The Most Mexico: Central Mexico, Yucatán & Cancún — Self-Launched

Land at MEX and take the Metro (Line 5 from the airport, ~£0.40) or an authorised airport taxi/Uber (~£12) to your hostel in Roma Norte or Centro Histórico. Settle in, then walk to the Zócalo in the evening for street food and a look at the lit-up cathedral and Palacio Nacional. If you want company, most hostels in Roma run bar crawls or rooftop meet-ups — a nice low-key substitute for the group welcome meeting.

🚌Airport Metro Line 5 or authorised taxi/Uber ~£12

🛏Hostel dorm, Roma Norte or Centro (e.g. Casa Pepe, Hostel Home) — ~£15

• →Zócalo evening walk
• →Street tacos dinner

Do your own version of the insiders' city tour: start at the Monumento a la Revolución for the lift to the observation deck (~£2), walk Paseo de la Reforma to the Ángel de la Independencia, then head into Roma Norte to Mercado Medellín or Mercado Roma for tacos al pastor (~£4). In the afternoon, either take the Metro to the Museo Nacional de Antropología (~£9) or catch a bus to Teotihuacán (see day 3 note if you prefer to free up a day). Evening: Lucha Libre at Arena México — buy tickets at the box office or via Ticketmaster MX, roughly £15-25 depending on seat.

🚌Metro/Uber around town ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, Roma Norte or Centro — ~£15

• →Monumento a la Revolución viewpoint
• →Ángel de la Independencia
• →Mercado Roma tacos al pastor
• →Museo Nacional de Antropología (~£9)
• →Lucha Libre at Arena México (~£15-25)

Morning: Metro to Tasqueña then the Tren Ligero to Xochimilco (~£1.50). Share a trajinera boat on the canals — boats are hired per hour (roughly £20/hour for up to 14 people), so ask at the embarcadero if anyone will split one, or join a small-group Xochimilco tour via GetYourGuide (~£25). Grab quesadillas and a michelada from the floating vendors. Mid-afternoon, head back and catch an ADO bus from TAPO terminal to Puebla (2h, ~£10-12). Dinner on the zócalo with a cemita or mole poblano.

🚌Metro + Tren Ligero ~£1.50; ADO bus Mexico City–Puebla ~£11

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Puebla centro — ~£14

• →Trajinera boat ride in Xochimilco
• →Puebla zócalo evening walk

Spend the morning wandering Puebla's centro histórico — the Rosario chapel's gold interior, the Amparo Museum and the talavera pottery stalls on Calle 6 Oriente. After lunch, take an ADO bus south to Oaxaca (4.5h, ~£20). Arrive in the evening and dive straight into the food: a tlayuda from a Mercado 20 de Noviembre stall, plus a flight of mezcal at a small tasting room off the zócalo (~£8).

🚌ADO bus Puebla–Oaxaca ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm, Oaxaca centro — ~£13

• →Puebla centro histórico walk
• →Mercado 20 de Noviembre food stop
• →Mezcal tasting

Pick your own adventure. Monte Albán: catch a shared colectivo or the 'Tourismo' bus from Hotel Rivera del Ángel (~£1 each way) plus the ~£10 site entry — go early to beat the heat and crowds. Cooking class: book a market-visit mole class through GetYourGuide or AirBnB Experiences (~£35-45), most last 4-5 hours including lunch. Or take a tour/colectivo to Hierve el Agua's petrified waterfalls (~£20 with transport). Otherwise: a mezcal palenque tour (~£15-20) at San Pablo Villa de Mitla, then a quiet afternoon in the hostel courtyard.

🚌Colectivo/bus to Monte Albán ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Oaxaca centro — ~£13

• →Monte Albán ruins (~£10 entry)
• →Mole cooking class (~£40)
• →Hierve el Agua day trip (~£20)
• →Mezcal palenque tour (~£20)

The winding mountain road to the coast is a rite of passage — take a first-class ADO bus from Oaxaca's terminal (7h, ~£22) or the smaller colectivo-style vans (~£12, faster but wilder). Land in Puerto Escondido and settle in near Playa Zicatela or Rinconada. Do your own orientation: walk the beach, watch the surfers at Zicatela at sunset, and eat fish tacos for dinner.

🚌ADO bus Oaxaca–Puerto Escondido ~£22

🛏Hostel dorm in Rinconada or near Zicatela — ~£12

• →Beach walk
• →Zicatela sunset surf-watching
• →Fish tacos

Full free day. Group surf lesson at Zicatela or Carrizalillo (~£18-25 for a 2-hour lesson including board — plenty of schools along the beach, or pre-book via GetYourGuide). Alternatives: stand-up paddleboarding at Laguna de Manialtepec (~£20), a boat trip to see the bioluminescent lagoon in the evening if you're there in the right months, or simply a hammock day with a cold michelada. Playa Carrizalillo is the calmest swimming spot.

🚌Local taxis/colectivos ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm — ~£12

• →Surf lesson (~£20)
• →Playa Carrizalillo swim
• →Laguna de Manialtepec (optional ~£20)

Fly PXM to Mérida with a connection in Mexico City (VivaAerobus or Aeroméxico, book 6-8 weeks ahead for fares around £80-120 including a bag). Alternatively take an overnight ADO bus back to Oaxaca or Mexico City and fly from there — slower but similar money. Arrive in Mérida, take an Uber to your hostel near the centro, and spend the evening on Paseo de Montejo or in the Plaza Grande with a marquesita and a cold beer.

