Compare Mexico City Stopover by Intrepid Travel vs Highlights of Mexico: Mexico City, Merida & Tulum by Audley Travel
Compare details and see what other travelers are saying.
| Trip |
4.5 | Great
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 3 days | 9 days |
| Price From | $ 740 | $ 3,627 |
| Price Per Day | $ 247 | $ 403 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Small group tour | Private guided tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Standard |
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| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Internal airfare and ground transport included |
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| Meals Included | N/A | N/A |
| Description |
Navigate your way through Mexico’s enormous and vibrant capital on this jam-packed Short Break Adventure. Set out on a city tour and learn the history surrounding the stunning sights of one of the biggest cities in the Americas. Wander the stalls of Mercado de San Juan and be overwhelmed by the incredible array of produce on display. Venture out of the city and experience the incredible Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan with a knowledgeable local guide, then be welcomed into a family home to share some authentic dishes bursting with local flavours. In your spare time, simply chill out with a tequila or two and let this city’s ambience take over. |
The temples of Chichén Itzà, swimming in aquamarine underground cenotes, Mexico City from the perspective of Frida Kahlo’s paintbrush or its exuberantly costumed processions for the Day of the Dead… On a tailor-made holiday with Audley, we won’t just show you the popular places to visit in Mexico. Our specialists, leaning on their experiences of travelling and living in the country, will help you decide on the places that speak most to you. |
Day 1 Mexico City
Bienvenidos! Welcome to Mexico City. Check in to your hotel, where a welcome pack will be waiting for you. This will include all the information you need for your Short Break Adventure. If you have free time today, why not venture into the streets and check out this incredible city. Modern meets ancient in Mexico City – one of the world's largest urban centres. Although crowded and smoggy, D.F. (Distrito Federal) offers a great variety of impressive museums, galleries and architecture, along with exciting night life and delicious street food. Why not head to the Zocalo – the city's huge central square – to see Aztec ruins and colonial architecture or relax in one of the many parks, plazas and gardens.
Day 2 Mexico City
Pick up the rest of your travel mates today and head out of town by public transport, experiencing how locals move about this crowded city. Hop off at the archaeological area of the Teotihuacan pyramids and explore the grounds. Visit the Moon Pyramid, the Calzada de los Muertos (Dead Pass), and the 63-m-high Sun Pyramid, the tallest and most spectacular in the area. Next, head to a nearby village and stop by a family-run business where you’ll learn about obsidian – the material that the Teotihuacan people use to make their tools, idols and decorations. You’ll also get to sip pulque (an ancient sacred drink), considered by some as the great-grandfather of tequila! After working up an appetite, be welcomed into a family home for a memorable lunch where you’ll be served authentic dishes bursting with local flavours and plenty of Mexican hospitality. After lunch, head back to Mexico City.
Day 3 Mexico City
Have breakfast this morning and then take some time to refresh and pack up, before checking out of your hotel. You can leave your luggage here this morning, before heading out on today’s final adventures. Your guide will pick you up from the hotel, at 10 am, for an epic journey of exploration through Mexico’s incredible capital. Let your expert guide bring 700 years of history back to life as you uncover little-known facts and hidden hotspots, from Aztecs to art, in one of the biggest cities in the Americas. Head into the heart of Mexico City – the Plaza de la Constitucion – and hear about the remains of an ancient city located under the modern metropolis. Visit iconic sites like the Templo Mayor and the Metropolitan Cathedral – the biggest cathedral on the continent – and see one of Diego Rivera's most famous murals at Museo Mural. Head to the fresh food stalls at Mercado San Juan and shop for snacks and souvenirs. Wander through the Palace of Fine Arts (Palacio de Bellas Artes) and when you’re finished, your guide will lead you back to your hotel, where your trip will come to an end.
Day 1 : Mexico City
Today you begin your journey by boarding your international outbound flight to Mexico City. Arriving in Mexico City, you're met by your chauffeur-guide and taken to your hotel by private transfer. It can take up to two hours to reach your hotel due to traffic. Depending on when your flight arrives, you may wish to relax in your hotel or retire for the night. If not, you could take a stroll around the area near your hotel - you're only a couple of blocks away from the Zócalo, the city's main square.
Day 2 : Mexico City
Your chauffeur-guide meets you at your hotel to take you on a tour of Mexico City's historic hub. Starting with the Zócalo, your guide will identify the grand colonial buildings that surround the square, and help you unpeel the layers of history as you explore together the Templo Mayor, the Aztec ruin still standing in the plaza. You'll then visit Diego Rivera's murals in the Palacio Nacional and see the highlights of the Anthropological Museum.
Day 3 : Mexico City
Your chauffeur-guide picks you up to drive you to Teotihuacan, an hour out of the city. Wander around this vast complex of pre-Aztec stone edifices; your guide will explain the theories behind this mysterious site and the pre-Hispanic civilization who may have built it. If you wish, climb the Giza-like Sun and Moon Temples for views over the plains and distant cityscape. Visit the Shrine of Guadalupe on the return drive to Mexico City, arriving back in the late afternoon.
Day 4 : Merida
Today take a private transfer to the airport with your chauffeur-guide for your internal flight to the colonial city of Mérida. The flight lasts roughly two hours. On arrival you're collected by a chauffeur-guide and taken to your accommodation by private transfer. You have the rest of the day to relax and stroll around this charming colonial city. In the evening, head to the main squares where locals often perform traditional Yucatecan dances.
Day 5 : Merida
Today take a shared (small group) guided tour of two ancient Maya sites buried deep in the jungle. At Uxmal, an hour's drive from Mérida, your guide points out the architecture unique to this site, such as the carved cisterns paying homage to the rain god Chaac. Ascend the Magician's Pyramid for views over the whole site. In the afternoon, journey to Kabah, a settlement once connected to Uxmal by a white stone causeway. You're dropped back in Mérida at the end of the trip.
Day 6 : Tulum
An early start to take a shared coach transfer to Tulum. The journey lasts several hours with a stop en route at Chichén Itzá, the best restored Maya site in the region. While it's still relatively early and free from the crowds, enjoy an in-depth guided tour of the site. Your guide shows you the main structures, including the sacred cenote (sinkhole) that gives the site its name, and explains about Maya beliefs. You'll then eat lunch in a local restaurant before arriving in Tulum in the late afternoon.
Day 7 : Tulum
A day at leisure in Tulum. You can simply spend it relaxing by your hotel pool or on Tulum's lovely strip of jungle-fringed beach. Towards the end of the day or very early (when the site is likely to be quieter), you could take a self-guided tour of the local cliff top Maya ruins. The Tulum ruins include well-preserved towers, temples and pyramids. It's a short taxi or bicycle ride away from your hotel.
Day 8 : Tulum
A second day at leisure in Tulum. We can help you arrange trips to swim or dive in the otherworldly-seeming cenotes that pocket this region of Mexico. The freshwater they contain makes for a refreshing swim, and they're often home to shoals of fish and other marine species, making for good snorkeling.
Day 9 : Tulum
A third day at leisure in Tulum. Today you may wish to take a trip to Sian Ka'an, a nearby ecological reserve, or Coba, a quieter Maya ruin with a huge pyramid towering over the canopy that can be climbed.
Day 10 : International return flight
Today, take a private transfer to Cancún Airport (about an hour and a half away) for your flight home.
Day 11 : International return flight
Arrive home today to complete your journey.
