Mexico packs ancient ruins, colonial cities, Caribbean beaches and some of the planet's best food into one country. Here are the highlights worth building a trip around.
Climb the pyramids at Teotihuacan
An hour north of Mexico City, Teotihuacan was once one of the largest cities on Earth. Walk the Avenue of the Dead and take in the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon. Arrive at opening (around 9am) to beat crowds and heat; entry is roughly 100 MXN.
Explore Chichen Itza
The stepped pyramid of El Castillo is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, a shadow-serpent slithers down its staircase. Combine it with a swim in a nearby cenote.
Swim in a Yucatan cenote
The peninsula is riddled with cenotes - natural sinkholes filled with crystal-clear groundwater. Cenote Ik Kil near Chichen Itza and Gran Cenote near Tulum are favourites for swimming and snorkelling.
Wander Mexico City's historic centre
The Zocalo, one of the world's largest public squares, anchors a walkable centre full of museums. Don't miss the National Museum of Anthropology, home to the Aztec Sun Stone, and nearby Frida Kahlo's blue house in Coyoacan.
Float through Xochimilco
Ride a colourful trajinera boat along the canals of Xochimilco, a UNESCO site and remnant of the Aztec lake system. Bring snacks; mariachi boats float by for hire.
Soak up Oaxaca
Oaxaca is Mexico's culinary and craft capital, famous for mole, mezcal and Day of the Dead celebrations. Nearby lie the Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban and the petrified waterfalls of Hierve el Agua.
Relax in Tulum and the Riviera Maya
Tulum pairs cliffside Mayan ruins with turquoise Caribbean water. Further north, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel offer world-class diving along the Mesoamerican Reef.
Discover Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende
These colonial silver towns in the central highlands dazzle with pastel facades, underground tunnels and lively plazas. San Miguel is regularly named among the world's best cities to visit.
Watch whales in Baja California
Between December and April, grey whales gather in the lagoons of Baja California Sur. Small boats out of Guerrero Negro get you close to these gentle giants.
See Copper Canyon by train
The El Chepe railway winds through a canyon system larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon, offering one of North America's great rail journeys.
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