Trip IdeasFodor's Mexico 2009
Free shipping with any guidebook purchase
About This Book
Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.
Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in Mexico!
•Updated annually, Fodor’s Mexico provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guidebook.
•Fodor’s Mexico features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.
•If it’s not worth your time, it’s not in this book. Fodor’s discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor’s Choice designations, ensure that you’ll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in Mexico.
•Experience Mexico like a local! Fodor’s Mexico includes unique photo-features that impart the country’s vibrant culture, covering the Día de Los Muertos celebrations; Chichén Itzá’s mysterious ball courts; the most indulgent spa treatments in Los Cabos, and much more!
•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include “Top Reasons to Go,” “Word of Mouth” advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.
•Fodor’s Mexico features over 60 maps from dining and lodging options in cities and up-close looks inside temple complexes, to regional overviews.
Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.
Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in Mexico!
•Updated annually, Fodor’s Mexico provides the most accurate and up-to-date information available in a guidebook.
•Fodor’s Mexico features options for a variety of budgets, interests, and tastes, so you make the choices to plan your trip of a lifetime.
•If it’s not worth your time, it’s not in this book. Fodor’s discriminating ratings, including our top tier Fodor’s Choice designations, ensure that you’ll know about the most interesting and enjoyable places in Mexico.
•Experience Mexico like a local! Fodor’s Mexico includes unique photo-features that impart the country’s vibrant culture, covering the Día de Los Muertos celebrations; Chichén Itzá’s mysterious ball courts; the most indulgent spa treatments in Los Cabos, and much more!
•Indispensable, customized trip planning tools include “Top Reasons to Go,” “Word of Mouth” advice from other travelers, and tips to help save money, bypass lines, and avoid common travel pitfalls.
•Fodor’s Mexico features over 60 maps from dining and lodging options in cities and up-close looks inside temple complexes, to regional overviews.
Visit Fodors.com for more ideas and information, travel deals, vacation planning tips, reviews and to exchange travel advice with other travelers.
Table of Contents
About This Book ............ 7
When To Go ............ 8
Chapter 1: Experience Mexico ............ 9
What’s New in Mexico ............ 10
What’s Where ............ 12
Mexico Planner ............ 16
Mexico Today ............ 18
Top Mexico Attractions ............ 20
FAQ ............ 21
Mexico’s Top Experiences ............ 22
Quintessential Mexico ............ 24
If You Like ............ 26
Great Itineraries ............ 28
On The Calendar ............ 31
Chapter 2: Mexico City ............ 35
Welcome to Mexico City ............ 36
Mexico City Planner ............ 38
Centro Histórico & Alameda Central ............ 42
Bosque de Chapultepec & Zona Rosa ............ 55
La Condesa & La Roma ............ 61
San Angel & Coyoacán ............ 69
Outskirts of Mexico City ............ 77
Where to Eat ............ 80
Where to Stay ............ 93
Nightlife ............ 104
Shopping ............ 114
Sports & the Outdoors ............ 120
Chapter 3: Around Mexico City ............ 125
Around Mexico City ............ 126
Mexico City Planner ............ 128
Puebla ............ 129
Tula & Teotihuacán ............ 145
Cuernavaca & Environs ............ 146
Valle de Bravo ............ 161
Chapter 4: San Miguel de Allende & the Heartland ............ 165
Welcome to The Heartlands ............ 166
San Miguel de Allende & The Heartland Planner ............ 168
San Miguel de Allende ............ 170
Querétaro ............ 183
Guanajuato ............ 190
Zacatecas ............ 202
Morelia ............ 208
Pátzcuaro ............ 215
Chapter 5: Guadalajara ............ 229
Welcome to Guadalajara ............ 230
Guadalajara Planner ............ 232
Exploring ............ 235
Where to Eat ............ 246
Where to Stay ............ 255
