Must-see attractions in Mexico

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    Tulum Ruins

    Tulum

    Tulum is one of the most visited archaeological zones in Mexico and for good reason: it’s sublime. The ruins sit on seaside cliffs, high above turquoise…

  • Aerial of a path between palm trees on Isla Contoy.

    Parque Nacional Isla Contoy

    Cancún

    A white sand beach with manta rays gliding through the shimmering turquoise waters. No hotels. No nightclubs. No roads or cars of any kind. It’s hard to…

  • Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico.

    Teotihuacán

    North of Mexico City

    This fabulous archaeological zone lies in a mountain-ringed offshoot of the Valle de México. Site of the huge Pirámides del Sol y de la Luna (Pyramids of…

  • SFER IK

    Tulum

    Wandering barefoot through the contemporary art museum at Azulik hotel, you feel like you’re in a giant cocoon. Nature surrounds you, inside and out:…

  • Palace Bellas Artes

    Palacio de Bellas Artes

    Alameda Central

    Immense murals by world-famous Mexican artists dominate the top floors of this splendid white-marble palace – a concert hall and arts center commissioned…

  • Puerto Vallarta Botanical Garden.

    Jardín Botánico de Vallarta

    Puerto Vallarta

    For a change of scenery from the beach, head for the tropical highlands of the Sierra Madre mountains and wander the well-curated Jardín Botánico de…

  • Museo Maya de Cancún

    Cancún

    Surrounded by dense tropical forest, the contemporary Museo Maya de Cancún is a welcome respite from the beach and buffet lines of the neighboring high…

  • Beach in Yelapa, Mexico.

    Yelapa

    Puerto Vallarta

    Home to a small fishing community, the picturesque beach of Yelapa hugs an emerald coastline backed by jungle-shrouded mountains. The remote coastal…

  • Fountain in the courtyard of a government building, National Palace, Zocalo, Mexico City, Mexico

    Palacio Nacional

    Centro Histórico

    As the seat of the federal branch of the Mexican government, the Palacio Nacional (National Palace) is home to the offices of the president of Mexico and…

  • Torre Latinoamericana

    Centro Histórico

    The Torre Latinoamericana was Latin America’s tallest building when constructed in 1956, and remains the dominant focal point of Centro Histórico. It's an…

  • Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

    Reserva de la Biosfera Sian Ka'an

    Tulum

    While floating down a canal that Mayans dug by hand centuries ago, you see tall grasses on either side and colorful birds flying overhead. You hear the…

  • Edzná Nohochná

    Edzná

    Campeche State

    Edzná’s massive complexes, that once covered more than 17 sq km, were built by a highly stratified society that flourished from about 600 BC to the 15th…

  • Representation of The Feather Serpent during spring equinox in Kukulkan Pyramid, Chichen Itza. This spectacular phenomenon occurs only twice a year: on 21 March and 22 September. During these two days the temple of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza lives a mysterious marvel related to the Maya religious tradition and worship the God Quetzalcoatl. A phenomenon that concentrates thousands of visitors who travel every year to watch the descent of "The Feathered Serpent".

    Chichén Itzá

    Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland

    Chichén Itzá, meaning 'mouth of the well of the Itzáes' in Mayan, is a stunning ruin well worth visiting for its spectacular, iconic structures and…

  • Temple of the Inscriptions. Ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Palenque, in the jungles of Chiapas, Mexico; Shutterstock ID 38923966; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Palenque Ruins

    Chiapas

    Ancient Palenque stands at the precise point where the first hills rise out of the Gulf coast plain, and the dense jungle covering these hills forms an…

  • Yaxchilán

    Chiapas

    Jungle-shrouded Yaxchilán has a wonderfully atmospheric setting above a horseshoe loop in the Río Usumacinta. The control this location gave it over river…

  • The Pyramid of the Niches at the EL Tajin archeological site.

    El Tajín

    Veracruz

    No one knows for sure who built this mighty pre-Hispanic city of around 20,000 inhabitants (The Totonacs? The Huastecs?), which is why archaeologists…

  • The facade of the Museo Nacional de Antropología.

    Museo de Antropología

    Xalapa

    Attached to spacious gardens, 4km northwest of the center, this remarkable museum contains Mexico’s second-finest archaeological collection. The focus is…

  • Instituto Cultural Cabanas, Guadalajara, Mexico; Shutterstock ID 745346248; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Instituto Cultural de Cabañas

    Guadalajara

    Standing proudly at the eastern end of dramatic Plaza Tapatía is one of Guadalajara’s architectural landmarks, and a Unesco World Heritage site since 1997…

  • COYOACAN, MEXICO - NOV 1, 2016: Blue House (La Casa Azul), historic house and art museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo
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    Museo Frida Kahlo

    Coyoacán & San Ángel

    Renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was born in, and lived and died in, Casa Azul (Blue House), now a museum. Almost every visitor to Mexico City makes a…

