29. April 2024
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Traveling to Greece is an exciting and memorable experience that every traveler should have on their bucket list. From the stunning beaches, ancient ruins, and
The real Mexico: 5 superb stops off the beaten track
Mexico – is a fascinating country with a magical culture, delicious food, and tropical beaches. In this article, we want to suggest you an alternative route to the popular Yucatan peninsula that has entirely convinced us. For us, it is the more original and not so touristy Mexico. We started our six-week journey exploring this 5 cities and immediately fell in love with Mexico!
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Safety first!
You read it everywhere in the news and you hear it from friends all the time. Mexico is way too dangerous! Of course, it is not as safe as the classic backpacker destinations in Southeast Asia. But it’s nowhere near as bad as everyone says. Make your own experiences and talk to people who have already been there!
Here are our experiences: we have been more or less almost once in the entire country from the Pacific coast to Yucatan in the Gulf of Mexico. Of course, we didn’t visit all the states, not even the most dangerous ones like Sinaloa or others on the border to the USA. However, we traveled alone as a couple and can assess the situation quite well.
One thing in advance: we never felt unsafe at any time. But we also say: use your common sense! You don’t necessarily have to wander the streets alone at night or book a hotel in the most dangerous neighborhood of Mexico City. Better spend a little more, it’s worth it! Take an Uber at night instead of the public bus or walking. Also, leave your valuables like watches, gold chains, and rings at home. You won’t need it and it will only attract pickpockets. So that’s it with the negative things. Let’s dive into the beauty of Mexico!
How to get around in Mexico
The easiest way to cover long distances is by plane. Some low-cost airlines like Viva Aerobus will cost you only 20-30$ plus checked luggage each way. We took the plane on this route only once, from Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City.
Alternatively, you can also take the relatively modern ADO buses. We took the ADO buses most of the time to travel between the cities. You can book the trips directly on their homepage.
For rides to the bus terminals or to the airport, we definitely recommend Uber. Especially the bus terminals in Mexico are not in the best neighborhoods of the big cities and you don’t want to be robbed if you have all your valuables with you. Better invest a few dollars more. Besides, it’s much more convenient and reliable, since you never know if the public buses will really arrive on time and you’ll be pressed for time.
1. Puerto Vallarta
Our first stop in Mexico is not the most popular, but for us, it was somehow just right. The main reason we traveled to Puerto Vallarta was Kathi’s week-long yoga retreat. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have ended up here. Nevertheless, we don’t want to miss our time here. It was also the first stop on our trip where we separated physically and did different things. If you go there we suggest you stay for 4 days.
Puerto Vallarta belongs to the state of Jalisco on the west coast of Mexico and doesn’t have many sights. But it is the LGBTQ hotspot of Mexico and therefore very safe. The Malecon is quite nice and an excellent place to party. Don’t miss a party at Flamingos!
Outside of Puerto Vallarta, there are many smaller, beautiful beaches like Playa La Garza Blanca. Here you can relax wonderfully and there are not as many beach vendors as on the Malecon. For the first two nights, we stayed at the Hotel Posada de Roger, which is only 2 streets away from the beach.
As for restaurants, we can recommend El Santa Taco. Here 10 tacos and 5 beers of your choice cost $16. The Blue Shrimp directly on the Malecon on the beach is a bit more expensive but has fair prices for the location and you get free sunbeds. Aloha Bar has delicious local food at good prices and Pancho’s Takos always has the longest queue, so come early.
After two nights Kathi left for her yoga retreat and Kevin moved to Hostel Vallarta. Here you meet other backpackers and the staff are all super friendly and help you with any problem. It has a lovely little roof terrace and parties 2x a week.
Kathi did her yoga retreat at Beyond Yoga Retreat. Because of covid, there were only 9 girls in her group and she had a normally shared room with a bathroom and pool for herself. It was an awesome experience and she can highly recommend it. If you wanna learn more about it, just text us.
From Puerto Vallarta, you can make good trips to smaller cities like Sayulita. Unfortunately, we did not make it here, but we have heard from many other backpackers that it should be super nice and relaxed!
