🇲🇽 Mexico

November to April, the dry season across most of the country.

Mexico's climate is governed by altitude at least as much as latitude, which is why two places on the same parallel can feel entirely different.

The central highlands: Mexico City, Guanajuato, Oaxaca, San Miguel de Allende — sit above 1,500 m and are temperate year-round, warm by day and cool at night, with a rainy season roughly May to October when rain usually falls in heavy late-afternoon storms rather than all day.

The Caribbean and Pacific coasts are hot and humid year-round, with a hurricane season from June to November, peaking around September.

The north is arid, with genuinely hot summers and cold desert winters. Chiapas and the southern jungle are wet and humid, with rainfall heaviest mid-year.

Mexico City sits at around 2,240 m, high enough that some visitors notice the altitude on their first day.

Most visitors do not need a visa for tourism. UK government advice notes that tourists instead receive a stamp in the passport showing the number of days they may stay, up to a maximum of 180 days. The specific duration is decided by the immigration officer, not automatic: it is worth checking the number written on your stamp before leaving the desk, because a shorter stay than you planned is not unusual.

Passport validity: must be valid for the whole of your stay. The Mexican Embassy recommends at least 180 days of validity, matching the maximum tourist stay.

Entering by land requires completing an immigration form online in advance through Mexico's immigration system.

Keep your documentation. Official advice is specific here: make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit; if you use airport e-gates, collect the e-gate ticket, which is required when you leave; obtain proof of entry through the immigration portal within 60 days; keep any customs declaration; and retain proof of payment of the Quintana Roo state tourist tax if you have visited that state, which covers Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Cozumel. A lost entry stamp costs roughly 700 pesos to replace.

Long-distance buses are excellent and are the default for intercity travel. First-class and executive services — ADO in the south and east, ETN and Primera Plus in the centre and west — are comfortable, punctual, air-conditioned and far better than the equivalent in most countries. Book online or at the terminal; classes differ substantially, so check which you are buying.

Domestic flights make sense for the long hauls, such as Mexico City to the Yucatán or to Baja California, and low-cost carriers make them affordable.

Mexico City has an extensive, very cheap metro plus Metrobús lines, using a rechargeable card. It is the fastest way across a city where traffic is severe.

Ride-hailing apps operate in most cities and are generally preferred to street taxis for the fare transparency and the trip record.

Colectivos: shared vans — fill the gaps on short regional routes and are the cheapest way between coastal towns and to cenotes and villages.

Car hire is useful for the Yucatán interior, Baja and Oaxaca's coast. Mexican third-party liability insurance is compulsory and is not covered by most foreign credit-card policies, so compare the total rather than the headline rate. Toll roads (cuotas) are faster and better maintained than the free roads (libres).

Mexico offers a wide range and generally strong value. Street food, markets, buses and simple hotels cost little; beach resorts in Quintana Roo, Los Cabos and the Tulum beach road are priced internationally and can cost many times more for the same night.

The biggest single lever is region and neighbourhood: central Mexico — Oaxaca, Puebla, Guanajuato, Mérida — costs a fraction of the Caribbean resort strip. After that, whether you use first-class buses rather than flights, and whether you eat in markets and fondas rather than in tourist-facing restaurants.

Budget separately for: the Quintana Roo state tourist tax if you visit the Caribbean coast, compulsory car insurance if you drive, and tipping, which is customary at roughly 10–15% in restaurants.

Mexican social manner is warm and comparatively formal in greeting. A handshake is standard on meeting; among friends, a single cheek kiss between women, or between a man and a woman, is common. Use usted rather than tú with older people and in service situations until invited otherwise.

Titles matter: señor, señora, and professional titles such as licenciado or doctor are used more than in English-speaking countries.

Punctuality is treated flexibly in social settings and strictly for business and transport.

Indigenous communities. Mexico has 68 recognised indigenous languages and large living indigenous populations, particularly in Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatán. In indigenous villages, ask before photographing people, and be aware that some communities restrict photography at ceremonies entirely.

Día de Muertos (1–2 November) is a family remembrance rather than a costume event. Visitors are welcome at public celebrations; cemeteries during the vigil call for restraint and, in many places, no photography.

Tipping is expected: around 10–15% in restaurants, small amounts for supermarket baggers, parking attendants and hotel staff.

Mexican cuisine is on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the regional variation is the point. Oaxaca has its moles, tlayudas and mezcal; the Yucatán its cochinita pibil, sopa de lima and habanero; Puebla mole poblano and chiles en nogada; the north its beef, flour tortillas and cabrito; Veracruz and the coasts their seafood.

Corn is the foundation — tortillas, tamales, tlacoyos, memelas — and the difference between industrial and freshly nixtamalised corn is immediately obvious once you have tasted both.

Where to eat: markets (mercados) and fondas serve the best everyday food at the lowest prices. Street stalls with a queue and rapid turnover are generally a good sign. Comida corrida, a set lunch of several courses, is excellent value and served at midday, which is when Mexicans eat their main meal.

Tap water is not for drinking; bottled and filtered water is universal, and most restaurants use purified water and ice as standard.

Safety in Mexico is highly regional, and this is the single most important thing to understand. Conditions in Oaxaca City, Mérida or San Miguel de Allende bear little relation to conditions in specific states that carry serious advisories. Check current government travel advice state by state for your actual route, rather than reading about "Mexico" as a whole.

In the places most visitors go, the practical risks are ordinary urban ones. The habits that matter:

• Use ride-hailing apps or hotel-arranged taxis rather than hailing on the street, particularly in Mexico City and at night.
• Withdraw cash from ATMs inside banks or malls during the day rather than from street machines.
• Travel between cities on first-class buses and during daylight where possible; avoid driving at night on rural roads.
• Keep valuables out of sight, and carry a copy of your passport rather than the original day to day.

Altitude: Mexico City sits at roughly 2,240 m. Take the first day gently, drink water and go easy on alcohol.

Earthquakes are a real risk in central and southern Mexico; learn your building's evacuation route and note the seismic alert sound.

Hurricanes affect both coasts from June to November, peaking in September. Consider insurance covering weather disruption in those months.