Attractions

Mexico City

Mexico City is a place to love and loathe, with everything you'd expect to find in the world's third-largest metropolis (only Tokyo and NYC are bigger). Mexico's best and worst ingredients are magi-mixed in this polluted and bustling megalopolis of music and noise, brown air and green parks, colonial palaces and skyscrapers, world-renowned museums and ever-spreading slums.

The city's historic center is the Plaza de la Constitucion, or Zocalo. The plaza was paved in the 1520s by Hernan Cortes, using stones from the temples and palaces of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlon he'd destroyed, and on which Mexico City was built. The original Aztec city was on an island in the middle of a lake, so many of Mexico City's older buildings and churches are sinking into the boggy ground on which they were constructed. Filling the entire eastern side of the Zocalo is the Palacio Nacional (National Palace), built on the site of an Aztec palace and formerly used to house the viceroys of New Spain. It is now home to the offices of the president and a museum devoted to the life of Benito Juarez, but most people come here to see Diego Rivera's fabulous murals, which chronicle Mexico's history.

The Aztecs' sacred precinct stood on the huge site now occupied by the Catedral Metropolitana, on the northern side of the Zócalo. The cathedral was built between 1573 and 1813 on the site of the Aztecs' tzompantli (an altar of sorts on which the skulls of the sacrificed were placed). Just east of the cathedral are the remains of the Templo Mayor, the Aztecs' principal temple. Much of the site has been excavated, revealing the temple's multiple layers of construction and the extraordinary bloodiness of the rituals that took place there. An excellent museum displays artifacts discovered during the excavations.

Less than a 10-minute walk away is the Alameda, once an Aztec marketplace and now the city's largest downtown park. The streets around the Alameda are lined with the city's most interesting buildings, including colonial mansions, lively cafes, restaurants, shops and markets. Other must-sees include the Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City's largest park and home to museums, lakes, a zoo and the official residence of the president; the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, the church built on the spot where Mexico's patron saint was seen in a vision; the colonial houses, cobbled streets, fabled craft market and Rivera-Kahlo related sites of San Ángel; and the ancient canals of Xochimilco, jammed with day-glo pleasure boats on weekends.

The Zona Rosa is the city's major highlife and nightlife district. Condesa and Roma to the south of Zona Rosa also serve up good food and entertainment. The best moderately priced hotels are found in the areas west of the Zócalo and south of the Alameda. Excellent cheap food can be found in most areas of the city, particularly from street stands and comedores.

Teotihuacán

Some of Mexico's best attractions are only a day trip from Mexico City. If there is any 'must see' in this region it has to be Teotihuacan, just 50km (31mi) northeast of the capital. Teotihuacan was Mexico's biggest ancient city and the capital of the country's largest pre-Hispanic empire, boasting 200,000 inhabitants at its peak in the 6th century. If the hawkers don't get the better of you, a day here can be a mind-blowing experience.

The site's main drag is the famous Avenue of the Dead, a monumental 2km (1.2mi) thoroughfare lined with the former palaces of Teotihuacan's elite. To its south is the pyramid-bedecked La Ciudadela, believed to have been the residence of the city's supreme ruler. Enclosed within the citadel's walls is the Quetzalcóatl Temple, with its striking serpent carvings. Heading north, the avenue passes the world's third-largest pyramid: the awe-inspiring, 70m (230ft), 248-stepped Pyramid of the Sun. The pyramid was originally painted a suitably sun-drenched, bloody red. The avenue terminates at the Pyramid of the Moon, flanked by the 12 temple platforms of the Plaza de la Luna. Nearby are the beautifully frescoed Palace of the Quetzal Butterfly, the Jaguar Palace and the Temple of the Plumed Conch Shells. Teotihuacan's most famous mural, the Paradise of Tl-loc, is in the Tepantitla Palace, a priest's residence northeast of the Pyramid of the Sun. The site has a museum to help make sense of it all; bring a hat, water and your walking shoes.

Baja California

With Tijuana as its frontier post, Baja is the epitome of 'south of the border'. The peninsula is renowned for its long coastline of fine white beaches, peaceful bays and imposing cliffs, sharply contrasting with the harsh and undeveloped interior. Baja has long been a hideout for revolutionaries, mercenaries, drinkers and gamblers, but these days visitors are attracted by more healthy pursuits like horseback riding, surfing and whale-watching. Highlights include Loreto, with its Spanish mission history and offshore national park; the extraordinary pre-Columbian rock-art sites of Sierra de San Francisco, near San Ignacio; La Paz, the laid-back capital of Baja California Sur and known for its equally gorgeous beaches and sunsets; and the hiking paradise of Sierra de la Laguna, a botanical wonderland of coexisting cacti and pines, palms and aspens set beside granite rockpools.