2. Mexico-City
Our second stop in Mexico was the capital, Mexico City. With 9 million inhabitants (and 22 Mio. in the metropolitan area) it’s the largest city we’ve been to so far and the size blows you away at first glance. It definitely has to be on your list for your trip to Mexico. We stayed four nights at the modern Metro Boutique Hostal in a double room with a shared bathroom and would recommend staying at least the same amount of nights.
The hostel is located in Roma (Norte), which is considered one of the safest areas in Mexico City. Another safe area for accommodation is Condesa. Good Hotel options include Casa Sabina (right in the Centro but a bit more expensive) or Casa Lalique (in Condesa).
We recommend you take a free walking tour on the first day to get a first overview of the city and to discover the most important sights right at the beginning. Our tour was with Estacion Mexico and started at the Zocalo, the city center. The buildings of this area were simply built on the old Aztec city, therefore ruins are always discovered during restorations and because originally everything was built on a lake, the new buildings are too heavy. That’s why the city sinks annually by 7 cm.
Directly at the Zocalo are the Palacio Nacional and the Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de María de la Ciudad de Mexico. What a name for such an important building. It is the biggest cathedral in the country and of all America.
We also walked to the Placa Manuel Tolsa. This square has become world famous through the entrance scene of the James Bond movie „Spectre“. Fun fact: the Day of the Dead parade doesn’t exist. It was only staged for the movie and takes place since 2016, mainly for tourists. Traditionally Dia de Muertos is celebrated at home within the family.
We continued to the Palacio Posteo, a beautiful post office building to the Palace of Fine Arts. Here you will also find what was once the tallest building in Latin America, the Torre Latino.
On the first floor of this building, you can also buy a sim card to have mobile internet. We paid around $10 for it and had a few GB free and the social networks were unlimited.
If you like sweets, El Moro offers the best churros (4 pieces for only 1,39€). There are also delicious local food stalls with tacos everywhere, some even with vegetarian or vegan tacos. One of our must eats is Gracias Madre. For a little pizza date night we can recommend Cancino.
Insider tip: If you don’t want to go all the way to the top and pay for the entrance to the viewing platform, you can go to Café De La Gran Ciudad. The elevator ride here is free and you can have a drink up there. You’ll have a nice view of Alameda Central and the Palace of Fine Arts.
There are also a lot of museums in Mexico City. We went to the anthropological museum, which is located in the Bosque de Chapultepec (west of the center) and the entry fee was 3,40€ in 2021. At the free walking tour they told us, if we visit just one, we should go there. It’s really crazy how many different tribes you can see here and how far back the history and culture go. Also famous are the Frida Kahlo Museum, the Palace of Fine Arts, Chapultepec Castle, and the Natural History Museum.
We also have another secret tip for you: Las Trajineras. In the very southeast of the city are the canals of Xochimilco. Especially on weekends, many young Mexicans are equipped with plenty of tequila and loud music and sail through the canals in a traditional wooden boat. The floating gardens are even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They were artificially created in the 14th century and are over 150km long. We didn’t have the time on our first visit, but it’s at the top of our list the next time we’re in Mexico City (plus: Kathi’s grandparents recommended it, so we have to do it once).
Daytrip to Teotihuacán
A day trip from Mexico City are the ruins of Teotihuacán. It is one of the most important prehistoric ruined metropolises, known especially for its step temples such as the Great Pyramid of the Sun, which is the world’s third biggest pyramid. The name Teotihuacán means something like „where you become a god“. In its time, it was by far the largest city in the Americas with as many as 200,000 inhabitants and one of the largest in the world. It has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1987 and is located 45km northeast of Mexico City. However, due to heavy traffic, it can take 2h to get there from the center of Mexico City.
Instead of walking around the area of Teotihuacán, Kathi gifted Kevin a balloon ride here as a belated birthday present. She booked it with Volare. It’s also possible to book it with GetYourGuide. The trip includes transport from and to the city and a breakfast buffet for 95€ p.p. It was worth every penny and simply a magical experience.
