Mexico: regions, Tren Maya, best time to visit, admission fees and costs 2026

Mexico suits you if you want to combine Maya and Aztec excavation sites, the museums of Mexico City and the Caribbean coast around Cancún in one trip. The country has 36 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including 28 cultural and 6 natural sites (as of September 2026).

What is new in 2026 is above all the railway on the Yucatán Peninsula. Since 15 August the Tren Maya has been running again between Cancún and Playa del Carmen. For the journey from the station to Cancún airport there is now the feeder service “Tren Maya Conecta”.

Mexico is a poorer fit if you want to avoid storms and can only travel from June to November. That is when the Atlantic hurricane season runs, peaking on 10 September (as of September 2026).

Getting there from Germany

In 2025, 453,937 passengers boarded flights at the 22 main German airports with Mexico as their last known destination. That is 40th place of 211 destination countries abroad. Passengers who change planes abroad are not included (Federal Statistical Office, our own analysis).

The destination was mostly Mexico City (MEX) with 230,890 passengers or Cancún (CUN) with 170,368, far ahead of Monterrey, Los Cabos, Guadalajara and Tulum. Most boarded in Frankfurt (298,266), followed by Munich (80,187), Berlin (32,314) and Hamburg (14,347). December was the busiest month, May the weakest (all figures 2025, our own analysis).

Mexico City: Metrobús or Metro

Line 4 of the Metrobús, the city's bus rapid transit network, runs to the airport, with an express service from both terminals through the historic centre. Neither the airport nor the city states a journey time.

The Metro is cheaper: the Terminal Aérea station on Line 5 is at Terminal 1, and every journey costs a flat 5.00 MXN (as of September 2026). Since 1 March 2024 the Metro no longer accepts paper tickets. The “MI” card is available from machines at both terminals; it costs 15.00 MXN once plus the credit you load.

Cancún: onward by ADO bus

According to the Quintana Roo tourism authority, more international passengers land at Cancún than at any other airport in Mexico. ADO buses leave from Terminals 2, 3 and 4; they do not serve Terminal 1. According to ADO they take about 45 minutes to Punta Cancún in the hotel zone, from about 170 MXN (as of September 2026). To Playa del Carmen the journey takes 1 h 30 min to 1 h 50 min, and ADO gives about 270 MXN (as of July 2026).

Regions and destinations at a glance

“—” means: no documented drawback.

Mexico City and Teotihuacán

The Templo Mayor, the excavation of the main Aztec temple, and the Anthropology Museum are open Tuesday to Sunday, and both are closed on Mondays. Teotihuacán is open daily from 8:00 to 17:00, with admission until 16:30. All three cost foreign visitors 210 MXN; the free Sunday applies only to Mexicans (as of September 2026). At its peak, between 350 and 450, Teotihuacán had around 100,000 inhabitants according to INAH; no city in ancient Mexico was bigger.

Riviera Maya and Isla Holbox

Tulum is divided into the excavation site, the town centre and the hotel zone. For the excavation site, foreign visitors pay 210 MXN admission plus fees to GAFSACOMM (295 MXN) and CONANP (120 MXN), 625 MXN in total (our own sum, as of September 2026). Last admission is at 15:30. The 40 km long Isla Holbox belongs to the Yum Balam protected area; the tourism authority reckons on two hours to Cancún airport.

Yucatán and Campeche

Chichén Itzá is at kilometre 120 of federal highway 180 between Mérida and Cancún and admits visitors daily from 8:00 to 15:00. Foreigners pay 105 MXN to INAH and 548 MXN to CULTUR of the state of Yucatán, 653 MXN in total; in Uxmal it is 566 MXN (our own sums, as of September 2026). In March and September, at the equinox, according to INAH the shadow of the serpent Kukulcán glides down the temple. Between Mérida-Teya and Campeche the Tren Maya takes 2 h 08 min to 2 h 38 min (timetable retrieved September 2026).

Palenque and Oaxaca

Train 102 to Palenque leaves Cancún at 8:30 and arrives at 19:51 (timetable retrieved September 2026). The excavation site is in Palenque National Park; foreigners pay 425 MXN including the park fee (our own sum). For Monte Albán it is 210 MXN (as of September 2026). From there, from the 1,500 m high summit of the Cerro del Jaguar, the Zapotecs once ruled.

Best time to visit

The normal values of the Mexican weather service SMN are in the WMO's World Weather Information Service: Mexico City 1951 to 1980, Cancún 1971 to 2000.

