Mexico: Maya Ruins, Colonial Cities & the Caribbean

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1. Day1 Flight to Mexico CityAthens → Mexico City

   Departure from Athens on a scheduled flight with one connection at a European hub. Arrival in Mexico City, a vast metropolis lying above 2,200 metres. Transfer to the hotel, time to rest and a welcome dinner with your Greek tour coordinator.

   • Flight
   • Dinner
2. Day2 The Zócalo, the old centre and moleMexico City

   A morning walk through the Zócalo, the great central square beside the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Aztec ruins of the Templo Mayor, which surface next to colonial mansions. At lunch you taste mole, the dark sauce of chilli, spices and chocolate. The afternoon is free for markets and cafés.

   • On foot
   • Breakfast · Lunch
3. Day3 Teotihuacán, Coyoacán and tacos al pastorTeotihuacán · Mexico City

   A morning excursion to Teotihuacán, the ‘city of the gods’, about 50 km north-east of the capital. You walk the Avenue of the Dead between the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon. In the afternoon, stroll the cobbled lanes of Coyoacán, then dine at a neighbourhood taquería: tacos al pastor, cousins of the Greek gyros.

   • Coach
   • Breakfast · Dinner
4. Day4 Flight to Mérida, the White CityMexico City → Mérida

   A domestic flight takes you to Mérida, capital of Yucatán. Walk to the main square and cathedral, then along Paseo de Montejo, lined with mansions built by sisal merchants. Colonial streets in ochre, pink and yellow, with bougainvillea tumbling from balconies. Dinner features cochinita pibil, pork slow-roasted in banana leaves.

   • Flight
   • Breakfast · Dinner
5. Day5 Uxmal and the Puuc architectureUxmal · Mérida

   By coach, 80 km south of Mérida, to Uxmal. The Pyramid of the Magician with its oval base, the Governor's Palace and the Nunnery Quadrangle are covered in fine stone mosaic and masks of Chaac, the rain god. Return in the afternoon, with free time in Mérida.

   • Coach
   • Breakfast · Lunch
6. Day6 Chichén Itzá, a cenote and the CaribbeanChichén Itzá · Riviera Maya

   An early start east across the flat Yucatán plain. At Chichén Itzá you admire El Castillo, the pyramid of Kukulkán, the great Ball Court and the Temple of the Warriors. Then a swim in a cenote with turquoise water, where sunbeams slip through an opening in the roof. By evening you reach the Riviera Maya.

   • Coach
   • Breakfast · Lunch
7. Day7 Tulum, ruins above the seaTulum

   At Tulum, a small walled Maya port, the ruins stand on a cliff above the turquoise Caribbean. You walk between El Castillo, the Temple of the Frescoes and the iguanas basking on the stones. In the afternoon there is free time for a swim from the white-sand beach. Dinner features seafood.

   • Coach
   • Breakfast · Dinner
8. Day8 Free day on the Riviera MayaRiviera Maya

   A day of rest on the Caribbean: white sand, warm sea and an unhurried pace. If you wish, join an optional excursion, such as snorkelling in bays where sea turtles live or a boat trip to Cozumel or Isla Mujeres (optional, at extra cost).

   • Breakfast
9. Day9 A last swim and the flight homeRiviera Maya → Cancún

   The morning is free for a final swim and a breakfast of fresh tropical fruit. Later in the day, transfer to Cancún airport, about an hour by road, and a scheduled flight to Athens with one connection.

   • Flight
   • Breakfast
10. Day10 Arrival in AthensReturn to Athens

    Landing in Athens during the day, with memories of pyramids, cenotes and the Caribbean sea, and the taste of mole you will want to recreate at home. End of services.

    • Flight