Thanks to all your help, we finally have rough decision on our first trip to Mexico. But as always have some more questions. We have decided to try to get the best of the both worlds. Spend week in Mexico City area and fly to Cancun/Yucatan Peninsula area for another week in Dec.

These are the places we are hoping to go in Mexico City Area. Do you think what we are planning is doable for 7-10days? Please keep in mind we are thinking to fly to Cancun from Mexico City.
* Mexico City(2-3days) – maybe spend 2-3days? Is this enough?
* Guanajuato(1-2days) – Is there a day tour for this location? Is a day enough or should we just rent a car and spend couple of days here? Or maybe a bus? How long of a drive is this place from Mexico City?
* Puebla(1day) – Is there a day tour for this location? I heard it’s only an hour from Mexico City.
* Oaxaca(?days) – How long of a drive is this location from Mexico City? Is there a day tour or should we relocate to this place and spend couple of days. I have read that couple of days are needed.

These are the places we are hoping to go in Yucatan Peninsula.
* Cancun – we were thinking to make Cancun our base or maybe couple of days in Cancun and rest in Palaya del Carmen?
* Chinchen-Itza(1day) – a day tour service, I have heard there’s a lots of day tours. Should we take a tour or drive ourselves?
* Cozumel(1day) – a day tour service?
* Tulum(1day) – Not sure if there’s a tour or we should rent a car and explore ourselves.
* Coba(1day) – a day tour service?

So what does everyone thinks about our plan? We are open to any and all suggestion or changes to our itinerary. Please let me know if you think our schedule is too tight and we should forgo or add a place. Also, if possible please please give us Hotel recommendations. We are somewhat on a budget and would like to spend around $150 USD per night for hotels.

As I was doing my research, I realized that there’s so places to see in Mexico and so little time and a budge. I thank you all for your advice in advance.

Joe

Three days will give you a nice introduction to MC. I recommend the Hotel Majestic on the Zocalo. Zocalo has wonderful street life and is surrounded by the cathedral, the National Palace (housing Diego Rivera murals) and the ruins of the Templo Mayor and its museum. You should also visit the National Anthropology Museum and take a day trip to Teotihuacan. You can probably fit in a visit to Coyoacan and San Angel as well.

I recommend taking deluxe buses in Mexico. They are very comfortable and not very expensive. Some folks drive, but I haven't.

Guanajuato is a beautiful city, but note that it is about five hours north of MC. If you decide to go, check out the Hotel Luna. Puebla, next on your list, is two hours south of MC. It would make a good overnight stop on your way to Oaxaca, another four hours on.

So for this part of your trip I'd suggest you drop Guanajuato and add three or four days in Oaxaca.

For the Yucatan . . . You might consider a few days in Merida, another beautiful colonial city. They shut down the downtown streets on the weekend, and it fills with bands and dancing. It is also near (1 1/2 hours) from Uxmal and the Puuc cities -- for my money the most interesting ruins in the area.

I've always avoided Cancun. It is too built up for my taste, but many people love it. Playa is rapidly growing and has its honky-tonk elements but is very popular and does have good restaurants and nightlife. Haven't been to Cozumal. You can easily take a bus from Playa to Tulum and Coba for day trips.

If you have an extra night, you might consider staying in Valladolid to visit Chichen Itza. Try the hotel El Meson de Marques. This city is about twenty miles from Chichen Itza and has regular bus service to the ruins (although a car might come in handy around the Yucatan). You can also visit the ruins of Ek Balum about ten miles north of Valladolid. These ruins boast high-relief Maya carvings which I believe are unique in Mexico. It's a small site -- you can see it in two hours, maybe the afternoon of your arrival, before heading to Chichen Itza the next morning.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

I don't think your math quite works. You have named 9 different destinations for a 7-10 day trip.

I think you plan is over- ambiitious. Mexico is a big country and you will spend all you time in a car or bus. If you did Mexico City, Guanajuato, Puebla and Oaxaca via bus you would end up with around 25 hours in buses, a little less in a car. As opposed to traveling all over the place, why not get to know one area for a week. E.g. Mexico City, Cuernavca, Tepotzlan and maybe an overnight in Taxco or do just Mexico City, Puebla and surroundings or (my choice) Oaxaca City and surroundings. The three choices above could keep you busy for weeks.

I would also skip Cancun. Very touristy with lots of huge hotels.

Will you be traveling with kids? If you are, then I'd recommend staying overnight at the Hotel Delores Alba, in Piste right by Chichen Itza. It's a little funky but but they have a swimming pool with caves you can swim through. It was a trip highlight for our children. It's also so close to Chichen Itza that you can arrive early and explore before the tour busses.

I'd making Puerto Morelos your base for exploring the coastal side of the Yucantan. It's a great little town and very centrally located. The beaches and snorkeling are great. You could go down and explore Tulum, Coba and Playa del Carmen in a day.

I probably would skip Cozumel unless you want to dive. The diving is awesome! 4-5 cruise ships dock there each day so it really affects the character of the town.

With just 7-10 days, limit your bases to Mexico City and one other place. Oaxaca would be my choice. I did exactly that trip a few years ago. I think it took about an hour for me to fly to Oaxaca from MC.

Regarding distances from Mexico City: I think Puebla is about 2 drive hours away; Guanajuanto 4 hours. But with your limited time, I would skip both places. There are many other places worth visiting much closer to the Mexico City area.