Mexico is a land of contrasts, which makes it the perfect destination for those seeking a little variety in their travels. Several of the suggested itineraries described will take you through changing landscapes and both big-city and small-town Mexico. A few itineraries conclude at a beach resort so that you can relax a little at the end of your trip. But there's another reason for this: I wanted to make use of Mexico's major points of entry -- the big international airports -- and many of these happen to serve resorts. When I visit Mexico, I seldom book a round-trip ticket, preferring to enter through one airport and leave through another; usually I don't have to pay any extra for doing this. Times have changed and round-trip fares aren't what they used to be.
Once inside Mexico, most travel is by bus, rental car, or a hired car and driver. Domestic flights are expensive, and there is only one true passenger train still operating. This train runs along the Copper Canyon to Chihuahua City and works well for the surf-to-sierra approach that I like. I've tried to keep travel time to a minimum for obvious reasons. None of these itineraries can be called exhaustive explorations of Mexico, but neither are they exhausting. If you want to put together a tour linking all of Mexico's most famous sites, you can connect the central archaeological tour with the Ruta Maya. This would take 3 weeks and cover most of what Mexico is famous for.
Renting a car works really well for the Yucatán and a few other parts of the country. In other areas, it can be confusing, as road signs are not always posted. Hiring a car and driver or taking the bus for certain legs of the trip are reasonable options. Mexico has good buses with an array of categories of service. Once you're inside a town or city, it's usually best to use taxis, which are for the most part cheap and plentiful.
