If you are visiting Mexico and want to save time, effort and even money, check out all these fantastic Mexico travel tips to visiting the country. I’ve asked some travel writers and bloggers to share their best ideas and tips to visiting from getting around, budgeting and finances to unique cultural and historic things to do outside of just the beach scenes and coastal resorts to hang out in.

Bookmark this post because it definitely is filled with some great ideas, tips and time saving efforts to traveling around the country safely, quick and in budget. These tips to visit Mexico is a great guide to also share with anyone you know that is planning on visiting the country soon.

Best tips for traveling to Mexico easy, safe and with less worries

Entering and exiting Mexico customs

No longer stays in Mexico

Mexican customs used to accept longer stays up to 180 days but they are now cracking down on longer stays and asking you at customs how long you plan on staying or even demanding proof of stay or air tickets departing the country. Mexico’s immigration system (INM) will issue the number of days you are allowed to stay from the documents you show or any oral representation of your visit. Make sure to have photos of your passport and FMM card on hand if you do get stopped for random checks anywhere around the country.

Be prepared if your request to stay longer than 30 days gets cut short if you do not have all the necessary documents to show proof at customs. You just may need to find a work around if you had plans that were changed through customs entry.

Save your FMM customs entry form for exit to Mexico

That immigration card called the FMM entry card is like a tourist Visa and typically given to USA and Canadian tourists entering the country. The FMM card is filled out and presented to customs entry and a portion given back to you stamped to hold and saved while you travel an eventually surrender when you exit customs at the airport. Do not lose the card or else you will be charged a fee for losing the FMM card.

You can fill out the FMM tourist card here and save it as a pdf that you can save to your laptop or cell phone for proof or event print out when you arrive at customs entry in Mexico.

Get a local Sim Card when you are in Mexico

Tips on getting around Mexico

Use Mexico’s long-haul bus system to get around

Mexico is a huge country, but its excellent transportation infrastructure makes it incredibly easy to get around. When it comes to traveling long distances, the long-haul buses in Mexico are a really safe and affordable way to get anywhere you want to go. Buses typically leave frequently and are very affordable, making them a really convenient way to get around, especially for shorter distances (say, trips under 5 hours).

There are numerous Greyhound-style bus companies to be found throughout Mexico, each offering a variety of service levels. Higher service levels (often called ejecutivo or “executive class”) offer super comfy seats, onboard restrooms, wifi, and a personal entertainment system. Economy class buses are more bare-bones (some don’t even have restrooms or A/C) and make more stops. Ultimately, you get what you pay for and there are options for every budget.

It’s important to note that different areas of Mexico are served by different bus lines. ADO is one of the country’s largest bus companies and it serves Southern Mexico, the east coast, and the Yucatan peninsula. ETN, Primera Plus, and Futura operate within central Mexico, and Estrella Blanca is a popular company on the Pacific Coast.

You can purchase bus tickets at the bus station or at convenience stores like Oxxo or Fasti. For larger bus companies, like ADO and ETN, you can purchase on their website. Since it can be challenging to figure out which bus line serves your destination, using a ticket aggregator like Busbud takes the guesswork out of booking your tickets.

Janine with Janine in the World

Traveling with regional air carriers

Taking regional flights to longer destinations around Mexico is cheap, fast and easy to do from many of the tourist areas. Most travel by air originates from Mexico City or does a layover at the capital before heading to other destinations around the country. It is easy enough to search for flights through online web search engines and find the regional carriers. Just be careful with some of the cheaper regional airlines offering good prices but add on separate charges for seat choice, luggage and weight, priority boarding and many other charges that easily add up to the price of regular priced carriers in the country. So searching online and checking out the various options and final price is always necessary to get the best value for the price that you pay.

Overall prices for air travel around the country will be relatively affordable unless you are booking during a popular time frame or event which will increase prices dramatically, so always book early for the best prices.