We have both never flown in a balloon before, so we were really excited to do this in Mexico for the first time. It was one of the highlights of our entire trip around the world. We could see everything from above: the road of the dead, the great pyramid of the sun, and the moon temple. On top of that we had a perfect sunrise but the pictures probably say more than words, so see for yourself:
3. Oaxaca de Juárez
Oaxaca is one of 31 states in Mexico. The capital is Oaxaca de Juárez with about 260,000 inhabitants and is located at over 1,500m above sea level. The historic center of the city has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. You can go there by bus or also plane.
We stayed at Casa Maye near the bus station. It’s a bit north of the center, but only within a 10-minute walking distance. You’ll have your little apartment here with everything you need. Also, Oxxo is pretty close for drinks and groceries. There are plenty of good accommodation options, such as Viajero Hostel Oaxaca, Un Sueño Valle de Huajes, Posada Independencia, or the Azul Cielo Hostel (dorms & private rooms), which are all within a 10 minute walk away from the city center.
Oaxaca is famous for its good cuisine, making it a paradise for all food lovers like Kathi. Here we tried the famous Mole Negro for the first time, a cacao sauce with nuts, chilies, and other spices. It is mainly served with pork, beef, and chicken. In addition, especially in the Oaxaca region, mezcal is produced. A Mexican kind of liquor, which is distilled from special types of agave like tequila.
For breakfast just outside the center, we recommend the Boogie Café with fair prices. Authentic food typical for Oaxaca can be had at the very good Levadura de Olla Restaurante. Royalty Oaxaca is not quite as fancy, but if you want to try one of the most typical Mexican dishes, go here and eat Chiles en Nogada. It was very tasty and extremely affordable. Otherwise, you would definitely have to go to Mercado 20 de Noviembre and try your way through this huge indoor food market.
As in so many other cities, we started our tour by exploring the city with a free walking tour. Starting at the Teatro Macedonio Alcala, we walked through the city center past the cathedral, the organic market, and the Zocalo to various market halls. We were unfortunately only here for 2 nights, but we loved it in Oaxaca (maybe stay one more if you can). It’s relatively safe, you can eat extremely well, the people are friendly, you meet many other backpackers and it’s just fun to stroll through the colorful old town.
4. Puerto Escondido
What Oaxaca is for foodies, Puerto Escondido is for surfers. Even though the night bus from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido is a bit exhausting because there are a lot of switchbacks and it’s a long way: it’s definitely worth the long journey! It has become Kathi’s favorite place in all of Mexico and we suggest you stay 5 days. If you wanna skip the long bus ride, Puerto Escondido also has an airport.
We stayed at Casa Bicachi. It is a relatively new hotel just 5min uphill from the beach at the bottom of Puerto Escondido, better known as Punta Zicatela. The rooms and pool were super nice, and clean and the staff was very friendly. We can recommend and it definitely was one of the best hotels we stayed in Mexico. Other good options are the Suites La Hacienda (located in the Centro), Casas de Olas Boutique Hotel (Playa Zicatela) or Che Puerto Escondido Hostel (Brisas de Zicatela),
According to our perception, the prices in Punta are a bit higher than usual. Especially recommendable is the Nu’ó’c Sabor Vietnamita, where you can get very tasty Vietnamese food. There is also a happy hour, where the beer costs only 1$. For breakfast, you can go to Sativa La Punta, where you can get the best banana smoothie bowl. At Alivo you can get good Italian food, while at Il Salento you can also take a pizza to go and eat it while watching the sunset on the beach.
Here you can just relax and unwind. It’s just not that hectic and very laid back. Everyone is in a good mood and just wants to enjoy life. If you want a little more action, you can sign up for a surf course at one of the many surf schools or just rent a board. Since we are not surfers, we can’t judge the difficulty that well.
