🇲🇽 Mexico
Ancient pyramids, colonial cities, Caribbean and Pacific beaches, and one of the world's richest culinary traditions.
🌍 View on the globe- Continent
- North America
- Capital
- Mexico City
- Best time to go
- November to April (dry season)
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN)
- Languages
- Spanish, plus 68 recognised Indigenous languages
Quick guide: Mexico essentials
🛂 Visa & entry
Many passport holders (including Canada, the US, the UK, the EU and Japan) can visit visa-free for up to 180 days; the immigration officer decides how long you get, so ask for enough days. Keep your entry record until you leave.
💉 Vaccines & health risks
Routine vaccines plus hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended. Dengue is present; use repellent. Low malaria risk in a few rural areas.
🚗 Driving
Drive on the right. Most foreign licences are accepted, but Mexican liability insurance is mandatory and US or Canadian policies usually don't cover it. Use toll highways (cuota) and avoid driving rural roads at night.
🏥 Healthcare & emergencies
Good private hospitals in big cities and resort areas, usually paid up front; get insurance. Emergencies: 911.
⚖️ Drug laws
The Supreme Court has ruled against punishing personal cannabis use, but there is no legal shop market and possession over 5 g can lead to arrest. All other drugs are illegal and the drug trade is linked to cartel violence, so don't buy. Check your government's state-by-state advice.
🎉 Nightlife & party scene
Mexico City's Roma and Condesa (mezcal bars, clubs, live music), Guadalajara, and the beach clubs of Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Late nights are normal. Drinking age 18.
Last reviewed 2026-10-17. Entry, health and legal rules change and can depend on your passport; always confirm with official sources before you travel.
City guides
All cities in Mexico (8,951)
- Sahuayo de Morelos 64k
- Guamúchil 64k
- Linares 63k
- Tesistán 62k
- San Andrés Tuxtla 62k
- Cortazar 62k
- San Salvador Tizatlalli 61k
- Ciudad Hidalgo 61k
- Martínez de la Torre 60k
- Villa Vicente Guerrero 60k
- Heroica Caborca 60k
- Altamira 60k
- Dolores Hidalgo Cuna de la Independencia Nacional 59k
- Teziutlan 59k
- Acámbaro 58k
- Jacona de Plancarte 57k
- Puerto Peñasco 57k
- Huauchinango 56k
- Nuevo Casas Grandes 56k
- Pátzcuaro 55k
- Sabinas 55k
- San Bernardino Tlaxcalancingo 55k
- Zinacantepec 54k
- Jardines de la Silla (Jardines) 54k
- Santiago Teyahualco 54k
- Coatepec 54k
- Papantla de Olarte 54k
- Rioverde 53k
- Ciudad de Huajuapan de León 53k
- Matamoros 52k
- Taxco de Alarcón 52k
- Arandas 52k
- Huamantla 52k
- Uriangato 51k
- Teoloyucan 51k
- Acayucan 51k
- Zumpango 51k
- Zacapú 50k
- San Luis de la Paz 50k
- Apizaco 50k
- Emiliano Zapata 49k
- Valladolid 49k
- Valle Hermoso 49k
- San Pedro 49k
- San Juan de los Lagos 49k
- Colonia del Sol 48k
- Santa Ana Chiautempan 48k
- Tierra Blanca 48k
- Tlapa de Comonfort 47k
- Tizimín 47k
- Autlán de Navarro 45k
- Mazatlan 45k
- Chiapa de Corzo 45k
- San Buenaventura 45k
- Purísima de Bustos 44k
- Tizayuca 43k
- Moroleón 43k
- Jerez de García Salinas 43k
- Jesús María 43k
- Palenque 43k