Chihuahua-Pacífic Railway

Mexico's most scenic railway connects Los Mochis on the Pacific coast with Chihuahua in the country's arid inland. The route takes 14 to 16 hours, and includes several stops in the fabled Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) - actually a group of 20 canyons, and all up four times larger than the Grand Canyon. The 655km (406mi) train line passes through 86 tunnels and over 39 bridges as it cuts through the Sierra Tarahumara's sheer canyons, hugging the sides of towering cliffs and offering dizzying glimpses of river beds far below.

The views are stunning, particularly between Creel and Loreto; they're generally best on the right side of the carriage when heading inland (east) and on the left when heading to the coast (west). Stops along the way include the attractive colonial town of El Fuerte; Divisadero, with excellent views down into the 2300m (7544ft) depths of Copper Canyon; Areponapuchi, teetering right on the canyon's edge; Creel, a base for hikers and the regional center for the local Tarahumara people; and the Mennonite hub of Cuauhtémoc.

Puerto Vallarta

Cobblestoned and whitewashed Puerto Vallarta is one of the central Pacific coast's best-known beach resorts. Nestled beside the Río Caule, between palm-covered mountains and flanking the azure Bahía de las Banderas (Bay of Flags), the city boasts a setting as ridiculously picturesque as its idyllic white-sand beaches and red-tiled houses of white adobe. The city has mutated from a sleepy seaside village into an international resort so quickly that it is fashionable to deride its spoilt charms, but it's almost impossible to dislike its lively bars, romantic restaurants, mushrooming gallery scene and bustling marine life. There are dolphins in the bay year-round, and humpback whales between November and March. Locals insist that if you stand on the seafront in April, you can see giant manta rays leaping into the air during their mating rituals.

Guadalajara

Many of the traditions considered characteristically 'Mexican' were created in Guadalajara, the country's second-largest city. Guadalajara can be held responsible for the mixed blessings of mariachi music, tequila, the Mexican Hat Dance, broad-brimmed sombrero hats and the Mexican rodeo. Part of Guadalajara's huge appeal is that it has many of the attractions of Mexico City - a vibrant culture, fine museums and galleries, handsome historic buildings, exciting nightlife and good places to stay and eat - but few of the capital's problems. It's a bright, modern, well-organized and unpolluted place, with enough attractions to please even the pickiest visitor. Highlights include the giant, twin-towered cathedral and the lovely plazas that surround it, the Instituto Cultural de Cabañas and its frescoes by José Clemente Orozco, the Plaza de los Mariachis if you're a masochist, and the twin handicraft-filled suburbs of Tlaquepaque and Tonal.

Acapulco

White-sand beaches, high-rise hotels, nightlife that glitters and the divers of La Quebrada - these are the postcard images of Acapulco, the granddaddy of the Pacific coast's resort cities, where tourism has been the number-one industry since the 1950s. Head inland and the city's schizophrenic side makes an appearance - trash-filled streets, crowded sidewalks, congested traffic, down-at-heel shops and dowdy apartment buildings. Most visitors are happy to ignore the city's daily grind, choosing to laze on the city's numerous beaches, shop at the many plazas or dine at all those restaurants with trilingual menus.

The famous cliff divers of La Quebrada have been amazing visitors since the 1930s, gracefully plummeting from the seemingly suicidal height of 45m (148ft) into a narrow crevasse that appears to contain only enough water to wash their feet. Not surprisingly, the divers pray at a small shrine before flinging themselves into the void. You can catch a great view of the divers from the restaurant of the Plaza Las Glorias Hotel. For less crowded beaches, try the Pie de la Cuesta, 8km (5mi) northwest of the city center, which is a good alternative to the glitz of the city but can sometimes have dangerous waves. There are great views of Acapulco's bay on the road to Puerto Marqués, 18km (11mi) southeast of the city. Just south of the Peninsula de las Playas is the so-called underwater shrine, a submerged bronze statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Oaxaca

This Spanish-built city of narrow streets has a special atmosphere - at once relaxed and energetic, remote and cosmopolitan. Situated in the rugged southern state of the same name, Oaxaca has a large indigenous population, flourishing markets and some superb colonial architecture. Not least of Oaxaca's attractions are the abundant local handicrafts and the conviviality of the local cafes. Center of town is the shady, arcaded zócalo and the major landmark is the Iglesia de Santo Domingo, the most splendid of Oaxaca's many churches. The city also has a clutch of worthy museums, exploring Oaxacan culture and the lives of famous former inhabitants such as Benito Juarez. There are many fascinating places within day-trip distance of the city, notably the Zapotec ruins at Monte Alban, Mitla, Yagul and Cuilapan.

