Mexican coast and islands off the beaten path.
Less-touristed coastal towns and islands in Mexico, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Catemaco
A town on the shores of Lake Catemaco in southern Veracruz, known across Mexico for a pre-colonial tradition of sorcery and witchcraft — practiced largely by…
San Carlos
On the Sea of Cortez coast in Sonora, Mexico, San Carlos is a tiny beach town designated a Pueblo Mágico in 2023, known for clear, warm water in its shallow…
Toluca de Lerdo
The highest capital city in Mexico and North America, Toluca de Lerdo sits well above sea level in the State of Mexico, giving it a temperate climate year-ro…
San Andres Tuxtla
Since the 19th century, San Andrés Tuxtla in southern Veracruz has been the centre of Mexico's fine tobacco and cigar production, a distinction that still sh…
Xalapa
A mountain capital in central Veracruz state with one of Mexico's densest café and restaurant scenes and the oldest symphony orchestra in the country, Xalapa…
Córdoba
Founded in 1618 by thirty Spanish noblemen — earning it the nickname "City of the Thirty Knights" — Córdoba is a colonial city in the highlands of Veracruz,…
San Francisco de Campeche
San Francisco de Campeche, on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, is one of the few cities in North America with most of its historic colonial walls still intac…
Orizaba
This Pueblo Mágico city in Veracruz, Orizaba sits along rivers and parks in the highland mountains between Mexico City and the port of Veracruz, with a walka…
Yelapatapa
This small Mexican beach village where colorful houses and palm trees spill down a forested hillside to a calm blue bay, with boats along the shore and a han…
San Patricio
A coastal tiny town on Jalisco's Pacific shore, San Patricio — commonly known as Melaque — sits on Bahía de Navidad between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo, f…
Pluma Hidalgo
Pocket-sized Oaxacan village set high in densely forested mountain country, where ridge after ridge of green hills stretch toward the coast, rewarding visito…
Navojoa
Mid-size Mexican city in Sonora's Mayo River Valley, Navojoa centers on a broad plaza anchored by a white colonial-style clock tower building, palm trees, an…
Tepic
Founded in 1531 by Nuño de Guzmán, Tepic is the capital of Mexico's Pacific-coast state of Nayarit, set in a valley with the Sierra Occidental in the surroun…
Ocotlán
The Basilica of Ocotlán, a pilgrimage site dedicated to a Marian apparition recorded in 1541, anchors this Tlaxcalan city within the conurbation of the state…
Santa Ana
This small Sonoran Desert town on Mexico's northern highway corridor, with a striking pale-stone cathedral featuring rose windows and a golden dome rising ab…
Veracruz
Mexico's oldest and historically most significant port, Veracruz was founded by Hernán Cortés on 22 April 1519 as Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz — the first Span…
Coatlan del Rio
A white-and-yellow colonial church fronted by tall palms and a stone plaza anchors this tiny Morelos village, set in warm lowland country with upland terrain…
Chietla
Tiny Mexican town in Puebla's warm Matamoros Valley, where a weathered pink-and-white colonial church with twin bell towers and an ornate arched doorway anch…
Janitzio
Janitzio is a modest island village on Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán, Mexico, reached by a roughly 25-minute boat ride from the town of Pátzcuaro.
Poza Rica
A modern industrial city in northern Veracruz, Poza Rica sits within easy reach of several Gulf coast beaches — Tecolutla, Tuxpan, and Cazones among them — a…
Cuetzalan
Founded by Franciscan friars in 1547, Cuetzalan is a colonial highland town in the hills of northern Puebla state, with steep cobblestone streets lined by wh…
Tenango del Aire
This tiny Mexican town in the State of Mexico's upland country, where a red-brick clock tower anchors a palm-lined central plaza, with forested mountain terr…
Puerto Angel
Modest fishing village on a sheltered bay in Oaxaca's Pacific coast, Puerto Ángel has a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size, with the…
Las Jarretaderas
A small Mexican Pacific-coast town in the hills-fringed Bahía de Banderas region, Las Jarretaderas offers a lively local café and restaurant scene within eas…
Plan del Rio
This modest riverside village in Mexico's Veracruz lowlands, Plan del Rio sits directly at the water's edge with upland country rising nearby, offering a qui…