Grab an Uber/Negotiate with your taxi driver

Using Ride Sharing Apps like Uber

Renting or self-car travel around Mexico

Kelli with The Vanabond Tales

ATMs and other money saving ideas

Get the best exchange rate at ATMs and say no accepting the banks exchange rate

An important Mexico travel tip relates to money and exchange rates. Since Mexico is a largely cash society (there are many places you can’t pay using bank card including modest restaurants and street food stalls), you will likely want to withdraw cash semi-regularly.You can easily use the ATMs at the airport to dispense Pesos which typically give 100 to 500 peso denominations.

When you withdraw cash from an ATM, ensure you follow best practises to get a decent exchange rate. As is the case in many places, banks in Mexico set their own exchange rates for cash withdrawals which are favourable to them. When you select an amount to withdraw in pesos, you will be shown an amount in your home currency and asked ‘do you accept this exchange rate?’

Many travelers hit ‘yes’ assuming it will be a standardised rate. But since this figure is set by the banks, what you should actually do is press’ no’ which tells the bank you don’t want to pay their heightened exchange rates. You will still receive your money but it will be charged from your home bank at a better rate therefore charging you less.

Make sure to wait for your cash after hitting ‘no’! Sometimes travelers think no means they’re canceling the transaction. After receiving their card walking away, the machine will spit out your money. This is an especially important for solo travelers in Mexico because you have no companion to notice, and the person behind you in the line will probably get your hard-earned cash!

Rose with Where goes Rose

Use your credit cards for larger purchases

Conversions will be with your local bank and not what is being charged locally, also you can charge larger amounts for meals, souvenirs or buying anything and not using the pesos you have in hand. It’s good to have cash but you can also use your credit cards at larger cities, tourist attractions, restaurants and many other tourist venues and tours. Always ask ahead of time if your particular charge card is accepted with that particular establishment or you might have to use your Pesos if they say no.

Tipping in Mexico

Most people in Mexico especially in the service industries get very low wages so giving tips to show your appreciation is always appreciated especially for a service well done. Tipping is at your discretion and depending on the service and industry. For food service or taking tours, tips range from 10 to 20 percent depending on how good the service was. Street food vendors don’t get tipped but always appreciate any tips for good service. For drinks most will tip about 20 pesos per drink ordered.

If you use credit cards, check to see if the tip or propina is already included or there maybe be a sliding scale of tip amounts suggested in advanced for you to use.

You don’t need to tip for taxi drivers or buses or other types of transportation methods. Don’t forget the people that work in the hotels and clean up your rooms daily and an average of 50 to 100 pesos per day.

Always pay with Pesos

It’s tempting to bring dollars and use that to pay for things, but you will always get the lowest exchange rates. It’s always better to get pesos from a trusted Mexican bank name or use a credit card that you can pay directly in pesos and the cost changed directly to the currency that you are using. As they say in Mexico, paying with Pesos is king especially for smaller purchases and daily needs when you tour around the country.

Save your small change

You can easily use up all your small change for metro rides, snacks and even tipping when you typically get larger bills from the ATMs. Most street food vendors or souvenir shop will not have enough small change to cover anything larger bills you give them (200 to 500 peso bills) so always hold on to those 20 and 100 peso bills for many situations for everyday needs and those coins for tips, musicians or street performers and even street food vendors.

General travel tips in visiting Mexico

Stay closer to the Centro

Usually everything happens in the centro and you get the feel of the city and enjoy the vibe while being able to explore and walk around on your own. It might be a little bit more expensive but you can offset that with being able to see more attractions, do more things and also have more food choices available at different times of the day. When you stay in centro, then you get to find more unique and local spots to hang out, eat and explore in the downtown area.

Do you research and check those social media channels that you use

If you love Pinterest, Tic Toc, Instagram, Facebook or You Tube, you can easily search these social media channels to find unique and best places to eat, hang out and fun. Maybe you can easily join some local Facebook groups to places you want to visit and check out the general questions and tips offered in those local groups. Search quality sites like You Tube or Pinterest to find more in depth articles and fun tips to areas that you are visiting and learn more about where you are going ahead of time.

If you’re into meeting other expats or locals pay attention to meet ups that you’ll come across on different social media channels and make an effort to participate and meet others that are actually staying or visiting the area for longer time frames. This is a really great way of connecting, getting some tips and inside places to also visit and some local food spots that you’ll find from going to these events.