🚌Domestic flight PXM–MID via MEX ~£100

🛏Hostel dorm, Mérida centro — ~£13

• →Plaza Grande evening
• →Paseo de Montejo walk

Rent a bike in Mérida (~£6/day) or take a colectivo to Cuzamá/Homún and hire a local moto-taxi to loop the cenotes (~£15 for the cart). Swim in the crystal-clear freshwater sinkholes — the Cuzamá cenotes (Chelentún, Chansinicché, Bolonchojol) are the classic bike-and-swim circuit. Or join a small-group cenote tour via GetYourGuide (~£30-40) with lunch included. Back in Mérida by late afternoon: hammock, then cochinita pibil at a mercado stand.

🚌Colectivo to Cuzamá ~£3; moto-taxi ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm, Mérida centro — ~£13

• →Cycling cenote circuit
• →Cenote swimming
• →Cochinita pibil dinner

Chichén Itzá: take the earliest ADO bus from Mérida's TAME terminal (~£10, 2h) or an Oriente bus, arriving at the gate for opening at 8am to dodge the tour crowds and heat. Entry ~£27 (foreign adult rate). Join a 1-hour guide at the gate for ~£18, or book a small-group tour through GetYourGuide in advance. After a few hours, catch a local bus or colectivo onward to Valladolid (~£3, 45 min). Check in, then dinner with Yucatecan dishes — pollo pibil, salbutes and handmade tortillas — in the centro. Many operators offer a cenote dinner experience (~£25) if you want the group-tour version.

🚌ADO bus Mérida–Chichén Itzá ~£10; colectivo to Valladolid ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm or guesthouse, Valladolid — ~£12

• →Chichén Itzá ruins & Pyramid of Kukulcán (~£27 entry)
• →Guided tour (~£18)
• →Valladolid centro & Yucatecan dinner

Morning in Valladolid: swim in Cenote Zací in town (~£2.50) or visit the San Bernardino convent. Then take an ADO bus Valladolid–Tulum (~£8, 2h). Drop bags at the hostel, then walk or cycle to the Tulum ruins (~£7 entry) in the afternoon — the clifftop Castillo over the Caribbean is the photo moment. Finish with a swim at Playa Paraíso and dinner in Tulum Pueblo (cheaper and better than the beach strip).

🚌ADO bus Valladolid–Tulum ~£8; bike hire ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, Tulum Pueblo — ~£15

• →Cenote Zací (~£2.50)
• →Tulum ruins (~£7)
• →Playa Paraíso swim

Free day on the Riviera Maya. Options: snorkel at Gran Cenote or Dos Ojos (~£10-20 entry plus ~£8 colectivo), a half-day snorkel tour to the reef (~£35 via GetYourGuide), or the natural waterpark at Xel-Há (~£55-70 — book direct, it's pricey). Cheaper alternative: rent a bike and beach-hop between Playa Paraíso and Playa Ruinas, ending at a beach club in the evening. This is the last night of the trip's slower pace.

🚌Bike hire or colectivo ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, Tulum Pueblo — ~£15

• →Gran Cenote snorkel (~£12)
• →Beach-hopping by bike
• →Beach club evening

Take an ADO bus Tulum–Playa del Carmen (~£4, 1h). Visit El Hongo, the volunteer-run community restaurant supporting a youth art programme in the 'real' Playa — email or book ahead to make sure it's open, and expect a home-style set meal for ~£8-12. Afternoon: wander Quinta Avenida, or take the ferry to Cozumel if you want a snorkel day (~£20 return). In the evening, the colectivo or ADO bus onward to Cancún is easy (~£3-5, 1.5h) — or stay the night in Playa.

🚌ADO bus Tulum–Playa ~£4; bus Playa–Cancún ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, Playa del Carmen or Cancún — ~£16

• →El Hongo community restaurant lunch
• →Quinta Avenida walk
• →Optional Cozumel ferry (~£20)

Base yourself in downtown Cancún (much cheaper than the Hotel Zone) and pick your day: ferry from Puerto Juárez to Isla Mujeres (~£16 return plus ~£2 port tax) for Playa Norte and a golf-cart loop; a cenote tour inland (~£30-40 via GetYourGuide); or a snorkel trip to the underwater museum (MUSA) off Isla Mujeres (~£40). Alternatively keep it simple with a beach day at Playa Delfines (public, free) and lunch at a taquería in the centro.

🚌R1/R2 bus to ferry and beaches ~£2; ferry ~£16

🛏Hostel dorm, downtown Cancún — ~£16

• →Isla Mujeres ferry & Playa Norte
• →MUSA snorkel (~£40)
• →Playa Delfines beach day

Slow final full day. Sleep in, then take the R1 bus to the Hotel Zone for the public beaches, or stay in the centro for the Mercado 28 souvenir stalls and a proper Yucatecan breakfast. Optional extras: a rooftop pool day pass at a downtown hotel (~£15), a sunset sail in the lagoon (~£35), or a final cenote swim at Cenote Verde Lucero (~£12 plus colectivo). Pack and prepare for departure.

🚌Local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, downtown Cancún — ~£16

• →Mercado 28
• →Hotel Zone public beaches
• →Optional sunset sail (~£35)

Head to Cancún International Airport by ADO bus from the downtown terminal (~£4, 30-40 min) or taxi (~£20). Note the Quintana Roo tourist tax is usually included in international air tickets — check with your airline. If you're staying on, the ADO network can take you to Bacalar or the Riviera Maya from here cheaply.

🚌ADO airport bus ~£4

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• →Departure