After spending over five months in Mexico, our hearts are filled with nothing but love for this country. It really is one of a kind and I say that without hesitation – it is packed with delicious food, incredible hospitality, intriguing culture and beautiful nature. And I’m here to tell you all about it and share our 9 Bucket List Places in Mexico! 😊

Recap of our 5-month trip around Mexico

Mexico City

It greeted us with the most amazing cafes, vegan food out of this world (Plantasia still ranks as the best vegan Asian we have ever had!) and overall great and chill vibes. The city has something on offer for everyone. We visited the famous Museo Soumaya, stumbled across the Pink Wall on a random city stroll and treated ourselves to delicious desserts on the rooftop of La Casa de las Sirenas. The choices are limitless! We also grabbed a free bike on a Sunday morning at Paseo de la Reforma and cycled around the city and the gorgeous Bosque de Chapultepec, one of the biggest parks in Mexico.

Oaxaca

Oaxaca brought us back in time, presented us with stunning historical towns, indigenous people and markets, and… nasty food poisoning from a fruit salad we bought from a lovely lady at the side of the street. I don’t think this one tops our list of ‘reasons why we love Mexico’, but the water contamination here shouldn’t be news to anyone – it’s spread wide and clear throughout the net for everyone to know. Although we had no issues in Riviera Maya, it’s no surprise that some places are better equipped than others and well, your luck might not be with you at all times. But honestly, have you really travelled Mexico if you didn’t get an upset stomach?

Oaxaca also gave us some incredible experiences, like releasing baby turtles into the ocean, racing with the dolphins and some of the most stunning sunset we’ve ever seen. A must bucket list destination in Mexico. Every town in Oaxaca is different, unique and beautiful in its own way.

Chiapas

This state gave us the side of Mexico we never expected to see. The mountains hug little towns and villages filled with stories and authenticity of the indigenous people, the hospitality is like no other – everyone is ready to help you and offer you advise of any kind (without looking for anything in return). The cobblestone streets of San Cristobal de las Casas represent the historical background of the town, while the street art gives it a sense of modern vibrancy and funkiness. The towns and villages are surrounded with lush nature spreading across the mountains and valleys. The ruins found around Palenque made us feel like we got sucked into the first chapter of Jumanji! We absolutely loved everything about this state – it should be on the bucket list of anyone looking to discover a different side of Mexico.

Quintana Roo

It gave us fun, friends and lifetime memories. We danced, laughed and overly indulged in Mexican food. It also brough us peace, self-growth and the scenery of a tropical paradise. We experienced the magical waters of Bacalar, the incredible nature surrounding Mahahual, the vibrancy of Tulum, the mysterious jungles and cenotes, the diversity of Playa Del Carmen, the coast of Cancun and the life on Holbox. Every town offered us something different, and their close proximity meant we could easily shift between party nights to relaxing moments in nature – we were never bored and always satisfied. Life was easy going and we loved every bit of it.

I know it won’t be long before our feet bring us back to Mexico to revisit all of these bucket list places.

Your ultimate bucket list for Mexico: 9 places not-to-be missed

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Teotihuacan Pyramids

Home to some of the most architecturally significant pyramids built in the pre-Columbian Americas – the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon – this ancient Mesoamerican city is classified as the first advanced civilization on the North American continent.

How cool is that? You can reach Teotihuacan by bus from Autobuses del North metro station in Mexico City or choose to view this site on a hot air balloon tour – a one-of-a-lifetime experience! It is pricey and we didn’t get a chance to do it, but we’ve heard many good things about it and it’s definitely on our priority list for the next time we’re in Mexico City!

We began our trip of Teotihuacan with a delicious Mexican breakfast at La Gruta – a cave restaurant right beside the site. This is also an incredible experience that we highly recommend, especially in the morning when there’s no crowds!

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Hanky Panky – visit a secret bar in Mexico City

When you’re done with visiting all the museums, sites and cultural exhibitions and crave something a little different, bring yourself on a treasure hunt and try to find the Hanky Panky Cocktail Bar.