Things run a little slower in Mexico

You need to build in some extra time for everything in Mexico from getting around, service at restaurants to even buying things. It runs a little bit slower here so patience is key and don’t expect everything to open or start up right on time. Things are a little bit more casual so don’t expect meeting people promptly or service to happen right away especially when things get busy anywhere you go to. Just know that you should be somewhere earlier or expect normal delays for anything that you have planned in visit a tourist site, getting transportation arranged or even getting served at a local restaurant.

Learn a little Spanish for basic communication

Being safe Mexico

Mexico is relatively safe and comfortable and most tourist destinations are safe with the local government working hard to make sure visitors are safe.  Always be aware of your surroundings wherever you are visiting and typically stay in tourist areas unless you know where you are going. Try not to go alone when you travel but if you do travel solo always be aware of your surroundings when you are walking around.

Always try to blend in and not stand out and typically bring only the cash you need for the day or one secured credit card in your back pack or bag. Don’t wear flashy or designer clothing or accessories that stand out.

Passports should be kept in your hotel safe box or hotel front page check in and should not be carried around with you. Just make sure to have a copy of your passport with you for your daily use. Also, always have copies of your documents in digital copies and some paper copies for back up including your credit card numbers and bank phone number, phone numbers for reference if your phone gets stolen or lost.

Take busses, taxis or Uber for your basic transportation but if you are traveling on the rental car then only travel during the day time to avoid an night time activity targeted to visitors.

There are scams that do happen in tourist locations so be aware of so look out for the following:

Over priced taxis at the airport – always prebook your arrival ride, take an Uber cab or take a taxi from a sanctioned taxi stand or take a local bus.

Ordering food, look for extra charges or dishes that you didn’t include in your order. Tips on the bill are called propina so if they are included so you shouldn’t leave additional tip. The average tip is 10 percent is standard in Mexico.

Last always trust your instincts when you are traveling and in situations that might feel unsafe, always do what feels right for you.

Money saving travel tips in Mexico

Book your tours and attractions in advanced

If you have things in your bucket list of places to visit with restricted visiting times, always make sure to book your tours/attractions well in advanced. You’ll avoid any disappointment for not seeing Casa Azul, Theater seats at Bellas Artes or any other special venue that may be booked months in advanced for special performances or just getting an entrance to an attraction you want to visit while traveling around.

Go visit those outdoor/farmers markets or artesianas markets

Not only will you get to locals shopping and eating at all the local venues in the market but you get to try some of the delicious perishables, snacks and prepared foods and some of the local specialty foods of the area. Even if you’re looking for cheap or hand-made souvenirs, you’ll likely find them at any of the specialty markets in the area. Easy enough to Google the markets to visit in each location and catch a cab or Uber to get you to the market easy and cheap.Many Artesianas markets feature arts and crafts sold from the region and you’ll know that you are buying and supporting an artist directly or a vendor who sells from a variety of specialty made jewelry, clothing, crafts and souvenirs from the area.

Don’t always take the first price offered

If your visiting markets or taking a tour especially with a group of friends, don’t always take the first price offered and see if you can bargain or ask for a lower bulk price (if there’s more of you buying something). As long as you don’t go bottom basement vendors will not think any worse of gringos for asking for a deal or just a better price that one that is typically offered to unsuspecting tourists. This readily applies to taxis, group tours or even stays at a place, so give it a shot and don’t be shy about asking for a discount and smile while you do that.

How to get better rates for your accommodations in Mexico

Visit those Mexican Pyramids early in the morning for good light and avoid crowds

Whether you are visiting Teotihuacan from Mexico City or doing a Chichen Itza excursion from Cancun, it is always better to get to these famous Mexican pyramids really early in the morning. This not only helps you beat the crowds but also aids in avoiding the sultry Mexican heat.

Teotihuacan opens at 9:00am every day whereas Chichen Itza opens even earlier at 8:00am. Both Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and see thousands of tourists every day.

If you get here as soon as the gates open, you’ll sidestep the queues and get in really fast. Tour groups don’t arrive until 10:00 am which means you’ll have the entire archaeological site to yourself (apart from a few other early risers) and no extra heads in your pictures. Not to mention the fact that early morning light is also the best time to get some great shots of the monuments.

