Many international travelers to Mexico head straight for the Riviera Maya, which might offer beautiful beaches, but with them comes a pre-packaged, resort-style experience that leaves out the food, history, and culture that define the rest of the country. So when planning your next trip, forget Cancún and Tulum, and instead head to one of these seven places for a more authentic experience.
Chiapas
For travelers who prefer hiking boots over a beach chair, Chiapas is the place to go. Just outside of Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the Sumidero Canyon, which has boat tours along the Grijalva River at the base of 1,000-meter-high cliffs. In San Cristóbal de las Casas, hiking trails lead to nearby highland villages, and the Lagunas de Montebello — a chain of more than 50 turquoise-colored lakes — are close enough for a day trip. Elsewhere in the state you can visit waterfalls like Agua Azul and El Chiflón, or trek to one of many archaeological sites. Chiapas is one of the best parts of Mexico for anyone with an outdoorsy adventurous side.
Aguascalientes
Every spring, Aguascalientes throws the Feria de San Marcos, a three-week party that takes over the whole city. The streets turn into fairgrounds packed with concerts, parades, art exhibitions, rodeos, and food stalls, with the party going late into the night. Millions of visitors from across Mexico come for the event, yet the city still feels largely undiscovered by international travelers. Outside festival season, Aguascalientes offers historic plazas, hot springs that gave the city its name, and museums dedicated to José Guadalupe Posada, the artist behind Mexico’s iconic calavera illustrations. But if you’re going to plan a trip to Aguascalientes, it’s worth going during the San Marcos festival, when the city is most alive.
Oaxaca
These days, Oaxaca is far from a hidden gem, but if your idea of Mexico has only ever been resorts and beaches, this city will feel like an entirely different country. The historic center is Mexico’s food and mezcal capital, with markets full of mole, tlayudas, and tasting rooms serving up small-batch mezcal from across the state. Just outside the city you can visit the ruins of Monte Albán or the mineral springs at Hierve el Agua, where limestone pools sit on the edge of a cliff with panoramic views. Oaxaca is worth the trip for its food and drink alone, as many consider it the best culinary city in Mexico.
La Paz
Much like Cancún on the Caribbean side, Cabo San Lucas is known as Mexico’s west coast resort and party capital. But La Paz offers a very different experience in Baja California — it’s a working port with a waterfront promenade lined with seafood restaurants and evening street vendors. Instead of nightclubs and all-inclusive hotels, the focus here is on the gulf where you can take boat tours to swim with whale sharks, day trips to uninhabited islands, and visits to Playa Balandra, a shallow bay known for its clear turquoise water and peaceful setting. Don’t let Cabo put you off from Baja entirely, as La Paz makes the peninsula absolutely worth a visit.
While the Riviera Maya might have cenotes, San Luis Potosí has the waterfalls and rivers of the Huasteca Potosina. Located in central Mexico, the state is easy to reach from Mexico City but feels completely different once you arrive. The highlight is Cascada Tamul, the tallest waterfall in the region, which can be reached by boat along the Río Tampaón. There are also smaller waterfalls and dozens of natural pools where you can swim, cliff jump, or kayak, often with far fewer visitors than you’d expect. Add in rafting and the unexpected jungle sculptures of Las Pozas in Xilitla, and San Luis Potosí makes the Riviera Maya’s swimming holes look boring.
Mérida
If you’re making the trip from the Riviera Maya to see Chichén Itzá, keep going west and you’ll reach Mérida, the capital of the Yucatán. The city’s historic center is lined with colonial mansions, tree-lined plazas, and local markets serving the state’s signature dishes like cochinita pibil, panuchos, and sopa de lima — foods you won’t usually find on resort menus. The city is also known for its weekly street festivals and live music, which turn the plazas into gathering spots for both locals and visitors. Often ranked as one of Mexico’s safest and most livable cities, Mérida offers travelers a chance to see a more authentic side of Mexico without the beach parties of Cancún or Tulum.
Mexico City
The country’s capital has surged in popularity with international travelers in recent years, and taking a trip there will make it easy to see why. Many international visitors base themselves in Condesa or Roma Norte, two side-by-side neighborhoods filled with cafés, leafy parks, and restaurants — but the city of nearly 18 million people has far more to explore. The historic center is anchored by the massive zócalo, while Chapultepec Park is home to several of the country’s most important museums.
Other neighborhoods like Coyoacán and San Ángel offer a more residential feel, and the sprawling markets give a sense of daily life in the capital. Add in a day trip to Teotihuacán and an afternoon on the canals of Xochimilco, and you’ll realize you’ve barely scratched the surface of the things to do in CDMX. If you’re traveling around the country, chances are you’ll have a flight connection here, and it’s well worth spending a few days instead of just rushing through to the beach.
Final Thoughts:
The Riviera Maya will always draw the biggest international crowds, but the mistake is in thinking that’s all the country has to offer. What often gets lost in the hype around Cancún and Tulum is that Mexico is one of the most diverse countries to travel in — the geography, the food, and the traditions all vary dramatically from state to state, and it’s worth taking the time to experience a few of them for yourself.
Emily is a freelance writer who has been traveling full-time for over five years She has visited dozens of countries but can often be found in Spain and Mexico. In her Substack, Extracurricular Pursuits, she shares personal essays and travel stories that document the quirks, chaos and realities of living abroad.