Beautiful Mexico — Self-Launched (11 Days, Mexico City to Mexico City)
11 days · Mexico
Europamundo charges £1,630
No-markup version: ~£955 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An independent, self-launched take on Europamundo's 11-day "Beautiful Mexico" loop — same 17 destinations, from Mexico City's Zócalo and Xochimilco canals through Puebla, Oaxaca, Monte Albán, Sumidero Canyon, the Mayan villages of Chiapas, the Agua Azul and Misol-Há waterfalls, Palenque, Campeche and Mérida, back to the capital. You swap the tour bus and 4-star hotels for long-distance ADO coaches, budget guesthouses and self-booked local guides, covering roughly the same ground for around a third of the advertised price. All figures are approximate per-person estimates in GBP.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Mexico City
Mexico City
Land at Benito Juárez (MEX) and make your own way in — the Metro is ~£0.30 and an authorised airport taxi or Uber to the Centro Histórico runs £8–12. Check into a hostel or budget hotel around the Zócalo or Roma/Condesa. Spend the late afternoon wandering the Zócalo, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Aztec Templo Mayor ruins, then eat tacos al pastor at a locals' taquería (£3–5).
🚌Airport taxi/Uber into the centre ~£10
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Centro Histórico (e.g. Casa Pepe, Mexico City Hostel) — ~£18–25/night
- →Arrival and neighbourhood orientation
- →Zócalo, Metropolitan Cathedral and Templo Mayor exterior
- →Evening taquería dinner
Mexico City — Xochimilco, Guadalupe and Garibaldi
Mexico City
Do the classic tour day under your own steam. Metro + Tren Ligero to Xochimilco Embarcadero (~£1) and share a colourful trajinera boat with other travellers — ~£10–15pp for an hour. Return and visit the Basilica of Guadalupe (free entry, Metro Villa-Basílica), then take an evening stroll through Plaza Garibaldi with its mariachi bands. Prefer structure? A GetYourGuide half-day Mexico City combo or Xochimilco boat tour runs £20–30.
🚌Metro and Tren Ligero ~£2 all day
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Centro Histórico — ~£18–25/night
- →Shared trajinera boat ride in Xochimilco
- →Basilica of Guadalupe
- →Plaza of the Three Cultures (Tlatelolco) en route
- →Evening at Plaza Garibaldi
Mexico City → Cholula & Puebla
Puebla
Morning ADO coach from Mexico City TAPO terminal to Puebla (~2 hrs, £8–10). Drop bags at a hostel in the historic centre, then take a local combi to Cholula to climb the Great Pyramid and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Remedies (£3 entry). Back in Puebla, visit the Cathedral and the extraordinary Chapel of the Rosary in the Rosary Chapel of Santo Domingo, and eat the city's signature mole poblano (£5–7). On the way, the pretty Ex Hacienda de Chautla gardens are worth an optional stop if you hire a taxi for the detour.
🚌ADO bus Mexico City–Puebla ~£9; local combis ~£2
🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Puebla historic centre — ~£20–28/night
- →Cholula Great Pyramid and Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Remedies
- →Puebla Cathedral and Chapel of the Rosary
- →Optional Ex Hacienda de Chautla
Puebla → Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Long-distance ADO bus Puebla to Oaxaca (~4.5 hrs, £18–22). Settle into a hostel near the Zócalo, then join an affordable afternoon Monte Albán excursion — the site can be reached independently by a £2 shuttle or shared taxi from the centre plus £4 entry, or via a GetYourGuide half-day tour with transport and guide for ~£20–25. Return for a guided or self-led wander of Oaxaca's UNESCO historic centre, then dinner of tlayudas and memelas on Calle 20 de Noviembre (£5).
🚌ADO bus Puebla–Oaxaca ~£20; Monte Albán shuttle ~£2–4
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Oaxaca centro — ~£18–25/night
- →Monte Albán archaeological site
- →Panoramic walk of Oaxaca historic centre
- →Oaxacan street-food dinner
Oaxaca → Mitla → Tuxtla Gutiérrez
Tuxtla Gutiérrez
Early morning collectivo to San Pablo Villa de Mitla (~1 hr, £2) to see its famous geometric grecas stonework and the colonial Church of San Pablo sitting atop the ruins, plus the town's markets. Head back to Oaxaca, then take a night or late-afternoon OCC/ADO bus to Tuxtla Gutiérrez (~9–10 hrs, £38–45) — a night bus saves a hotel night and a travel day.
🚌Collectivo Oaxaca–Mitla ~£2; ADO night bus to Tuxtla ~£42
🛏Overnight bus, or hostel in Tuxtla Gutiérrez from ~£18/night
- →Mitla ruins and Church of San Pablo
- →Mitla town and market wander
- →Overnight coach through the Isthmus
Sumidero Canyon → Chiapa de Corzo → San Cristóbal de Las Casas
San Cristóbal de Las Casas
Morning shared boat through the towering Sumidero Canyon from the Chiapa de Corzo embarcadero (~£18–22 for a 2-hour lancha, bookable on arrival or via Klook/GetYourGuide). Stroll the pretty colonial plaza of Chiapa de Corzo afterwards, then continue by colectivo or ADO to San Cristóbal (~1 hr, £3). If you're travelling as a group of four, a shared day-trip taxi to the Zinacantán and San Juan Chamula Mayan villages costs £25–35 total — a fraction of an organised tour. Evening exploring San Cristóbal's cobbled streets.
