Are you thinking about taking a trip with your best friends? Not sure where to go? Considering Mexico?

Friend, you should absolutely be considering Mexico. I’ve been travelling around Mexico with my friends for years, taking trips, laughing, learning, exploring and bonding, so let me tell you about six of the most incredible trips to take with friends in Mexico.

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CDMX (Mexico City)

PERFECT FOR: Small groups who love culture, Mexican culture, great food, incredible street art and historic sites. The city to wow even the most seasoned city lover. CDMX, Mexico’s capital city, has overtaken London as my favourite big city in the world.

Must Do’s in CDMX:

• Anthropology Museum, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Frida’s House and the Templo Mayor Museum are all required visiting when in Mexico City for the first time.
• Museo Mural Diego Rivera – home to Rivera’s incredible “Sueño de una tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central”
• Museo Kaluz – a stunning museum full of Mexican art with a wonderful terrace cafe.
• Museo Memoria y Tolerancia  – a huge museum dealing with not only historical genocides but also Mexico’s actions towards women and the LGBTQI+ community.
• Monumento a la Revolucion – a striking monument that houses a small museum and offers incredible views over the city.
• Cárcamo de Dolores – in Chapultepec Park you find this small hydraulic structure covered in murals by Diego Rivera. Outside it is an incredible sculpture of Tlaloc (picture above).
• Soumaya Museum – a private art museum.
• Museo Anhuacalli – Diego Rivera’s astounding collection of pre-Hispanic art and one of my absolute favourite places in the city.

Even this is just a small selection of the incredible options available in the city. There are incredible day-trip options from the city, most notably the Sun and Moon Pyramid complex at Teotihuacan, the canals of Xochimilco and the stunning city of Puebla.

Areas to explore: For visitors, Reforma, Coyoacán, Condesa and Centro Historico are the primary areas in which to spend time. The city is huge and getting around isn’t always fast so be reasonable in what you plan to do. Don’t assume you can take in adventures all across the city in one day.

Where To Eat in Mexico City

Well, two of the world’s top 50 restaurants are in CDMX. I haven’t eaten in either of them because my Michelin star-eating days more or less died when we had kids but I’ve heard great things about them: Pujol and Quintonil are both in Polanco. Galanga is a famous Thai restaurant that is truly delicious but my personal favourite Thai in town is Pad Thai, a tiny roadside joint in Roma Norte. It’s cheap, quick and always busy despite looking like absolutely nothing special. I recently had brunch at Yerba Santa, a short walk from the Angel de Independencía and I can’t stop thinking about the incredible meal we had. Highly recommended.

You have to try ALL the street food, too. Tostadas in the Coyoacan market will blow your mind and if you like churros then they must come from a branch of Churrería El Moro.

Top Tip: Cafebreria El Pendulo is an amazing book store with a restaurant and bar upstairs. We spent a happy few hours browsing here before heading upstairs for cocktails while staring at the gorgeous INAH building opposite.

Where to Stay in Mexico City

Find all the best deals for hotels and apartments on the interactive map, below.

For more detailed CDMX fun, you’ll have to head over to my full-length articles about the city.

Tequila, Jalisco

The idea of weekend fun without family began with Tequila when I sent out a tentative message to my group of friends asking, “anyone want to join me for a trip to Tequila?” As we were a fairly new group of friends, I expected that maybe I’d get one yes if I was lucky. As it was, almost everyone said yes and this trip actually cemented us as a group, we’ve travelled together ever since.

PERFECT FOR: Groups who want to take it slow, enjoy tequila and being in a small town. Tequila is about 90 minutes from the Guadalajara airport. Many adult-only groups like to take the tequila train from Guadalajara and while I’m sure it’s a ton of fun (because everything is fun when you’re with friends), I prefer having the freedom to wander around and take my time when visiting a new place.

Must Do’s In Tequila

• Tequila is a small town so it’s easy to explore on foot.
• It’s a lot of fun to jump on one of the silly tour buses—many even offer a drink or two.
• Obviously, in Tequila you need to visit a distillery: you can do this on a silly bus tour or you can arrange a tour privately. I’ve done both and definitely found the latter to be more fun and more interesting too. On the bus tour, you visit with everyone else in town and are shepherded around. I booked a private experience for my group of friends to learn about how tequila is made at La Cofradía. We had so much fun and probably maybe even learned something.
• Visit the UNESCO World Heritage agave fields.
• If you want more than drinking and silly-shaped buses, try out the art galleries and museums dotted around the plaza – it’s such a small town you won’t find it hard to spot them. Museo de los Abuelos is an interesting museum AND it’s one of the only places you can pick up Los Abuelos, one of my favourite ever tequilas.