At the end near the rock at Punta Zicatela, there are many surf schools, but there are also some rocks in the water and the waves are not as low as we know them for example from Bali at beginner beaches. Zicatela Beach is also called the „Mexican Pipeline“ because very big and fast waves arrive here. It is not suitable for beginners. We threw ourselves into the floods without a board near and the waves were quite high.
Of course, you can also explore other beaches in the city itself. We were at Playa Manzanillo, where the sand is fine and the water blue. However, there is not much free space here outside the beach chairs, which cost something. Playa Angelito and Playa Bacocho are also recommended. At the latter, you can release turtles into the wild with a non-profit organization.
Also, near Puerto Escondido, there is one of the few opportunities to swim in fluorescent water. You can book tours to the Bioluminiscencia Laguna Manialtepec almost everywhere. You will be picked up by a driver in the evening, who will take you to the lagoon and then drive you back to the hotel. The tour including the entrance fee and a boat ride on the lagoon cost us about $18 per person.
It is really a wonderful experience. The lagoon is still very warm at night and the sky is so clear that you can see the Milky Way. After a short ride on the lagoon, you can jump into the water if you want. We dared it of course and were rewarded with a white sparkle. The effect is not as big as we thought and not blue like on the Instagram pictures in the Maldives, but it is really cool activity!
If you have more time, you can also visit Mazunte, an old hippie paradise.
5. San Cristobal de las Casas
San Cristobal de las Casas is located in the central highlands of Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico. It is a very traditional city, located at an altitude of 2,100m and has about 220,000 inhabitants.
It is famous for the Zapatista uprising in 1994 when the city was occupied for three days by Zapatistas who were fighting for the rights of the indigenous population. However, they were then ousted by the Mexican army and retreated to the surrounding mountains and forests on the border with Guatemala.
Again, we explored the city with a free walking tour with our guide Carlos. The tour started at Plaza Major, the central square in San Cristobal. From here we made stops at the Iglesia de Guadalupe, the arts and crafts market, and the church La Merced, among others.
Authentic restaurants include Cocoliche, El Gallo Pinto, and Belil, while you can get vegan Mexican food at Loving Hut. Very good pizza can be found at Satori. To fully explore this traditional city and all its surroundings we recommend 4 nights.
We stayed at Casa Azabache for about $14 per person per night and stayed here for 7 nights. Other good options are the Casa Venus, Hoteles Villa Mercedes San Cristobal, or La Abuelita Hostal (for backpackers).
The main reason why we stayed so long in San Cristobal was a Spanish course at the SanCris Language School. For private lessons, we paid 140$ for a 5-day course with 5 hours each day. We think that is a fair price and the teachers are super nice. We can definitely recommend them and it’s a must-do when staying in Mexico for a longer time!
In Chiapas and in neighboring countries such as Guatemala, and Honduras, but also in Yucatan, the Mayas developed a remarkably high culture already 4,000 years ago. They organized themselves into autonomous city-states but formed a religious and cultural unit. But with the decay of the Maya culture in the 8th century AD the cities were abandoned and were quickly overgrown by the jungle.
One of these impressive cities, which archaeologists have painstakingly uncovered in Mexico, is Palenque (Unesco cultural heritage site since 1987). We visited Palenque as part of a 13 hours long day trip booked with our hotel. There you will not only see the archaeological site of Palenque but also visit the two waterfalls Agua Azul and Misol-Ha. We especially liked the Misol-Ha because you can swim there and even walk behind the waterfall.
If you have the time, you can also go from San Cristobal de la Casas to Palenque by bus and from there continue with the next night bus towards Yucatan. But we decided against it and flew by plane from Tuxtla Gutierrez to Cancun because we wanted to save ourselves the next long bus ride. Also, it is said that on this route tourist buses are attacked more often at night. Domestic flights in Mexico are pretty cheap when booking early!
Conclusion
Mexico is a blast! We loved every second of it and wondered why we hadn’t been there before. It’s an amazing diverse country with lovely people. amazing food and so much to see. Of course, safety is always an issue in Mexico but we never felt unsafe, just behave reasonably and prepare yourself! In case you need help with that, ask us and book our travel advice here!
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