A cultural travel guide to the world

Home / The Americas / Mexico

Country guide · MX

Mexico

5 destinations & festivals · 2 etiquette rules

Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0

Before you go

Read before you go

Red lineEntry

Mexico: carry your original passport and entry record

  • Carry your original passport with its entry stamp, or download your electronic entry record from the immigration website
  • Carrying only a copy or photo

Immigration officers do not accept copies; you may be questioned, detained or even deported.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Mexico travel advice

Red lineEntry

Mexico: e-cigarettes may not be brought in or sold

  • Leave your e-cigarette at home before you travel
  • Bringing e-cigarettes or vape liquid into the country
  • Smoking or vaping in public places

Customs will confiscate them and may fine or detain you; smoking in public places can bring a fine of up to MXN 3,000.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Mexico travel advice

Festivals

Festivals & celebrations

Places & local life

Landmarks, hidden gems & local life

Chichén Itzá · photo 1

Classic landmarkYucatán, Mexico

Chichén Itzá

The Maya's sacred city of astronomy, a pyramid where the Feathered Serpent descends at the equinox

Tulum · photo 1

Classic landmarkQuintana Roo, Mexico

Tulum

A Mayan city on a Caribbean cliff, where ancient civilisation meets a turquoise sea

Tacos al pastor

FoodMexico City, Mexico

Tacos al pastor

The kebab spit brought by Lebanese immigrants became a pork taco with pineapple in Mexico.

Pyramid of the Sun

Classic landmarkState of Mexico, Mexico (about 50 km north-east of Mexico City)

Teotihuacan

The Pyramids of the Sun and Moon: the largest city of the pre-Columbian Americas, which even the Aztecs revered as a sacred ancestral site.