Your Expert Guide: Spring Break with Kids (Mexico 2024)
Every January and February I’m contacted by people looking to plan their spring break trip with kids in Mexico, which is wonderful since I love helping people plan vacations in Mexico. This year I thought I’d put my top spring break with kids (Mexico) into one article.
My first response to the request for help is always, “great choice, spring break Mexico is a fabulous option for a family vacation.”
📌 Then I like to highlight that Mexico is an enormous country with almost 10,000 km of coastline covering the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California.
📌 It’s also an astoundingly biodiverse country where you can visit exquisite beaches, trek in pristine jungles, descend into canyons bigger than the Grand Canyon and learn in world class museums. You can swim over reefs, dive into cenotes, marvel under waterfalls, trek in the desert or climb volcanoes.
⭐️ There’s no end to Mexico’s magnificence. Why limit yourself?
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Spring Break with Kids, Mexico
🧳 Figuring out what to pack when traveling to Mexico with kids can be tricky so we’ve got you covered with a super useful article that covers all the bases.
🍼 If you’re travelling with little ones, did you know that there are equipment rental services to save you bringing car seats, cribs, strollers etc?
✅ Don’t forget to buy insurance before you travel, especially when traveling with kids.
Let’s consider now, the best options for spring break with kids (Mexico 2024). We’ll look at
⭐️ Where to find the best beaches
⭐️ Awesome water based activities (not necessarily on the beach)
⭐️ Where to find the best ruins
⭐️ Spring break city adventures
⭐️ Road trip ideas
Remember: While most of the college student ‘spring breakers’ will be gearing up to party on the Riviera Maya (Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum), in Puerto Vallarta and in Los Cabos, there are multiple awesome spring break destinations for families heading to Mexico from the United States and from further afield. You can absolutely find great vacation options in the traditional spring break destinations or you can look further afield.
Relaxing on the Beach
As noted above, Mexico has almost 10,000 km of coastline. That’s a lot of beach to choose from.
⭐️ The most popular beach spots during spring break are Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Puerto Vallarta. Even if you decide to head to one of these areas, it is possible to find quieter, more family friendly vacation possibilities and to avoid the foam party wildness.
Mexico’s Most Popular Beach Areas
Caribbean Sea / Caribbean Coast / Riviera Maya
Cancun
Pros: All inclusives, fabulous Caribbean beaches with white sand and turquoise ocean, great activities, easy access to Isla Mujeres via ferry
Cons: Busy, big party scene during spring break
Playa del Carmen
Pros: All inclusives, great activities, easy ferry to Cozumel
Cons: Busy beaches, very busy, big party scene during spring break. Beaches not as beautiful as Cancun or Tulum
⭐️ Check hotel options in Playa del Carmen
➡️ Read more about Playa del Carmen at Spring Break and about Playa del Carmen with kids
Tulum
Pros: Caribbean beaches, chilled out hipster vibe
Cons: pricy, Tulum town isn’t on the beach. The road to the beach can be extremely busy.
Bacalar
Pros: A wildly gorgeous inland laguna next to a pueblo magico
Cons: Not technically a beach
Pacific Ocean
Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco)
Pros: Vibrant culture, good queer scene, great day trips available including to the Secret Beach (only for older kids)
Cons: Waves can be large during spring break so great for surfing, less good for kids. Water is cooler than on Caribbean Coast. Very built up.
⭐️ Check hotel options in Puerto Vallarta
Sayulita (Jalisco)
Pros: This surfer-chic hippy town is a pueblo magico with no large hotel chains or all-inclusives. Great restaurants (again, no chains). Low key day trips into the jungle or out to the ocean.
Cons: Getting more popular and therefore prices are rising.
Puerto Escondido and surrounding area, Oaxaca
Pros: Chilled out, traditionally popular with the backpacker crowd but becoming more mainstream. If you enjoy sitting under palapas sipping a beer while the kids play, this is a perfect option. Day trips include whale watching.
Cons: Harder to reach than some of the other areas
Gulf of California/Sea of Cortez
Photo taken by Coleman Concierge
Los Cabos, Baja California Sur
Pros: desert meets mountains, Gulf meets ocean. Stunning beaches, great hotels, incredible food, incredible snorkeling and diving opportunities.
Cons: Los Cabos are the Cancun of Baja California so if you’re avoiding Cancun, this might not be for you either.
⭐️ Check hotel options in Los Cabos
La Paz, Baja California Sur
Pros: Just two hours north of Los Cabos and you’re away from all the spring break partying. Access to the Sea of Cortez, an incredible marine world that is sometimes called, “the world’s aquarium”. Wonderful restaurants, Balandra Beach, great climate.
Cons: Tranquility can be pricy.
