Explore and Relax Mexico: Silver cities to Pacific coast

Day 1

Arrive in Mexico City. Transfer to your hotel.

Your hotel is in the colonial heart, close to the central square. Mexico City, which was built on the site of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, and it lies at 2,250m above sea level. Vast, chaotic and vibrant, this sprawling megalopolis of more than 20 million people has a multitude of attractions. If you have time during your stay here, we suggest you visit the world-class Museum of Anthropology, which exhibits remarkable, well-displayed expositions of Aztec artefacts alongside items from other ancient civilisations. It’s a fantastic introduction to the superb and sometimes grisly artistic achievements of Mexico’s early inhabitants.

Stay at - Zocalo Central

Day 2

Visit Frida Kahlo's home in arty Coyoacan and join the locals at Xochimilco.

Today you have a guided day trip out to the fringes of the city and its most prestigious artist quarter.

Visit Coyoacán, which, before the city expanded to absorb it, was a colonial village. Coyoacán still has its own identity, with narrow streets, plazas, cafés and a lively arty atmosphere. Walk through the main plaza, churches and beautiful old buildings, including the house of conqueror Hernán Cortés. Visit Frida Kahlo’s home, where the great artist was born, lived much of her life, and eventually died. The house is a treasure trove, not only of her paintings, but also of innumerable artefacts associated with her and her husband, famous muralist Diego Rivera.

Continue to the floating gardens of Xochimilco, which were once connected to the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City) by a causeway, and where the Aztecs grew much of their food. Navigate the tranquil tree-lined canals on board a traditional ‘trajinera’, a flower-decked wooden punt, and will discover a little of how Aztec life was before the conquest. It’s great fun on a Sunday, when locals flock here to let their hair down.

Stay at - Zocalo Central

Day 3

At leisure in Mexico City

You could spend a week or more in Mexico City without running out of things to see, do and experience.
Mexico City has evolved over the centuries into a modern day metropolis from its founding as the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán in the 14th century. Today is at leisure to explore as you wish. You’re perfectly positioned to do so: your hotel overlooks the vast Zócalo, or main square, with its monumental Metropolitan Cathedral and the original Aztec remains of the Templo Mayor, which lay beneath the modern city before being uncovered during the construction of the Mexico City Metro. You can easily spend a couple of hours in the Zócalo alone.

Alternatively we can prearrange a tour with a local guide, combined with an outing to the megalithic archaeological site of Teotihuacán which dates from the time of Christ and was once one of the largest cities in the world. Teotihuacán is hugely influential in the historic narrative of modern Mexico and, although it had already been abandoned by the time of the Aztecs, even this great empire held it in awe. Soak up the history as you stroll along the imposing Avenue of the Dead, leading to the vast Pyramid of the Sun, and take the opportunity to climb its vertiginous, ancient steps for a panorama of the ruins and the surrounding countryside.

Stay at - Zocalo Central

Day 4

By road to San Miguel de Allende via Querétaro.

Your driver awaits. You’ll be collected from your hotel and driven through the city outskirts on the bewildering road network in the busy capital and continue through the mountains to the first of a necklet of glorious colonial cities, each with a character of its own: Querétero, where you will pause your journey to explore. You’ll have your first taste of the graceful Spanish baroque architecture of these locations, with some  monumental buildings situated on neat plazas. Later, continue to San Miguel de Allende and get settled in at your hacienda-style hotel, your base for the next 3 nights and ideally situated for wandering the picturesque streets of this baroque colonial jewel of Mexico’s Bajío region.

Stay at - Hacienda El Santuario

Day 5

Walking tour of San Miguel de Allende.

The delightful and arty colonial town of San Miguel de Allende is filled with opulent mansions and handsome churches, all connected by narrow, cobbled streets. It was once an important crossroads for mule trains, which carried silver and gold to the capital, Mexico City. You will visit the church La Parroquia, notable for its fantastic neo-gothic exterior; Casa del Mayorazgo, the town’s most sumptuous mansion; Casa Allende, a historical museum in what was the birthplace of Independence hero Ignacio Allende; Templo de la Concepcion – a huge dome from 1891 towers over the gilded altar of this church; Oratorio de San Felipe Neri (a series of 33 oil paintings inside this church depict the life of the Florentine St. Philip Neri); and other notable buildings.

Stay at - Hacienda El Santuario

Day 6

Excursion to Guanajuato

You’ll be met by your guide at the hotel for the 1½ hr drive to Guanajuato, perhaps the grandest example of Mexico’s silver cities. This lively university town with a strong artistic bent – there are several theatres, museums and galleries – is a former silver-mining town set in a narrow arid canyon. Its asymmetric colonial mansions, cobbled lanes and flower-decked plazas are simply delightful. The  atmospheric city is built on the sides of the steep ravine: there isn’t enough flat land for roads and much of the traffic is channelled along underground roads which follow the routes of the old mine galleries.

Guanajuato also has several interesting museums and some splendid colonial churches. Your hotel is on the edge of town. You have a full day to explore; the centre is best discovered on foot.

Stay at - Hacienda El Santuario

Day 7

Transfer to Mexico City and fly to Zihuatanejo on the Pacific Coast.

Depart in the morning for the return leg to Mexico City from where a one hour flight takes you from the highlands to the tropics, and the resort of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo on the Pacific coast. The hilly coastline is scalloped by pretty coves, each sheltering a shimmering beach. Settle into your hotel and enjoy the wonderful views.

Stay at - Las Brisas Ixtapa

Days 8-11

At leisure on the beach. Optional activities and water sports.

4 full days at leisure on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Enjoy the best of both worlds here: whilst Ixtapa is a modern purpose-built resort town, Zihuatenejo next door – just 15 minutes way by taxi – retains lots of Mexican charm with winding cobbled streets to explore and a romantic beach promenade. With glorious white-sand beaches, the Pacific coastline at Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo attracts travellers seeking a slightly lower-key alternative to the Riviera Maya resorts on the Mexican Caribbean, where development has raced ahead since the 1990s.

Please note: Current UK Government (FCDO) guidelines advise against non-essential travel outside of the resorts of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo within the state of Guerrero. Please rest assured we have given full consideration to the FCDO advice when planning this holiday.

Stay at - Las Brisas Ixtapa

Day 12

Transfer to the airport, fly to Mexico City to connect with international flight home.

Short transfer to the airport at Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo to connect with your onward flight.