Life In A Pueblo Magico

Immersive Cultural Journey To Mexico

Colonial Mexico & the North, Mexico City & Around, Pacific Coast

Duration: 10 nights

Price: From £5,750 per person in low season based on two adults travelling together and including all flights in economy class, accommodation, some meals, experiences as stated, private transfers and taxes

Mexico has long been a point of fascination for culture vultures of all stripes, having been a crossroads for different cultures and civilisations for millennia. Some of these are well documented, like the Mayans, Aztecs and the Spanish conquistadors; others less so, and there is no end of mysterious ruins and traditional villages to explore away from the tourist crowds. This itinerary is perfect for any would-be anthropologists, history buffs, or anyone interested in Mexican culture who wants to explore it in more depth.

You’ll begin in the capital, Mexico City, where Catholic cathedrals are built upon Aztec temples in an explicit illustration of the country’s history of cultural collision, and where you can visit the home of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. You’ll then explore Purepecha indigenous culture in the highland town of Patzcuaro, visiting the ‘pueblo magico’ of Santa Clara del Cobre, before finishing up with some beachfront relaxation in the beautiful fishing village of Zihuatanejo.
Perfect forAnyone itching to learn more about Mexican culture.
In the knowConsider extending your trip to include a visit to Chichen Itza, perhaps Mexico’s most potent cultural symbol.

Best for

  • History & Heritage
  • Cultural Immersion
  • Off the Beaten Track
  • Repeat

All Exsus Travel holidays are tailor-made

All itineraries on our website are designed as a starting point. Tell us your budget/wishlist/preferred length of stay and we'll help you select the best hotels and experiences, so your holiday is totally personalised.

Call 020 7337 9010 or Make an enquiry

Itinerary details

Mexico City

3 nightsMEXICO CITY

There’s no better place to start your immersive cultural journey to Mexico than the capital, Mexico City. The centre of the country’s cultural life for centuries, this place is a melting pot of Mesoamerican, colonial and revolutionary history, and it wears them all on its sleeve. A guided tour will take you to the city’s historic centre, built on the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan; the Spanish conquistadors even built their cathedral on the site of an important temple. You'll also visit the important Mesoamerican site of Teotihuacan, where your guide will teach you all about Aztec life and mythology. Having worked up an appetite, enjoy a taco and mezcal tasting tour, and spend an evening watching traditional Mexican wrestling.

Also on the agenda is a visit to artist Frida Kahlo’s house, Casa Azul, or Blue House, which is now a museum showcasing her colourful life and work, where you can see her distinctive outfits, jewellery and personal mementos as well as her art. 

Your home for three nights in Mexico City is La Valise, a stylish boutique hotel in the trendy Colonia Roma district.
Read More
Patzcuaro

3 nightsPATZCUARO

The next stop on your journey is Patzcuaro, a drive of around four hours from Mexico City. Patzcuaro has a strong indigenous feel, having been founded a couple of centuries before the arrival of the Spanish; it’s a pleasant town, with cobbled streets lined with adobe-walled, red-roofed houses. On a guided tour, you’ll visit the home of folk artist Mario Agutine Gaspar, and Santa Clara del Cobre, a Purepecha indigenous village named a ‘pueblo magico’ by the Mexican government, home to skilled copper and silver artisans.

The next day, you’ll visit another indigenous community at Janitzio, famous for their bright traditional costumes, and the Tzintzuntzan archaeological site, the seat of the vast Purepecha Empire.

You’ll spend three nights in Patzcuaro at Casa de la Real Aduana, a luxurious boutique hotel housed in a restored 16th-century manor house.
Read More
Zihuatanejo

4 nightsZIHUATANEJO

The final stop on your cultural journey through Mexico is Zihuatanejo, around three hours’ drive away. A former fishing village on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, it’s here to which Andy Dufresne dreamed of escape in the Hollywood classic The Shawshank Redemption, and it’s not hard to see why: its beaches are beautiful, and the cobbled streets of the historic town are packed with restaurants, boutiques and artists’ workshops.

You’ll spend four nights at Viceroy Zihuatanejo, a collection of beautiful casitas spread across 1000ft of private beach. It’s a fantastic place to do little more than lie on the sand, dive or snorkel, or spot sea turtles during the nesting season. If you still haven’t satisfied your cultural curiosity, head to the indigenous town of Petatlan, or the pre-Columbian archaeological site of La Soledad de Maciel.
Read More

Best time to go

Best time to travel

Good time to travel (but some limitations)

Travel is possible (but it’s not the best time)

Travel is not recommended

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
Best time to go

Hotel locations for this itinerary

Hotels we've recommended for this trip

More itineraries in Mexico

YOUR JOURNEY STARTS HERE

call us on 020 7337 9010 to start planning your perfect trip

Make an enquiry

© 2022 Exsus Travel. Experts in luxury tailor-made holidays.

Exsus Travel Limited t/a Exsus Travel. Registered in England and Wales at this address: 1 Burwood Place, London, W2 2UT. Company No. 3385363. VAT No. 719-221840.

Book with confidence.
ATOL
All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk
ABTA
We are a member of ABTA (ABTA No. Y6561) which means you have the benefit of ABTA’s assistance and Code of Conduct. We provide full financial protection for your money.
International Passenger Protection (IPP)
In accordance with the Passenger protection policy for insolvency cover in respect of the Package Travel & Linked Travel Regulations 2018, all passengers booking with Exsus Travel are fully protected for the initial deposit and subsequently the balance of all monies paid to us, including repatriation costs, arising from cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Exsus Travel. There is no requirement for financial protection of day trips, and none is provided. Your booking is insured by IPP Ltd and its panel of insurers. This insurance is only valid for passengers who book and pay directly with Exsus Travel. If you have booked and/or paid direct to a Travel Agent for a holiday with Exsus Travel please request proof of how the booking is secured as this will not be covered by IPP Ltd in this instance.
This insurance has been arranged by International Passenger Protection Limited and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE. For further information please go to www.ipplondon.co.uk.
Claims procedure: you must notify IPP as soon as practically possible giving full details of what has happened quoting the name of your Travel Operator to: IPP Claims at Cunningham Lindsey, Oakleigh House, 14-15 Park Place, Cardiff,  CF10 3DQ, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)345 266 1872.
Email: Insolvency-claims@ipplondon.co.uk or online at http://www.ipplondon.co.uk/claims.asp