Mexico enjoys a cultural blend that is wholly unique: among the fastest growing industrial powers in the world, its vast cities boast modern architecture to rival any in the world, yet it can still feel, in places, like a half-forgotten Spanish colony, while the all-pervading influence of native American culture, five hundred years on from the Conquest, is extraordinary.
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Costs And Money
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Mexico is not as cheap as it once was, despite the instability of its currency. Although, in general, costs are lower than you'll find at home, compared with the rest of Central or South America, prices here can come as something of a shock.
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Eating And Drinking
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Whatever your preconceptions about Mexican food, if you've never eaten in Mexico they will almost certainly be wrong. It bears very little resemblance to the concoctions served in "Mexican" restaurants or fast-food joints in other parts of the world - certainly you won't find chile con carne outside the tourist spots of Acapulco. Nor, as a rule, is it especially spicy; indeed, a more common complaint from visitors is that after a while it all seems rather bland.
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Explore Mexico
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Getting Around
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Distances in Mexico can be huge, and if you're intending to travel on public transport, you should quickly get used to the idea of long, long journeys. Getting from Tijuana to Mexico City, for example, could take nearly two days nonstop. Although public transport at ground level is frequent and reasonably efficient everywhere, taking an internal flight at least once may be worthwhile for the time it saves
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Health
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It's always easier to become ill in a foreign country with a different climate, different food and different germs, still more so in a poor country with lower standards of sanitation than you might be used to. Most travellers, however, get through Mexico without catching anything more serious than a dose of Montezuma's Revenge. You will still want the security of health insurance, but the important thing is to keep your resistance high and to be aware of the health risks linked to poor hygiene, untreated water, mosquito bites, undressed open cuts and unprotected sex.
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Visas And Red Tape
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Citizens of the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and much of Western Europe need no visa to enter Mexico as tourists for less than 180 days. Other Western Europeans can stay for 90 days. Non-US citizens travelling via the USA, however, may need a US visa.
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When To Go
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To a great extent, the physical terrain in Mexico determines the climate - certainly far more than the expected indicators of latitude and longitude. You can drive down the coast all day without conditions changing noticeably, but turn inland to the mountains and the contrast is immediate: in temperature, scenery, vegetation, even the mood and mould of the people around you. Generalizations, therefore, are difficult.
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Mexico guide