I love Mexico!!  So I was excited to hear that a good friend of mine, L, has just booked a trip to Mexico and has asked me for advice.  I thought it might be interesting to post my ideas here, so that others can improve on my suggestions!

Requirements

L is going to Cancun for Spring break where he is going to spend 8 nights.  He then has 12 nights remaining.  His only requirement is that he wants to spend the last few nights at a beach destination.  He is happy to catch a plane one way.

My thoughts!

I think any good trip to the Yucatan should visit three different types of places:

1. Mayan Ruins
2. Colonial town
3. Beach

My top picks for each of these?

Ruins

Chichen Itza

It is hard to look past some of the best ruins in Mexico which are also easy to reach from Cancun.

Chichen Itza was once one of the leading Mayan city states.  At its peak, 50,000 people lived here.  Today, many ruins remain.  In addition to big pyramids, like El Castillo above, you can see many carvings, buildings and columns.  It is a big site, and it is very interesting to walk around it.

It is possible to do day tours from many places in the Yucatan, or you can just catch a local bus here.  I recommend basing yourself in Valladolid and visiting Chichen Itza from here.  Valladolid is a lovely little town to chill out in, eat well and visit a cenote, another popular attraction in this part of the world.

Palenque

Palenque is one of my favourite Mayan ruins to visit.  I love the jungle setting and, unlike Chichen Itza, you can climb over many of the ruins.  They are mostly from the 7th and 8th century and it is amazing getting to explore them all.

It is also easy to visit these ruins.  Many buses go through Palenque.  You can do a day trip from San Cristobal or visit on your way through.  The last time we went, we stayed in the town of Palenque.  Not the most fascinating of places, but it is nice enough and a good place to break up your journey.

There are also many other Mayan ruins in this area, but Palenque and Chichen Itza are the big two.  I also visited the ruins in Tulum.  These were nice for their beach setting, but aren’t comparable to Palenque and Chichen Itza.

Colonial Towns

Merida

Merida is the capital of the Yucatan state and the largest city in the area.  It is has one of the largest historical districts in the Americas and is a great place to wander around, with most of the buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.

This is an easy central place to get to and from with lots of accommodation options.

Campeche

Campeche is located on the gulf coast side of the Yucatan peninsula.  It is the state capital of the state of Campeche.

Campeche is a pretty, colourful city to walk around.  It still has well preserved old colonial Spanish walls which are a UNESCO world heritage site.  It is another great city to explore and easy to reach from Merida.

San Cristobal

My favourite pick for colonial cities in this part of the world is San Cristobal de las Casas.

This city is not located on the Yucatan peninsula, but it is easy to get here from Palenque.  It is in the mountains, so it is much cooler than the other places listed.  It has retained far more of its Mayan heritage and there are many Mayan people around, many in traditional dress.  It is a pretty city, the perfect size for walking around.  There are also some interesting day trips, such as to Chimula where the people still practice some interesting beliefs, such as sacrificing chickens in their church and thinking coke is sacred!

It is a lovely place to visit and worth the effort if you can fit it in.

Beaches

Playa del Carmen

I loved this beach, and I just can’t look past it for someone staying in this part of the world.  A lovely chilled out spot whilst still being big enough to have plenty of action, bars and restaurants.  There’s a variety of accommodation and it’s only 45 minutes to Cancun airport.  I think it would suit you perfectly, L!! 🙂

There are, of course, other options, but you would have to go a bit further.  A short ferry ride from Playa del Carmen is the island of Cozumel.  A bit further down the coast are the towns of Akumel and Tulum. My main complaint about Tulum is that the town is a bit removed from the beach.  I haven’t been to Akumel or Cozumel.  Perhaps some readers can give L a review of these places.

Sample itineraries

I have two sample itineraries – a longer one and a shorter one!  I prefer the longer one, but it depends if you are happy trying to get from San Cristobal to Playa del Carmen.  I originally imagined a flight, but it seems that all flights go via Mexico City which is annoying.  On the shorter itinerary, I have added Cozumel.  I would love others’ opinions as to whether this is the right choice or not.

Longer route – Cancun to San Cristobal, then back to Playa del Carmen

View Larger Map

Imagine another flag at Playa del Carmen as well – I wasn’t sure how to add this without adding a road journey in.

Day 1: Bus to Valladolid

Day 2: Half day trip to Chichen Itza from Valladolid

Day 3: Bus to Merida

Day 4: Merida

Day 5: Bus to Campeche

Day 6: Bus to Palenque

Day 7: Explore Palenque ruins and then bus to San Cristobal

Day 8: San Cristobal de las Casas

Day 9: San Cristobal de las Casas

Day 10: Fly back to Cancun and transfer to Playa del Carmen

Day 11: Playa del Carmen

Day 12: Playa del Carmen

Day 13: Fly out of Cancun

Pros: You get to see lots of interesting places.  I personally love Palenque and San Cristobal.

Cons: You need to fly back from San Cristobal which does not seem to be a straight forward thing to do.  You could also catch a bus, but it will be a long ride.

Shorter route: Staying in the Yucatan Peninsula

View Larger Map

Day 1: Bus to Valladolid

Day 2: Half day trip to Chichen Itza from Valladolid

Day 3: Bus to Merida

Day 4: Merida

Day 5: Merida

Day 5: Bus to Campeche,

Day 6: Campeche

Day 7: Bus to Playa del Carmen

Day 8: Ferry to Cozumel

Day 9: Cozumel

Day 10: Back to Playa del Carmen

Day 11: Playa del Carmen

Day 12: Playa del Carmen

Day 13: Fly out of Cancun

Pros: More time in each place, less rushed.

Cons: Not as much contrast in the places visited as in the last itinerary.  A longer journey from Campeche to Playa del Carmen

Buses

Mexico has an excellent bus system and there are some high quality buses between major places.  The ADO website is a good one to check out for bus timetables, durations and prices.

Weather

Something to take note of is that it will be very hot at this time of year.  We actually did the first suggested itinerary in reverse in May one year, and it was very hot outside of San Cristobal.  This meant there were lots of midday siestas.

With kids?

L doesn’t have children, but for anyone who is thinking about travelling in Mexico with kids, I would definitely do either of these itineraries with kids, but I would want to add a few days to the first one, to take it a bit slower, and I would definitely want more relaxing beach time at the end.

If you are heading to Cancun, you may also be interested in our guide to the best family resorts in Cancun.

What do you think? Do you agree? Other suggestions?  Relevant blog post links welcome 🙂

Tags:  Mexico Travel Blog