RoutesMexico and Central America
Six Weeks in Mexico
Capital to Caribbean through Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatan.
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Dotted path is schematic (great-circle-ish arcs between stops), not a transport route.
Stop by stop
Click a stop (or its pin on the map) for costs, country facts and what to do there.
1Mexico City MexicoSee the historic centre, the Anthropology Museum, Roma and Condesa, and Teotihuacan.6 nights
$678 mid
Photo: Jeses · CC BY-SA 2.5A world capital of food, art and neighbourhood life at 2,240 metres.
Mexico City is the largest city in North America and, for the long-stay traveller, one of its richest: the Aztec and colonial centre, Roma and Condesa's art deco streets of cafes and galleries, Coyoacan's plazas, the canals of Xochimilco, the pyramids of Teotihuacan an hour away, museums by the hundred and a food…
- Daily budget
- $43–$243 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $678 6 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
- Internet
- 100 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Centro Historico The Zocalo, the Templo Mayor, Diego Rivera's murals in the Palacio Nacional, the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
- Teotihuacan The Pyramids of the Sun and Moon; go early by bus from the northern terminal.
- Museo Nacional de Antropologia One of the world's great museums; half a day minimum.
- Coyoacan and the Frida Kahlo museum Book Casa Azul weeks ahead; the market and plazas need no ticket.
Mexico: practical facts
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN) · 18.56 MXN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourist zones
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (127 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or filtered (garrafones) everywhere
- Emergency
- 911
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
bus to Puebla · about 2.5 hours
2Puebla MexicoTour the tiled historic centre and the Great Pyramid at Cholula.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Puebla yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Mexico City (about 110 km).
Mexico: practical facts
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN) · 18.56 MXN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourist zones
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (127 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or filtered (garrafones) everywhere
- Emergency
- 911
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
bus to Oaxaca · about 5.0 hours
3Oaxaca MexicoEat through the markets, visit Monte Alban and the mezcal and craft villages.6 nights
$582 mid
Photo: Nanahuatl · CC BY-SA 4.0Mezcal, mole and Zapotec markets in Mexico's most beloved colonial city.
Oaxaca is the Mexico that travellers fall for: a green-stone colonial centre, a Zapotec and Mixtec cultural heartland, the markets of 20 de Noviembre and Benito Juarez, seven moles, the mezcal villages of the valley, Monte Alban's mountaintop ruins and a Day of the Dead that is the most moving in the country. It is…
- Daily budget
- $38–$208 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $582 6 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
- Internet
- 50 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Monte Alban The Zapotec capital on a flattened mountaintop; early morning.
- Markets 20 de Noviembre (food), Benito Juarez (everything), the Sunday tianguis at Tlacolula.
- Mezcal palenques Santiago Matatlan's family distilleries; go with a guide who knows the makers.
- Hierve el Agua Petrified waterfalls and mineral pools; check access (community disputes close it at times).
Mexico: practical facts
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN) · 18.56 MXN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourist zones
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (127 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or filtered (garrafones) everywhere
- Emergency
- 911
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
overnight bus to San Cristobal de las Casas · about 11.0 hours
4San Cristobal de las Casas MexicoWalk the colonial town, visit highland villages and boat through the Sumidero Canyon.5 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for San Cristobal de las Casas yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Antigua Guatemala (about 320 km).
Mexico: practical facts
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN) · 18.56 MXN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourist zones
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (127 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or filtered (garrafones) everywhere
- Emergency
- 911
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
tourist shuttle to Palenque · about 9.0 hours
5Palenque MexicoExplore the Maya ruins in the rainforest and the Misol-Ha and Agua Azul waterfalls.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Palenque yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Antigua Guatemala (about 350 km).
Mexico: practical facts
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN) · 18.56 MXN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourist zones
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (127 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or filtered (garrafones) everywhere
- Emergency
- 911
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
overnight bus or Tren Maya to Merida · about 9.0 hours
6Merida MexicoEnjoy the plaza evenings and day-trip to Uxmal and nearby cenotes.5 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Merida yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Playa del Carmen (about 260 km).
