🇲🇽 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)
- Francisco I. Madero 2k
- Vizarrón 2k
- Sergio Butrón Casas 2k
- Collantes 2k
- Manuel María Contreras 2k
- El Ceñidor 2k
- Nuevo Morelos 2k
- Tlacuitlapa 2k
- San Rafael Calería 2k
- Bonifacio Moreno (El Aguaje) 2k
- Esteros 2k
- Santa María 2k
- Buena Vista de la Salud 2k
- Amapa 2k
- Chan Cenote 2k
- San Miguel Zapotitlán 2k
- Primero de Mayo 2k
- Pardo 2k
- Valle de Zaragoza 2k
- San Andrés Coru 2k
- Las Cañadas 2k
- Tulapam 2k
- San Mateo 2k
- Pericos 2k
- Santos Reyes Pápalo 2k
- Casitas 2k
- Sauta 2k
- Santa Catarina Villanueva 2k
- La Concepción Xochicuautla 2k
- Río Lagartos 2k
- Doctor Rodulfo Figueroa (Tierra Blanca) 2k
- Tlaxmalac 2k
- Los Azulitos 2k
- Santa Isabel Chalma 2k
- El Ciruelo 2k
- Lázaro Cárdenas 2k
- Santiago de Anaya 2k
- General Calixto Contreras 2k
- Ignacio Zaragoza 2k
- Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos 2k
- Agustín de Iturbide 2k
- La Magdalena Yancuitlalpan 2k
- Ixcuinquitlapilco 2k
- Unión Ejidal Tierra y Libertad 2k
- El Tigre 2k
- Santa Cecilia Tepetitlán 2k
- El Castillo 2k
- Maravillas 2k
- Santiago Astata 2k
- Emiliano Zapata (San José Bata) 2k
- Veinte de Noviembre 2k
- San Miguel Tlalpoalán 2k
- Salado 2k
- El Coyul 2k
- Ixhuapán 2k
- Querétaro 2k
- Barrio de Centro del Cerrillo 2k
- Centro de Readaptación Social Nuevo 2k
- Los Cerritos 2k
- San Francisco Chalchihuapan 2k