Holiday homes in Mexico.

It depends on the holiday you want. For Caribbean beaches, cenotes and Mayan ruins, base yourself in the Riviera Maya — Playa del Carmen is walkable and lively, Tulum is more boutique and design-led, and Cancún has the simplest flights. For a Pacific beach trip, Los Cabos leans upscale and desert-dramatic while Puerto Vallarta feels more authentically Mexican. If culture and food come first, Mexico City, Oaxaca and Mérida are the standouts. Many visitors combine a beach base with a few days inland.

The dry season from roughly late autumn through spring is the most popular window on both coasts, with reliable sun and cooler evenings. Summer is hotter and wetter inland and on the Caribbean side. Sargassum — a brown seaweed that washes onto Caribbean-facing beaches — tends to be heaviest in the warmer months and is a seasonal, variable issue rather than a constant one. Pacific coast beaches around Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta are not affected by it. Check recent local conditions close to your dates, as timing shifts year to year.

Domestic flights connect the big hubs — Cancún, Mexico City, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Oaxaca and Mérida all have airports — and are usually the quickest way to jump between regions. Within the Riviera Maya, the new Tren Maya rail line links Cancún airport with Playa del Carmen, Tulum and inland Yucatán sites, alongside long-distance buses. In cities, ride-hailing apps are widely used. Renting a car makes sense for the Yucatán's cenotes and ruins or exploring the coast at your own pace.

The major tourist destinations covered here — the Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City's central neighbourhoods, Oaxaca and Mérida — are visited by large numbers of international travellers every year, and Mérida in particular is often noted as one of the country's calmer cities. As anywhere, use normal precautions: prefer reputable transport, keep valuables discreet, and stay aware in nightlife areas. Safety guidance can vary by region and over time, so check your own government's current travel advice for Mexico before you book.

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