Mexico Coast-to-Coast: Puerto Vallarta to the Mayan Riviera
Experience Overview
Go coast-to-coast from the Pacific to the Mayan Riviera on this three-week adventure across Mexico that features tons of highlights along the way. You’ll stroll (or dance) past mariachis in Guadalajara, wander the narrow streets and tunnels of Guanajuato, and visit ancient sites like the Aztec capital of Teotihuacán, jungle-clad Palenque, and the massive pyramid at Chichen Itzá, just to name a few. All that adventure is sure to work up an appetite — thankfully Mexico City’s famous street tacos and Oaxaca’s many types of mole will more than hit the spot.
Highlights
- Listen to mariachi bands and sample tequila at a tavern in Guadalajara
- Soak up history in the colonial towns of Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende
- Climb the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan
- Explore the ruins at Palanque
Trip Details
Product Code: 1829
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Budget
Transport: Public air-conditioned bus, taxi, private vehicle, plane, walking.
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Budget
Tour Operator:
G Adventures
Supplier Code: CMVP
Starts: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Finishes: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Duration: 22 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Light
Includes
Activities
- Your G for Good Moment: Alebrijes Artisan Community Visit, Oaxaca Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group Your Foodie Moment: Guanajuato City and Street Food Tour, Guanajuato Your Discover Moment: Mérida Your Discover Moment: Playa del Carmen
- Guided tour of Teotihuacan
- Orientation walk in Puebla
- Orientation walk and market visit in Oaxaca
- Guided tour of Palenque ruins site
- Campeche visit
- Orientation walk in Mérida
- Guided tour of Chichén Itzá
- Tequila distillery visit and tasting
- City tour of Guadalajara
- Orientation walk in San Miguel de Allende
- City tour of San Miguel de Allende
- Alebrijes Artisan Community Visit
- Cooking demonstration with local expert in Oaxaca
- Free time in Puebla, Oaxaca Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen, Guadalajara, San Miguel de Allende, and Mexico City
- All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
Accommodation
- Hotels (21 nts).
- 21 breakfasts, 1 lunch
Transport
- Public air-conditioned bus, taxi, private vehicle, plane, walking.
Group Leader
- CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout.
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $4,049 ($184 /day)
Itinerary
Day 1: Puerto Vallarta
Arrive at any time. Attend the welcome meeting in the evening and then opt to grab dinner with the group.
Day 2: Puerto Vallarta
Get ready for a full free day in Puerto Vallarta for optional activities. Your CEO will help arrange and give you some insider recommendations, but you could spend some time on the beach, go whale watching (seasonal, Dec-Mar), a day trip with snorkelling to Isla Marietas or find a nice place to grab some food and people watch. In the evening meet with the group to trade stories and go out to search for some delicious local street food.
Day 3: Puerto Vallarta/Guadalajara
Travel inland to Guadalajara this morning. Make a stop along the way near the town of Tequila to visit a distillery to learn about how tequila is traditionally made with a tasting included and lunch. Continue on arriving in Guadalajara in the early evening for a CEO-led orientation walk.
Day 4: Guadalajara
Enjoy a free morning today to discover Guadalajara's charm. In the afternoon, set off on a city tour including the nearby vibrant city of Tlaquepaque. Think mariachis, historical centres, and loads of fun and street food. The rest of the evening is open to do as you please. Maybe go for another walk through the main square and find a cool tavern to grab a drink with the group.
Day 5: Guadalajara/Guanajuato
Travel by public bus to Guanajuato today. Enjoy an afternoon walking tour to discover the city's beautiful architecture, tunnels, cultural history, and of course, street food.
Day 6: Guanajuato/San Miguel de Allende
Wander through Guanajuato during your free morning. Grab a bite to eat on your own before the bus ride to San Miguel de Allende. Here the group will go on a CEO-led orientation walk before time to have dinner on your own.
Day 7: San Miguel de Allende
Start off with a half-day city tour of San Miguel de Allende. See various historical sites like the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, Iglesia de San Francisco, and Templo del Oratorio de San Felipe Neri. Learn the cultural significance of various places and admire the architecture of this place before a free afternoon for various optional activities.
Day 8: San Miguel de Allende/Mexico City
Hop on the local bus to Mexico City this morning and arrive around midday. Enjoy a free afternoon and opt for an evening out on the town.
Day 9: Mexico City
Take a free day to discover the busting and vibrant megalopolis of Mexico City. With so much to see, do, and eat in this vibrant city, be sure to get recommendations from your CEO about the best things to experience on any particular day. Maybe grab some street tacos and people watch in the main square.
Day 10: Mexico City
Take advantage of a day get to know Mexico City. Opt to check out the sprawling zócalo (main square), visit the Frida Kahlo museum in vibrant Coyoacán, or view impressive Mayan and Aztec artifacts at the National Anthropology Museum.