  • Templo de las Inscripciones Group

    Palenque

    As you walk in from the entrance the vegetation suddenly peels away to reveal many of Palenque’s most magnificent buildings in one sublime vista. A line…

  • Templo de Santo Domingo, and Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, Calle Macedonio Alcala, Oaxaca, Oaxaca State, Mexico

    Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca

    Oaxaca City

    Got two hours? You'll need it for the Museum of Oaxacan Cultures, housed in the beautiful monastery buildings adjoining the Templo de Santo Domingo. This…

  • Temple of the Inscriptions. Ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Palenque.
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    Templo de las Inscripciones

    Palenque

    Perhaps the most celebrated burial monument in the Americas, this is the tallest and most stately of Palenque’s buildings. Constructed on eight levels,…

  • Buildings of the North Platform at Monte Alban.

    Monte Albán Ruins

    Valles Centrales

    The former capital of the Zapotec people is today an illustrious ruin, but for over a thousand years it served as the second-largest ceremonial site in…

  • Surfer looking the wave breaking at Zicatela beach, Mexico; Shutterstock ID 749690260; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Playa Zicatela

    Puerto Escondido

    Legendary 3.5km-long Zicatela is the best-known surfing spot in Mexico courtesy of the tempestuous surfing waves of the Mexican Pipeline. The heart of the…

  • Sunset at the touristic Zipolite beach in Oaxaca,  Mexico.  Rocky beach with no people.; Shutterstock ID 2275510841; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Playa Zipolite

    Zipolite

    Zipolite's beach is huge, running for a good 1.5km and dispatching massive waves. It's famous for its nudity; you'll see people randomly swimming,…

  • Calakmul

    Calakmul

    Quite unlike any other Maya city you'll visit in Yucatán, Calakmul was ‘discovered’ in 1931 by American botanist Cyrus Lundell, and is located deep in the…

  • Pyramid of Magician - Uxmal

    Uxmal Ruins

    Yucatán State & the Maya Heartland

    Pronounced oosh-mahl, Uxmal's size and uniqueness make it a fascinating stop for ruin-lovers and novices alike. The top draws are the oddly shaped…

  • The Mayan ruins of the Coba pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula.

    Cobá Ruins

    Cobá

    Cobá's ruins include the tallest pyramid in Quintana Roo (the second tallest in all the Yucatán) and the thick jungle setting makes you feel like you’re…

  • Mexico: Acapulco: A La Quebrada cliff diver leaps into the Pacific Ocean, along the Mexican Riviera

    Clavadistas de la Quebrada

    Acapulco

    Acapulco’s most famous tourist attraction, the cliff divers of La Quebrada have been dazzling audiences since 1934. Every night, a team of seven lithe…

  • January 2018: The crowded beach of Playa Carrizalillo in Puerto Escondido.
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    Playa Carrizalillo

    Puerto Escondido

    Small is beautiful at Carrizalillo, set in a sheltered cove west of the center that's reached by a stairway of 157 steps. It’s popular for swimming and…

  • Playa Salchi

    Bahías de Huatulco

    Halfway between the western edge of Parque Nacional Huatulco and Puerto Ángel awaits some of the most precious coastline in Oaxaca. The water can be…

  • Destroyed jetty on a white sandy beach at Isla Blanca.

    Isla Blanca

    Cancún

    Driving down a narrow sand road, the turquoise Caribbean on one side, the glimmering Laguna Chacmuchuch on the other, you feel like you’re a thousand…

  • Beautiful Cenote Manatee, ( a.k.a. Casa Cenote, and Cenote Manatí ), in Tankah Bay, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

    Tankah Tres

    Tulum

    At the end of a sand road is the hamlet of Tankah Tres (aka Tankah Bay), a seaside community of vacation homes and small hotels in Mexico, all facing a…

  • The ancient pyramids of Tonina, a Mayan Archaeological Site in Chiapas, Mexico.

    Toniná

    Chiapas

    The towering ceremonial core of Toniná, overlooking a pastoral valley 14km east of Ocosingo, is one of the most spectacular archaeological sites in…

  • Playa Palmares

    Puerto Vallarta

    Graced with golden sands and serene aqua-green shallows, Playa Palmares is one sweet strip of coastline. Hugging an undeveloped shore about 6km (4 miles)…

  • The ruins of the Templo Mayor in Mexico City.

    Templo Mayor

    Centro Histórico

    Before the Spaniards demolished it, the Aztec 'Great Temple' Teocalli of Tenochtitlán covered the site where the cathedral now stands, as well as the…

  • Toltec sculptures at Zona Arqueológica de Tula.

    Zona Arqueológica de Tula

    North of Mexico City

    Two kilometers north of Tula's center, ruins of the main ancient ceremonial site are perched on a hilltop. The highlight is standing atop a pyramid,…

Not Mexico... but still worth the visit