Enjoy Mexican cuisine and the cultural wonders offered by this 9-day seat-in-coach tour. In Merida cooking class, you will discover amazing traditional dishes. In addition, you can taste delicious local fruits. You will also learn about the customs and traditions of Yucatan, visit Chichen Itza and bathe in a Cenote.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Mexico City: This enormous, bustling capital city maintains its colonial charm and offers a vibrant and eclectic atmosphere.
Xochimilco: UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "place of flowers". It is best known for its canals and artificial islands called chinampas, which are used to grow flowers, vegetables and ornamental plants that you can admire floating along in a gondola like-boat.
Frida Kahlo Museum: The visit to the Blue House is a journey that will take you to understand better the great Mexican Artist who was Frida Kahlo.
Merida: Yucatan’s ‘White City’ is famed for the elegant tree-lined boulevards from the 19th century. Immerse yourself in the local culture with the traditional dishes and enjoy the cooking class.
Cenotes: Discover the magic of the region’s natural pools that can be found underground or open to the sky.
Chichen Itza: Uncover the mysteries of Maya civilisation at this ancient archaeological site dominated by the imposing Temple of Kukulkan
Day 1: ARRIVAL MEXICO CITY
Arrive at Mexico City International Airport. Our representative will meet and greet you, and then you will be taken by shared transfer to the selected hotel. Have the rest of the day at leisure, taking advantage of the hotel facilities or exploring the beautiful surroundings. The itinerary order may change depending on the weekday of arrival (in order to make all activities).
Overnight in Mexico City.
Day 2: MEXICO CITY: CITY TOUR, ANTHROPOLOGICAL MUSEUM AND PLAZA GARIBALDI
After the tasty breakfast at the hotel, the guide will wait for you at the hotel to pick you up around 9 am to start with the visit of the historic center, the Zocalo (the main square of the city), the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace , which features murals by the famous artist Diego Rivera. Then, we make a stop at the Anthropological Museum, a place that after almost half a century since its creation, remains the most emblematic area that safeguards the indigenous legacy of Mexico. After this 5-hour visit, return to the hotel or if you wish you can stay to explore the area on your own or enjoy lunch at the restaurant and return to the hotel on your own. In the evening at 7.30 pm you will be picked up at the hotel and taken to the Bellini restaurant to enjoy a tasty dinner (a local drink included). This restaurant is the only revolving restaurant in Mexico City, which offers incredible panoramic views overlooking the flashing lights of the city and the traditional Mexican and international flavors. After dinner before we head back to the hotel, we will stop at Plaza Garibaldi, a nightlife center and a very popular place to enjoy the sights and sounds of Mariachis accompanied by traditional dances and delicious drinks (a traditional drink included). Return to the hotel at 12 am.
Overnight in Mexico City
Day 3: MEXICO CITY: XOCHIMILCO BOAT, COYOACAN AND FRIDA KAHLO MUSEUM
Enjoy a full-day tour full of color and tradition through some of the most enchanting areas of Mexico City. On our way to Xochimilco, we will drive through the 4th largest street in the world (Insurgentes Avenue – World Guinness Record) and we will admire important spots such as the largest bullfight Ring in Mexico and the most important in the Americas, the University of Mexico and the Olympic Stadium of 1968 among other important spots. Upon reaching the calm waters of the Xochimilco canals and its floating gardens, you will enjoy a picturesque cruise through one of the last traces of the Aztec period in a traditional trajinera or pre-Hispanic boat. Learn the history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, first established as a pre-Columbian city on the shores of Lake Xochimilco just south of Mexico City. On board this typical canoe you will travel through canals surrounded by floating gardens while you delight your palate with exquisite dishes and typical drinks. You might be followed by real Mariachi bands playing some of the most famous songs in Mexico. Afterwards, enjoy a brief visit to Coyoacan, known as the cultural heart of Mexico City, a place that has been a source of inspiration for various national and international artists. We will be visiting the area of sixteenth-century mansions and the Church of San Bautista. In the same neighborhood we will visit the Frida Kahlo Museum, known as "The Blue House" where the world-renowned Latin American artist lived. The visit to the Blue House is a journey that will take you to understand better the great Mexican Artist.