Where to drink in Tequila

Everywhere. Grab a drink on the plaza, in the bars, on the tours. While Tequila really isn’t a party town, everywhere is set up for drinking.  La Capilla, a cantina that was once on the list of best 50 bars in the world is in Tequila and still gets rave reviews. La Antigua Casona makes incredible cocktails to enjoy with your meal.

Where to eat in Tequila

Probably the priciest in town, again, La Antigua Casona, on the plaza is worth the money. I’ve eaten there twice and definitely don’t regret it. I also highly recommend Cleofas Mota – this is essentially a market food court by the local market where every small restaurant sells incredible and cheap meals. Mariscos El Culichi is my absolute favourite of all the spots – be sure to try the prawns in tequila sauce.

Where to stay in Tequila

The barrel hotel at La Cofradía would be my absolute favourite place to stay. I did not manage it when there as if was fully booked by the time we tried to reserve. Instead, the first trip we had a truly awful AirBnB. Second trip, we stayed in a decent hotel, of which there are plenty. Find your best option on this interactive map.

You can read more about visiting Tequila here. 

Guanajuato

The now named Tequila Gang and I headed to Guanajuato for our second group trip. We booked a giant house up the top of a hill (Guanajuato is a hilly city with steps everywhere) and set about exploring.

PERFECT FOR: Groups of foodies who love history and culture. We focused our trip here around a street-food tour and museum visiting.

Must Do’s In Guanajuato

• Guanajuato is a city chock full of history. It’s also a city for people who like to walk. It is small and beautiful with plenty to catch your eye at every turn. With its perfect plazas, beautiful buildings, ornate churches, colourful houses and street art and multiple sculptures and statues, your eyes will feast all day long.
• The Mummy Museum is well worth a visit. It’s weird for sure but it’s also interesting and informative.
• Museo de la Alhondiga – my favourite museum in town, a landmark to the War of Independence and full of murals
• Museo Casa Diego Rivera (where he was born and grew up)
• Teatro Juarez, apparently the second most beautiful building in Mexico after the Bellas Artes in CDMX.
• Guanajuato is a great place to do a walking food tour of the city. You have to walk around anyway so why not couple it with learning about food? We went with Mexico Street Food Tours.
• El Pipila Monument – high up on the hillside is a huge monument to El Pipila, a folk hero who was instrumental in defending Guanajuato from the Spanish. You can either take the funicular up or walk up the many winding stairs up the mountainside. We chose to walk as we knew the views would be astounding.
• A trip to Guanajuato with your friends wouldn’t be complete without a photoshoot at Callejon del Beso.
• Callejoneadas: if you want a little merry fun in the evening join a tour of callejoneadas and walk around centro with these singing/dancing/joking tours.

Where to eat in Guanajuato

The market has wonderful small restaurants both in the main building and in the adjacent building. Café Tal is famous for having the best coffee in town. Los Campos – was recommended to me by everyone I know who lives in Guanajuato and it lived up to their recommendations. It’s kind of fusion Mexican-American (not Tex-Mex) and truly delicious.

Where to drink in Guanajuato

Casa del Rector was our favourite bar (reservations a must). We had a rooftop table and loved sipping our cocktails as the sun went down over the most colourful city in Mexico. It’s also a fabulous hotel.

Where to Stay in Guanajuato

Find your perfect hotel on the interactive map

Read my Guanajuato article for more detailed information.

Of course, to make any trip with friends even more spectacular, why not aim to travel for Día de los Muertos in Mexico? 

Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California

Really, a trip to Mexico’s wine country is an absolute must for a group trip in Mexico. Rent a house, rent a car, be sure to take a non-drinking friend to drive you everywhere, and lean into the fun. I’m not actually a wine drinker yet I still had an enormous amount of fun, drank a lot and got, um, so silly, my friends are still teasing me.

PERFECT FOR: Funnily enough, groups who like wine, want to learn about wine, and love being outside. Easily visited from Southern California and we found this a very friendly place for English-speakers.

You’ll need to do a decent amount of research for this trip as there are so many fabulous vineyards in the region, over 100, in fact. Did you know that wine grapes have been cultivated in Mexico longer than anywhere else in the Americas? Today, wines made in Mexico win international awards.