Day 11: Mexico City/Puebla
Rise early and explore the ancient city of Teotihuacan on a guided tour. Stand in awe of the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, stroll down the Avenue of the Dead and learn all about the site's importance to Mexico's ancient cultures for thousands of years, at one point being the largest city in the entire Americas. Continue to Puebla and enjoy an orientation walk downtown.
Day 12: Puebla
Enjoy a free day to explore the city. Opt to visit a ceramics workshop, check out the pyramid of nearby Cholula, sample delicious local specialties, or watch a lucha libre wrestling match at night.
Day 13: Puebla/Oaxaca
Journey south to beautiful Oaxaca, and get a feel for the city on an orientation walk, stopping to visit one of its sprawling markets. After, visit the Alebrijes Artisan Community for your G for Good moment. Meet a local artisan, speak with them, ask any questions the group may have, and learn more about how the Alebrijes are crafted.
Day 14: Oaxaca
Take advantage of free time, and opt to learn how to make mole in a cooking class, shop at nearby artisan villages, Visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Mitla, or sample some mezcal at a local distillery - look out for the worm! In the evening enjoy a cooking demonstration with a local expert and taste a variety of regional cuisine.
Day 15: Oaxaca/Palenque
Travel in style and fly to Villahermosa, then transfer to Palenque by land.
Day 16: Palenque
Enjoy a guided tour of the Mayan ruins of Palenque, set in the jungle of Chiapas. Opt for a jungle walk in the afternoon.
Day 17: Palenque/Mérida
Travel to the Yucatán Peninsula, stopping off in the seaside historic city of Campeche. Upon arrival in Mérida, enjoy an orientation walk to get to know the city's layout and attractions.
Day 18: Mérida
Enjoy a free day to explore Mérida and surroundings. Opt to visit the Mayan ruins of Uxmal or explore the main square and historic buildings of Mérida.
Day 19: Mérida/Valladolid
Explore the ancient Mayan City of Chichén Itzá with a guided tour, then continue on to the quaint city of Valladolid. Opt to cool off with a swim in a nearby cenote, a natural water-filled sinkhole.
Day 20: Valladolid/Playa del Carmen
Travel to Playa del Carmen to lounge on Mayan Riviera beaches.
Day 21: Playa del Carmen
Opt to explore the Mayan ruins of Tulúm or just play in the waves and enjoy the beach!
Day 22: Playa del Carmen
Depart at any time.
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
G Adventures
G Adventures is an operator of small-group escorted tours. It is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with 28 offices worldwide. It offers more than 700 itineraries in more than 100 countries, and carries 200,000 travelers from 160 countries each year.
In Business Since 1990
Reviews
Sandra R. - Traveled, November 2023
I was very concerned with the accommodation in Guadalajara: the room unclean with very grey sheets and an extremely uncomfortable bed, but during the night I woke suddenly to find that something had bitten me on the leg. I sat in a chair for the rest of the night. The next night I paid to stay in the Hotel Portobello, rather than stay another night in the allocated hote.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/15/2023
Paul F. - Traveled, November 2023
Accommodation was inconsistent, our hotel rooms ranged from very nice (Guanajuato) to awful (Guadalajara)
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/15/2023
Katherine F. - Traveled, November 2023
I think it depends on ones age and physical ability. Some on our trip found it more difficult than others. I would recommend this trip to friends or family depending on the above.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/15/2023
Larry H. - Traveled, November 2023
We very much like the small group concept.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/01/2023
Jo R. - Traveled, November 2023
The tour took all the stress out of planning and travelling. I felt in very safe hands the whole time and liked the flexibility to be with the group or do my own thing.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/01/2023
Daniel S. - Traveled, November 2023
This was my 8th tour with G Adventures and I've enjoyed every tour that I've been on. The CEOs do an amazing job in helping me and fellow travellers have amazing experiences
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/01/2023
Judy H. - Traveled, November 2023
I had told a friend about our 21 day trip and she is booked to do the same trip - only 9 days starting in Mexico City. She and her husband visited with us over the holidays and I told her about our trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/01/2023
Jane B. - Traveled, October 2023
Too much of the trip was extras at extra cost with some of the optional activities being passed on the bus on the way to the next hotel or an activity the group didn't feel was very valuable to include. Too many of the activities in the second part of my tour were also based on the majority or half of the group going, this was very unfair and started to affect the group atmosphere. I have done a few tours but this is my first with G and my first tour where activities were based on numbers and not what those who have paid thousands of pounds to join the group and international flights actually wanted to get from the experience.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/03/2023
David N. - Traveled, September 2023
I like the community orientation travel style. Having a flexible schedule and plenty of free time is also good.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/13/2023
Simon A. - Traveled, September 2023
Really good trip, had a lot of fun, just a couple of things that didn't quite go according to plan
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/13/2023
Silvia N. - Traveled, September 2023
Quite good for this style of travel
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/13/2023
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