Top 10 Best Places to Visit in Mexico 2018 | Top-Rated Cities

If you are planning for your next tour to Mexico & still don’t know, from where to start, I can make some suggestions about the best places to visit in Mexico 2018. With over 20 million foreign visitors a year, Mexico is one of the most popular vacation spots in the world. The country is famous for its tequila, the Aztecs and the Mayas, Salma Hayek, Day of the dead, drug wars, Lucha Libre, Corona beer and the beach resorts on the Pacific and Caribbean side.

Tourist Attractions in Mexico:

There is something for every sort of traveler in Mexico. Let’s build together a list of those very attractive tourist locations in Mexico.

10. Acapulco

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Mexico, Acapulco
Acapulco; image credit – Wikimedia/Miguel Angel Alvarez Bernardo

As a getaway for Hollywood stars and millionaires, the Acapulco came into eminence in the 1950s. As the original Mexican resort town, Acapulco still remains as a popular tourist destination especially among Mexicans and as a spring break destination among US college students. One of the favorite attractions of Acapulco is watching the cliff divers perform an impressive jump into the ocean. Since the 1930s they have been doing it but the divers are professionals now.

Major attractions in Acapulco:

  • First of all, you must enjoy Acapulco beach
  • pass time watching the professional Cliff Divers at La Quebrada
  • Explore La Costera
  • Don’t miss the heart of Acapulco, Zocalo
  • You can take the Glass-Bottom Boat Ride to Isla La Roqueta
  • Also, visit Palma Sola Archaeological Site & San Diego Fort

9. Guanajuato

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Mexico, Guanajuato
Guanajuato; image credit – Flickr/José Juan Figueroa

The beautiful colonial city of Guanajuato is nestled in the mountains of the Sierra de Guanajuato in Mexico. In 1554, the city was constructed close to one of the richest silver mining areas of Mexico. Beautiful haciendas and fine colonial buildings are built in the 16th-century mining boom. Many colorful alleyways and Guanajuato streets spread out in every direction while a network of underground tunnels served most of its traffics, which makes it an excellent city for pedestrians.

Major attractions in Guanajuato:

  • Go shopping at Mercado Hidalgo
  • Don’t miss the Kissing Lane, Callejón del Beso
  • Visit the art and history museum, Alhóndiga de Granaditas
  • Ride the Funicular
  • Spend the evening in Teatro Juárez theater
  • It’s a food heaven, must pick a food tour

8. Dias de Los Muertos, Oaxaca

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Mexico, Dias des los Muertos, Oaxaca
Dias de Los Muertos, Oaxaca; image credit – newsoaxaca.com

The city of Oaxaca is renowned for having one of the best Dia de Los Muertos festivals in Mexico, a holiday celebrated in many parts of Latin America. The festival in Mexico can be traced back thousands of years ago to indigenous cultures such as the Zapotec and Aztec.

At the end of October, the Day of the Dead Festival starts in Oaxaca when families prepare the tombs for the return of the spirits. Tombs and home altars are decorated with flowers during this time and families laid offerings for the spirits in the cemeteries. The Fantasy/Mystery movie Coco 2017 has depicted some of its old traditions and cultures as well.

Major attractions in Dias de Los Muertos:

  • Explore the sleepy streets of Pátzcuaro
  • Visit the Oaxaca during the day of the dead
  • San Francisco Bay Area
  • Visit the Purepecha indigenous group at Janitzio Island

7. Cozumel

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Mexico, Cozumel
Cozumel; image credit – Wikimedia/Serge Melki

Cozumel is located just off the Yucatan Peninsula. It is a popular destination for scuba diving and snorkeling in Mexico. In 1959, Jacques Cousteau discovered the underwater world around Cozumel. Since that time Cozumel has become a National Marine Park for the protection of the delicate balance of its beautiful coral reefs and an amazing variety of tropical fish.

The marine park offers the best visibility that a diver might encounter. Visibility often extends to 30 meters (100ft) or more. A bright, colorful fish species known as the Splendid Toadfish is the most distinctive part of this location because this fish cannot be found anywhere else on Earth.

Major attractions in Cozumel:

  • San Miguel de Cozumel, the capital of the Island
  • Visit the National Marine Park
  • Explore Palancar beach, Stingray beach, and Paradise beach
  • Don’t miss the Mayan heritage, San Gervasio

6. Los Cabos

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Mexico, Los Cabos
Los Cabos; image credit – Wikimedia/Stan Shebs

Located at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, Los Cabos is a lively 20-mile beach area. The white sandy beach offers sophisticated resorts, restaurants, bars and other attractions that are run from spring break destination Cabo San Lucas down to the quieter San José del Cabo. As a great destination for water sports aficionados, Los Cabos provides with the best all-around sports fishing in the world. Visitors can observe whales in the Pacific Ocean during the winter.