Overnight in Mexico City
Day 4: MEXICO CITY – TEOTIHUACAN – MEXICO CITY (100 Km – 2 hrs)
After breakfast at the hotel, you will be picked up at the lobby at about 9.00 am. You will visit two impressive ceremonial centers, the Basilica of Guadalupe (contemporary) and Teotihuacan (pre-Hispanic), which describe the religious evolution of Mexican people. First transfer to the "Plaza de las Tres Culturas", the site where the largest market in pre-Columbian Mexico, Tlatelolco is located, where you will have a panoramic view of the esplanade and the archaeological zone. Continue to the Basilica of Guadalupe, the largest religious sanctuary in Mexico, which houses the most revered image in Mexico, that of the Virgin of Guadalupe. You will visit the atrium and its interior. Continue to Teotihuacan "place where the gods are made". With more than 2,500 years of history, this ceremonial center had a vital development, born in Textiles of natural fibers and Obsidian as a matter of Exchanges and tools. This will be explained in detail at a stop before entering the archeological zone. Enter the enigmatic archaeological zone visiting the temples of "Quetzalpapalotl" (butterfly bird), the "feathered snails" and the entire pyramid of the Moon. Continue to visit the Citadel and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl before the end of the visit with the impressive Pyramid of the Sun. Upon returning to Mexico City, there will be a stop at the typical restaurant for lunch (not included). At approximately 4.30 pm you will return to your hotel.
Overnight in Mexico City
Day 5: MEXICO CITY - MERIDA (2 hrs by flight)
Start your last day in Mexico City with a tasty breakfast at the hotel. Then, check out and transfer to Mexico City International Airport for your departure flight to Merida (flight not included). Upon arrival at Merida Airport, our representative will meet and greet you, and then transfer you to the selected hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, taking advantage of the hotel amenities or exploring the beautiful surroundings.
Overnight in Merida
Day 6: MERIDA: MARKET AND COOKING CLASS
Today after breakfast, meet your guide at approximately 8.30 am, to immerse yourself in the local culture with the cooking class! This Merida Market Tasting and Cooking Class tour will start with a visit to the local market. First, you’ll discover amazing traditional dishes. Furthermore, you’ll get to taste delicious local fruits. In addition, you’ll learn about the customs and traditions of Yucatan. After buying all your supplies, you’ll take an exciting bus ride to the local home. Finally, your host and guide will guide you step by step to cook a traditional menu. Return to your hotel at 2 pm.
Overnight in Merida
Day 7: MERIDA: CENOTES DE CUZAMA
In this tour we will meet three of the most beautiful cenotes in Yucatán that are located in the "ring of cenotes", an extraordinary semicircular alignment of more than 100 cenotes that specialists relate to the theory of the impact of an asteroid on the earth, 65 millions of years ago; that in addition to modifying the course of life on the planet left a 180-kilometer crater. In the same place of the events, we will talk about the event, the ecosystem and the deep relationship that the Mayan civilization had with the cenotes. Come prepared to swim and if you like, also snorkel in the crystal clear and magical waters of these unique natural formations in the world. After the visit and the time to swim, we will have time to eat and then return to Mérida.
Overnight in Merida
Day 8: MERIDA: UXMAL
Start the day with a delicious breakfast. You will visit the archaeological site of Uxmal, one of the most prominent of the Puuc Route. Upon reaching the pyramids, we will explore the place and get to know the Mayan vestiges and interesting constructions full of great wealth and history. You will learn about the history of this archaeological site of the Mayan culture and you will also hear some magical legends about that place highlighting the pyramid of the Soothsayer, the Quadrangle of the Nuns and the Palace of the Governor. Next, we will visit the Museum of chocolate where you will learn about the history of cacao from its origins, distribution and worldwide uses to its Mayan ancient making ways.
Overnight in Merida.
Day 9: MERIDA – CHICHEN ITZA – DEPART CANCUN OR RIVIERA MAYA (315km – 4 hrs)
Start the day with a tasty breakfast at the hotel and be ready for the pick up at about 8.45 am. From Mérida, we will go to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Chichen Itza. Enter the rainforests of the Yucatan Peninsula in search of the legendary Mayan city of Chichen Itza, which has been laboriously recovered from the jungle. Learn about the Maya and their civilization while admiring the scale and details of this ancient city. Contemplate the geometric perfection of the 25-meter-high Kukulkan Temple, popularly known as El Castillo ('el Castillo'), which was built as a representation of the Mayan mystical calendar and to reflect the optical illusion of a snake up or down of the pyramid during the spring and autumn equinoxes. Admire the Great Ball Court, the largest of the 13 discovered on the site, see the disturbing Skull Platform, where the heads of the victims of human sacrifices and prisoners of war were impaled, and also the Sacred Cenote, where the victims of the sacrifice were thrown. Visit very well preserved Temple of the Warriors, the Ossuary, the Nunnery and the adjacent Church, and the great observatory known as the Caracol. Then, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant around Chichen Itza, after which we will go to Cancun or Riviera Maya, and we will leave you at your selected hotel (not included in this program).
Comfortable and light clothing is the most suitable for travelling in Mexico. However, the climate can be wet and cold, especially in winter, therefore we recommend to bring warm clothes, a raincoat and umbrella. Visitors should not wear sleeveless shirts, shorts, short skirts or skimpy clothing when visiting temples, religious or official buildings. Sun protection, sunglasses, a hat and mosquito repellent can be very useful during your stay.
