Arrived the 5th of July at Mexico city and left the 1St of August at Cancun
-4 nights at Mexico city because my girlfriend get sick. 2 or 3 are enough. Do the touribus tours (give a good view of this uge city) + anthropology museum + parks. Eat at GoTan (best argentin lomo we ever ate). The metro is dirty but useful and really cheap. We heard that the streets weren't safe at night so we were back at the hotel around 8-9pm. Wheather : good until it rains around 5 pm
-ADO bus (always chose the first class and wear trousers, warm clothes and scarf... The A-C is strong... Especially at night) to Oaxaca (6 hours). Beautiful colorful city full of live. Nice people. Good restaurants (pizza nostra, Los danzantes). Visit Monte Alban (at least 2 hours or more if you have a good book) and maybe the tall tree not far way. 3 nights should be enough. Wheather : same
-ADO bus to Palanque (15 hours during night). Find a hotel near Don Muchos restaurant (cheap, good, funny) so you will also be near the jungle an the ruins (minibus every 10 minutes in the street until 5pm). Visit the ruins (3 hours, great but hot), the Agua Azul (1day) and make the excursion Yaxchilan-Bonampak (the journey can but tough for long legs but worth it! Breakfast. Lancha trip on the river to ruins in the jungle. Visit of the ruins. Diner. Bonampak... 1800 pesos all included but water. Exhausting (6am to 7pm) but great.
Wheather until Cancun : hot and heavy, almost no rain so A-C in the room is really a plus.
-ADO bus to the paradisiac and not yet touristic city of Bacalar (8 hours). Not Xul-Ha... Bacalar (except maybe if you have a car) ! Find an hotel near the lagune (Nido Del Quetzal was nice but really simple breakfast). Chill into the marvelous water (watch out the sunstroke). Make a 2-4 hours boat tour.
-Bus to Valladolid (4 hours, weak A-C ?). City not very interesting... Just useful to acces Coba, EkBaam, cenotes and chichen itza. The cenote zaci is almost downtown and can be nice. Walk the Calle 41 and calzada de Los frailes until the restaurant yerbabuena del sisal (great healthy breakfast and diner!). We ate at a very nice restaurant, the aroma italia... Yes, again an Italian restaurant but good food was difficult to find in this city...
-Bus to Tulum (2 hours). We stayed 8 nights at tulum beach (3more than planned)...the Paradise ! Way more touristic than Bacalar but way less than Cancun or Playa Del Carmen : small résidences/hotels and not so many people. Staying at the beach is expensive but we found a B&B in our prices. Same for diner and souper... If you have no kitchen available, it could be expensive. But great place to finish our trip ! The cenotes, the ruines, the natural Park, the good restaurants, and... The BEAUTIFUL beach/sea ! (But Almost nothing to see in snorkeling)
-Bus collectivo (50pesos/pers) to Playa del Carmen (1 hour). 3 nights, just to see the maya gate, the Avenue and have snorkeling boat trips around Isla Cozumel, Mujeres and Contoy.
-Bus to Cancun (1 hours) to our flight back is tomorrow !
If you have more time than us : Uxmal looks great... And Campeche ?... Isla mujeres + Isla Contoy !
If you have less time : no Mexico city
The bus is the only way to travel without car (we didn't find good good flights). Long journeys but cheap and they (buses) are everywhere and frequent.
Be flexible, sickness can strike so you might need 1 or 2 nights more to rest and enjoy the next steps of your trip. Avoid ice and raw vegetables or ask if it's made/washed with purified water (tap water is never drinkable).
Backpacks : max 15kg (less for girl... 12?)... Hard to carry with the heat even during short distances. Moreover you have a little backpack on your front... Hot !
As a couple we wanted private rooms and bathroom so our budget was around 25-35 euros/nights (more expensive in Tulum). But you can easily find cheaper places. We also like good food but 10 euros/person is enough.