Nightlife ............ 259
Shopping ............ 262
Sports & the Outdoors ............ 264
Side Trips from Guadalajara ............ 265
Chapter 6: Veracruz ............ 273
Welcome to Veracruz ............ 274
Veracruz Planner ............ 276
Veracruz City ............ 278
Central Veracruz ............ 292
Northern Veracruz ............ 300
Southern Veracruz ............ 308
Los Tuxtlas ............ 310
Chapter 7: Oaxaca ............ 315
Welcome to Oaxaca ............ 316
Oaxaca Planner ............ 318
Oaxaca City ............ 320
Side Trip to the Valles Centrales ............ 339
The Oaxaca Coast ............ 355
Chapter 8: Chiapas & Tabasco ............ 377
Welcome to Chiapas & Tabasco ............ 378
Chiapas & Tabasco Planner ............ 380
San Cristóbal de las Casas ............ 382
Southeastern Chiapas ............ 400
Tuxtla Gutiérrez & Chiapa de Corzo ............ 403
The Road to Palenque ............ 408
Palenque & Environs ............ 410
Tabasco ............ 420
Chapter 9: Sonora ............ 427
Welcome to Sonora ............ 428
Sonora Planner ............ 430
Hermosillo ............ 432
The Sonoran Coast ............ 439
Chapter 10: Barrancas del Cobre ............ 457
Welcome to Barrancas del Cobre ............ 458
Barrancas del Cobre Planner ............ 460
Eastern Terminus: Chihuahua City ............ 462
The Mountain Towns ............ 469
Western Terminus: Los Mochis ............ 480
Chapter 11: Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula ............ 485
Welcome to Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula ............ 486
Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula Planner ............ 488
Los Cabos & Baja Sur ............ 490
Baja Norte ............ 553
Chapter 12: Puerto Vallarta & the Pacific Coast Resorts ............ 573
Welcome to Puerto Vallarta & The Pacific Coast Resorts ............ 574
Puerto Vallarta & the Pacific Coast Resorts Planner ............ 576
Mazatlán ............ 578
Puerto Vallarta ............ 595
Manzanillo ............ 636
Ixtapa & Zihuatanejo ............ 649
Chapter 13: Acapulco ............ 665
Welcome to Acapulco ............ 666
Acapulco Planner ............ 668
Exploring ............ 671
Where to Eat ............ 678
Where to Stay ............ 683
Nightlife ............ 689
Sports & the Outdoors ............ 691
Shopping ............ 693
Side Trip to Taxco ............ 696
Chapter 14: Cancún & Isla Mujeres ............ 705
Welcome to Cancún & Isla Mujeres ............ 706
Cancún & Isla Mujeres Planner ............ 708
Cancún ............ 710
Beaches ............ 713
Isla Mujeres ............ 737
Chapter 15: Cozumel & the Riviera Maya ............ 753
Welcome to Cozumel & the Riviera Maya ............ 754
Cozumel & the Riviera Maya Planner ............ 756
Cozumel ............ 758
The Riviera Maya ............ 770
Chapter 16: Mérida & Environs ............ 795
Welcome to Mérida & Environs ............ 796
Mérida & Environs Planner ............ 798
Mérida ............ 799
Uxmal ............ 814
Understanding Mexico ............ 825
Travel smart Mexico ............ 849
Index ............ 879
About Our Writers ............ 896
Mexico In Focus
The Zócalo ............ 46
Frida & Diego ............ 63
Teotihuacán ............ 148
Waking the Dead in Pátzcuaro ............ 220
Pottery & Ceramics in Tlaquepaque and Tonalá ............ 247
Flight of the Voladores ............ 302
Oaxaca Valley Crafts Markets ............ 345
The Mixteca Monasteries ............ 350
Palenque ............ 412
Baja Rejuvenation ............ 512
Getting the Goods in PV ............ 630
Acapulco’s Cliff Divers ............ 676
Chichén Itzá ............ 816
Maps
Centro Historico and Alameda Central ............ 43
Bosque de Chapultepec and Zona Rosa ............ 57
San Angel and Coyoacan ............ 71
Where to Eat in Centro Histórico & Alameda Central ............ 82
Where to Eat in Zona Rosa ............ 85
Where to Eat in La Condesa, La Roma & Polanco ............ 89
Where to Stay in Mexico City ............ 95
Puebla ............ 131
Where to Stay & Eat in Puebla ............ 135
San Miguel de Allende ............ 172
Where to Stay and Eat in San Miguel ............ 175
Querétaro ............ 186
Guanajuato ............ 193
Zacatecas ............ 204
Morelia ............ 211
