Has anyone taken the 12 day Colonial Cities tour of Mexico offered by Vantage Travel? Any comments would be appreciated.
Although we usually do not take group tours, this one looked good.
Thanks for your help.

You'll miss some very interesting places on the Vantage Tour (Zacatecas; Guanajuato; Queretaro; Dolores Hidalgo/Atotonilco and Puebla to name a few).
Also, I would not be in a hurry to see Oaxaca, but hopefully, by mid year, all things will be back to normal.
Without knowing the local hotel and restaurant offerings, I cannot comment, but the trip is not inexpensive.
M

Thank you for your comments, Mikemo. do you advise planning such a trip on one's own? We had been advised not to drive in Mexico - any thoughts? Which of these cities/towns would you suggest especially not to miss? i am just starting my research.

Auto rentals can be expensive and parking is often unavailable.
That said: we have found "national" rentals in Queretaro reasonable.
I would consider Puebla; Morelia; esp. Patzcuaro and the area with a car; Colonial Queretaro; San Miguel de Allende; Guanajuato, etc.
If you'll be here before 1 March, the butterfly )Santuarios Monarcas just NW of Zitacauro, Michoacan (Angangueo and Ocampo) are not to missed.
M

We've driven quite a lot in Mexico and never encountered any problems. Most roads have been in ok condition and well marked. We do not drive after dark though. Rental cars have been reasonably priced thru a variety of agencies. Usually go on the web and find the best rate.

First class bus travel in Mexico is a great way to get around. It is an option if it suits you. we have been doing it for years. I continue to amazed that you can get almost anywhere in Mexico by bus.

Thank you all for your replies. We are now thinking of doing the trip independenly as this is the way we do prefer to travel.

Dude - are the bus terminals located primarily in the city/town centers of the colonial cities listed above? I ask because somewhere I read that they are usually on the edge of the towns. We are 60+ and one of us has some walking problems. In some places we would probably want to hire a car and guide if we choose to use bus transportation between cities.
We love to travel but are having to make some adjustments because of physical problems, so planning is a bit different these days!

If anyone would care to suggest a 12-15 day possible itinerary, I'd love to see it.
Thanks again for your assistance!

C,
Many intercity bus stations are from 1 or 2 to dozens of km from the colonial centros.
Your request for that itinerary would be a full time job, but if you tell me your arrival and departure airports, I'll give you my biased opinion.
You might want to check each city on the www.tripadvisor.com forums
Buen viaje.
M

Thanks, Mikemo, I wasn't thinking! I need to do some more basic research before pinning down an itinerary!
Muchas gracias!

I recently did a colonia mexico tour. As you said you need to do some more research, but just for reference I did:

Mexico City - 3 days
Morelia - 2 days
Patzcuaro - 2 days
Guanajuato - 2.5 days
Quertaro - 2 days

I decided Zacatecas was too far away. So will have to get that another time.

I took Primeria Plus busses between cities. The busses were very clean and convenient. At the bus station there were official cab stands to take cabs to my hotel.

For someone with difficulty walking Patzcuaro is a little hilly so you probably want to make sure to get one of the hotels right on the main square. Guanatato also is hilly so location here will be important also.

I walked in all the towns, but cabs were prevalent so you should be able to arrange drivers and cabs during the day. If you arrange on your own, you might ask hotel before you get there to arrange a driver for you. Or I have seen some recommendations.