Why go to Southern Mexico?
The Southern tip of Mexico (including the states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo), is no less than a paradise on earth - the bluest of blue water, unique landscapes, cheap real Mexican food, music and dancing wherever the eye wanders as well as some of the most infamously colorful and crazy nightlife on earth - and then it's safer than any other place we've been in Latin America.
Seriously, it seems that all the rumours of how dangerous Mexico is (and they're no doubt true for some places) have spared this little corner of the planet from obnoxious amounts of resort towns, obnoxious prices and obnoxious tourists.
Cancún is of course the exception here, guys. Renowned as the ultimate spot for Spring Break, Cancún is actually one of the most spoiled cities we've ever seen. However, it serves one very important purpose; because of the huge streams of turists flying there, flight tickets to Cancún are cheaper than any other place in Mexico! In fact that is how we ended up in Mexico in the first place; it was cheaper for us to fly from Santiago, Chile to Cancún, Mexico and then to New York. So of course we took a two month overlay, during which we pretty much explored every noticeable city in Southern Mexico...
Read our post "A guide to the best cities in Southern Mexico" for a run-through of each major city, and scroll down for the ideal route-maps for your trip!
Itineraries
We've thought long and hard about which cities we'd recommend for other travellers - which ones are the best and how long it would take to fully experience each. Below you'll see how we would distribute our time and which routes we'd follow if we only had 1, 2 or 3 weeks to see South Mexico.
One week:
- Arrive in Cancún: 2 days
- Bus to Playa del Carmen: 3 days
- Day trip to Akumal
- Day trip to Tulum ruins
- Bus to Valladolid: 2 days
- Day trip to Chichén Itzá
- Leave from Cancún
Red: Destination
Blue: Day Trip
Two weeks:
- Arrive in Cancún: 2 days
- Bus to Playa del Carmen: 6 days
- Day trip to Akumal
- Day trip to Tulum ruins
- Ferry to San Miguel de Cozumel: 3 days
- Ferry/Bus to Valladolid: 3 days
- Day trip to Chichén Itzá
- Leave from Cancún
Red: Destination
Blue: Day Trip
Three weeks:
- Arrive in Cancún: 3 days
- Bus to Playa del Carmen: 6 days
- Day trip to Akumal
- Ferry to San Miguel de Cozumel: 4 days
- Ferry/Bus to Tulum: 2 days
- Bus to Valladolid: 3 days
- Day trip to Chichén Itzá
- Bus to Merida: 5 days
- Day trip to Progreso
- Day trip to Izamal
- Leave from Cancún
Red: Destination
Blue: Day Trip
If you have more time in Mexico, spend more time in cities you like or make your way further up north. We haven't left the Southern states but have heard good things about Mexico city.
Well, here's a bit of eye-candy from all these lovely places in the South! Click each image to see our full gallery from that place.
Playa del Carmen
Cancún
Isla de Cozumel
Akumal
Valladolid
Tulum
Mérida
Chichén Itzá
Izamal
Progreso
Now, if you want to know a bit about all these locations, take a look at our post "A guide to the best cities in Southern Mexico". We'll give you the highlights of each place and prepare you for the charms and curses they carry.