Pátzcuaro ............ 217
Guadalajara Centro Histórico ............ 236
Tlaquepaque ............ 242
Tonola ............ 244
Where to Stay & Eat in Guadalajara ............ 250-251
Veracruz City ............ 280
Veracruz State ............ 293
Oaxaca City ............ 321
Where to Stay & Eat in Oaxaca City ............ 329
Oaxaca Valley ............ 340
Monte Albán ............ 342
Oaxaca Coast ............ 357
San Cristóbal de las Casas ............ 386
Chiapas & Tabasco ............ 397
Baja California Sur ............ 491
Where to Stay & Eat in Cabo San Lucas ............ 498
Where to Eat & Stay Along the Corridor ............ 509
Where to Eat & Stay in San José del Cabo ............ 524
La Paz ............ 536
Baja California Norte ............ 555
Tijuana ............ 558
Ensenada ............ 565
Mazatlán ............ 580
Puerto Vallarta ............ 599
Manzanillo ............ 639
Ixtapa ............ 653
Zihuatanejo ............ 654
Costera & Old Acapulco ............ 672
Where to Stay & Eat in Acapulco ............ 680
Taxco ............ 698
Where to Eat & Stay in the Zona Hotelera ............ 717
Where to Eat & Stay in El Centro ............ 721
Isla Mujeres ............ 742
The Riviera Maya ............ 771
Tulum ............ 788
Mérida ............ 801
When To Go ............ 8
Chapter 1: Experience Mexico ............ 9
What’s New in Mexico ............ 10
What’s Where ............ 12
Mexico Planner ............ 16
Mexico Today ............ 18
Top Mexico Attractions ............ 20
FAQ ............ 21
Mexico’s Top Experiences ............ 22
Quintessential Mexico ............ 24
If You Like ............ 26
Great Itineraries ............ 28
On The Calendar ............ 31
Chapter 2: Mexico City ............ 35
Welcome to Mexico City ............ 36
Mexico City Planner ............ 38
Centro Histórico & Alameda Central ............ 42
Bosque de Chapultepec & Zona Rosa ............ 55
La Condesa & La Roma ............ 61
San Angel & Coyoacán ............ 69
Outskirts of Mexico City ............ 77
Where to Eat ............ 80
Where to Stay ............ 93
Nightlife ............ 104
Shopping ............ 114
Sports & the Outdoors ............ 120
Chapter 3: Around Mexico City ............ 125
Around Mexico City ............ 126
Mexico City Planner ............ 128
Puebla ............ 129
Tula & Teotihuacán ............ 145
Cuernavaca & Environs ............ 146
Valle de Bravo ............ 161
Chapter 4: San Miguel de Allende & the Heartland ............ 165
Welcome to The Heartlands ............ 166
San Miguel de Allende & The Heartland Planner ............ 168
San Miguel de Allende ............ 170
Querétaro ............ 183
Guanajuato ............ 190
Zacatecas ............ 202
Morelia ............ 208
Pátzcuaro ............ 215
Chapter 5: Guadalajara ............ 229
Welcome to Guadalajara ............ 230
Guadalajara Planner ............ 232
Exploring ............ 235
Where to Eat ............ 246
Where to Stay ............ 255
Nightlife ............ 259
Shopping ............ 262
Sports & the Outdoors ............ 264
Side Trips from Guadalajara ............ 265
Chapter 6: Veracruz ............ 273
Welcome to Veracruz ............ 274
Veracruz Planner ............ 276
Veracruz City ............ 278
Central Veracruz ............ 292
Northern Veracruz ............ 300
Southern Veracruz ............ 308
Los Tuxtlas ............ 310
Chapter 7: Oaxaca ............ 315
Welcome to Oaxaca ............ 316
Oaxaca Planner ............ 318
Oaxaca City ............ 320
Side Trip to the Valles Centrales ............ 339
The Oaxaca Coast ............ 355
Chapter 8: Chiapas & Tabasco ............ 377
Welcome to Chiapas & Tabasco ............ 378
Chiapas & Tabasco Planner ............ 380
San Cristóbal de las Casas ............ 382
Southeastern Chiapas ............ 400
Tuxtla Gutiérrez & Chiapa de Corzo ............ 403
The Road to Palenque ............ 408
Palenque & Environs ............ 410
Tabasco ............ 420
Chapter 9: Sonora ............ 427
Welcome to Sonora ............ 428
Sonora Planner ............ 430
Hermosillo ............ 432
The Sonoran Coast ............ 439
Chapter 10: Barrancas del Cobre ............ 457
Welcome to Barrancas del Cobre ............ 458
Barrancas del Cobre Planner ............ 460
