The ultimate Mexico experience

Day 1: Arrive in Mexico City

Upon arrival, you will be met by your Sky Vacations ambassador who will assist you with your private transfer to your boutique hotel for a two night stay.

One of the world’s largest metropoles, Mexico City is also the oldest urban center in the Western Hemisphere, when it was called Tenochtitlan. Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes and his men were awestruck by the sight of the imposing temples of the Aztecs. Reporting back to King Carlos V, Cortes was struggling to convey the majesty of what he saw. Imagine the King’s surprise at learning that “one of the plazas is twice the size of that of Salamanca”, and “the principal pyramid is taller than the tower of the cathedral at Seville”, or that the stone and wood craftsmanship that adorned these monuments “could nowhere be bettered”. Nowhere is Mexico’s explosive past better depicted than at its central plaza, the Zocalo. Surrounded by some of the finest buildings of the colonial era, lie the remnants of one of the Aztecs’ principal monuments, the Templo Mayor. Its mysterious shapes stand as a haunting tribute to the pre-Hispanic civilization that flourished here long ago.

Day 2: Mexico City Tour and Teotihuacan Pyramids

After a sumptuous breakfast at your hotel, we will explore magnificent Mexico City, built on top of the ruins of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Our first stop is the Zocalo (main square), one of the biggest public squares in the world. We will visit the Metropolitan Cathedral – the biggest church in Latin America, and the Palacio Nacional (closed on Mondays)– which hosts Diego Rivera’s murals depicting the history of Mexico. Afterwards we will continue to the archaeological site of Teotihuacan, located 50 kms. (31 miles) northeast of Mexico City, it was one of the most impressive cities of the ancient world, held sacred by the Aztecs. We will explore its temples, palaces and pyramids, including the Quetzalpapalotl Palace Complex, the Temple of the Feathered Conches, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the immense Pyramid of the Sun, ranked among the biggest in the world. 

Day 3: Mexico City – San Miguel de Allende

Breakfast at the hotel followed by a private transfer to San Miguel de Allende. San Miguel de Allende is so strikingly lovely in its architecture that it has been designated a national monument.

Upon arrival, a half day tour awaits you. The delightful colonial town of San Miguel de Allende is filled with opulent mansions and handsome churches, all connected by narrow, cobbled streets. It was once an important crossroads for mule trains, which carried silver and gold to the capital. We will visit the church La Parroquia – notable for its fantastic Neo-Gothic exterior; Casa del Mayorazgo – the town’s most sumptuous mansion; Casa Allende – a historical museum that was the birthplace of Independence hero Ignacio Allende; Templo de la Concepcion – a huge dome from 1891 towers over the gilded altar of this church; Oratorio de San Felipe Neri – a series of 33 oil paintings inside this church depict the life of the Florentine St. Philip Neri; and other wonderful buildings.

Day 4: San Miguel de Allende – Guanajuato

Transfer to Guanajuato followed by a half day city tour. Guanajuato climbs out of a rugged ravine and up bald hills that once supplied a quarter of the country’s silver output. Mine owners studded Guanajuato’s narrow twisting streets and charming plazas with stately mansions and imposing churches. A later bonanza added splendid late 19th-century touches, and modern engineers burrowed an ingenious tunnel network under the city to help overcome its crazy geography. The unique result is a center devoid of traffic lights and signs. We will visit the Templo de la Compañia – this Jesuit church with a Neo-Classical dome is a city landmark; Jardin de la Union – this laurel-shaded plaza designed in 1861 is the heart of the city; Teatro Juarez – a lavish theatre with doric columns and giant statures; Casa Diego Rivera – the house where Rivera was born in 1886 is now a museum exhibiting over 100 samples of his work; and other wonderful buildings.

