Tacos, Tequila, and Temples: Best Things to Do in Mexico Without Getting Sunburned (Much)

The Absolutely Essential Best Things To Do In Mexico (According To People Who’ve Actually Been There)

The typical American tourist sees about 0.003% of what Mexico has to offer. Let’s fix that. Here’s how to experience the country in ways that will make you forget all about your neglected email inbox and that meeting you were dreading anyway.

Archaeological Wonders That Will Make Your Instagram Followers Jealous

Standing atop Teotihuacán’s Pyramid of the Sun, 216 feet above the Valley of Mexico, you’ll forget about your burning thighs and sunburned nose. This 2,000-year-old archaeological marvel costs just $5 to enter—roughly the price of a fancy coffee back home. Arrive before 10am to avoid both the crowds and the merciless midday sun that regularly pushes temperatures above 90F. The site’s perfect geometric layout and astronomical alignment make modern city planning look like a toddler’s crayon drawing.

Chichén Itzá might be the most famous Maya site, but that means sharing your Wonder of the World experience with over 3,000 daily visitors. The $25 entrance fee keeps some crowds at bay. True insiders arrive at 8am sharp when the gates open, before the tour buses arrive. Clap your hands at the base of El Castillo pyramid to hear the eerie echo that mimics the quetzal bird’s call—a deliberately engineered acoustic trick created a millennium ago by people who never took a physics class.

For jungle-shrouded ruins that feel like a legitimate discovery, Palenque delivers Maya grandeur with under 1,000 daily visitors. Hidden among emerald foliage, these structures resemble a Maya version of Sleeping Beauty’s castle, minus the Disney merchandising. Lesser-known but equally impressive sites include Ek Balam ($10), where visitors can still climb the monuments; Uxmal ($15), with its distinctive rounded pyramid; and Monte Albán ($5), perched dramatically atop a mountain overlooking Oaxaca City.

Colonial Cities That Feel Like Time Travel (But With Wi-Fi)

San Miguel de Allende looks like Spain had a baby with an Instagram filter. This UNESCO-protected colonial gem houses approximately 10,000 American expats who apparently decided vacation wasn’t enough. The 16th-century architecture provides a backdrop for high-end shopping, art galleries, and restaurants where $20 gets you a meal that would cost $60 in Manhattan. The central Jardín buzzes with activity from morning until midnight, proving that pedestrian-friendly urban planning wasn’t invented by modern hipsters.

Oaxaca City functions as Mexico’s culinary laboratory, where seven different types of mole sauce—from fruity to spicy to bitter chocolate—showcase flavors that predate European arrival. Mezcal tastings ($15-30) offer sophisticated complexity that makes tequila shots seem like the kiddie pool of Mexican spirits. Visit during Day of the Dead (October 31-November 2) to witness elaborate altars, candlelit cemetery vigils, and a celebration that transforms grief into art.

Guanajuato’s subterranean road system—repurposed from colonial-era flood channels—feels like driving through a secret tunnel network. Above ground, candy-colored buildings climb steep hillsides, connected by winding alleyways and stone stairways. Don’t miss the mummy museum ($5), where naturally preserved bodies exhumed from the local cemetery create a macabre but fascinating exhibition. At the Callejón del Beso (Alley of the Kiss), balconies sit close enough for lovers to kiss across the gap—romance engineered by creative urban planning.

Beaches That Redefine Your Understanding of “Blue”

Tulum combines powdery beaches with Maya ruins perched dramatically on seaside cliffs—essentially ancient real estate developers knew prime oceanfront property when they saw it. Beachfront cabanas cost $150-500 per night, depending on whether you want electricity and hot water or prefer the full “castaway with credit cards” experience. The Instagram influencer population density occasionally creates photography traffic jams, but the turquoise water makes everyone’s photos look professionally filtered.

Puerto Vallarta offers the perfect balance of developed comfort and authentic Mexican atmosphere. From December through March, humpback whales breach just offshore, providing $50-80 whale watching tours with guaranteed sightings during peak season. The Sierra Madre mountains create a dramatic backdrop for the city’s curved bay, while the bustling Malecón boardwalk offers free entertainment from street performers, sand sculptors, and the impromptu comedy of sunburned tourists trying local tequila for the first time.

Mexico’s hidden beach gems include Zipolite in Oaxaca (clothing-optional, so pack extra sunscreen for rarely exposed areas), Sayulita in Nayarit (a surf town where beginners can take $40 lessons), and Isla Holbox where cars are banned and whale sharks—the ocean’s gentle giants—visit between May and September. Beach safety requires minimal attention: red flags mean stay out of the water, yellow flags suggest caution, and green means conditions are ideal. When beach vendors approach, a friendly “no gracias” works better than pretending to be suddenly fascinated by your phone screen.

Natural Wonders That Make You Question Reality

Cenotes—freshwater sinkholes scattered across the Yucatán Peninsula—offer swimming experiences that make your neighborhood pool look like a puddle. Entry fees range from $3-10, providing access to crystal-clear 75F water that reveals underwater cave systems extending for hundreds of miles. These natural swimming holes were considered sacred entrances to the underworld by the Maya, which adds spiritual weight to what might otherwise be a simple swim.