Search the net, get the clues and have fun! Find the secret password here. When you get in, you’ll enter a very classy bar area, where you’ll get to taste some of the strangest and most delicious cocktails ever!

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Chichén Itzá

I’m sure you’re familiar with the wonders of the world, right? There are seven in total, and one of them is Chichén Itzá in the Yucatán Peninsula, a 2-hour drive from Tulum.

This pre-Columbian city was built by the Maya people and is believed to have held the most diverse population of the Maya colonies. This archaeological site is one of the most visited in Mexico, bringing upwards of 2 million visitors annually.

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Cenotes

These pools of water, often referred as sinkholes, are scattered around Mexico but mostly found in the southern parts of the country. Used for sacrificial offerings by the Maya people in the past, today cenotes are one of the topmost famous attractions in Quintana Roo.

Have a refreshing swim in the cool waters or, if you’re adventurous, go diving. Exploring the darkness of the underground caves is a thrilling experience. Some cenotes can measure over 330ft (100m) in depth! The most famous cenotes are Ik Kil, Azul, Calavera, Dos Ojos and Gran cenote.

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The magic of Bacalar 

This town is often called the Mexican Maldives, and for good reason. Bacalar sits along the coast of the Lagoon of Seven Colors, a lake with crystal clear, turquoise waters. This town is like a painted paradise straight out of a postcard.

Bacalar is one of Mexican’s hidden gems, with relavitely low tourist numbers in comparison to other towns in Quintana Roo. This makes it a great destination for anyone looking for a more peaceful and authentic getaway tucked in nature.

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Chamula

This one is for my cultural peeps – Chamula is a small, indigenous town near San Cristobal de las Casa in the state of Chiapas, and the local language spoken here is Tzotzil. It was at the local church in Chamula that we got to experience the infamous spiritual ceremony (you can read about the story and use of Coca-Cola here).

This town is very real and authentic, with a few stores where local ladies will dress you up in their traditional clothing and give you a shot of pox – a local cane liquor classified as a sacred beverage within the indigenous communities. We bought our souvenirs here to support the work of the local ladies.

For an additional local experience, instead of grabbing a taxi from San Cristobal to Chamula, grab a local minibus – you hardly ever see any tourists on these, as they’re mainly used by the locals coming into San Cristobal to trade. They depart from Calle Honduras, close to Mercado Viejo (marked on maps as Colectivo San Juan Chamula).

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Zona Arqueologica Palenque

The archaeological site of Palenque sits in the mists of Mexican mountains. Once completely overgrown by the lush vegetation of the jungle, it has been since excavated and restored, but the jungle look remained, allowing visitors to get lost in what feels like another level of Jumanji!

It is believed that nearly 90% of the total area of this Maya city is yet to be explored, leaving many questions and hidden gems to be uncovered in the future. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the one to stumble upon something new?

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Beach break in Mazunte

All my hippies out there, listen up! Mazunte is a small, vibey village-like town on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca. It’s super laid back, filled with chill hangout spots, veggie food rules and funky handmade stores and stalls line the streets – honestly, I loved every minute here!

The beach is hugged by nature with little wooden huts and houses perched up on the hills in the bay. The people in this town live a slow and happy life and are super friendly and helpful. It’s just a great place all around.

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Release baby turtles into the ocean

On our visit to Puerto Escondido, we met a friend who told us about the possibility of releasing baby turtles into the ocean – my initial reaction to animal-related activities is usually ‘no thanks’ as so many of those are often unhealthy and unethical.

However, it turns out the entire experience is organised by a non-governmental organization founded by people in the community who work hard to protect these fragile and important animals on the coast of Oaxaca.

There’s no touching involved, you get to learn about these cute babies and see them race each other to the ocean – happy to say both of our baby turtles made it safely to the water! You can find out more or check out the work and projects these guys are running on vivemar’s website.

Picking only 9 places was not an easy task. But I feel like these present a nice mixture of places that will give you a taste of the different worlds Mexico has to offer. Use them to create your itinerary and pack your bags!

To help you plan your trip, check out Things To Know Before Traveling to Mexico and The Essential Packing List for Mexico .

It’s time to travel!

Vicky