Why Mexico
It is one of the few countries where you pass from a pre-Columbian civilisation to a colonial city and to a Caribbean beach in the same week. The country has thirty-five World Heritage sites — the most in the Americas — and its traditional cuisine is inscribed as such.
It divides into regions with almost nothing in common: the Mayan Yucatán and its cenotes, the colonial axis of the centre — Oaxaca, Puebla, Guanajuato — the capital, the Pacific coast and the desert north. Each calls for its own trip.
Getting around
The long-distance bus is excellent and it is the country's real network: first-class companies offer reclining seats, toilets and schedules that are kept, for a fraction of the price of a flight.
Colectivos — shared minibuses — handle short links for a few tens of pesos, leave when they are full and serve what nothing else serves. In the city, ride-hailing apps are safer and cheaper than street taxis.
Money
Cash remains necessary: markets, colectivos, cenotes, small restaurants and many archaeological sites take cash only. Withdraw from bank ATMs rather than from the independent machines in tourist areas, whose commissions are heavy.
Tipping is expected in restaurants, around ten to fifteen per cent, and is often already proposed on the terminal. Check that it has not been added twice.
Before you go
Safety varies enormously from one state to another, and the national average means nothing: some states are as safe as Europe, others are advised against. Get information by state and not by country, and avoid driving at night away from the toll motorways.
Tap water is not drunk, including for brushing your teeth in some regions. Bottled water in large containers is everywhere and accommodation provides it.
Archaeological sites close early, often at four or five in the afternoon, and several impose Monday as a closing day. Tickets cannot always be booked online: arriving at opening remains the best tactic.