Desidero

I am in the early stages of planning a 9-day trip to Mexico. I will be flying from New York. My initial thought is that I would spend about 3 days total in Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende; the following 3 days in Oaxaca; and the final 3 days in Mexico City. I would like any and all feedback with respect to the following questions:

1. Is this a realistic itinerary? I feel that I can always come back to Mexico City for a long weekend, so I’m not so concerned about giving it short shrift. However, is the itinerary as I laid it out doable?

2. If my proposed itinerary is not realistic, which leg of the itinerary would you cut out?

3. If the proposed itinerary is doable, should I fly into Leon or Guanajuato?

4. Should my base for the first 3 days be Guanajuato or San Miguel de Allende or should I spend a night in each town?

5. Can I fly from Leon to Oaxaca or should I take a bus?

6. How should I travel from Oaxaca to Mexico City?`

Keep in mind that I’m in my early 30's and have considerable energy, but I don’t want to over-plan. I’m looking for some R&R in addition to some serious sightseeing. Also, I need to spend the last 3 days in Mexico City since a friend is now living there and will only be free for the weekend.

Many thanks in advance.

marilynl

I think this would be a whirlwind trip, given the distances involved. This type of itinerary would not leave too much time for R&R if you also expect to see sights.

I would probably suggest skipping the GTO/SMA part of the triangle, or at least limiting yourself to one or the other. You could easily spend a week in Oaxaca, and you should fly unless you want to spend 6 hours on the bus.

If you do decide to keep GTO/SMA, by all means fly into Leon if that is an option. Guanajuato is a beautiful place, and would probably be my choice rather than San Miguel, which has a strong American influence.

Dude

Way too much. If you bused from say Guanajuato to OAX you are talking maybe 12 hours. Busing from Mexico to OAX or vice vera is 6-8 hours or a bit more. Pick the one destination above that you want to see the most and make day or an overnight trip from there. Or you could fly into MEX, take a bus from the airport to Puebla, see that for a day or two, on to OAX and back to Mexico City, that would be more reasonable, but to me even that is pushing it.

Desidero

Thank you for your responses. After doing some additional research, I have realized that my initial itinerary was too ambitious. I will be in Mexico for 8 days total. I have decided to bypass Guanajuato/SMA.

Is 3 days enough time to see Oaxaca? I would like to spend at least 3 days in Oaxaca and at least 3 days in Mexico City. Instead of heading up to Guanajuato/SMA, I am thinking about staying overnight in a city a few hours from Mexico City. Is Puebla a good option as Dude suggests below? Any other suggestions?

Or should I simply divide my time between Oaxaca and Mexico City?

Finally, I'm planning on taking a domestic airline from Mexico City to Oaxaca. Is this a good idea?

Thanks again for all your input.

Fra_Diavolo

I think you are wise to cut Guanajuato, great as it is. Three nights is about the minimum you need for Oaxaca. That said, Puebla makes a nice overnight stop, breaking the bus ride. You could fly one way, then bus the other. I would not miss a Mexican bus trip (my first was the six hours between MC and Oaxaca). Simply beautiful -- saw Pico de Orizaba, mountain forests and the desert. Pick a deluxe line and make it a part of your trip.

smcgown

You have made the right choice to do just Oaxaca & Mexico City. The bus ride is really nice and on a great new road. I would never do it at night though because you would miss the scenery and it is not 100% safe at night. Mexican airlines are fine but very pricey so you might fly one way.When I go to Oaxaca I always stay 6 or 7 nights & that is never enough! Trips to the villages are what make Oaxaca so special. The folk art is incredible and that is the source of most Mexican folk art. The ruins at Monte Alban and Mitla are wonderful and the atmosphere in the city is so charming. I dont think I would include Puebla in this trip just because of the logistics or the bus travel & time involved.. next time by all means fly to Guanajuato & SMA and you could bus to Morelia & Patzcuaro, both wonderful destinations. Then bus back to mexico City to the airport.Have a great trip!