Your Guide to the Cities of Mexico

Sometimes when you're trying to organise a trip, it can be difficult to chose which city to visit. Here's a quick guide to help you get the very best out of a trip to Mexico.

City guides

San Cristobal De Las Casas

A favourite among travellers, a hideout for Zapatista rebels, or just a beautiful setting to learn Spanish, San Cristobal is an unmissable stop on anyone's trip to southern Mexico. Set in the Highlands of Chiapas at an altitude of 2100m and ringed by forested hills, it provides a refreshing change of climate if you've just come from the steaming jungles of Palenque.

With picturesque cobbled streets, revolutionary-inspired bars and art shops, and colourful markets, a traveller could comfortably spend a few days exploring.

Ideally you need at least three days to enjoy the city, with one day exploring the shops, market and bars. On the second day take a guided trip to a local Chamula village, these are easily arranged at one of the local tour agencies and worth the small cost.

On the third day take a transfer to the Sumidero Canyon for a speedboat ride through the crocodile infested waters. Keep an eye out for circling vultures and a camera out for those spectacularly steep canyon walls. You can build your own trip to include all these stopovers.

Playa del Carmen

A bustling town an hour south of Cancun, that serves as the starting point for many tours of the Yucatan peninsula. With white sands, a wide range of good quality restaurants and tacky tourist outlets, it draws visitors from all over the globe.

While it benefits from being less-resort focussed than Cancun, Playa still has its fair share of all-inclusive options. While many of these have their own stretch of beach, they are often a fair distance from Quinta Avenida where all the fun happens.

Two full days is enough to enjoy Playa without tourist overload, with one day just relaxing on the beach and the second you could take one of several possible day trips.

The standard option would be to take a coach tour to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, but expect crowds and bring plenty of sun cream. You could also visit the snorkelers paradise of Xel-Ha or take a boat trip over the island of Cozumel.

By : Sally_Plunkett