Where to drink in the Valle de Guadalupe

Everywhere! My two favourites were Solar Fortun and Lechuza vineyards.

Where to eat in Valle de Guadalupe

Most of the vineyards also have restaurants attached. I loved Finca Altozano and Bruma.

Where to stay in Valle de Guadalupe

Use this interactive map to find the perfect location for you

Top Tip: Ask in the vineyards about getting a crate (or two) of wine delivered to your home. You won’t regret it.

Read more about exploring the Valle de Guadalupe.

Oaxaca Coast, Oaxaca

In October 2021 a very good friend and I set out from Oaxaca City to spend a few glorious days on the Oaxaca coast. It’s a six-hour drive through the hills with astounding views, small towns and even a spot famous for, um “fun-mushrooms”. If you fancy a trip to the coast of Oaxaca it is possible to fly directly there (airports in Puerto Escondido and Huatulco) but if you have time I absolutely recommend a few days staying in a hotel in Oaxaca city too so you can explore the gorgeous city of Oaxaca and then drive down.

PERFECT FOR: Everyone who wants adult-only time and to avoid all-inclusive resorts. The Oaxaca coast still has a laid-back hippie vibe even in the busier areas. The quieter spots are really secluded and remote. If you just want a slice of natural paradise and some great fish tacos, this is your heaven.

If you are after noise, parties, and fun, head to Puerto Escondido, Mazunte or Zipolite, the only official nude beach in Mexico. If you want something quieter, search out smaller options in tiny coves dotted along the coast.

Must Do’s Along the Oaxaca coast

• Take a boat trip to snorkel, visit different bays, spot sea turtles and dolphins
• If you’re there at the right time of year you can even go whale watching
• Sunbathe naked in Zipolite
• Surf in the wild waves of Mazunte
• Head to Punta Cometa for views/sunset in Mazunte (do it the right way, from land, not the way we tried from the beach as it gets dangerous fast)
• Party in Puerto Escondido
• Lie in a hammock and read your book while sipping a michelada

Where to Stay Along the Oaxaca Coast

Use this interactive map to help you figure out where’s best for your friends and you to take that much deserved vacation.

If you’re considerinig a trip to Mexico but aren’t sure where to go, or just want to throw ideas around with an expert, why not use my consultancy service to help consolidate your thoughts?

Valladolid, Yucatán

This stunning small city in the centre of the Yucatan Peninsula makes for a great adults-only trip. I’ve been to Valladolid many, many times but my favourites are absolutely when I’ve been with my friends (shhh, don’t tell my family).

PERFECT FOR: Groups who enjoy small cities and love a bit of exploration time. Rent a car and head off to check out astounding cenotes, ruins and even the beach.

Must Do’s In Valladolid

• Cenotes abound in the area surrounding Valladolid. Check here for a great list.
• Ek Balam, Chichén Itzá and Cobá are the three ruins easily accessible from Valladolid.
• Be sure to visit museums in town too. Casa de Venados, Choco-Story, Palacio Municipal, Museo San Roque
• Day trip to Izamal or Las Coloradas
• Day trip to the white beaches of the Riviera Maya or to Yucatán’s Emerald Coast beaches
• Enjoy the Plaza Principal and the magnificent colonial buildings on it
• Watch the sound and light show on the convent
• Shop in the trendy boutique stores on Calzada de los Frailes

Where to stay in Valladolid

My two favourite places to stay in Valladolid are both spots where you immediately feel at home. Find them and many other amazing options on the interactive map below. Zentik Project and Genesis Eco-Oasis are my top picks.

Where to Eat in Valladolid

Valladolid is fast becoming a foodie destination. My favourites are in town and are very accessible. Yerbabuena de Sisal is a perfect lunch and breakfast spot offering healthy, fusion Mexican-European-style food. Head down Calzada de los Frailes to find not only great restaurants but boutique stores and cafes too.

Check this article about Valladolid for more detail. 

I thought about including places such as Sayulita, Querétero, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, San Cristobal de las Casas, Mérida, Campeche and all the other incredible places I’m lucky enough to have explored with friends and with family but I figured we’d start with these fun ideas to get you excited about all the possibilities a trip to Mexico offers.

I guarantee you can’t come to Mexico and not fall wildly in love with the place.

Where will it be? Let me know below where you and your friends wind up visiting.