Mexico: practical facts
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN) · 18.56 MXN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourist zones
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (127 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or filtered (garrafones) everywhere
- Emergency
- 911
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
bus to Valladolid · about 2.5 hours
7Valladolid MexicoArrive early at Chichen Itza and swim in cenotes such as Suytun and Zaci.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Valladolid yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Playa del Carmen (about 120 km).
Mexico: practical facts
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN) · 18.56 MXN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourist zones
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (127 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or filtered (garrafones) everywhere
- Emergency
- 911
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
bus to Playa del Carmen · about 3.0 hours
8Playa del Carmen MexicoTake the ferry to Cozumel, visit Tulum and snorkel at Akumal.6 nights
$810 mid
Photo: Scott S Bateman · CC BY-SA 4.0Caribbean beach, cenotes and the Riviera Maya's easiest long-stay base.
Playa del Carmen is the Riviera Maya's practical town: a walkable grid on a Caribbean beach, a ferry to Cozumel, cenotes and Mayan ruins in every direction, and a long-stay community of nomads, retirees and dive instructors who chose it over Cancun's resorts and Tulum's prices. Fifth Avenue is a tourist strip; a few…
- Daily budget
- $50–$280 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $810 6 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
- Internet
- 60 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Cenote circuit Dos Ojos, Cristalino, Azul and the quieter ones in the jungle; dive or snorkel.
- Tulum ruins at opening The cliff-top Mayan site before 9 a.m.
- Cozumel diving Palancar reef and drift dives; the ferry makes it a day trip.
- Coba and Chichen Itza Climbable (Coba) and monumental (Chichen) Mayan cities inland.
Mexico: practical facts
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN) · 18.56 MXN/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Spanish; English in tourist zones
- Plugs and voltage
- A, B (127 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or filtered (garrafones) everywhere
- Emergency
- 911
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
The central highlands
Mexico City rewards a long stay: the historic centre and its Templo Mayor ruins, the National Museum of Anthropology in Chapultepec, the leafy Roma and Condesa neighbourhoods, and a day out to the pyramids of Teotihuacan. Puebla, two and a half hours away, is known for its painted tiles, mole poblano and the church-topped pyramid at neighbouring Cholula. A further bus ride drops into the Oaxaca valley, a centre of Mexican cooking, mezcal and craft villages, with the hilltop Zapotec site of Monte Alban above the city. Many long-stay visitors take Spanish or cooking classes here, and day trips reach the mineral cascades of Hierve el Agua and the weaving town of Teotitlan del Valle.
Chiapas
The long overnight bus to San Cristobal de las Casas climbs into the cool highlands of Chiapas, where the colonial town makes a base for visits to Indigenous Tzotzil villages and boat trips through the Sumidero Canyon. The road north descends to Palenque, a Maya city set in rainforest, with temples rising out of the jungle and the waterfalls of Agua Azul and Misol-Ha nearby.
The Yucatan
Merida, the Yucatan's cultural capital, is a popular base for longer stays, with free evening events in its plazas and day trips to Uxmal and the cenotes. Valladolid is the closest town to Chichen Itza, and an early start there arrives before the tour buses. The route finishes on the Caribbean at Playa del Carmen, with ferries to Cozumel, the ruins of Tulum along the coast and the snorkelling at Akumal. Cancun airport, under an hour north, has wide international connections for the onward or homeward flight.
Practical notes
Visas: Many Western passports enter Mexico visa-free, with the length of stay set by the immigration officer at entry; check the official source and keep the entry record safe. Transport: ADO and OCC first-class buses cover every leg; the Tren Maya now links Palenque and the Yucatan towns, though schedules are worth checking close to travel. Weather: November to April is dry and pleasant; the Yucatan is hot and humid from May, and hurricane season runs June to November. Budget: The mid figure assumes private rooms or apartments for the longer stays, first-class buses, site entries including Chichen Itza and Palenque, and a few guided day trips. Safety: Most travellers on this tourist circuit have trouble-free trips, but conditions vary by state and change over time; official advisories and local guidance on road routes in Chiapas are worth checking before each leg.