Mexico Travel Guide 2026: Mexico City, the Yucatán, Oaxaca and Where to Go

The essentials, updated for 2026

Entering Mexico

Check your passportMany nationalities can visit without a visa; others need one. Check the Mexican foreign ministry's site for your nationality before you book, and keep your entry record until you leave.

Non-resident fee (DNR)

About MXN 983Per visitor in 2026, roughly US$53. Airlines usually include it in the ticket price; check your fare breakdown. Land arrivals pay it separately.

Visitax, Quintana Roo

About MXN 280–300A state charge for foreign visitors to Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, children included. Pay online before you fly home; airport staff may ask for the QR code.

Chichén Itzá, foreign visitors

MXN 697A single ticket since 27 March 2026, replacing the two separate payments visitors used to make at the entrance.

Money

Mexican peso (MXN)Cards work in cities and resorts. Carry pesos for markets, small restaurants and taxis, and use bank ATMs rather than street machines.

Water and plugs

Bottled water, Type A/BDrink bottled or filtered water rather than tap water. Sockets take flat two-pin plugs, as in the US.

Where to go

The capital

Mexico City

The historic centre around the Zócalo, the National Museum of Anthropology, Frida Kahlo's house in Coyoacán, and the pyramids of Teotihuacán an hour away.

The city is high, at about 2,240 m, so take the first day slowly

Mexico City tourism ↗

Teotihuacán pyramids tour →Partner link

Maya ruins and beaches

The Yucatán and Riviera Maya

Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum on the Caribbean, swimming in cenotes, and the Maya cities of Chichén Itzá, Uxmal and Cobá inland.

Visitax applies in Quintana Roo, the state that includes Cancún and Tulum

Caribe Mexicano tourism ↗Official Visitax site ↗

Chichén Itzá day tour from Cancún →Partner link

Food and markets

Oaxaca

A colonial city known for its markets, mole and mezcal, with the hilltop ruins of Monte Albán just outside and craft villages in the valleys around it.

Day of the Dead, at the start of November, is a big event here

Oaxaca tourism ↗

Colonial towns

San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato

Two hillside towns in central Mexico with painted streets, churches and plazas, a few hours by bus from Mexico City.

Cooler evenings; bring a layer

San Miguel tourism ↗

Pacific coast

Puerto Vallarta

A seaside town on a large bay with an old centre, beaches and boat trips, and green hills behind. Humpback whales visit in winter.

Direct flights from many US and Canadian cities

Puerto Vallarta tourism ↗

Desert and sea

Los Cabos and Baja California Sur

The rock arch at Cabo San Lucas, beaches and resorts, and whale watching in the Sea of Cortez in winter.

Dry and sunny most of the year

Los Cabos tourism ↗

When to go

Most of Mexico has a dry season and a rainy season, and that shapes the best time to go.

The dry season

November to April is dry and sunny in most of the country, and the busiest time on the coasts.
Day of the Dead, on 1 and 2 November, is celebrated across Mexico, especially in Oaxaca and Mexico City.
Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest and most expensive weeks.

The rainy season

June to October brings afternoon rain and fewer visitors, with lower prices.
Hurricane season runs from June to November on both coasts.
Seaweed (sargassum) can wash up on Caribbean beaches in the warmer months.

What to pack

Pack for heat and sun on the coast, and cooler evenings in the highlands.