You can still climb the pyramids of Teotihuacan and it is best to do it before the sun shines brightly overhead. A good idea is to take a hot air balloon ride over Teotihuacan in the wee hours of the morning and then follow it up with a guided tour of the ruins.

For Chichen Itza, opt for a sunrise/early-access tour which also includes a swim at a nearby cenote. A morning tour will ensure you skip the crowds at both Chichen Itza and the cenote.

Tip by Soumya from Stories by Soumya

The sun is harsh in Mexico

Make sure you bring a hat or use sun screen since the sun and heat is harsh in Mexico and many tourist sites are not always sheltered and exposed so always be prepared for the heat and sun.  If you are in a beach area, do make sure to use reef safe sunscreen to protect the local sealife and tropical fish and keep the waters safe and pristine.

Bathroom etiquette and signage

Bathroom signs – a very basic but important sign to using the bathrooms is the signage. For women in Spanish is M for Mujeres and for men in Spanish is Hombres or H or sometimes C for caballeros. When you see these letters, make sure you remember M is for women and H or C is for the men’s bathroom.

Do not flush Toilet paper in older toilets

With antiquate sewage systems, outside of the resort areas, toilet’s typically have small garbage cans that you put your TP in and not clog up these old toilets around the country. Always be a good traveler and put your used TP into these small cans and help keep the toilet system running good and healthy for everyone.

Using Public toilets around Mexico

These public toilets are typically managed and cleaned by small owners and charge an average of 5 – 10 pesos to enter and give you toilet paper to use when entering the toilets, but always bring extra with you just in case you do need to use a public toilet.. Make sure to always keep your small change for things like using the public toilets because these places will not be able to give you change for larger peso denominations.

Tips on reducing single use plastic while in Mexico

One of the first things you’ll notice when you travel to Mexico is the high usage of single use plastics. Although efforts are being made to reduce, recycle or reuse them in a creative way, the usage is still very high compared to many other countries where alternatives are becoming more readily available.

Whilst it will be unavoidable to use a certain amount of plastic during your stay, here are some tips that should help you reduce your consumption.

Your major plastic waste during your stay will be bottled water since you can’t drink tap water in Mexico. Most households get their purified drinking water from ‘garrafones’ which are large (20L) PET plastic bottles. These can be purchased in many local stores and then exchanged once they’re empty. This is great if you’re staying in the country for longer. Most stores also sell large 5 or 6-litre water bottles too which might be a better alternative if you’re only in Mexico for the short term. Make sure to have a reusable water bottle and carry enough water for your activities to avoid buying water on the go.

You’ll also notice a great quantity of plastic straws and plastic cups for ice-cream. Consider carrying a metal straw with you and ask for your drink without one (‘¿Puedo tomar mi bebida sin pajita, por favor?’). In addition, you can buy your ice-cream in a cone instead of a cup.

There’s also an excessive use of plastic shopping bags and small plastic bags for fruit and vegetables. To avoid adding to the problem, bring your own reusable bag to shops and also buy your fruit and vegetables from the market. This way you’ll save plastic, save money – because locally sourced food is much more affordable – and your money will go straight to the community instead of supporting big chains.

Eating local Foods and drinks in Mexico

Don’t drink the tap water

Needless to say the tap water around the country is a no no for all tourists so always purchase your water or bring a water bottle and use the water provided in large contains at every hotel and typically found on every floor of each hotel. Or you can also bring a water bottle with a water grade filter to use and treat the water you might come across in more remote areas.

Restaurants typically give you purified water from the large 5 gallon jugs of containers. You can ask the waiters for ‘Une Vaso de Agua del Garrafone’ so you don’t always have to buy bottled water at the restaurants..

Try Local Foods

While tacos and Mexico go together like milk and cookies, there is so much more to Mexican food than just tacos. When you get to Mexico, you’ll realize there’s so much more to the cuisine than you ever knew, with many foods you’ve never ever heard of.

The cuisine of Mexico is very regional, so what you try will depend on where you’re visiting. In the Yucatan Peninsula, home to Cancun, Tulum, Merida, Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen and more, you’ll want to try traditional Yucatan foods.