Day 5: Guanajuato – Guadalajara

This morning its our day to visit the second largest metropolis in Mexico – Guadalajara. Considered as one of the most serenely beautiful and stately cities in North America, it is a city of parks and fountains, of monuments and rose-lined boulevards, a city alive with colour. Its rich colonial heritage dates back to 1542 and is evident throughout the city. Outside of Guadalajara is the beautiful village of Tlaquepaque, with its famous mariachi bands and gorgeous handicrafts specializing in leather, glass and textiles. Another interesting village is Tequila, birthplace of the “real” tequila produced from the blue agave.

Day 6: Guadalajara City Tour

The day begins with breakfast at your hotel followed by a city tour of Guadalajara. Until just a few decades ago, Guadalajara was a placid provincial town. Then an industrial boom swiftly transformed it into a modern metropolis. However, the traditional flavour of the “Pearl of the West” lingers on in its beautiful squares and majestic colonial buildings. In the historic centre, we will visit the Cathedral, the baroque-style Palacio de Gobierno, the Teatro Degollado with its impressive Corinthian portico, and the former hospice Instituto Cultural Cabañas – the largest colonial edifice in the Americas and one of Mexico’s finest Neo-Classical buildings. We then drive to Tlaquepaque, 7km southeast of Guadalajara. In colonial times this small potters’ village attracted the Guadalajara gentry, who built beautiful mansions here. Some mansions are now shops, offering an overwhelming selection of Mexican pottery, blown glass, textiles, metal, wood, and papier-mâché.

Day 7: Tequila, Land of Blue Agave & Distilleries Tour 

The town of Tequila, 50 km northwest of Guadalajara, gives its name to this world-famous liquor since the 17th century. Plantations of blue agave surround the countryside and the town, painting the landscape with unique blue-green tones. Tequila remains the country’s largest producer and now exports to over 100 countries. We will visit the ‘Museo del Tequila’, which gives a complete history of this prominent industry. It is a must to visit a distillery to see the entire traditional and modern production process of tequila, including the cooking of the plant cores from which the liquor is made from. All this of course will be followed by a tasting session!  

Day 8: Departure Guadalajara

It’s now time to say good bye and proceed to the airport for your onward journey. 

Prices are land only per person based on double occupancy. Restrictions apply. For our complete terms and conditions, click here.

Day 1: Arrive in Mexico City

Upon arrival, you will be met by your Sky Vacations ambassador who will assist you with your private transfer to your boutique hotel for a two night stay.

One of the world’s largest metropoles, Mexico City is also the oldest urban center in the Western Hemisphere, when it was called Tenochtitlan. Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes and his men were awestruck by the sight of the imposing temples of the Aztecs. Reporting back to King Carlos V, Cortes was struggling to convey the majesty of what he saw. Imagine the King’s surprise at learning that “one of the plazas is twice the size of that of Salamanca”, and “the principal pyramid is taller than the tower of the cathedral at Seville”, or that the stone and wood craftsmanship that adorned these monuments “could nowhere be bettered”. Nowhere is Mexico’s explosive past better depicted than at its central plaza, the Zocalo. Surrounded by some of the finest buildings of the colonial era, lie the remnants of one of the Aztecs’ principal monuments, the Templo Mayor. Its mysterious shapes stand as a haunting tribute to the pre-Hispanic civilization that flourished here long ago.

Day 2: Mexico City Tour and Teotihuacan Pyramids

After a sumptuous breakfast at your hotel, we will explore magnificent Mexico City, built on top of the ruins of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Our first stop is the Zocalo (main square), one of the biggest public squares in the world. We will visit the Metropolitan Cathedral – the biggest church in Latin America, and the Palacio Nacional (closed on Mondays)– which hosts Diego Rivera’s murals depicting the history of Mexico. Afterwards we will continue to the archaeological site of Teotihuacan, located 50 kms. (31 miles) northeast of Mexico City, it was one of the most impressive cities of the ancient world, held sacred by the Aztecs. We will explore its temples, palaces and pyramids, including the Quetzalpapalotl Palace Complex, the Temple of the Feathered Conches, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the immense Pyramid of the Sun, ranked among the biggest in the world. 

Day 3: Mexico City – San Miguel de Allende

Breakfast at the hotel followed by a private transfer to San Miguel de Allende. San Miguel de Allende is so strikingly lovely in its architecture that it has been designated a national monument.