Copper Canyon puts the Grand Canyon in its place, with a network of canyons four times larger and 1,462 feet deeper than its American counterpart. The Chepe train delivers passengers through 86 tunnels and over 37 bridges for $180 round-trip, showcasing scenery that transitions from pine forests to subtropical valleys. The indigenous Rarámuri people, known for their long-distance running abilities across steep terrain, have inhabited these canyons for centuries, maintaining traditions despite the modern world’s encroachment.

The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve hosts one of nature’s most improbable migrations: millions of orange-winged butterflies travel 2,800 miles from Canada each winter, arriving between November and March. For $5 admission, visitors can witness mountainsides literally alive with butterflies that hang in clusters so dense they cause tree branches to sag. On sunny days, they take flight en masse, creating living clouds of orange that sound like gentle rainfall.

Food Adventures That Will Ruin Taco Bell For You Forever

Regional Mexican cuisine varies so dramatically that ordering “Mexican food” makes about as much sense as requesting “European food.” Yucatecan kitchens produce cochinita pibil, pork marinated in sour orange and achiote, then wrapped in banana leaves and slow-roasted underground. Oaxacan tlayudas—massive tortillas topped with beans, cheese, and meat—serve as Mexico’s gourmet pizza. Puebla gave the world mole poblano, a sauce with 20+ ingredients including chocolate, while northern Mexico specializes in mesquite-grilled carne asada that makes American steakhouses seem overpriced and underflavored.

Street food safety follows simple rules: look for vendors with lines of locals (Mexicans don’t enjoy food poisoning any more than tourists do) and clean operations. A full meal from a street vendor—think three tacos and a drink—typically costs $3-5, while similar dishes in restaurants range from $8-15. The best street food cities include Mexico City (try the tacos al pastor), Oaxaca (for tlayudas), and Puebla (for cemitas, the superior sandwich you didn’t know existed).

Cooking classes offer hands-on cultural immersion plus practical skills to take home. In Oaxaca, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta, $50-100 buys a market tour and cooking lesson where visitors learn to make authentic dishes from scratch. These classes typically include the meal you prepare, recipes to take home, and enough culinary knowledge to impress dinner guests for years. Most importantly, you’ll learn that authentic Mexican cuisine bears little resemblance to the cheese-covered platters served at “Mexican” restaurants throughout America.

Adventures That Test Your Travel Insurance Policy

Baja California’s gray whale migration brings mothers and calves so close to boats that passengers can actually pet them—perhaps the only wildlife encounter where the animals actively seek human contact. Between December and April, $75-150 tours offer 90% success rates for these close encounters. Unlike most wildlife viewing, these whales approach boats voluntarily, poking their heads above water with apparent curiosity about the strange creatures who’ve come to visit them.

Copper Canyon’s zip line system stretches over 4,100 feet, reaching speeds up to 65mph while dangling riders 1,200 feet above the canyon floor. The $40-50 experience includes brief safety instructions delivered with the casual confidence that suggests nothing could possibly go wrong with flying through the air on a metal cable. For those whose idea of adventure involves keeping both feet on solid ground, the canyon offers plenty of hiking trails with equally spectacular views minus the accelerated heartbeat.

Puerto Escondido hosts the Mexican Pipeline, waves so powerful they attract professional surfers from around the world. Board rentals cost $15-25 daily, though beginners should stick to gentler beaches nearby unless their insurance covers dramatic wipeouts. Local instructors offer two-hour lessons for $40, teaching basic techniques while carefully avoiding mentions of the powerful undertow until students have already paid.

Where to Rest Your Sunburned Body

Luxury accommodations in Mexico range from $300 per night at boutique colonial mansions to $1,000+ at exclusive beach resorts where staff anticipate your needs before you realize you have them. In Los Cabos, cliffside resorts offer infinity pools that appear to merge with the Pacific Ocean. Mexico City’s upscale neighborhoods house five-star properties where even the most discerning travelers find exceptional service, perhaps making them momentarily forget the wealth disparity visible just outside hotel doors.

Mid-range lodging ($80-250 nightly) delivers the best value in Mexican hospitality. Colonial cities like Mérida offer restored mansions with courtyard pools for under $150, while Pacific coast destinations feature comfortable hotels with ocean views for similar prices. Mexico’s growing Airbnb market includes architecturally significant properties, from modernist apartments in Mexico City to beachfront homes in Sayulita where $150 buys accommodations for six people.

Budget travelers find clean, basic rooms throughout Mexico for $20-70 per night. Hostels in popular destinations offer private rooms alongside dormitory options, often including breakfast and social activities. Family-run guesthouses provide local connections that corporate hotels can’t match, with proprietors happy to suggest non-touristy restaurants and attractions. Even at the lowest price points, most accommodations include Wi-Fi fast enough to make your friends back home jealous with real-time vacation photos.