Mexico Travel

Overview
Mexico is one of the most popular tourist countries on earth and much of the tourist industry is centered around the beach resorts as well as the altiplano in the central part of the country. Its extensive coastlines include the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Mexico has nice and warm people, unique food, art and archeology, pyramids, museums, Haciendas, 6,000 miles of shoreline, superb architecture and 21st century cities, weather from snow mountains in the Sierras, to rainy jungles in the Southeast and desert in the Northwest, lots of golf courses throughout the country, excellent fishing, world top destinations like Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel, Los Cabos, and Patzcuaro. Mexico is ranked 7th major destination for foreigner visitors, according to WTO.

When to go
Mexico is a great tour destination to visit all yearround. Temperatures drop, though, from November to February when it's best to pack a sweater or jacket. In general, altitude is a determining factor, with cooler temperatures at higher elevations (Mexico City, Puebla, San Cristóbal de las Casas) and warmer weather as you descend (Guadalajara, Cuernavaca, Oaxaca).

October and November is perhaps the best time to visit, after the rains have ended and everything is still green. Early spring tends to be hotter and dustier.

Along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, winters are comfortable, summers very hot and humid, though resorts like Cabo San Lucas benefit from a sea breeze. Late summer months bring heavy rains and the occasional hurricane.

Shopping
You can find nearly everything you are interested in, from fashionable clothing boutiques to bustling market places selling traditional indigenous crafts. Taxco is renowned for fine jewellery and silverware; Oaxaca for mezcal, alebrijes (fanciful animal figurines) and distinctive black pottery; Saltillo for beautiful sarapes (colour-banded shawls); León for leatherwork and cowboy boots; Mérida, Yucatán for hammocks; and Guerrero state for masks, all of which make great gifts.

Market buildings are fun to explore throughout the country, as much to observe the activity as to pick up souvenirs. La Merced in Mexico City and Mercado La Libertad in Guadalajara are among the biggest, most frenetic markets in the country. However, many Mexicans do their shopping in glitzy, modern malls with all the usual department stores, boutiques and franchises.

Shopping hours:
Mon-Sat 1000-2000 in big towns and cities; shops in smaller towns may close midday for lunch, usually from 1400 to 1600.

Hotels in Mexico
Hotels are plentiful, from humble guesthouses to large international chains. In between, there are numerous mid-priced establishments. Every hotel in Mexico is required to display officially approved rates for low and high season. For Christmas and Easter seasons, it is quite necessary to book ahead.

Other accommodation in Mexico
Bed and breakfast: They're often in historic homes and lavishly decorated with local fabrics, ceramics and art. They may be humble family-run establishments or posh inns with swimming pools.

Camping: Official campgrounds are generally designed for RV (recreational vehicle) travellers but you may pitch a tent at a reduced rate. Facilities are most easily found at beach resorts, in northern Mexico or other places that see visitors from the US.

Cabañas are generally situated in natural surroundings, such as the Lacandón jungle of Chiapas, the isles of Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán, or atop Nevado de Toluca, a volcanic peak west of Mexico City.

As youth and budget travel thrive in Mexico, hostels keep popping up in major towns and along the principal backpacker trails. Many include guest kitchens and informal bars or cafés where travellers congregate.