🚌Shared lancha boat ~£20; colectivo to San Cristóbal ~£3; shared taxi to Mayan villages ~£8pp
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, San Cristóbal centro — ~£15–22/night
- →Sumidero Canyon boat ride
- →Stroll in Chiapa de Corzo
- →Zinacantán Mayan village
- →San Juan Chamula church and market
San Cristóbal → Agua Azul & Misol-Há → Palenque
Palenque
Take the Chiapanecas or similar colectivo/mini-bus down to Palenque (~5–6 hrs, £12–15), stopping off at the waterfalls on the way. The turquoise pools and cascades of Agua Azul National Park (£2 entry) and the single 35 m plunge of Misol-Há (£1 entry, with a path behind the curtain of water) are both easy self-guided stops. Sleep in El Panchán jungle cabañas or a Palenque village guesthouse (mossie nets essential).
🚌Colectivo/mini-bus San Cristóbal–Palenque with waterfall stops ~£14
🛏Jungle cabaña or budget guesthouse, El Panchán/Palenque — ~£15–22/night
- →Swim or walk at Agua Azul waterfalls
- →Misol-Há waterfall
- →Jungle evening in El Panchán
Palenque ruins → Campeche
Campeche
Arrive at Palenque's magnificent archaeological site at opening (8 a.m., £4 entry, plus £2 site shuttle from town) to climb the pyramids, temples and ball court before the crowds and heat. Optionally hire a local guide at the gate for £10–15 for context. Late afternoon ADO bus down to the pastel-walled colonial port of Campeche (~5 hrs, £20–25), a UNESCO-listed walled city perfect for an evening stroll and fresh seafood.
🚌ADO bus Palenque–Campeche ~£22; site shuttle ~£2
🛏Hostel or budget hotel inside the walls, Campeche — ~£20–28/night
- →Palenque ruins (temples, pyramids, ball court)
- →Optional local guide at the gate
- →Evening along Campeche's malecon and walls
Campeche → Mérida
Mérida
Short morning ADO bus to Mérida (~2 hrs, £8). Join one of Mérida's free walking tours (tip-based, ~£5–8 tip) covering the Cathedral of Mérida, the Church of the Third Order and the House of Montejo on the Plaza Grande. Spend the afternoon at the excellent Museum of the Maya World (£5) — also useful for the day's heat. Return to the Zócalo in the evening for the free folk-dance and marimba performances (usually Tuesday), and try Yucatecan cochinita pibil and salbutes (£5–7).
🚌ADO bus Campeche–Mérida ~£8; local buses ~£1
🛏Hostel or budget hotel near the Plaza Grande, Mérida — ~£18–26/night
- →Free walking tour of Mérida's colonial centre
- →Museum of the Maya World
- →Zócalo evening music and dancing
Mérida → Mexico City
Mexico City
Fly or bus back to Mexico City. Viva Aerobus/Volaris one-way Mérida–MEX flights are often £40–65 if booked ahead (2 hrs); the ADO bus alternative takes ~20 hrs (£65–75) — flying is worth it here. Settle back into a Centro or Roma hostel for a final capital evening: rooftop cerveza, a Lucha Libre match at Arena México (£6–12) or a mezcalería crawl in Roma.
🚌Domestic flight Mérida–MEX ~£50 (or ADO bus ~£70)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Centro/Roma, Mexico City — ~£18–25/night
- →Final Mexico City evening
- →Lucha Libre at Arena México or Roma mezcalería crawl
Depart Mexico City
Mexico City
Last morning for souvenirs at Ciudadela craft market or Coyoacán's market and Frida Kahlo Museum (£10, book online in advance). Take the Metro (~£0.30) or an Uber/taxi (~£10) to the airport for your onward flight. If you're extending, add a couple of days in the nearby Pueblo Mágico of San Sebastián de Bernal and Tequisquiapan by ADO bus from TAPO (£8 each way).
🚌Metro or taxi to MEX airport ~£1–10
🛏—
- →Optional Frida Kahlo Museum and Coyoacán
- →Optional Bernal and Tequisquiapan extension
Self-launched vs. Europamundo
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Europamundo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£955 | £1,630 |
| Duration | 11 days | 11 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £675 per person (41%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Europamundo-style trips? Check them out here.~£955
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Beautiful Mexico — Self-Launched (11 Days, Mexico City to Mexico City) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £955 per person for 11 days in Mexico. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Europamundo?+
Yes — Europamundo charges around £1,630 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £955 — a saving of roughly £675 (41%) per person.
How long is the Mexico trip?+
This itinerary runs 11 days, covering 11 day-by-day stops through Mexico.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, backpacker, budget trip through Mexico, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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