What makes a trip? What is the starting point of this crazy action that pushes us to leave everything behind to go look for a treasure, a discovery, an adrenaline rush, or another culture at the end of the world?… I am not afraid to say that I have never been particularly drawn to Latin America, especially since I don’t speak a word of Spanish, and I might never have gone to Mexico without an completely unexpected trigger.
This whole story begins on a day in July, when the Man in the Hat (also known as my favorite photographer) announces to me that he has been selected for a film festival in Oaxaca, Mexico. Right away, he tells me that he plans to go there for the festival itself and asks me to accompany him. Without thinking, I say yes. Sometimes it’s good to think before making a decision, but here my response was so spontaneous that it didn’t give my anxieties time to say no…
So here I am, embarking on planning a little trip to Mexico. Yes, because with nearly €950 in plane tickets each, there was no way we were crossing the Atlantic for 5 days of a festival… To break the suspense right away without dwelling on the subject, I loved this trip to Mexico! I find the Mexican people to be lovely and particularly welcoming; we ate incredibly well there (and for cheap), and the history and culture are truly worth discovering. To the point that when we left the country, we had only one desire, and that was to plan a future trip to discover other Mexican regions.
As a great trip planner, I therefore planned a stop of a few days in Puebla, a charming colonial city 2.5 hours by road from Mexico City, followed by a 5-day stopover in Oaxaca for the Festival, and finally ending with 3 days in Mexico City, the electric city, before taking our flight back to Paris.
I will therefore be offering no less than 4 articles on the subject in addition to this one:
- 1 article about Puebla
- 1 article about Oaxaca
- 1 article about Mexico City
- 1 Food Tour around Mexican gastronomy with a selection of good addresses
Table of Contents
Our video of Mexico
Here is also a short video that summarizes our entire trip to Mexico.
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Practical information for traveling to Mexico
- No visa required for a stay of less than 6 months in Mexico for French citizens. A passport still valid for 6 months is more than enough.
- You can gather some useful info on the Mexico Tourism Board website: Visit Mexico.
- There is a French travel agency (based in Mexico) specializing in organizing tailor-made trips to Mexico: Mexique Découverte.
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The Paris – Mexico flight
First and foremost, I did not want any stopovers. I wanted a direct Paris – Mexico flight. There, 2 options were available to us, Air France or the Mexican airline AeroMexico. I chose Air France for more simplicity in case we had any issues; moreover, the prices were significantly the same, and the 2 companies actually work together.
For the 4th time since the beginning of this year, I flew on an A380. And here I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I had tested the Economy class of Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines and I was expecting less from our national airline. Well, that was not the case at all. Air France’s A380s are modern, well-equipped, you can charge your devices via USB, there is a good selection of movies, music, interactivity, and the service is pleasant.
The fun little extra: in addition to being able to watch the journey in real-time on your screen, you even have a view from 3 external cameras positioned on the aircraft.
Duration: 12h/11h flight
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How to get around inside Mexico?
Of course, there are many internal flights in Mexico, and when distances are significant, it is better to use them. However, for our 3 stages, I had decided that we would use First Class buses.
These buses have many advantages: they are super comfortable, faster than the “segunda” buses that stop in every small town, very secure (some have security gates), sometimes equipped with Wi-Fi, and plus, it remains very inexpensive compared to flying (about €7 to travel 100km according to the GéoGuide).
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What to put in your suitcase
- An adapter for electrical outlets.
- A selection of good mosquito repellent products (I already told you about them at greater length at the end of my article on Singapore).
- Sunscreen, absolutely essential because the sun is very aggressive there for those who are not used to it, and plus, there is almost no shade at most archaeological sites. An extra hat is not negligible either (but you will easily find them on site).
- A good, well-stocked first-aid kit. Traveler’s diarrhea in Mexico is called “Montezuma’s revenge,” named after the last Aztec emperor—a rather funny little jab, but sincerely, if you don’t drink tap water and don’t eat food bought on the street, it’s very manageable. We managed to avoid it (on the other hand, I had “altitude sickness” in Puebla).
- A few travel guides: the Petit Futé and the Géo Guide for tips, good addresses, maps, and city plans, supplemented by the Gallimard guide from the Bibliothèque du Voyageur to better understand the culture and challenges of the country.
And you, have you ever traveled to Mexico? If you also have your recommendations and tips for this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments!
Find all my articles on my trip to Mexico in September/October 2016 below:
⇒ All my articles about Mexico
⇒ All my tests of Mexican restaurants in Paris
MY STOPS IN MEXICO
⇒ Practical information for traveling to Mexico
⇒ Mexico City
⇒ Puebla
⇒ Mexican food tour
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez and Melle Bon Plan Photos are not royalty-free, photographer authorization mandatory before any use