Yucatan Peninsula

Cross the Río Usumacinta into Yucatan, and you enter the realm of the Maya. Heirs to a glorious and often violent history, the Maya live today where their ancestors lived a millennium ago. Yucatan has surprising diversity: archaeological sites galore, colonial cities, tropical forests, peerless snorkeling, seaside resorts, quiet coastlines and raucous nightlife. The region's famous Mayan sites are particularly impressive at Uxmal and Chichon Itzu, near the Yucatan state capital, the attractive colonial city of Mérida (home of the hammock). The coastal state of Quintana Roo attracts plane-loads of sun-loving tourists to its islands and white-sand Caribbean beaches, particularly Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and, party central, Cancún. The stunning cliff-top ruins at Tulum, overlooking a palm-fringed beach and turquoise sea, attract their fair share of visitors too.

Puebla

The Spanish colonial flavor is particularly piquant in the old city of Puebla, 125km (77mi) east of Mexico City. Despite the ravages of the 1999 earthquake, Puebla is home to more than 70 churches and a thousand other colonial buildings, many of them adorned with the city's famous hand-painted tiles (azulejos). The town's towering cathedral is considered one of the country's best proportioned, blending severe Herreresque-Renaissance and early baroque styles. Local indigenous influences can be seen in the prolific stucco decoration of the Capilla del Rosario in the Templo de Santo Domingo - a sumptuous baroque proliferation of gilded plaster and carved stone with angels and cherubim popping out from behind every leaf. Puebla is also known for its regional cuisine, celebrated and imitated throughout Mexico; try the mole poblano, spicy chocolate sauce usually served over turkey or chicken.

Not too far from Puebla are two other colonial gems. Some 85km (53mi) south of the capital is Cuernavaca, a retreat for Mexico City's wealthy and fashionable citizens since colonial times, thanks to its spring-like climate. Much of the city's elegance is hidden behind high walls and courtyards, but a number of residences have been transformed into galleries, hotels and restaurants. Those on a tight budget may find Cuernavaca a bit of a squeeze, but the little luxuries go down a treat with visitors who stay on to enroll in a Spanish-language course.

The old silver-mining town of Taxco, 180km (112mi) southwest of Mexico City, is one of the most picturesque and pleasant places in Mexico. The gorgeous colonial antique clings to a steep hillside, its maze of narrow cobbled streets spooling into leafy plazas lined with engagingly distressed buildings. The entire town has been declared a national historic monument.

Álamos

This tranquil little town in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental has been declared a national historic monument - for very good reasons. Back in the 18th century Álamos was a silver boom town of gorgeous mansions and haciendas, but by the 1920s it had declined into a forgotten backwater. An injection of expat norteamericano funds gave the dilapidated ghost town a much-needed facelift, and today Álamos' Spanish colonial buildings have been beautifully restored. Much of the architecture has a Moorish influence, thanks to the Andalusian artisans who originally built the city.

Álamos' narrow cobblestone streets are lined with colonial mansions, concealing courtyards lush with bougainvillea. You can get to see inside several of these old mansions too, as they've been converted into hotels and restaurants. The whole town has a distinctly peaceful, timeless feel. Sunday evenings in particular are reserved for that traditional pastime of strolling and people-watching on the Plaza de Armas.

Álamos is on the border of two very different ecosystems of desert and jungle. Hordes of nature-lovers swoop on the place because of its 450 species of birds and animals (including some endangered and endemic species), and more than 1000 species of plants. Horseback riding, hiking, swimming and dining in opulent colonial mansions are also on the Álamos menu. The obvious souvenir to buy while in town is a bag of brincadores, or Mexican jumping beans, as Álamos is the jumping bean capital of the world. Actually they're seed pods, not beans, and they jump because they're inhabited by moth larvae.

Patzcuaro

Patzcuaro boasts some particularly stately colonial architecture, but the town's major claim to fame is its candlelit Day of the Dead celebrations on November 2. The local Purépechas' celebrations have an especially magical quality and notably pre-Hispanic undertones. Graveyards are lit with candles, decorated with altars of marigolds and filled with traditional dancers and musicians.

Patzcuaro has a handsome core of lovely colonial buildings, churches and fine plazas, its streets climbing steeply to Our Lady of Good Health in the east of town. Plaza Vasco de Quiroga, the city's beautifully proportioned main plaza, is one of the loveliest in Mexico, flanked by trees and arcaded 17th-century mansions. Several mansions are devoted to the display and sale of the region's notable handicrafts, including copperware, straw goods, musical instruments, gold-leaf lacquer ware, hand-painted ceramics and lace. The town's market is also a good place to pick up local crafts and textiles.

Patzcuaro is a five-hour bus trip west of Mexico City in the western central highlands. It lies 3.5km (2mi) from the southeast shore of neighboring Lago de Patzcuaro, which is ringed by traditional artisans' villages and has four island communities. Isla Janitzio in particular comes alive (so to speak) with its famous Día de los Muertos parade of decorated canoes.

