Mexico bucket list
20 Best Things to Do in Mexico: 2026 Bucket List
Mexico delivers pre-Columbian heritage + colonial cities + Caribbean beaches + Pacific surf + Sea of Cortez wildlife. Here are 20 experiences worth the trip.
Chichén Itzá (Yucatán)
Mayan pyramid. Best at sunrise before tour buses.
Teotihuacán pyramids (CDMX day-trip)
Pre-Aztec city outside Mexico City. Hot-air balloon at sunrise is iconic.
Tulum Maya ruins on Caribbean cliffs
Iconic combination of ruins + turquoise water.
Palenque (Chiapas jungle)
Mayan ruins in misty jungle. Fewer tourists than Yucatán.
Mexico City’s Roma + Condesa
Hip neighborhoods + Frida Kahlo Museum (book ahead).
Oaxaca’s Día de los Muertos (October 31-November 2)
Most iconic celebration in Mexico. Cemeteries lit with candles.
Mole tasting in Oaxaca
Seven different moles. Try at Casa Oaxaca or Origen.
Mezcal distillery tour
Oaxaca’s Santiago Matatlán is mezcal capital. Multiple distilleries.
Cenote swimming (Yucatán)
Underground freshwater pools. Gran Cenote + Cenote Suytun.
Hierve el Agua petrified waterfalls
Oaxaca. Mineral pools cascading over cliffs.
Holbox Island bioluminescent beaches
Some nights the water glows. North of Yucatán.
San Cristóbal de las Casas + Chiapas villages
Highland indigenous culture. Cool climate.
Cabo Pulmo snorkeling (Baja Sur)
UNESCO marine park. Best snorkeling in Mexico.
Whale shark swimming (Holbox or La Paz, May-September)
Biggest fish in the ocean. Permitted snorkel encounters.
Guadalajara’s mariachi + tequila country
Jalisco state. Tequila town tours from Guadalajara.
Lucha libre wrestling in Mexico City
Arena México on Friday or Sunday nights. Loud + theatrical + iconic.
Real de Catorce ghost town (San Luis Potosí)
Former silver mining town. Tunnel access only.
Bacalar’s ‘lagoon of seven colors’
Belize border. Sleeping cabins on stilts over crystal water.
Pacific surf at Sayulita + Puerto Escondido
Two iconic surf towns on different coasts.
Pujol or Quintonil dining
Mexico City’s top-50 world restaurants. Reserve months ahead.