​

My partner and I are visiting Yucatán for a few days and would love some advice from people who've done these trips.

We're arriving in Mérida on Monday 26 October, taking an ADO bus from Cancún in the morning, so we'll arrive mid/late afternoon. We're flying from Mérida to Mexico City at 3:30pm on Friday 30 October.

Our rough plan is:

Monday 26th:

Arrive Mérida around mid/late afternoon, check in and spend the evening exploring Mérida/Centro.

Tuesday 27th:

Leave Mérida very early, aiming to arrive at Chichén Itzá around 8am for opening. Spend the morning there, then visit a cenote somewhere convenient on the route back to Mérida.

Wednesday 28th:

Drive to Celestún, aiming to arrive in the morning, do a mangrove/wildlife/flamingo boat trip, spend some time at the beach and then return to Mérida.

Thursday 29th:

Leave early for Uxmal, aiming to arrive in the morning. Potentially visit one of the other Puuc sites afterwards or the chocolate museum, then return to Mérida.

Friday 30th:

Spend the morning looking around Mérida before heading to the airport for our 3:30pm flight.

So we'd have roughly three excursion days, but we're deliberately trying not to cram too much into them. We want to see the main things without feeling like we're spending the whole trip jumping on and off tour buses.

We're considering hiring a car for Tuesday–Thursday, but I'm a nervous driver, so I'm particularly interested in how easy/intimidating people found the driving around Mérida and on these particular routes. I'm from the UK and am comfortable driving generally, but obviously Mexico is unfamiliar territory.

A few questions:

Chichén Itzá

- Is arriving around 8am realistic if driving from Mérida? How early would we need to leave?

- If we arrive for opening, is it easy to arrange a guide at the site, or should we pre-book one?

- We'd prefer a good local guide rather than an expensive private day tour from Mérida. What's the best way to arrange this?

- Is the early start genuinely worthwhile for avoiding crowds?

Celestún

- Can we simply turn up and arrange a mangrove/wildlife boat trip on the day, or should we pre-book?

- Is there a significant advantage to arriving early?

- We're particularly interested in wildlife and the mangroves rather than just doing a generic boat trip.

Car hire / driving

- Is renting a car for these three days a good idea versus book group bus tours?

- What should we know about insurance/deposits etc.?

- Most importantly, how difficult is the driving for a nervous driver? Are the roads to Chichén, Uxmal and Celestún straightforward?

Cenotes

- Which cenotes would you recommend that make sense geographically on the Chichén/Uxmal/Celestún routes?

- We're not trying to visit loads. We'd rather do one or two really good ones than tick off a list.

- Ideally somewhere that isn't just a huge tourist attraction attached to a bus tour.

Mérida itself

We'll have Monday evening and Friday morning to explore Mérida, and obviously we'll see some of Centro while we're there. Are we missing anything major or particularly worthwhile by only having these short periods in the city? Is there anything you'd prioritise beyond Centro/Paseo de Montejo?

Finally, if we decide the itinerary is too ambitious, would you drop Chichén Itzá or Uxmal? We're interested in Maya history and architecture, but we'd prefer a less crowded experience where possible.

We're on a medium budget. Happy to pay for good guides/experiences where they're worthwhile, but we're not looking to do three private tours and private transfers.

Any advice from people who've done a similar itinerary would be greatly appreciated.

Hi! I’m travelling to Mexico City next week and was wondering if I needed to get an eSim/which one I should get? I currently have a prepaid AT&T plan that has unlimited data and calling in Mexico but I would get a travel eSIM if the service quality is bad!

Thank you!!

Hi my mom and my sister is travelling from YVR to Cancun with Mexico City lay over but only for 1 hour and 45mins.
Will there be immigration in their layover to Mexico city and do they need to pass security again?
Airline is Aeromexico

Thank you!

Hi, I'm taking my two kids to Mexico City this coming weekend for a very short stay (3 days), and we are all very excited! We will be staying at Roma Notre area, and here's our prilimary schedule:

Thursday Oct 8 - Arriving at hotel at @ Roma Notre 2PM

Friday Oct 9 - Museo Nacional de Antropologia & Chapultepec Castle

Saturday Oct 10 - Palacio de Bellas Museo Arte & Museo Nacional de Arte

Sunday Oct 11 - Flight Departs at 4PM

Do you all have any great restaurant recommendation for Friday and Saturday for lunch? I tried to make reservation for restaurants in Roma Notre area online for dinner, but none of them seems available. Can I just walk in and wait for a table?

