Viva México ★★★★★
I. MEXICO CITY
01 — 29 Dec 2025
MEXICO CITY · TEOTIHUACÁN
The Aztec pyramids and the first encounter with Mexico
Mexico City is a vast metropolis, with its pros and cons. It is truly beautiful, hyperpopulated — 25 million inhabitants — fascinating, but also poor and, in some ways, difficult to understand. You will always feel like a tourist. Always. Afraid, yet curious.
► Practical tip: trust the metro. It is punctual, reliable, and safe, with carriages reserved for women and children and security checks everywhere. Buses only stop at stations — don’t even try.
We arrive on a Monday — the day when all museums are closed — so we take the opportunity to head to Teotihuacán with a comfortable Uber. It is more than an hour’s journey, but absolutely worth it.
A free tour with an exceptional anthropologist guide: we visit the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and, on our own, the third one — the richest in iconographic symbolism. The guide points out the alignment of the pyramids, identical to that of Giza, thousands of kilometers away. Two civilizations that could never have met.
► Here — unlike Chichén Itzá — it is still possible to climb the pyramids. A physically demanding experience, but emotionally unforgettable.
✦ Pyramid of the Sun ✦ Pyramid of the Moon ✦ Uber recommended ✦ Free tour
02 — 30 Dec 2025
MEXICO CITY · CHAPULTEPEC
The most beautiful museum in the world and a forest overlooking the megalopolis
Today: the Museum of Anthropology. Book your tickets in advance — you’ll avoid the long lines at the only two electronic machines. There are no audio guides: you can either book a tour or explore on your own. It’s a must. Beautiful, incredibly rich, never repetitive. Unmissable.
In the afternoon, a Guruwalk tour of the cathedral and the historic center. Then Chapultepec Park: a vital green lung, with breathtaking views over almost the entire city. The day ends in Zona Rosa, among great little spots and a churro finally found.
✦ Museum of Anthropology ★★★ ✦ Chapultepec Park ✦ Free Guruwalk ✦ Zona Rosa
03 — 31 Dec 2025
COYOACÁN · NEW YEARS
Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and a New Year’s Eve not to spend in the Zócalo
Third Guruwalk, discovering Coyoacán: the market, the historic villas, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo — the Casa Azul. An elegant and alternative neighborhood, where you can still feel the intellectual atmosphere of the 1960s.
► New Year’s Eve warning: the Zócalo is no longer the main square for New Year celebrations. The fireworks and festivities have moved to Zona Rosa. The Zócalo is where Independence Day is celebrated.
✦ Casa Azul — Frida Kahlo ✦ Coyoacán ✦ Free Guruwalk
04 — 1 Jan 2026
CDMX → CANCÚN · GUADALUPE SANCTUARY
Happy New Year, then off we fly to Yucatán
Before leaving: a hop-on hop-off ride to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A rare place, filled with spirituality and compassion. Absolutely worth seeing. Then a domestic flight to Cancún — around €100 with local airlines.
► Bring cash in pesos. From Cancún onward, not everyone accepts cards — and a prepaid card is preferable.
II. LO YACUTAN
Cenotes, Jungle, Tren Maya & crystal-clear sea
05 — 2 Jan 2026
CANCÚN · HOLBOX
A disappointing arrival that turns into a dream on the beach
A quick visit to downtown Cancún — Mercado 28 is an open-air bazaar that doesn’t impress. Then an ADO bus to Chiquilá, followed by a ferry to Holbox. The arrival feels disorienting: broken roads, tuk-tuks everywhere. And yet… the hotel is right on the beach. A dream place. A spectacular sunset, and octopus tacos in a charming little spot.
✦ Holbox ✦ Tacos de Pulpo ✦ Tramonto sulla spiaggia
06 — 3 Jan 2026
CHICHÉN ITZÁ · VALLADOLID
The cenotes, the private tour, and a Mexican wedding
Tour to Chichén Itzá: too touristy. On the other hand, our driver Jhonatan is exceptional — we adjust the itinerary based on his advice. Cenote Selva Maya: evocative, framed by roots, it feels prehistoric. Cenote Ik Kil: the most famous, intimate and natural inside.
► Cenotes: entrance €15–17. They are geological remnants from asteroid impacts on Earth — millions of years of history you can swim in.
An evening in Valladolid — colorful and lively. Dinner at Carpe Diem, highly recommended. And a real Mexican wedding. What an emotion.