Major attractions in Los Cabos:

  • Spend half to full day at El Arco, the land ends
  • Visit the lovers beach Playa del Amor
  • enjoy whale watching

5. Palenque

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Mexico, Palenque
Palenque; image credit – Wikimedia/Peter Andersen

Palenque was located on the western edge of the Maya empire in the present-day state of Chiapas, Mexico. It is an archaeological site. Palenque contains some of the best architecture and sculptures ever created by the Maya. It is much smaller compared to some of its Mayan neighbor cities and not even match those toy can see in Peru. Most of the structures remaining in Palenque date from about 600 AD to 800 AD, including the Temple of Inscriptions. The Temple of Inscriptions is the only Mesoamerican pyramid built as a funerary monument.

Major attractions in Palenque:

  • Yaxchilan Archeological Site
  • Delight your sense with the Agua Azul Waterfalls & Misol-Ha Waterfall
  • Explore the Catazaja Lagoon

4. Copper Canyon

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Mexico, Copper Canyon
Copper Canyon; image credit – Wikimedia/Yndesai

Copper Canyon is actually a network of canyons. They are several times larger than the Grand Canyon when combined. Riding on the “Chihuahua al Pacifico” Railway is the most popular way to explore the Copper Canyon. Rising as high as 2,400 meters (7,900 feet) above sea level, the track crosses over 37 bridges and pass through 86 tunnels featuring spectacular views of the canyons.

Major attractions in Copper Canyon:

  • Visit Basaseachic Falls, Cusarare Falls & Balancing Rock
  • you can hike up to Cusarare falls and then enjoy the Recohuata hot springs
  • Explore Valley of the Frogs & Valley of the Mushrooms

3. Tulum

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Mexico, Tulum
Tulum; image credit – Wikimedia/Felipe Huerta hdez

Situated on the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, the Tulum once served as the major part of the Mayan city of Coba. The Tulum was built around 1200 AD. During that time the Mayan civilization was already in decline and therefore it lacks the elegance of some other famous sites. However, the tropical beach backdrop makes it a heaven for the photographer or artist. Accommodation can range from simple cabanas to 5-star luxury resorts.

Major attractions in the Tulum:

  • There are roughly 1 billion cenotes to choose from
  • Visit Laguna Kaan Luum, a sinkhole in the jungle
  • You can rent bikes for easy transportation
  • visit the Mayan ruins & Coba ruins
  • Check out the turtles before a beach party at nightfall

2. Chichen Itza

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Mexico, Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza; image credit – Wikimedia/MarcoNK

Chichen Itza is the largest of the Maya cities in the Yucatan Peninsula. The temple-pyramid of El Castillo is the most famous landmark of Chichen Itza. The design of El Castillo has special astronomical significance. There are 91 steps in each face of the pyramid that together with the shared step at the top add up to 365, the number of days in a year. Chichen Itza also includes the Great Ballcourt and El Caracol, a circular temple which served as an astronomical observatory.

Major attractions in Chichen Itza:

  • Temple of the Bearded Man
  • Tomb of the High Priest
  • Temple of the Skulls
  • Explore the Main Ball Court
  • Temple of the Warriors & Temple of Kukulkan

1. Teotihuacan

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Mexico, Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan; image credit – Wikimedia/Juan Carlos Jaime

During the 2nd century BC, a new civilization arose in the valley of Mexico. This civilization built Teotihuacán, a flourishing metropolis along with its huge step pyramids. Around 100 AD, the Pyramid of the Sun was built. It is 246 feet (75 meters) high and it is the largest building in Teotihuacán and one of the largest in Mesoamerica.

After a hundred years the construction of the smaller Pyramid of the Moon was started and was finished in 450 A.D. Seven centuries after the demise of the Teotihuacán Empire, the Aztecs honored and utilized the pyramids. The pyramids became a place of pilgrimage. Mesoamerica’s greatest city is just 31 miles (50km) northeast of Mexico City and can be reached by bus or taxi.

Major attractions in Teotihuacan:

  • world’s third-largest pyramid, Pirámide del Sol
  • Visit the Pyramid of the Moon, Pirámide de la Luna
  • Explore the great museum, Museo del Sitio

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