Eastern Terminus: Chihuahua City ............ 462
The Mountain Towns ............ 469
Western Terminus: Los Mochis ............ 480
Chapter 11: Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula ............ 485
Welcome to Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula ............ 486
Los Cabos & the Baja Peninsula Planner ............ 488
Los Cabos & Baja Sur ............ 490
Baja Norte ............ 553
Chapter 12: Puerto Vallarta & the Pacific Coast Resorts ............ 573
Welcome to Puerto Vallarta & The Pacific Coast Resorts ............ 574
Puerto Vallarta & the Pacific Coast Resorts Planner ............ 576
Mazatlán ............ 578
Puerto Vallarta ............ 595
Manzanillo ............ 636
Ixtapa & Zihuatanejo ............ 649
Chapter 13: Acapulco ............ 665
Welcome to Acapulco ............ 666
Acapulco Planner ............ 668
Exploring ............ 671
Where to Eat ............ 678
Where to Stay ............ 683
Nightlife ............ 689
Sports & the Outdoors ............ 691
Shopping ............ 693
Side Trip to Taxco ............ 696
Chapter 14: Cancún & Isla Mujeres ............ 705
Welcome to Cancún & Isla Mujeres ............ 706
Cancún & Isla Mujeres Planner ............ 708
Cancún ............ 710
Beaches ............ 713
Isla Mujeres ............ 737
Chapter 15: Cozumel & the Riviera Maya ............ 753
Welcome to Cozumel & the Riviera Maya ............ 754
Cozumel & the Riviera Maya Planner ............ 756
Cozumel ............ 758
The Riviera Maya ............ 770
Chapter 16: Mérida & Environs ............ 795
Welcome to Mérida & Environs ............ 796
Mérida & Environs Planner ............ 798
Mérida ............ 799
Uxmal ............ 814
Understanding Mexico ............ 825
Travel smart Mexico ............ 849
Index ............ 879
About Our Writers ............ 896
Mexico In Focus
The Zócalo ............ 46
Frida & Diego ............ 63
Teotihuacán ............ 148
Waking the Dead in Pátzcuaro ............ 220
Pottery & Ceramics in Tlaquepaque and Tonalá ............ 247
Flight of the Voladores ............ 302
Oaxaca Valley Crafts Markets ............ 345
The Mixteca Monasteries ............ 350
Palenque ............ 412
Baja Rejuvenation ............ 512
Getting the Goods in PV ............ 630
Acapulco’s Cliff Divers ............ 676
Chichén Itzá ............ 816
Maps
Centro Historico and Alameda Central ............ 43
Bosque de Chapultepec and Zona Rosa ............ 57
San Angel and Coyoacan ............ 71
Where to Eat in Centro Histórico & Alameda Central ............ 82
Where to Eat in Zona Rosa ............ 85
Where to Eat in La Condesa, La Roma & Polanco ............ 89
Where to Stay in Mexico City ............ 95
Puebla ............ 131
Where to Stay & Eat in Puebla ............ 135
San Miguel de Allende ............ 172
Where to Stay and Eat in San Miguel ............ 175
Querétaro ............ 186
Guanajuato ............ 193
Zacatecas ............ 204
Morelia ............ 211
Pátzcuaro ............ 217
Guadalajara Centro Histórico ............ 236
Tlaquepaque ............ 242
Tonola ............ 244
Where to Stay & Eat in Guadalajara ............ 250-251
Veracruz City ............ 280
Veracruz State ............ 293
Oaxaca City ............ 321
Where to Stay & Eat in Oaxaca City ............ 329
Oaxaca Valley ............ 340
Monte Albán ............ 342
Oaxaca Coast ............ 357
San Cristóbal de las Casas ............ 386
Chiapas & Tabasco ............ 397
Baja California Sur ............ 491
Where to Stay & Eat in Cabo San Lucas ............ 498
Where to Eat & Stay Along the Corridor ............ 509
Where to Eat & Stay in San José del Cabo ............ 524
La Paz ............ 536
Baja California Norte ............ 555
Tijuana ............ 558
Ensenada ............ 565
Mazatlán ............ 580
Puerto Vallarta ............ 599
Manzanillo ............ 639
Ixtapa ............ 653
Zihuatanejo ............ 654
Costera & Old Acapulco ............ 672
Where to Stay & Eat in Acapulco ............ 680
Taxco ............ 698
Where to Eat & Stay in the Zona Hotelera ............ 717
Where to Eat & Stay in El Centro ............ 721
Isla Mujeres ............ 742
The Riviera Maya ............ 771
Tulum ............ 788
Mérida ............ 801
Check hotel rates and airfares around the world