✦ Cenote Selva Maya ✦ Cenote Ik Kil ✦ Valladolid ✦ Carpe Diem ★
07 — 4 gen 2026
MÉRIDA · UXMAL
Manuel the guru, a beautiful cathedral, and ruins in the jungle
In Mérida, a Guruwalk with Manuel — an outstanding archaeologist. Cathedral, Santa Lucía Park, a museum with murals, the university, and the Rector’s Office. The city center feels safe.In the afternoon, a tour to Uxmal: a Mayan site immersed in lush greenery, spectacular. Not to be missed. And of course, Cenote Samula, inside a cave.
✦ Uxmal ★★★ ✦ Cenote Samula ✦ Guruwalk with Manuel
08 — 5 gen 2026
TREN MAYA · CAMPECHE
Il Tren Maya: una delle esperienze più belle del viaggio
Today we take the Tren Maya — inaugurated in December 2024, still in its trial phase. We are part of the experiment.
✦ The Tren Maya was designed to showcase this part of Mexico, with proceeds supporting the preservation of Mayan heritage. Great care, strong attention to customers, and very helpful staff. Brand new, functional, and impeccably clean.
First stop: San Francisco de Campeche. Guruwalk with Ricardo, an archaeologist. Two hours turn into three — no regrets. Colonial House No. 6, the Cathedral, the Monastery, the Church of Jesús. He even treats us to an aperitivo. Dinner at Conchita Cervera: an excellent, very affordable traditional spot.
✦ Tren Maya ★★★ ✦ Campeche ✦ Conchita Cervera ★
09 — 6 gen 2026
ESCÁRCEGA · XPUJIL
The real Mexico: off the beaten path
Escárcega is just a stopover. Dusty roads, Wild West style shops, crumbling houses. This is the real Mexico — not the tourist one, but the authentic one. Here you find habanero, the chili that makes even the devil blush.
Xpujil lies within the reserve, immersed in the jungle. Dinner at Sazón Veracruz. One to remember.
✦ Riserva of the jungle ✦ Sazon Veracruz ★ ✦ Authentic Mecixo
10 — 7 gen 2026
CALAKMUL · BIOSFERA MAYA
The most incredible day: Calakmul and the biosphere
At 9, a private guide takes us to Calakmul. Climbing to the top of the pyramids: kilometers and kilometers of biosphere on the horizon. Nothing but jungle. As the world should be. Monkeys dance among the ancient stones. Orchids at the foot of the trees. Snakes crossing the road. This day was incredible. The biosphere alone is worth the journey.
Sightings: gray fox · howler monkeys · spider monkeys · tapir · crocodile · wild turkey · red-headed woodpecker · blue butterfly · orchids · snakes · termite mounds · palo de campeche
✦ Calakmul ★★★ ✦ Mayan Biosphere ✦ Wildlife
11 — 8 gen 2026
BACALAR · TULUM
Bacalar’s aquatic paradise and the cliffside ruins
Sailing tour on the Bacalar Lagoon. We set off in the fog, then the sky opens up: you walk on water, swim among birds and water lilies. On the trees, colorful salamanders, motionless as if they’ve always been there. Then Tulum: dinner at Burrito Amor and the ruins on the cliff — fascinating above all for their location.
✦ Laguna di Bacalar ★★★ ✦ Rovine di Tulum ✦ Burrito Amor ★
12 — 9 gen 2026
ISLA MUJERES · FINE VIAGGIO
Turquoise water, white sand, and a mezcal to finish
From Cancún, a ferry every half hour to Isla Mujeres. Packed with tourists, yet still beautiful. The water is less salty than ours, with fine white sand. A mezcal on the beach to celebrate a journey that surprised and moved us. Final dinner at Lola Valentina. Ending on a high note — and deliciously.
✦ Isla Mujeres ✦ Mezcal on the beach ✦ Lola Valentina ★
★★★★★
Un paese che non ti aspetti. Un viaggio da cui non vuoi tornare.
I messicani sono gentili, curiosi, diffidenti ma disponibili. La cucina è varia e sorprendente. Il Tren Maya ti dà la dimensione della grandezza di questo paese, della sua ricchezza naturale e di quell'arretratezza che paradossalmente lo salva dal resto del mondo.
Non mi aspettavo un Messico così. Per la prima volta nella mia vita non me ne sarei più andata. Volevo ancora girare, ancora scoprire questo paese meraviglioso e misterioso.
"Grazie Messico — e grazie alla nostra Stylist per essere stata il nostro angelo discreto, che ci ha lasciato scoprire tutto con l'illusione di essere delle vere viaggiatrici... ma con la ruota di scorta!"
— Alla prossima avventura