⭐️ Check hotel options in La Paz
Gulf of Mexico
Progreso, Yucatán
Pros: laid back beach town with small hotels and gentle beaches
Cons: Not a luxury destination. Cruise ships dock here, which can make the city busy
Isla Aguada, Campeche
Pros: tiny fishing village with year round dolphins
Cons: Hard to book accommodation as the place is so small
Holbox, Quintana Roo
Pros: tropical island, incredible beaches
Cons: over-touristed, services not always up to coping with the number of visitors
El Cuyo, Yucatán
Pros: laid back fishing village with pristine beaches
Cons: Hard to reach with public transport
Focus on Yucatán Beaches
The north coast of the Yucatan Peninsula is often referred to as the Costa Esmerelda because of the gorgeous green of the Gulf waters. The beaches are calm and this region is a popular destination for national tourists. While you might not have 24-hour room service or even luxury all inclusive hotels along this stretch of the Mexican coast, it’s still a perfect place to visit with the kids. Find a hotel in Progreso, along the coast or even in-land in Mérida and explore the area with a rental car.
➡️ Visit the pink lakes at Las Coloradas, Chichen Itza and other awesome ruins from here.
➡️ For people who enjoy windy activities, the kite surfing scene is growing rapidly along this coast.
Water Based Activities
If you’re after a beach vacation with water activities, Mexico is home to fabulous water parks and theme parks, scuba diving and snorkeling opportunities, kite surfing beaches and so much more.
Best water parks: Around Cancun and Playa del Carmen – Mayan Kingdom, Xcaret, Xel-Ha, Selvatica
Best snorkelling and scuba diving: Gulf of California/Sea of Cortez and off the island of Cozumel, or coast of Cancun
⭐️ Check Sea of Cortez options and Cancun options
Best whale watching: Swim with whale sharks from La Paz at spring break. Off the coast of Oaxaca it’s also possible to see humpback whales Dec – April.
Best swimming with sea turtles: Akumal, Rivera Maya
Best waterfalls: El Chiflon, Agua Azul, Las Nubes and Misol-Ha in Chiapas, Tamul in Huasteca Potosina, San Luis Potosi, and Hierve el Agua in Oaxaca.
Best cenotes: found particularly around Mérida, Valladolid and Tulum. While some are deep enough for scuba diving, other cenotes are perfect for kids and nervous swimmers.
All-Inclusive vs Self-Catering in Mexico for Spring Break?
📌 Choose an inclusive resort if you’re looking to relax somewhere with beautiful beaches, a swim-up bar, a kids’ club and water slides. If you have zero interest in cooking then an all inclusive is also a great option.
💥 Remember that all-inclusives will generally be busy, especially those geared towards partying a this time of year.
📌 Otherwise, consider a traditional hotel or renting an apartment wherever you decide to stay as they’re generally cheaper and restaurants/street food in Mexico are excellent and very affordable.
Focus on staying in an all-inclusive: Marcy in Mommyland
Los Cabos is one of our favorite family destinations and when we visit, we like to stay at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos. It’s located in San Jose del Cabo, which is the quieter area of Los Cabos and perfect for families wanting to get away from the “party scene” of Cabo San Lucas. San Jose del Cabo is known for its cool art scene and local cafes. It’s also not far from Cabo San Lucas so you can still take boat rides, look for whale sharks, and do a taco crawl.
The Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos resort is set up well for families. There’s a kids club with tons of programming throughout the day and their own water play area. Kids will love the general pool area because there’s a swim up bar where they can order unlimited virgin lava flows. If you can swing it, I highly recommend reserving a poolside cabana for at least one day. It’s an easy way to let your kids swim while you relax in the shade and have people bring you tropical drinks and tasty food.
The pool area is just steps away from the beach. While I wouldn’t recommend swimming here (the waves are pretty intense), it’s a nice place for kids to play in the sand or take a family walk at sunrise or sunset. They also have horseback riding available.
Since it’s an all-inclusive, you don’t have to stress out about whether or not your kids will eat something. There are also lots of pop up food booths near the pool area during the day so it’s easy to grab lunch items for your family without dragging everyone away from the pool. And of course, there’s also in-room dining for those nights when everyone is tired and you just want to eat in your room.
Exploring Mexican Ruins
If your family is interested in Mexican history then a trip based around seeing some of the incredible ancient ruins in Mexico could be a great option for your spring break vacation.
Ruins on the Yucatán Peninsula
Many of the ‘big name ruins’ are in located on the Yucatan Peninsula making the cities Mérida or Valladolid excellent choices for visiting ruins. The most famous of the ancient Mayan ruins found in Mexico are Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Ek Balam, Tulum. There are also many smaller sites that are also exciting to visit.
📍 Yucatan: Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Ek Balam, Izamal Ruta Puuc, Dzibilchaltun and more
📍 Campeche: Edzna, Calakmul, Xpujil, Becan and more
📍 Quintana Roo: Tulum, Coba and more
Also on the Yucatan Peninsula: hundreds of incredible cenotes, beaches, gorgeous jungle, pueblos magicos
⭐️ Read more about visiting the beautiful cities of Mérida, Valladolid and Campeche with kids
📌 Did you know that I wrote the ultimate travel guide for families visiting Yucatán? It’s available in both English and Spanish.
Ruins in Puebla/Cholula
The cities of Puebla and Cholula are often visited together. The biggest pyramid in Mexico is actually located in Cholula and while it’s no longer possible to go inside it or to climb it, it’s still incredible to see.
