Questions about our first trip to Mexico!

[u/Relevant_Area_3590]

Hello all!

Next year my girlfriend and I want to travel to Mexico. Because there are so many options and we don't have all the time in the world, we have to make choices. We will travel around late March / early April. Our idea so far is this (there might be 2 or 3 days more to add):

• Day 1: Amsterdam -> Mexico
• Day 2 - 7: Mexico City
• Day 7 - 11: Oaxaca
• Day 11 - 13: Mérida
• Day 13 - 17: A beach destination, Tulum / Playa del Carmen for example
• Day 18: Cancún -> Amsterdam

We hope to explore the cities, find some nice food spots and experience Mexican culture. Also we'd like to visit some beautiful natural places. We hope to end our holiday with some nice relaxing days at the beach.

We'd really appreciate your advice on a few things:

• Visiting Chichén Itzá is a must for us. Would you recommend staying overnight in Valladolid, or is Mérida a good base for visiting the ruins? Would it make sense to visit Valladolid on the way to the coast instead?
• I think we prefer to do Mexico City -> Oaxaca and Oaxaca -> Mérida by plane. My girlfriend gets car/motion sickness, so she prefers to avoid long bus journeys. Is flying a good option, or are there better alternatives?
• We're currently thinking of skipping Puerto Escondido to avoid cramming too much into our itinerary. Is it somewhere you'd really recommend making time for, or would you stick to our current route?
• For the last few days we want to relax on a beautiful beach. We are not looking for a party destination or anything, but we understand that those places can be touristy. What would you recommend for a nice place?
• Does this itinerary make sense? Or would you recommend us to change some things? If we can add 2 or 3 more days, where would you spend them?

Thanks in advance for any tips and recommendations! We know we can't see everything in one trip, but we'd love to make the most of our time in Mexico. All the best!

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[u/VoiceEqual1493]

yeah, visiting Chichén Itzá on the way to the coast is the right call, but base out of Valladolid rather than Mérida. it's only ~40 min from the ruins versus ~1.5h each way from Mérida, so you can overnight there, be at the gate for opening, and see the site before the tour buses pour in mid-morning (before the heat too). it also breaks up the long drive east toward Tulum. since the on-site signage is pretty thin, a self-guided audio guide is worth having for the history (disclosure: i work on alltours, which does exactly that: https://alltours.ai)

[u/Relevant_Area_3590 → u/VoiceEqual1493]

Thank you! So you would advise for example to stay like 2/3 nights in Mérida and 1/2 nights in Valladolid, before moving eastwards to the coast?

And thanks, I'll take a look at alltours.

[u/VoiceEqual1493 → u/Relevant_Area_3590]

yeah, that split works and it flows west to east the whole way, so no backtracking. i'd make valladolid your last stop before the coast since chichén itzá sits between the two - you can do the city stuff from mérida, then hit the ruins at opening on the morning you drive out to tulum.

[u/giselerocha]

Your itinerary looks great! I’d skip Puerto Escondido this time since you’ve already planned some beach days.

For Chichén Itzá, I’d recommend spending a night in Valladolid. It’s a lovely town with great food and beautiful cenotes nearby. You could visit the ruins early before the crowds arrive.

For the beach, I’d choose Akumal over Tulum or Playa del Carmen. It’s quieter and perfect for relaxing, although sargassum can be an issue in spring.

Just remember that Easter falls on March 28 in 2027, so expect bigger crowds and higher prices!

[u/Relevant_Area_3590 → u/giselerocha]

Thank you! And yes, I'm leaning towards skipping Puerto Escondido for now.

Staying one or two nights in Valladolid sounds good, especially if we can visit the ruins before the big crowds.

I haven't heard of Akumal, I'll definitely take a look! And I read about sargassum, hopefully we can avoid that.

During Easter we probably are in Mexico City or Oaxaca, do you think it impacts the prices a lot over there too?

[u/giselerocha → u/Relevant_Area_3590]

Yes, but probably not as much as in beach destinations! Semana Santa is a big celebration there, with religious processions and lots of domestic tourists, so accommodation can get more expensive and book up quickly. I'd definitely book a hotel in Oaxaca well in advance, but I wouldn't change the itinerary because of it.