These consist of cochinita pibil (suckling pig slow roasted underground), papadzules (egg enchiladas in pepita sauce), poc chuc (grilled pork), sopa de lima (lime soup), marquesitas (crepes), and more. You can find these in other parts of Mexico, but they taste best in the Yucatan, because the ingredients used for them are sourced locally.

On the west coast of Mexico, it’s all about fresh seafood. When in Baja California, but on the lookout for Baja fish and Baja shrimp tacos, as well as different preparations of fish, like pescado zarandeado (shaken fish).

Northern Mexico has a desert climate and lots of cattle ranches. There, you’ll find lots of dishes with beef, like machacha (dried beef), and the famed chivo (roasted goat). This part of Mexico is famous for their burritos, so make sure to try an authentic burrito norteño.

In Mexico City, it’s all about tacos al pastor but also specialties like tlacoyos. Other places in Central Mexico, like Oaxaca have mole and tlayudas to enjoy. The state of Puebla also has a unique mole called mole poblano, and giant sandwiches called cemitas.

Submitted by Shelley of Travel To Merida

Mexican Beverages to drink

Most visitors to Mexico stick to drinking what they know — tequila and margaritas — but there are so many other delicious beverages to try! Authentic Mexican drinks range from agua fresca to mezcal to Mexican hot chocolate and much more.

For a refreshing non-alcoholic drink, order an agua fresca. It’s a mix of pureed seasonal fruits, flowers, or seeds with water and sugar. Once you try one you’ll be hooked! The most popular flavors in Mexico are jamaica (hibiscus flower), horchata (rice starch, cinnamon, milk, and vanilla), and tamarind. Ask for it “sin azucar” for no added sugar.

Mezcal is often confused with tequila because they are both made from agave, but tequila is only made with one type of agave (blue weber agave), whereas mezcal can be made from over 30 different types of agave plants. Depending on the production process and tupe of agave used, mezcal can have a strong smoky flavor or a clean, grassy taste. Try sipping mezcales that are made from different agaves like cuishe, tobala, or tepextate to get a better understanding of the full range of unique flavors that each individual agave plant offers. Mezcal is usually served with orange slices and chile or chapulin (dried cricket) salt.

Don’t leave Mexico without trying an authentic hot chocolate! Cacao are native to Mexico and were considered the food of the gods by Mexico’s pre-hispanic inhabitants. Chocolate caliente (hot chocolate) is prepared with cacao, water or milk, sugar, almonds, and Mexican spices like cinnamon and it’s usually served in a clay mug.

By: Kristina of Off Path Travels

Ask Which is the Hottest Sauce

One of the best things about Mexico is all the delicious food.  Great taco stands abound.  Now, it’s important to understand Mexicans like their spice, and many stalls have their own delicious homemade hot sauces.  That’s why an important Mexico travel tip is to always find out which one is the hottest of the sauces.

You will usually see at least two, usually one red and one green.  It’s a common assumption that the red is hotter, and depending on region, that is probably true a lot of the time.  However, it is not a guarantee.  Coming from living in Cartagena, where generally people don’t each much hot sauce, even the “mild” is pretty spicy to be honest.

The last thing you want to do though is to confidently smother your taco in the sauce you think is mild, only to find yourself sweating out the heat after taking a bite.  Always ask which sauce is which, and specifically which is the hottest.  To ask this in Spanish, say “Cual salsa es la más picante?”

When you do try it, just try a little bit.  It’s much easier to add more than to have to power through something that’s too spicy to enjoy.  Also, a good tip is to watch the locals.  If they are just putting on a little bit, well, it’s definitely some very hot stuff.

By Adam McConnaughhay of CartagenaExplorer.com

Check out these other fantastic Mexico related topics

Types of foods to eat around Mexico

Places to visit in Mexico during Winter

Mexican souvenirs to take home

Conclusion to tips on visiting Mexico

Thanks for visiting today, hope that this post on tips to visiting Mexico was helpful and that you can bookmark this for any upcoming visits to the country. If you enjoyed the post, please do share it with any of the social media buttons below.

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