Upon arrival, a half day tour awaits you. The delightful colonial town of San Miguel de Allende is filled with opulent mansions and handsome churches, all connected by narrow, cobbled streets. It was once an important crossroads for mule trains, which carried silver and gold to the capital. We will visit the church La Parroquia – notable for its fantastic Neo-Gothic exterior; Casa del Mayorazgo – the town’s most sumptuous mansion; Casa Allende – a historical museum that was the birthplace of Independence hero Ignacio Allende; Templo de la Concepcion – a huge dome from 1891 towers over the gilded altar of this church; Oratorio de San Felipe Neri – a series of 33 oil paintings inside this church depict the life of the Florentine St. Philip Neri; and other wonderful buildings.

Day 4: San Miguel de Allende – Guanajuato

Transfer to Guanajuato followed by a half day city tour. Guanajuato climbs out of a rugged ravine and up bald hills that once supplied a quarter of the country’s silver output. Mine owners studded Guanajuato’s narrow twisting streets and charming plazas with stately mansions and imposing churches. A later bonanza added splendid late 19th-century touches, and modern engineers burrowed an ingenious tunnel network under the city to help overcome its crazy geography. The unique result is a center devoid of traffic lights and signs. We will visit the Templo de la Compañia – this Jesuit church with a Neo-Classical dome is a city landmark; Jardin de la Union – this laurel-shaded plaza designed in 1861 is the heart of the city; Teatro Juarez – a lavish theatre with doric columns and giant statures; Casa Diego Rivera – the house where Rivera was born in 1886 is now a museum exhibiting over 100 samples of his work; and other wonderful buildings.

Day 5: Guanajuato – Guadalajara

This morning its our day to visit the second largest metropolis in Mexico – Guadalajara. Considered as one of the most serenely beautiful and stately cities in North America, it is a city of parks and fountains, of monuments and rose-lined boulevards, a city alive with colour. Its rich colonial heritage dates back to 1542 and is evident throughout the city. Outside of Guadalajara is the beautiful village of Tlaquepaque, with its famous mariachi bands and gorgeous handicrafts specializing in leather, glass and textiles. Another interesting village is Tequila, birthplace of the “real” tequila produced from the blue agave.

Day 6: Guadalajara City Tour

The day begins with breakfast at your hotel followed by a city tour of Guadalajara. Until just a few decades ago, Guadalajara was a placid provincial town. Then an industrial boom swiftly transformed it into a modern metropolis. However, the traditional flavour of the “Pearl of the West” lingers on in its beautiful squares and majestic colonial buildings. In the historic centre, we will visit the Cathedral, the baroque-style Palacio de Gobierno, the Teatro Degollado with its impressive Corinthian portico, and the former hospice Instituto Cultural Cabañas – the largest colonial edifice in the Americas and one of Mexico’s finest Neo-Classical buildings. We then drive to Tlaquepaque, 7km southeast of Guadalajara. In colonial times this small potters’ village attracted the Guadalajara gentry, who built beautiful mansions here. Some mansions are now shops, offering an overwhelming selection of Mexican pottery, blown glass, textiles, metal, wood, and papier-mâché.

Day 7: Tequila, Land of Blue Agave & Distilleries Tour 

The town of Tequila, 50 km northwest of Guadalajara, gives its name to this world-famous liquor since the 17th century. Plantations of blue agave surround the countryside and the town, painting the landscape with unique blue-green tones. Tequila remains the country’s largest producer and now exports to over 100 countries. We will visit the ‘Museo del Tequila’, which gives a complete history of this prominent industry. It is a must to visit a distillery to see the entire traditional and modern production process of tequila, including the cooking of the plant cores from which the liquor is made from. All this of course will be followed by a tasting session!  

Day 8: Departure Guadalajara

It’s now time to say good bye and proceed to the airport for your onward journey. 

Prices are land only per person based on double occupancy. Restrictions apply. For our complete terms and conditions, click here.