Mexico travel is so much more than margaritas and beaches (though those things are great too!). And we often underestimate this vast country that has so much to offer. You can see pyramids from ancient civilizations or engulf yourself in culture and music. It’s impossible to see it all in one week. But, if you have an adventurous heart, then this 1 – week travel guide on central Mexico is for you. Better yet, it will only cost you $1,500 for the week to do it.
This itinerary includes some driving, so first we are going to talk about driving and safety in Mexico. Then we will get into the meat of how to spend the week, before we break down the travel costs.
- 3 Days in Mexico City
- 2 Days in the Cerro Pelon
- 1 Day in Tolantongo
Driving In Mexico
I am often in favor of driving when exploring a country. It gives you so much freedom with your time. Mexico was no exception, and I knew the only way to be able to see everything we wanted to see in a week was to drive. I did the most research on this part of the trip. Honestly, prior to doing the research, the thought of driving in Mexico scared the shit out of me. Then I found this blog post by the Eternal Expat that helped me be more confident.
There are a few basic rules that were a common theme in my research that I found most helpful. When driving in Mexico always use toll roads. It’s more expensive but the toll roads are kept up more and are monitored better so they are safer. Google maps will almost always take you on the toll road because they are faster.
Travel Tip: Keep Mexican Pesos on you in the car to be able to pay for the tolls.
Second, there are a shit-load of speed bumps. We must have gone over at least 200 speed bumps (I am considering getting a “topes” tattoo I went over so many). And they aren’t dinky speed bumps either. They are bad mamma-jamma speed bumps, that you have to take very slowly and at an angle in order to not scrape the bottom of the car. You will see signs for speed bumps that say “tope 100 M” which means the speed bump is in 100 meters. Take it seriously.
All in all, I considered it safe to drive in Mexico. We drove through small towns, on toll roads, and at night. I never felt unsafe.
Travel tip: Renting a car in Mexico was very expensive as we had to buy full coverage insurance for the week or put a $3,000 security deposit down. This tripled the cost of the car. But at the end of the day it was worth it, as I scraped the bottom of the car pretty good.
A Little Story
Photo by Sarah Jacques
Now I just have a little story for you about our Mexico travel. We were driving to our hostel in Hidalgo at night, and got a little turned around as we approached the small town. It was too dark to see the arrows on the road which tell you which way to go, and Google Maps took us up the wrong way on a one way street. A Mexican man told us we were going to the wrong way, but before we could find a good place to turn around, we got pulled over by the cops.
Now, after all the portrayal of Mexican cops in movies, it’s easy to say that we were triggered. Thoughts of bribes to get out of going to Mexican prison danced in our heads. I very carefully explained to the officer in Spanish that we were sorry, but we were just a little lost. After a couple minutes of explanation, he asked to see the address to the hostel. He then allowed us to turn around and gave us exact directions on how to get there. They were very nice and said that they understood that we weren’t familiar with the area. So long story short, watch for arrows in the road, learn basic Spanish, and don’t believe everything you see in movies. 🙂
3 Days in Mexico City
Photo by random stranger who magically got no people in the background
I have already written extensively as to why Mexico City should definitely be included in your Mexico travel. The many museums, plenty of culture, and life-changing food should earn this city a spot on your bucket list. Further, you can pair the city with day trips to mysterious canals and pyramids built by the Gods, and you could spend a week just in this part of Mexico. Check out my other blog post for more information and a downloadable Google Map!
2 Days in The Cerro Pelon
Again, I have written pretty extensively on why anyone should visit the Cerro Pelon on the border of Michoacan and Mexico State. The long and short of it? Because you can witness a natural miracle for $8. This area is one of the natural reserves where 50 million monarch butterflies go to spend the winter. Being able to see all the monarchs in one place is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful things you can see. Again, check out my other blog post for more information
Photo by Sarah Jacques
1 Day in Tolantongo
You’re going to end your Mexico travel in Hidalgo, where you will visit the Grutas de Tolantongo. On our adventure, this place honestly surprised me the most. I was picturing it to be more of a spa with these beautiful thermal pools, but it was more like a natural theme park. Not only are there thermal pools, but also caves you can explore, beaches by the thermal water, waterfalls, and so much more.
The area is actually massive, and we probably could have spent more than a day there. But the day that we did have was an amazing way to close out the vacation. The Grutas are very affordable at 150 MXN for parking and 150 MXN (~$8) per person for a ticket. We visited on New Year’s Eve and there were tons of families enjoying the holiday. To beat the crowds, definitely try to visit on a non-holiday weekday.
Travel tip: You need a towel and pool shoes/sandals to visit the Grutas, or you will have to buy them there like we did.
Travel tip: We had a hard time finding accommodations online for The Grutas, which is why we stayed in Hidalgo. However, there are tons of hotels with even more being built. To find accommodations take your chances without online booking and try to find some availability.
Travel Price Breakdown
So, I mentioned in the beginning that it was $1,500 for the week long trip. See below a breakdown of the travel expenses.
| Travel Category | Amount | Travel Expense Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | $857 | Flight, Car Rental (split between 3 people), gas for the car, Ubers in Mexico City |
| Hotel Cost | $224 | Hotels and Airbnb (split between 3 people) |
| Meals | $340 | Includes a 11 course taco dinner at Pujol for $214 per person |
| Attractions and Tours | $96 | Frida Kahlo House and Museum, Chapultepec Castle, Butterfly Tour, Grutas de Tolantongo |
| Souvenirs | $35 | Items bought in various markets |
| Total | $1,553 | One epic Mexican road trip! |
So there you have it! The ultimate week long Mexican travel guide for the adventurous spirit. Let it inspire you to dream about future travels to this incredibly vibrant country!
Have you visited any of these places in Mexico? Let me know in the comments!
