How to Spend 3 Weeks in Mexico
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I always find looking at other people's routes helpful when planning my trips, so If you are planning a trip to Mexico soon this one is for you. We loved our time in Mexico but we did speed through a little, we have consciously made an effort to travel a little slower now. I don’t really have a reason for this other than it was our first stop on this Mexico to Brazil mission and maybe subconsciously we wanted to keep it moving.
Mexico is such a large country, therefore it’s impossible to see everywhere on just one trip unless you have months to dedicate to travel here. However, most of us don’t have this amount of time, so keep reading if you want to find out how we spent 3 weeks in this beautiful country.
So this title is a small white lie we actually only spent 17 days in Mexico, but you know I didn’t really want to call this post how to spend 17 days in Mexico so forgive me, please.
Mexico Travel Itinerary
Mexico City / 5 days
This was our first stop after the world's longest travel day (38 hours), we originally planned 5 days here as we thought we might be jet-lagged the first few days. And although we were a bit tired here and there, Mexico City is so large we didn’t even scratch the surface in 5 days. I could have easily stayed here for another 5 days, CDMX quickly became my favourite city I have ever visited (Newcastle will always be No.1 tho).
On day 1 we were a little bit delirious, so we opted for a slow first-day walking around Roma and having an early dinner. On Day 2 it was time to explore Centro Historico, Day 3 was spent in Chapultepec Park and Day 4 was an artsy one at Coyoacan in the morning and a chill afternoon checking out the bars of Condesa. Our final day was spent drinking margaritas and learning more about them at the Museo del Tequilla y el Mescal, a day well spent if you ask me.
Mexico City is sometimes overlooked as people tell you it’s dangerous or unsafe and I can tell you not once did I feel that way. And as it’s home to such a large international airport, it makes sense for this to be your first stop, you won’t regret it.
Read more about Mexico City in this travel guide ->
Merida / 2 days
Merida is such a gorgeous colonial-style town, with cobbled streets it’s a lovely stop to make in the Yucatan Peninsula. I do think we could have spent another night or two in Merida, mainly to explore some of the day trips like the beach or nearby cenotes. However, Merida and Valladolid are sort of similar so I don’t regret it too much.
Discover how to spend the perfect day in Merida ->
Valladolid / 3 days
As mentioned above Valladolid is a very similar town to Merida, with colourful colonial-style architecture and churches. As lovely as the town of Valladolid is, the 3 days we spent here were mostly spent visiting attractions outside the town centre. We visited a wonder of the world, Chichen Itza, and spent a day cycling around nearby cenotes.
Discover how to visit the cenotes near Valladolid ->
A guide to visiting Chichen Itza from Valladolid ->
Isla Holbox / 3 days
Would it be a complete Mexico travel itinerary if you don’t include a beach destination? Hop on the ferry from Chiqulia and get out your sun cream for some relaxing days in Isla Holbox. There is plenty to keep you busy whilst on this island paradise, maybe you fancy chilled beach days or would opt to do some more adventurous island hopping.
By the time we arrived on our first day it’s was already the evening so we had a few drinks in our hostel and it turned into quite the night out, if you are up for a party Che Hostel is the place to be.
The next day we dragged our hungover selves out of bed to head to Punto Mosquito Beach. It’s a gorgeous sandbank where you can lay out and relax as well as cool off in crystal clear waters. If you get lucky and your early, you may even spot some flamingos. Just make sure to check tide times before heading out, low tide is best.
Our final day was spent chilling on the beach, working on the tan and obviously having a few drinks in the beach bars. And not sure how we left this to the final evening but we watched the sunset with a few friends and a few beers. The sunset was breathtaking and probably the best thing I saw in the whole of Mexico, don't sleep on Isla Holbox's sunsets.
Playa del Carmen / 2 days
This was quite an unplanned stopover, we were originally going to Tulum but after hearing some rubbish reviews from people we decided to skip Tulum. However, we still needed a stopover point between Isla Holbox and Bacalar and that’s how we ended up here.
In full disclosure, we did nothing here other than drink coffee, eat ice cream, get super excited shopping in Walmart and watch Netflix in our Air BnB and I got to writing blog posts from previous stop-offs. It’s worth noting a lot of backpackers use Playa del Carmen as a stop-off before heading to Cozumel.
Bacalar / 2 days
Bacalar is a small town based on the shores of Lago Bacalar also known as the Lagoon of Seven Colours because of the unbelievably blue-coloured water. It’s a common stop-off for backpackers and tourists alike, with plenty of lake activities to get stuck into.
We got there around lunchtime so after stopping for some food, we had a wander around the town and the old fort ruins before retreating to the hostel to have a few beers and a paddle in the lake.
Our hostel was on the shores of the lake, so I got up super early to see the sunrise and it was stunning to see, you can join sunrise paddle board/kayak tours. After scoffing down some breakfast we headed to Los Rapidos for the day, which is a must-see in Bacalar.
This was our final stop in Mexico and it was super easy to get a shuttle into Belize from Bacalar as you are only about 45 minutes from the border at Chetumal. We left Bacalar around 7 in the morning and arrived in Caye Caulker around 4 in the afternoon, we went with Marlin Espadas and they dropped us off right at the ferry terminal in Belize City.
