The Perfect 3 Weeks in Mexico Itinerary

Mexico has a bit of everything — huge cities, cute and colorful small towns, gorgeous beaches, fascinating history, a vibrant artistic community, and last but not least, amazing food. It’s a place that I had always dreamed of going to, and since visiting, I’ve pretty much been dying to go back.

3 Weeks in Mexico Itinerary

Frida Kahlo’s House, known as “Casa Azul” is one of my favorite things to do here, and is an absolute must, in my humble opinion.

Not only is it beautiful, but it’s a fascinating look into the life of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, as well as her husband, Diego Rivera. Admission is $320 Mexican pesos, which is $19.45 USD. (Londres 247, Del Carmen, Coyoacán, 04100 Ciudad de México)

Chapultepec Park is an absolutely enormous park (seriously, I’d recommend screenshoting a map before you go) that’s not only fun to just walk around, but also has a number of cool destinations to check out, like the Anthropology Museum.

Admission is 95 Mexican pesos, or $5.63 USD. (Av. Paseo de la Reforma y Calzada Gandhi s/n Col. Chapultepec, Polanco. Del. Miguel Hidalgo, C.P. 11560, Ciudad de México)

Within this park there’s also the The Natural History Museum as well, which is located in a castle, the Castillo de Chapultepec. 

Anthropology Museum Centro

Spend time in Centro, which is Downtown. Here, you can visit the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), a beautiful art museum and cultural center.

Admission is 75 pesos, or $4.50 USD from Tuesdays through Saturdays, or visit on a Sunday for free. In Centro, you’ll also want to spend some time in the Zócalo, a historic public square.

Stop by Templo Mayor, an ancient temple located in the former capital of the Aztec empire. Admission to both the archeological site and on-site museum is 95 pesos or $5.79 USD. There is no entry fee on Sundays. 

For nightlife, there are a lot of bars around Calle Regina, a street in Centro. 

Keep in mind that most museums in Mexico City aren’t open on Mondays.

After spending the past few days in a high-energy city, it’s time to recharge for a bit in the tiny surf town, Puerto Escondido, located in the state of Oaxaca. I’ll admit, this town felt pretty touristy. It wasn’t as easy to get a sense of the town’s culture either, especially compared to other cities on this itinerary.

But nonetheless, the beaches were overwhelmingly beautiful. In my opinion, all the best trips need a few high-quality beach days, and this is one of the best places to do it. 

The main beaches you’ll want to check out while here are Playa Carrizalillo, Playa Manzanillo, Playa Principal, Playa Zicatela, and Playa Bacocho. (If you end up having only one day here, I’d go to Playa Carrizalillo. It’s insanely beautiful, but keep in mind there are a bunch of steps leading to the beach.) 

At Playa Bacocho, stop by around 5 p.m. to help release baby sea turtles into the ocean!

This experience is surprisingly adorable, plus, you get to support a good cause. It costs 100 pesos, which comes out to just under $6 USD.

The money you pay supports conservation efforts, like housing sea turtle egg hatcheries.

These protect the eggs from being hunted as well as from rising temperatures, which somehow cause more females to be born (Find out more about the organization running the program here. They’ll definitely give you a better explanation than I can!)

If you’re up for it, this is also a great place to take a surfing lesson, go snorkeling, or swim with bioluminescent plankton. Or, just do what I did, and go the lazy route and just use the time to relax. (But if any of those activities speak to you, check out some tour options here.)

Oaxaca is an epicenter for culture, food, and art, and is perfect for just wandering around and exploring. You’ll want to spend a few days here at least to give you time to experience as much as you can. Oaxaca City is relatively small, so it’s super easy to navigate by walking. 

First things first, explore the historic downtown. While here, the Santo Domingo Church is worth a stop.

I’ll confess, while I can appreciate the architecture and history of churches and usually pop into one or two on my travels, I don’t typically care much for them.

This former convent, which dates back to the 1500s, was actually really interesting to explore (I promise). 

You can also find the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca here, which has really interesting exhibits featuring lots of Indigenous artifacts from pre-colonization, plus a historic library.

There’s also a really pretty surrounding garden — it requires a separate ticket to visit though, as you can only visit with a guided tour. I personally just got some photos from a number of viewpoints within the church/museum, but I’ve heard it’s really nice to walk around.

Admission is 90 pesos, which is around $5.32 USD. (1a. Cerrada de Macedonio Alcala s/n, RUTA INDEPENDENCIA, Centro)

Wander around and explore the many artisan shops, galleries and museums while here. It’s pretty much a shopper and art lover’s paradise here. There are so many options to explore, but here are a few highlights. 

Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca is an arts school and cultural space that houses one of Latin America’s most significant collections of graphic arts. It also has three exhibition rooms and a library dedicated to art books. It has two headquarters (507 Macedonio Alcalá Street and Avenida Juárez 203). 

Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños, (The Museum of Oaxacan Painters) features temporary exhibits by lesser-known Oaxacan painters. It’s closed on Mondays and costs 20 pesos, less than $2 USD. (Avenida de La Independencia 607 Calle de Manuel Garcia Vigil).

If you’re a photography fan, the Centro Fotográfico Manuel Álvaro Bravo is a must.

This space has seven exhibition rooms with temporary exhibitions, some of which feature work by really prominent photographers, like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mary Ellen Mark, Graciela Iturbide, and of course, the gallery’s namesake, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, an iconic Mexican photographer.

Just keep in mind that it’s closed on Tuesdays. (M. Bravo 116, corner with García Vigil)

Mercado Benito Juárez is also a great place to check out everything from souvenirs, pottery, and art, plus lots of food and drinks to try. It’s one of the oldest trading centers in Oaxaca City and worth a stop.

