Country guide
Mexico
Mayan ruins and cenotes, Oaxaca's food, Mexico City's museums and two coasts of beach towns; the dry winter is high season.
Currency
MXN
Language
Spanish
English
Widely spoken
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
Power
Type A / B
127 V, 60 Hz
Dialing
+52
Destinations
Cancun
A beach strip built from nothing on the Caribbean, doubling as the front door to the Maya world and the second-longest barrier reef on earth.
✓ best Nov-AprMexico City
An Aztec capital, a viceregal city and a modernist metropolis stacked on one lake bed, with world-class museums and street food on every corner.
✓ best Oct-MayTulum
A walled Maya city on a Caribbean cliff, a jungle full of cenotes behind it, and a beach road that turned barefoot bohemia into a global address.
✓ best Dec-MayThe sweet-spot windows
Good weather, thinner crowds, better prices: the windows worth aiming for.
| Where | When | Why it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baja | Jan-Mar | Whale season + mild, dry weather before the summer heat | Aug-Oct hot + hurricane risk |
| Mexico City | Nov-Apr | Dry, mild, Day of the Dead (early Nov). Mild year-round | Jun-Sep afternoon rains |
| Oaxaca/Pacific | Nov-Apr | Dry, warm, great surf at Puerto Escondido. May-Oct bigger swell | Sep wettest |
| Yucatan/Riviera Maya | Nov-Apr | Dry season: sunny, cenotes + reef. Nov + Apr best value | Sep-Oct hurricane risk |
Climate zones, month by month
Mexico has 3 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.
Cancun Quintana Roo →
✓ Best Nov-Apr · ✗ Avoid Sep-Oct
Conditions Jan Dry & sunny · Feb Dry · Mar Dry & warm · Apr Dry & hot · May Hot, wet starts · Jun Wet · Jul Brief showers · Aug Wet · Sep Wettest, hurricane · Oct Wet, hurricane · Nov Drying · Dec Dry
Watch for Jun-Nov cyclones & hurricanes risk
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Mexico City →
✓ Best Oct-May
Conditions Jan Dry & mild · Feb Dry · Mar Dry & warm · Apr Warm & dry · May Warm, wet starts · Jun Wet afternoons · Jul-Sep Wet · Oct Drying · Nov Dry, Day of Dead · Dec Dry & mild
Watch for Dec-Mar smog risk
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Tulum Riviera Maya →
✓ Best Dec-May · ✗ Avoid Jun
Watch for Jun-Nov cyclones & hurricanes risk · Jun monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions