a busy taqueria, order a few rounds, and understand why the spit matters.

  Mexico City

• Visit Oaxaca during market day

  Taste mole, tlayudas, mezcal, and the rhythm of one of Mexico's richest food regions.

  Oaxaca

• Walk Teotihuacan before noon

  Climb into the scale of the ancient city before the sun takes over.

  State of Mexico

• See Frida Kahlo's Blue House

  Visit the home, studio, colors, and courtyard that shaped an artist's world.

  Coyoacan

• Watch whales off Baja California Sur

  Go when the season is right and let the boat sit quietly near giants.

  Baja California Sur

• Explore Guanajuato's colorful alleys

  Climb between plazas, tunnels, balconies, and hillside views.

  Guanajuato

• Snorkel the reefs of Cozumel

  Spend a clear-water day above coral, fish, and gentle currents.

  Cozumel

• Hear mariachi in Plaza Garibaldi

  Let the brass, strings, voices, and late-night crowd carry the evening.

  Mexico City

• See Chichen Itza at opening time

  Arrive early enough to feel the geometry and heat before the crowds arrive.

  Yucatan

• Witness Day of the Dead celebrations in Oaxaca

  Experience vibrant cemeteries, elaborate altars, and comparsas as the city transforms for the UNESCO-recognized festivity honoring the departed.

  Oaxaca City

• Climb the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan

  Ascend the massive 3rd-century pyramid for sweeping views of the Avenue of the Dead and the surrounding ancient metropolis.

  State of Mexico

• Explore the Zócalo and historic center of Mexico City

  Stand on one of the world’s largest city squares, flanked by the Metropolitan Cathedral, National Palace, and Aztec Templo Mayor ruins.

  Mexico City

• Party under confetti rain at Coco Bongo Cancun

  Dance to high-energy shows blending acrobatics, live music, and movie clips at this legendary nightclub in the Hotel Zone.

  Cancun, Quintana Roo

• Wander the surreal Las Pozas sculpture garden

  Get lost in a jungle wonderland of whimsical concrete structures, staircases to nowhere, and waterfalls built by eccentric poet Edward James.

  Xilitla, San Luis Potosí

• Watch millions of monarch butterflies at El Rosario Sanctuary

  Hike among oyamel firs cloaked in orange and black as overwintering monarchs cluster so densely branches droop under their weight.

  Michoacán

• Attend the Guelaguetza folk dance festival

  Witness a whirlwind of indigenous Oaxacan dance, music, and dazzling traje regional at this July festival held in an open-air auditorium on Cerro del Fortín.

  Oaxaca City

• Admire the step pyramid of Kukulcán at Chichén Itzá

  Visit the iconic Maya temple where the equinox serpent shadow slithers down the balustrade, a masterpiece of astronomical alignment.

  Yucatán

• Taste authentic mole poblano in Puebla

  Sample Mexico’s most celebrated sauce – a complex blend of chillies, chocolate and spices – in its birthplace, often served over turkey.

  Puebla City

• Ride a colorful trajinera through Xochimilco canals

  Float aboard a flower-decked pole boat past chinampas, mariachi floating bands, and floating vendors on these ancient Aztec waterways.

  Mexico City

• Swim alongside whale sharks near Isla Holbox

  Snorkel beside the gentle giants that gather each summer to feed in the plankton-rich waters off the Yucatán Peninsula.

  Isla Holbox, Quintana Roo

• Summit the dormant Iztaccíhuatl volcano

  Trek through alpine meadows and across a glacier to the 5,230m peak shaped like a sleeping woman, with views over Popocatépetl.

  Puebla / State of Mexico border

• Step into Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul

  Walk through the cobalt-blue Coyoacán house where the artist was born and died, filled with her paintings, clothing, and personal mementos.

  Mexico City (Coyoacán)

• Gaze at Diego Rivera’s murals inside Palacio de Bellas Artes

  Stare up at iconic works like ‘Man at the Crossroads’ and a stunning Tiffany glass curtain in this Art Nouveau performance hall.

  Mexico City

• Explore the remote Maya ruins of Calakmul

  Climb towering pyramids poking above the rainforest canopy in this vast biosphere reserve, home to howler monkeys and jaguars.

  Campeche

• Cheer masked luchadores at Arena México

  Join roaring fans for high-flying Lucha Libre, where tecnicos and rudos battle in a spectacle of acrobatics and drama every Friday night.

  Mexico City

• Try a giant tlayuda at Mercado 20 de Noviembre

  Devour a crispy, charred tortilla loaded with refried beans, string cheese, avocado, and tasajo in Oaxaca’s bustling food market.

  Oaxaca City

• Enter the hidden Playa del Amor through a cave tunnel

  Swim through a rocky passage to emerge on a secluded beach inside a collapsed crater, surrounded by sheer cliffs on the Marietas Islands.

  Islas Marietas, Nayarit

• Watch the Voladores de Papantla ritual flight

  See four men spiral gracefully earthward from a 30m pole, a pre‑Hispanic ceremony still performed to the sound of a flute and drum.

  Papantla, Veracruz

• Zip-line across the Copper Canyon

  Soar over deep ravines on one of the world’s longest zip-line circuits, suspended above pine‑clad cliffs in the Sierra Tarahumara.

  Barrancas del Cobre, Chihuahua

• Stroll the oceanfront Malecón in Puerto Vallarta

  Walk past bronze sculptures, sand sculptures, and glittering Banderas Bay views on this mile-long seaside promenade lined with restaurants.

  Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

• Get awed at the Museo Nacional de Antropología

  Encounter the colossal Aztec Sun Stone, Pakal’s jade mask, and an entire reconstructed Mayan temple inside Mexico’s premier museum.

  Mexico City