This document lists 8 safe places to visit in Mexico and provides brief descriptions of each one. Mexico City is described as having a crime rate about a third of Washington DC and features many historical and cultural sites. Merida offers insights into Mexico's layered history through its Mayan and Spanish architecture and museums. Todos Santos is described as an artsy town that draws surfers, artists, and nature lovers for activities like kayaking and hiking.
2. Mexico’s tourist footfall showed a southward trend in 2010, but after that the graph has
only risen as awareness about Mexico’s safety situation spreads. As of date, if the
average tourist displays basic common sense and steers clear of trouble spots, then the
good news is that you are more likely to give up the ghost in a tequila fuelled drinking
spree than in a drab statistic increasing drug related murder. Before brushing off a trip to
Mexico this year, consider researching the following destinations –
Mexico City – Start you Mexico holiday with
Mexico City, a city much misunderstood with a
crime rate about a third of Washington DC. A
study in contrasts, this city’s thousand years of
culture shows off its Aztec history along with
the gleaming skyscrapers that push into the
sky. Visit the Museo del Templo Mayor for a
distinct Aztec flavour or the Metropolitan
Cathedral to get a taste of the Spanish
influence on the city. Do not miss Museo Frida
Kahlo, dedicated to Mexico’s favorite artist or
stroll around Plaza de Garibaldi listening to
Mariachi bands perform traditional boleros, all
this without incident!
3. Merida – Visit the land of the Maya on
weekends or for day trips. A very interesting
place to get a great insight into Mexico’s
layered history – Merida’s cathedral and other
important buildings built by the Spanish have
been constructed out of bricks from the Mayan
pyramids they destroyed. Its museums and art
galleries can keep a visitor occupied for a
while.
Todos Santos – Artsy Todos Santos has borne
the brunt of tourist disregard for quite a while.
A simple case of guilt by association, the
southern part of the Baja peninsula has been
penalized for sounding the same as Baja
California (Norte), which is home to the
infamous Tijuana. That out of the way, it
draws surfers, artists, new age spiritualists and
divers.
Come here for kayaking, wind
surfing, hiking, zip lines even hot springs and
cave paintings!
4. San Miguel de Allende – The prettiest town in
Mexico, San Miguel is the stuff of legends, or
at least movies. As shown in ‘Once Upon a
Time Mexico’, the town is actually its own USP.
The cobblestone streets, quaint architectural
details, buildings from the 17th and 18th
centuries; it is all here in San Miguel. Come
here for a cooking course or brush up your
Spanish while you stay at any of the
delightfully lovely guesthouses.
Huatulco
–
A
planned
resort
town, Huatulco has become stiff
competition for other established resort
towns in the country. The former fishing
town today offers endless days of
diving, kayaking, snorkeling, cycling, surfi
ng and rafting. There are also tours to
waterfalls and coffee farms that travel
guides of Mexico will organize for you.
5. Playa del Carmen – With cruise ship visitors
streaming in daily, Playa is quite the touristy
place. One step ahead of nearby Cancun in
terms of a planned resort town, it is also one
step behind when it comes to the physical
beauty of the place. This, of course, is
adequately made up by its enormous
entertainment quotient.
Puebla – Two hours by bus from Mexico
City, Puebla is packed with cathedrals and an
interesting museum, besides being home to
the twin volcanoes Iztaccíhuatl and
Popocatépetl. Also remember to check out
Talavera pottery, 2,600 historic buildings and
a whole lot of archaeological sites.
6. Guanajuato – A dramatic hill city, Guanajuato is picturesque in the most delightful way –
16th century cathedrals stand proudly amongst homes painted in bright colors. The
tree-lined plazas are witness to the laid back colonial life of this Unesco World Heritage
City. Time your visit to coincide with the Festival Cervantino in October, a vibrant cultural
extravaganza.
