I am planning a trip to Mexico and want advice on where to go and what to see. ?

Question

I'm not interested in the beach and party scene, but I definitely want to see some Mayan ruins and spend some time hiking. I am also interested in getting a feel for new cities and other historical sites of interest (besides just Mayan ruins). How long would you recommend for such a trip?

Answer 1

You should take a cruise across the Mayan Riviera

its GORGEOUS!

Answer 2

There are many places you can go - just get info on your choice

Answer 3

Some other ideas. Why just Mayan ruins? Some of my favorite ruins are around Oaxaca. There are some amazing ruins at Monte Alban, Mitla and others. The Oaxaca Valley has been inhabited for thousands of years.

The valley is surrounded by mountains and cloud forests for hiking and ecco-touring. The city proper is full of beautiful old colonial buildings, an amazing downtown and zocalo for shopping, gallery looking, and people watching.

Oaxaca is known for its native artist villages specializing in a variety of crafts including textiles, pottery, and carving. And for some amazing chocolate! There is also an artist center in Etla.

You could easily spend a week or two just getting to know the area. There are some lovely beach resorts in the southern part of Oaxaca state if you want to do some more ecco-tourism.

Here is a good online guide to the whole state of Oaxaca

http://www.oaxaca-travel.com/

And get the Moon Guide for Oaxaca.  

Answer 4

the Mayan ruins of what is in the southeastern Mexican yucatan are also Teotihuacan which is in a state of mexico for hiking and extreme sports I recommend the Hidalgo or veracruz depends what you look for anything on what you can not help Feel free to contact me

Answer 5

San Miguel de Allende

Answer 6

You must go to CHIAPAS.... it's the richest state (talkin' bout nature)... there's green everywhere...

if u go to Chiapas.. don't forget to visit:

Cascadas de agua azul (Blue water waterfalls)

San Cristobal de las Casas (colonial city full of tourists)

Lagos de Montebello (u won't see only blue on the water.. believe me)

Cañon del Sumidero (Sumidero Canyon... a real wonder)

Palenque (mayan ruin... super hot)

Answer 7

Go to the southeast, your trip should be around two weeks. The Southeast comprehends Chiapas, Campeche, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo and Yucatan. There you can see multiple Mayan Archaeological sites.

For cities, Mexico City has many many attractions, other nice cities are Queretaro, Puebla and Morelia.

Here you can find a lot of information:

For Archaeological Ruins in the Southeast:

http://www.explorandomexico.com/about-me...

Many other things:

http://www.explorandomexico.com/default....

Answer 8

Here's another option:  Fly into Cancun; rent a car and drive around to the peninsula.  You can see how many Maya sites there are on the map in the link below.  Interesting towns to see are Merida, Valladolid, Chetumal and Campeche.  But they're not nearly as interesting as Oaxaca and San Cristobal de Las Casas that other people have mentioned.

Answer 9

I suggest you browse the Mexico thread of the thorntree forum at lonelyplanet.com and/or pick up a guidebook. Both will be helpful.

It really depends how long you have to spare. Mexico is just full of interesting Mayan sites. You could spend a year there without getting bored. If you're looking for a short vacation, I recommend two weeks in the Yucatan peninsula. You can fly into Cancun and from there do a loop around the peninsula visiting great cities like Merida and Valladolid as well as phenomenal Mayan ruins like Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Palenque, Calakmul, etc. You can hike in the jungles of Chiapas or along the beaches on the Maya Riviera. It's a great area.