In Mexico City, just over three quarters of the annual rainfall falls from June to September (our own calculation). From December to February it is dry, but according to the city it can sometimes be almost frosty at night. In Cancún April is the driest month, and September and October together bring 445.7 mm. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from 1 June to 30 November, and most storms come from mid-August to mid-October (as of September 2026).

Getting around the country

Train: Tren Maya

The Tren Maya connects Palenque in Chiapas with Campeche, Mérida-Teya, Cancún, Tulum Aeropuerto and Chetumal. From Cancún it takes 3 h 09 min to 3 h 39 min to Mérida-Teya and 2 h 04 min to Tulum Aeropuerto. To Chetumal it is 5 h 15 min, all according to the timetable (retrieved September 2026). According to the operator's announcement of 15 August 2026, four trains a day run again between Cancún and Playa del Carmen, each taking about 49 minutes.

“Tren Maya Conecta” covers the connection between the station, Cancún airport and the hotel zones. Tickets are available online, via the app, via WhatsApp, at the counter and from the machine; the official site does not state a price. In Mérida, a counter in Parque La Plancha has also been selling tickets since 22 September 2026, open from 7:00 to 20:00.

Long-distance bus: ADO

According to ADO, its bus stations are connected with the airports of Mexico City, Cancún, Tulum and Mérida. To Puebla, whose old town has been a World Heritage Site since 1987, the bus from Mexico City airport takes about 2 h 50 min according to ADO and costs about 462 MXN (as of September 2026). If you book early online, you save up to 50%, according to ADO.

Car and roads

According to ADAC, the speed limits for cars are 40 km/h in built-up areas, 80 km/h outside them and 110 km/h on motorways, and the alcohol limit is 0.8 per mille (as of September 2026). You need a German driving licence; an international one is also recommended. “Topes”, speed bumps that slow traffic, are everywhere in large numbers, and a sign rarely warns of them. If a traffic light is flashing red, you stop as at a stop sign. Mexico City bans cars from the road one weekday a week; which day it is depends on the last digit of the licence plate, and hire cars are affected too.

Money and costs

You pay in Mexican pesos (MXN). The admission fees in the table apply to foreign visitors.

According to ADAC, currency exchange offices and larger hotels exchange euro notes. You withdraw cash at cash machines with a card and PIN; common credit cards are widely accepted, but occasionally a payment with a foreign card fails because of the connection. In Quintana Roo most tourist places also accept US dollars, but the tourism authority still recommends pesos. On tipping, the Mexico City government gives 10% as the rule and 15% for exceptional service (as of September 2026).

Practical information

Mexico City is on UTC−6 all year; daylight saving time has not existed there since autumn 2022. Quintana Roo, with Cancún, has stayed on UTC−5 since 1 February 2015. From 25 October 2026 the difference is therefore 7 hours to Mexico City and 6 to Cancún, and from 28 March 2027 one hour more each (our own calculation).

Besides Spanish, the country recognises 68 further languages, according to the city government; despite its widespread use, Spanish is not an official language fixed by law. The emergency number nationwide is 911. The Mexico City government gives 110 volts at 60 hertz and type B plugs as in the USA, while ADAC gives 127 volts. The EU rule “Roam like at home” does not apply in Mexico.

Statutory holidays include 16 September and the third Monday in November, which in 2026 is 16 November. During Holy Week, Mexico City almost comes to a standstill, according to the city government. The city celebrates the Día de Muertos in 2026 with a large parade on Saturday 31 October, starting at 14:00 from the Glorieta de la Diana Cazadora to the Zócalo.

The current rules on entry, safety and health are at the German Foreign Office.

Who Mexico is not for

• Anyone who wants to travel from June to November without storm risk: That is when the Atlantic hurricane season runs. In Cancún an average of 224.6 mm of rain falls in September (1971–2000).
• Anyone looking for a reliably seaweed-free beach on the Caribbean: The navy reports sargassum daily with a traffic-light scale. On 25 September 2026, according to the satellite image, 10,083 tonnes were drifting in the Mexican Caribbean, level “Moderado”.
• Anyone who expects admission at the domestic price: At Chichén Itzá foreigners pay 653 MXN, Mexicans 295 MXN (our own sum, as of September 2026).
• Anyone who wants to stay dry in Mexico City in summer: In July it rains there on 23.4 days on average (1951–1980).
• Anyone who wants short distances: From Cancún to Palenque the Tren Maya takes a good eleven hours.
• Anyone who wants little time difference: To Mexico City it is 7 to 8 hours, to Cancún 6 to 7.