San Cristóbal de las Casas

This handsome colonial town in the pine-clad Valle de Jovel is surrounded by the classic Mayan villages of the Chiapas highlands. It's a delightful place and a magnet for travelers who want to learn a little Spanish, absorb the bohemian atmosphere and enjoy the lively bar and music scene. Since 1994 San Cristóbal has been caught up in the Zapatista struggles. Regional crafts play a large part in the town's tourism, and dolls depicting the black balaclava'd Zapatista leader Subcomandante Marcos are as typical a souvenir here as the region's renowned Tzotzil textiles.

San Cristóbal has a fine plaza and a swag of churches, the most beautiful of which is Santo Domingo with its pink baroque facade and golden interior. Horseback riding is popular in the surrounding hills, and other pursuits include discovering traditional Maya medicine, stocking up at the local weavers' cooperative, sampling delicious organic coffee at the Coopcafé, visiting the nearby indigenous villages and drinking in the amazingly clear highland air.

Off The Beaten Track

Santa Rosalía

Aficionados of industrial archaeology will find Santa Rosalía well worth exploring for the ruins of its massive copper-smeltering operation. The former French company town lies on the Sea of Cortez coast of Baja California Sur, some 50km (31mi) east of San Ignacio. The town also has unusual clapboard residential architecture and a church designed by the famous Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, of Paris' tower fame. The prefabricated church was originally intended for a destination in West Africa but somehow ended up being shipped to Mexico. The French left their legacy in other ways as well: the bakery here sells the best baguettes in Baja.

Real de Catorce

This reborn ghost town has a touch of magic. High on the fringes of the Sierra Madre Oriental, and reached by a road tunnel through former mine passages, Real de Catorce was a wealthy silver-mining town of 40,000 people until early in the 20th century, when it inexplicably went into decline. The town lies in a high valley with spectacular views looking westward down to the plain below.

Only a few years ago Real de Catorce was almost deserted, its paved streets lined with crumbling stone buildings, its mint a ruin and a few hundred people eking out an existence from old mine workings. Nowadays Real is attracting increasing numbers of trendier residents - wealthy Mexicans and gringos looking for an unusual retreat. North American and European expats have been restoring the old buildings and setting them up as hotels, shops and restaurants. Artists have settled here, and filmmakers use the town and the surrounding hills as locations.

Real de Catorce has a charmingly timeworn, neoclassical parish church - la Parroquia - whose reputedly miraculous image of St Francis of Assisi attracts pilgrims by the thousands (by the hundreds of thousands between September 25 and October 12 for the festival of San Francisco - don't say we didn't warn you!). The town also has more-pagan remnants in the form of a cock-fighting ring built like a Roman amphitheater. The Huichol people believe that the deserts around Real are a spiritual homeland, inhabited by their peyote and maize gods. Every May or June, the Huichol make a pilgrimage here for rituals involving peyote. Real de Catorce is a 1.5-hour bus ride from Matehuala, which in turn is seven hours from Mexico City.

Basaseachi Falls

The dramatic 246m (806ft) Cascada de Basaseachi are the highest waterfalls in Mexico, and are especially spectacular in the rainy season. Located 140km (87mi) northwest of Creel, it's worth the bumpy three-hour drive and every footstep of the five-hour hike to reach the falls and back. If that sounds too daunting, the views of the falls from up on the rim aren't so bad. Creel is also a good base for reaching the 30m (98ft) Cascada Cusarare, 22km (14mi) south of the town - the falls are much smaller but still worth the effort.

Palenque

All those images of romantic Mayan ruins shimmering in the morning mist come true at the lost jungle city of Palenque, in the northeast of Chiapas state. Surrounded by emerald jungle, Palenque's setting is superb and its Mayan architecture and decoration are exquisite. Evidence from pottery fragments indicates that the site was first occupied more than 1500 years ago, flourishing from 600 to 700 AD when many plazas and buildings were constructed, including the elaborate Temple of Inscriptions pyramid crypt, the tallest and most prominent of Palenque's buildings. The best time to visit this sweltering, breezeless complex is in the early morning when a humid haze wraps the ancient temples in a mysterious mist. Only a handful of the almost 500 extant buildings have been excavated, and all were built without the use of metal tools, pack animals or the wheel.

The instantly forgettable new town, where most hotels and restaurants are clustered, is about 7km (4mi) from the archaeological zone, and shuttle buses trundle the route every 15 minutes. Palenque is easily accessible by bus, but keep an eye on your valuables during the trip. There is a bus and ferry connection from Guatemala's Tikal via the border town of La Palma, linking two of Central America's most impressive Mayan sites.