Also in Puebla/Cholula: Popocatepetl volcano and national park, plenty of museums, great restaurants
⭐️ Check hotel options in Puebla and Cholula
➡️ Read more about visiting Puebla and Cholula with kids
Ruins in Chiapas
The most famous ruins to visit in the state of Chiapas are those of Palenque. There are others, too, including Yaxchilan and Bonampak. This state in southern Mexico is one of my favourite options for a family road trip.
Also in Chiapas: San Cristobal de las Casas, a gorgeous mountain town, Lagos de Montebello (possible to nip to into Guatemala from here), waterfalls (see above)
⭐️ Check out hotel options near Palenque and in San Cristobal del as Casas
➡️ Read more about Chiapas with kids
Ruins in Oaxaca
The biggest and most well known ruin in Oaxaca state is the incredible Monte Alban. Mitla is the second most visited. Others include Lambityeco, Yagul, Dainzú and others.
Also in Oaxaca: The famous petrified waterfall, Hierve el Agua, walking in the Sierra Norte, even getting down to the Oaxaca coast (some of Mexico’s best beaches are here). The markets of Oaxaca are absolutely incredible and the food in this state is second to none. Oaxacan cuisine is pretty much what most people think of when they think of Mexican food so if you want to get your taste buds a tingling, eating in the Oaxacan markets and restaurants is a winning option.
⭐️ Check out hotel options in Oaxaca
➡️ Read more about Oaxaca
Spring Break Mexican Big City Adventures
Why not consider a city break over spring break? Mexico has some incredible cities with so much to offer visitors and particularly children. Mexico has a very child centered, family oriented culture so it should come as no surprise that there are fabulous museums, parks and activities for kids all across the country.
Focus on Mexico City with Kids
While most people are thinking about the best places to relax on the beach, why not take a direct flight to CDMX, Mexico’s capital city and explore this amazing place.
Mexico City is a firm favorite for my entire family, we love the city and my kids regularly complain that we don’t go back enough. With historical sites, museums and galleries, incredible parks and fabulous restaurants, Mexico City is an absolute winner of a family vacation.
Best Family Museum: Papalote Museo del Niño
Best Park: Bosque de Chapultepec
Best Family Day Out: Canals of Xochimilco or visiting Teotihuacan and taking a hot air balloon over the pyramids
Other Mexican cities I wholeheartedly recommend for spring break family vacations:
Mérida, Yucatan
Great for access to beaches, cenotes, ruins, museums. Merida is one of the safest cities in Mexico and it has plenty of amazing activities for kids.
🚗 Awesome day trips from Mérida include visiting the yellow city of Izamal, seeing the pink salt lakes of Las Coloradas, the flamingos in Celestun and swimming in cenotes in Homun.
Guadalajara, Jalisco
One of the biggest cities in Mexico, Guadalajara, like Mexico City is full of fabulous museums and big parks. It also has a great zoo and a theme park just outside town. The day trips from Guadalajara are another reason to consider this city as serious contender in the spring break with kids in Mexico planning.
🚗 Awesome day trips from Guadalajara include visiting the pueblo magico of Tequila and Lake Chapala.
Guanajuato, Guanajuato
Although a less visited, and smaller city, the colourful city of Gaunajuato has plenty to recommend it. With dozens of museums, excellent restaurants and fun tunnels around the city, there’s plenty to do here for families (although fewer playgrounds than in other cities mentioned) if the kids are capable of walking decent distances and don’t mind steps (it’s a very hilly city). Guanajuato is one of the most colourful cities you’ll ever visit and it’s also awfully keen on Cervantes.
🚗 Awesome day trips from Guanajuato include Dolores de Hidalgo, San Miguel de Allende.
Queretaro/Tequisquiapan, Queretaro
These two small cities have plenty to recommend it for families visiting Mexico for spring break, particularly when it comes to the day trip options.
🚗 Awesome day trips from Queretaro/Tequisquiapan include visiting the opal mines, checking out waterfalls, taking a trip into the Sierra Madre and all the way over to see Edward James’ weird Xilitla house and gardens and even climbing up the Bernal monolith (photo above).
⭐️ Check out hotel options in Queretaro and Tequisquiapan
➡️ Read more about visiting Queretaro and Tequisquiapan with kids
Intrepid Extras for Spring Break with Kids (Mexico 2024)
🚂 If you’re a family of train lovers, you could:
➡️ take a trip through the Copper Canyon on the Chepe Train
➡️ Ride through the Yucatan Peninsula on the brand new for 2024, Maya train
🚗 If you’re a road tripping kind of family check out these epic Mexican options:
➡️ 10 day Yucatán road trip (the main sites)
➡️ 10 days exploring off the beaten path in Yucatán
➡️ Southern Mexico road trip around Campeche, Tabasco and Chiapas
➡️ Chiapas road trip including down to the border with Guatemala
I hope that this article has given you some great Mexican destinations to think about when planning your family trip to Mexico whether you’re thinking spring break, winter break or even summer vacation. Whatever time of year you plan to visit Mexico, you’ll always find something incredible to experience.
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