Country itinerary · Mexico
14 days in Mexico
A route that follows geography, not a list: Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta and Tulum.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Gobierno CDMX, CC0
Quick answer
Spend 5 days in Mexico City, 6 days in Puerto Vallarta, 3 days in Tulum. The stops are ordered to keep travel short — about 2,501 km in total. Go in November–May for good conditions everywhere.
Key facts
- Stops
- 3
- Total distance
- About 2,501 km
- Start
- Mexico City
- Best months
- November–May
Days 1–5: Mexico City
Aztec ruins, world-class museums, street tacos and leafy Roma and Condesa
Mexico City sits at about 2,240 metres in a high valley ringed by volcanoes, built on the ruins of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. Its historic centre around the Zócalo holds the Templo Mayor ruins, the cathedral and Diego Rivera's murals, while Chapultepec Park has the National Museum of Anthropology. Most visitors…
- Don't miss: Zócalo, Metropolitan Cathedral and Templo Mayor
- Day trip: Teotihuacan (About 1 hour by bus)
- Stay: Centro Histórico
Days 6–11: Puerto Vallarta
About 651 km from Mexico City.
Puerto Vallarta sits on the Bahía de Banderas, one of Mexico's largest bays, where the forested Sierra Madre drops straight to the Pacific. The old town keeps cobbled streets, whitewashed houses with red-tile roofs and the crown-topped Guadalupe church, linked to the beach by the seafront Malecón. South of the Río…
- Don't miss: The Malecón, Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe and Isla Río Cuale
- Day trip: Yelapa (About 30–45 minutes by water taxi)
- Stay: Zona Romántica
Puerto Vallarta travel guide · What to do in Puerto Vallarta.
Days 12–14: Tulum
About 1,850 km from Puerto Vallarta — usually quickest by air.
Tulum on Mexico's Riviera Maya combines a walled Maya port on a limestone cliff above the Caribbean, a long beach road of boutique hotels and beach clubs, and a jungle dotted with cenotes, the freshwater sinkholes of the Yucatán. The town (Tulum Pueblo) on the highway has the cheaper hotels and taquerías, while the…
- Don't miss: Tulum archaeological site, Playa Paraíso and Beach road and Zona Hotelera
- Day trip: Cobá (About 45 minutes by car)
- Stay: Zona Hotelera Norte
The route at a glance
| Stop | Days | From previous stop |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | 5 | Start |
| Puerto Vallarta | 6 | 651 km |
| Tulum | 3 | 1,850 km |
Total straight-line distance between stops: about 2,501 km. November–May suit every stop on this route.
What 14 days in Mexico costs
Estimated spend per person on the ground, excluding flights, from the daily ranges in our destination research. Prices change; treat these as planning figures.
| Stop | Days | Budget | Mid-range | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | 5 | $200–$350 | $600–$1,100 | $1,750–$4,500 |
| Puerto Vallarta | 6 | $240–$420 | $600–$1,200 | $1,680–$4,200 |
| Tulum | 3 | $150–$270 | $450–$900 | $1,200–$3,600 |
| Total | 14 | $590–$1,040 | $1,650–$3,200 | $4,630–$12,300 |
Tulum is the priciest stop (expensive for international visitors) and Mexico City the least expensive (affordable), so a longer stay in Mexico City stretches the budget.
Questions travellers ask
+Is 14 days enough for Mexico?
It covers Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta and Tulum at a steady pace. With more time, add Cancún and Playa del Carmen.