I would like to visit the amazing Biblioteca Vasconcelos, which day do you think it will fit best? Thursday after we check into the hotel, or Saturday after visiting the palace?

Thank you in advance for advices! My kids are already researching the history of this city and they are looking forward to explore.

Hello! I'm a 30 year old female, planning a solo trip to Mexico and I'm finding it a bit difficult and need some feedback on my current plan.

1. 'll fly to Mexico City, spent a few days there and then take the night bus to Oaxaca to do language school for 1 week.

2. After Language school I will take the night bus to, for instance, San cristóbal de las casas, and spent af few nights here. After this I will take another night bus, and spent a a couple of nights in another location. And so on, until I reach Yucatan and eventually fly home from Cancun.

- Can I bus through Mexico like this, or should I take a plane ? Is it safe?

Thanks for reading

Can anyone recommend any private or semi-private tour operators for Teotihuacan?

I'm travelling soon with my elderly father to Mexico City and he'd like to do a tour of Teotihuacan. He doesn't do large group/bus tours.
Last time I went, shortly after the pandemic, I got a guide right at the gates where you get off the bus, it was cheap, but not very good.

He has no serious physical limitations, can climb the pyramids, etc...
Necessarily he needs a guide who speaks fluent English.
Private tour or small group of 5-6 people is also acceptable.
1/2 day or full day at a slow pace is fine.

Ideally, someone/a guide who does pick-up & drop-off between​ the hotel & pyramids.

Many thanks in advance!

I accidentally booked the flight on the wrong date and wanted to change / get a refund. When I was booking, it said no refund, no change so I was super scared when I found out that I made a mistake. I was trying to look for information on how to get refund but nothing showed up, so wanted to share my success story in case someone else is going through the same situation.

I found out I booked the wrong flight 30 minutes after I booked it. I tried calling their customer service line (global) but no one answered. So, I used the chatbox and a very nice agent helped me.

I can either pay change fee + difference in ticket price and change my flight or I could ask for a full refund. I decided to get the refund.

How to request refund (if it has been less than 24 hours):

1. go to mexicana.gob.mx website, scroll all the way down to the bottom on the blue banner area.
2. click on "Reembolso" under "solicitudes"

Here is the full English translation of the current page content and form options:

Refund | Mexicana

Welcome to the Mexicana refund program. Please complete the following form to request your refund.

Refund Form

Step 2: Select the refund type

• Selected: At the passenger's request (Por voluntad del pasajero)

Step 3: Describe the reason for your refund and complete the fields to continue.

• Select a reason:
  • Select a reason
  • 24-hour purchase withdrawal (Retracto de compra 24hrs)
  • Personal reason (Restrictions apply) (Motivo personal (Aplican restricciones))
  • Airport Use Fee (TUA) refund (Reembolso de TUA)
• Email: [ Input Field ]
• Comments (Maximum 150 characters): [ Input Field ]
• [ ] Accept terms and conditions
• [ Request Refund ]

1. Select the 24-hour purchase withdrawal.
2. Optionally, you can write in the 150 character comment section that you would prefer the return to your credit card. They may or may not accept, they might give it back to you in airline credits.

Hope it was helpful. I can update once the refund comes through.

Wondering what is the safest option to traveling to and from CDMX to Leon, GTO? We’re debating taking a direct bus, driving, or taking a flight. Any suggestions?

My sister and I have gone to Mexico multiple times growing up; however, my brother in law only has been twice. Not that it can matter too much, but prefacing that my sister and I are Mexican and my BIL is a 6’ white American. We don’t want to attract too much attention or get into any trouble while traveling to our family in Guanajuato.

Please be nice, we’re just trying to find the safest way to get around 😭

Hello, looking at visiting Mexico in Feb (first time!): 15 nights (potential to add 2 more if need be). Current thinking:

Mexico City: 6 nights
Oaxaca City: 4 nights
Mazunte ( or coast): 5 nights

I like cultural activities but want sometime to relax/ tan at the end.

Thoughts?

Thank you x