Changes I Would Make to our Itinerary
If we all had the option to slow down and spend an extra few days in new destinations we would of. In our case, we did have the time but we got so overexcited about all the new places we hurried through, which in hindsight we didn’t need to do.
The two places that I would have spent more time in looking back were Merida and Bacalar, very different destinations but both gorgeous in their own way. We left a lot undiscovered in those two places, I would definitely recommend adding a day or two to both stops. I also could have spent the whole 3 weeks in Mexico City I loved it that much, but 5 days was long enough to see the highlights.
Also, there were plenty of Mexican destinations that we didn’t get to on this itinerary, but as I always say you have to leave a reason to go back. Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido and San Cristóbal de las Casas are just a few stops that we constantly heard about from other backpackers and I have mentally added them to the list for the next time I find myself in Mexico.
How to Get Around Mexico
Mexico is a large country, to be exact it covers 1,972,550 square kilometres, but thankfully there is plenty of options to get around. With the country being so large if you trying to travel on a budget you will most likely be getting buses from one stop to the next.
We got buses our whole time in Mexico with the one exception being that we flew from Mexico City to Merida. Mainly because it was actually nearly cheaper than the bus ticket and why spend 23 hours on a bus when a 2-hour flight was nearly just as cheap? Our flights were with Aero Mexico and cost us £66 each. We paid a little extra for check-in luggage as well as the extra cost of good daytime flight times. So if you can book a few months in advance and are willing to be flexible with timings you could probably find a flight from CDMX to Merida for around £50.
After landing in Merida we used ADO buses to get between destinations and I have to say they were some lovely buses and perfectly safe. The buses were always on time, comfy, had charging points and often had movies playing too. The only downside was the cold air-con blasting, don’t forget your jumpers people. For the best prices I usually booked 3-4 days in advance on the ADO website. I advise having patience with the website however it’s pretty rubbish. Alternatively, you can buy the tickets directly at the bus stations, I would recommend at least getting your ticket the day before as most of the buses we got were full.
You do have other options for getting around such as renting a car or taking public transport but as I don’t have much experience of these there isn’t much I can advise on these methods. In Mexico City we used Uber, but in most of the other destinations, it was mainly just standard taxis or tuk-tuks. Be sure to agree on a price before the journey.
Travel Essentials for Mexico
Bug spray- once we left the cooler climate of Mexico City we started to get bitten alive at our different stops, mosquitos just seem to love tourist blood. I would advise buying it once you arrive in Mexico as I have always found bug spray to be more effective when it’s purchased in a country in which mosquitos are common, I think the deet percentage is higher than the bug sprays sold at home(UK).
A decent pair of walking shoes/trainers- We did a lot of walking in nearly all our stops in Mexico, so it pays off to have a reliable pair of trainers and or comfy sandals with you. Make sure to wear the shoes in before you get to Mexico.
Some warmer night outfits- This one applies mainly to Mexico City as we found it could get cooler at night-time. Unfortunately, I packed mainly for beach weather so when it came to going out in the evening I always felt underdressed in my hoodie and leggings. So throw a jumpsuit or longer dress for the cooler nights.
Dry bag- Honestly this is a travel essential for me wherever I am but came in particularly handy at the Cenotes and Isla Holbox. It’s a bag that you fold over 3 times and clip up and then it’s completely waterproof and will protect all your essentials such as a purse or phone, you can literally drop it in the sea and it will keep everything bone dry.
Offline maps- Maps.me is an absolute lifesaver of an app when it comes to travelling without mobile data, you just download a map of an area whilst on Wifi. Then that map is available whilst you're offline to help you get from point a to point b. We literally used this everywhere, it often shows hiking routes too which is an added bonus.
Offline translation app- As well as offline maps an offline translation app, can be helpful if you are still not the most confident Spanish speaker. You can download Google Translate for Spanish offline but just know that sometimes the translation isn’t the most accurate. When I do have data or wifi I prefer to use SpanishDict.
Mexico Travel Tips
A lot of people have a lot to say about the safety of Mexico and I have to say not once did I feel we were in genuine danger. We did use our common sense, just like we would anywhere in the world, like not walking too far in the dark and stuck mainly to common tourist areas unless with guides.
Spanish is the primary language of Mexico and you will come across situations where it’s helpful and respectful to understand and speak a little. So I would advise brushing up on a few key Spanish phrases before you arrive, particularly if you are visiting Mexico City.
The currency is Mexican Pesos (MXN) and I recommend getting some out before you land as there is an ATM charge. There were also a lot of currency exchange shops willing to take US dollars, British pounds, Euros and other currencies.
The plug sockets are type A and B which is the same as the US, so unless you have US chargers you will need a travel adaptor. I always recommend the worldwide ones as they not only allow you to charge more than one thing at once they also work everywhere you go.
And lastly, it’s worth noting if you want to head to a beach destination in Mexico the hurricane seasons are as follows. Pacific hurricane season is from May to November and the Atlantic hurricane season is from June to November.
If you have any questions about Mexico and the destinations we stopped at feel free to contact me, I’m always willing to help with travel plans.
