Itinerary

Day 1

Touch down in Mexico City.

Few countries pack in so much: Maya and Aztec ruins, miles of coastline, giant cities, colonial streets, plus street musicians and warm handmade tortillas. For many visitors it feels strangely familiar even on a first visit.

Once you land in the capital, our local representative meets you and escorts you to your hotel for check-in. Spend the remainder of the day as you please; the historic centre lies within an easy walk.

Night in Mexico City. (D)

Note: rooms are ready from 1500 hrs. Should your flight arrive late, you will be given a packed dinner.

Day 2

Strolling Coyoacán, then drifting by trajinera at Xochimilco

Your morning belongs to Coyoacán, a district of stone-paved lanes, brightly painted houses, art galleries and handicraft stalls. Take a seat in a plaza, admire the colonial churches and pick up a souvenir from the market. After that you travel to Xochimilco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site often described as Mexico City’s floating gardens. Here you climb aboard a trajinera, a flat-bottomed boat decorated in vivid colours, and glide down the canals while musicians play nearby and lunch of Mexican dishes is served on the water. Later you can wander the lanes, churches and lively market of Xochimilco itself.

Night in Mexico City. (B, LL & D)

Day 3

The pyramids of Teotihuacán, a guided drive around Mexico City, and

a folklore evening at Mariachis Square

The day begins with a drive to the ancient city of San Juan Teotihuacan, listed by UNESCO, where you follow the Avenue of the Dead beneath the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Close by are the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent. A visit to an obsidian workshop follows, showing how the volcanic glass is shaped and explaining the maguey and agave plants.

Returning to the city, your guide begins at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, built over what remains of the Aztec city of Tlatelolco, so Aztec ruins, a Spanish church and modern apartment blocks share a single square. The route continues past Reforma Avenue, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Torre Latino and the Palacio Postal, and ends at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, among the most visited pilgrimage places on the planet.

Last of all comes the Zocalo, Mexico City’s central plaza and one of the biggest public squares in the world.

After dark, a show of Mexican folk music and dance awaits at Mariachis Square.

Night in Mexico City. (B, D)

Day 4

Flight to Merida and a look around the city

After checking out of the hotel you fly to Merida, the biggest colonial city on the Yucatan Peninsula. A local guide then shows you the main sights: the Zocalo, the cathedral of San Ildefonso, Casa de Montejo, the Government Palace, the Plaza Mayor, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Paseo de Montejo, a broad boulevard of old mansions.

Night in Merida. (B, D)

Day 5

Chichen Itza, a swim in a cenote, and an introductory walk through Valladolid.

Today’s destination is Chichen Itzá, the Maya city that UNESCO inscribed in 1988 and that ranks among the New 7 Wonders of the World. Long before European contact it supported a population in the tens of thousands. Among the surviving buildings are the Pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of a Thousand Columns and a vast ball court. You then visit a cenote, one of the limestone sinkholes across the Yucatan filled with cool, clear groundwater, and you can swim in it. A Mexican buffet makes up lunch. In the late afternoon the coach continues to Valladolid for a short introductory tour of the San Gervasio church, the main square and the colourful houses of the province’s most significant colonial city.

Night in Valladolid. (B, LL & LD)

Note: bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and sunglasses

Day 6

By boat through the Rio Lagartos reserve, then on to the pink lagoons of Las Coloradas and an optional Mayan mud bath

The drive takes you to Rio Lagartos, a fishing village within a biosphere reserve that UNESCO recognises for its birdlife and vegetation. A speedboat threads through the mangroves in search of flamingos, seabirds and crocodiles, while your guide explains how the ecosystem fits together. Next stop is Las Coloradas, where the salt ponds colour the water a vivid pink. You may try a Mayan mud bath and take a dip from the deserted beaches along the Gulf of Mexico.

The road then continues to Cancun, on Mexico’s Caribbean shore and the country’s best-known beach resort. On arrival you check into your all-inclusive hotel.

Night in Cancun. (PB, D)

Note: bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and sunglasses.

Day 7

Catamaran cruise to Isla Mujeres for the whole day.

You sail over turquoise water on a catamaran to Isla Mujeres, with an open bar on deck. On the way there is a snorkelling stop at a reef full of fish, and then you step ashore for a buffet meal and a beach bar. Isla Mujeres town is a handful of streets lined with craft shops, souvenir stalls and tequila sellers. In the afternoon the boat returns you to Cancun.

Night in Cancun. (B, D)

Note: bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and sunglasses

Day 8

A free day in Cancun, or an excursion to Cozumel

Today you decide how to spend your time. Relax on the beach and around the hotel pool in Cancun, or join the optional Cozumel excursion. That involves a transfer to Playa del Carmen for the ferry, reaching Cozumel at 9 am, and visits to the Dzul-Ha cenote, Villa Blanca and Paradise Reef, with time to swim and snorkel.

Night in Cancun. (Boxed B, D)

Day 9

Homeward bound.

A transfer takes you to the airport, and the tour comes to an end. We would love to hear about your trip, so please take a moment to send us your feedback. (B)