Mole Tlayuda

Drinking mezcal is also non-negotiable in Oaxaca (as long as you drink, that is). If you’re unfamiliar, mezcal is like a smokier version of tequila.

Try it either as a shot or in cocktail-form, which is my preference. Check out one of the many mezcal bars here or just sample at a restaurant. 

Have chocolate. Specifically, drink it if you can. Chocolate is ingrained in the Indigenous Oaxacan culture, and Oaxaca is recognized as an important region for the preservation of historic chocolate-making practices. So obviously, it’s amazing here.

Try tejate, a frothy drink made of corn and cacao that’s popular in Oaxaca.

Tlayuda is another traditional Oaxacan food consisting of a large fried tortilla filled with things like beans, cheese, and meat. 

Days 16-19: Puebla & Cholula

→ I’d suggest taking the bus from Oaxaca to Puebla. Prices typically range from $30 to $45 and the trip can range from 4 to 6 hours. Check out options here. Alternatively, you can take a flight that’s about 1 hour and 20 minutes or so. Check out options on Skyscanner here.

For the last leg of our three weeks in Mexico journey, it’s time to head over to Puebla and Cholula for a couple of days. Puebla is known for its gorgeous talavera tiles (a distinct pottery style that you’ll know when you see).

This town is filled with colonial architecture, and is home to delicious food, interesting culture, and gorgeous art. 

As for the nearby Cholula, it’s one of Mexico’s “magical towns,” or a “pueblo mágico.”

This is a special status granted by the Mexican government to cities that are seen as especially culturally or historically significant, and that offer visitors things like great food, art and hospitality.

Cholula definitely feels magical — it’s super colorful and full of gorgeous buildings. And it’s definitely historic. In fact, it’s considered the oldest continually inhabited place in North America.

Both towns are super cute and colorful, and you should definitely make it to both places while you’re here. Uber operates in Puebla and Cholula, and this is the easiest way to get between the two cities, which are just about 9 miles apart.

El Parian Centro

In Puebla, check out the historic center, as well as Barrio las Artistas, a small neighborhood where you can see artists painting. It’s near El Parian Market, which is Puebla’s only traditional handicraft market.

I always love visiting traditional markets, and this was no exception. You can find lots of jewelry, pottery, textiles, food items and of course, lots of the famous talavera. Even if you’re not looking to buy anything, it’s still fun to peruse.

In Cholula, one of the main things to do is to hike up to Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios, a gorgeous church situated on top of Tlachihualtepetl. By volume, this is actually the world’s largest pyramid.

While the church is free to visit, the pyramid is not. It costs about 80 pesos, which is under $5 USD to walk around the tunnels and explore. I didn’t do this and am honestly regretting it, but to be honest, I didn’t feel great the day I was here, so I took things a bit easier.

Spend time wandering around the town.

And definitely hang out for a bit in the Plaza de la Concordia, the Zócalo, and the nearby park. It’s a great place for relaxing. When I visited, there were lots of vendors selling snacks here.

For nightlife, go to Cholula’s Container City. This unique little neighborhood has lots of bars to choose from.

If you’re wondering about the name, yes, it’s because for some reason, all the buildings are made up of recycled shipping containers.

It was one of those places where it felt like each bar was competing for who could play the loudest music, which maybe I’m just getting a bit too old for, but it was definitely an interesting experience and fun way to spend one night here.

Mole and chiles en nogada

Day 20-21: Back to Mexico City, head home

→ To get back to Mexico City, take a 2-hour bus ride, which should range from $15 to $22ish. Check out options here. 

Since you’ll be flying home from Mexico City, I suggest traveling back to Mexico City a day or two ahead of your flight. This not only is a stress-saver, but cuts down on your travel on your final day.

Plus, Mexico City is the best, as you’ll know by now. Use your last day or two here to visit any spots you may have missed at the beginning of your itinerary, or just relax and enjoy more of this amazing city.

What to Know Before You Go

Let’s talk about some logistics for your trip.

What are the requirements for traveling to Mexico?

If you’re a U.S. citizen, all you need is a valid passport. You won’t need a visa, as long as you’re planning to stay less than 180 days.  

Is it safe to travel to Mexico right now?

Sadly, safety is something that often comes up when Mexico is mentioned. The U.S. State Department has issued a few warnings for Mexico, but it’s mainly directed toward specific regions not included in this itinerary.

All of the cities included here are very touristy, and only require basic common sense and typical safety precautions you’ll want to keep in mind in all cities, like not carrying all your money with you and being careful with your electronics.

In my opinion, most of Mexico is much safer than how it’s typically depicted in the media.

Personally, I felt completely safe throughout my entire time there.

Just make sure you get travel insurance! This is super important for having peace of mind when traveling. I’ve always used World Nomads when traveling internationally, and have only had great experiences with them.

How many days are enough for Mexico?

If you’re coming from the U.S., it’s most likely not that long of a trip or a super pricey flight.

So, you definitely don’t need three weeks to have an amazing time and make your trip worth it. If you’d rather just stick to one area like Mexico City, four or five days at minimum is a great amount of time to get a good feel for the city and hit the main sites. 

But in my opinion, the more time, the better!

Mexico is a huge, diverse country and this three-week itinerary doesn’t even cover the majority of beautiful and interesting places to visit. If you do plan to take a three-week trip, I probably wouldn’t add any extra stops to this itinerary.

Otherwise, you won’t get to experience enough of each destination.

You could also easily cut down on the number of cities here, and extend your time in just a couple of these destinations. 

What’s at the top of your list for a three-week trip to Mexico? And if you’ve already been to Mexico, I’d love to know what city you think I should visit next.

Happy travels,

Tess

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