10 safest places to visit in Mexico now
News of violence in Mexico has frightened many visitors away in recent years. But smart travelers know that there are hundreds of places in Mexico, a country roughly the size of Western Europe, that have been untouched by recent events. The following 10 places are just a tiny sampling of the many of beaches, cities and towns in Mexico for which no safety advisory is in effect.
http://local.msn.com/travel/10-safest-places-to-visit-in-mexico-now
Oaxaca
The city of Oaxaca is as complex as the mole sauces for which it is famous. Not content to rest on its ornately architected laurels, Oaxaca bursts with modern culture. The city’s renowned studio art scene, coupled with galleries selling the finest examples of traditional art in the country, attracts art lovers like bees to honey. An impressive range of cuisine and accommodations is available, too, from clean, traditional and affordable to cutting edge gourmet.
Puebla
For a place with as many forts and battlefields as Puebla, the city is remarkably calm. It has long been known as one of the safest cities in Mexico, and its citizens today are more known for their talavera pottery and comida tipica (typical foods) than they are for their triumph over Napoleon’s French troops on May 5, 1862. That said, history buffs will wear out their soles visiting the city’s extensive architectural gems. The publicly accessible bell tower of Puebla Cathedral — the tallest bell tower in Mexico, at 226 feet — offers a view of the city’s extensive historical patchwork of baroque towers, tiled Moorish domes and other richly ornamented facades, all of which bow to the twin volcanoes in the distance, smoldering Popocatepetl and sleeping Iztaccihuatl.
Guanajuato
Guanajuato is a pretty inland city beloved by foreigners and Mexicans alike. Bridges and streets tangle, knot and cross like a frustrated M.C. Escher drawing amid tumbles of richly tinted buildings that cling to hillsides. “Have you been to see the mummies?” locals will ask as you wander the vertiginous streets. And indeed, El Museo de las Mumias is impressive if you are a mummy fan. But Guanajuato offers much more than that. A small colonial city with a booming cultural scene, Guanajuato is riddled with character. The Festival International Cervantino, for example, is a three-week-long international arts festival held every fall, featuring world-class opera, music, dance, theatre, street performance, visual art, film and literature.
Valle de Bravo
Replete with natural beauty and Old World charm, Valle de Bravo is the Lake Como of Mexico. Located two hours west of Mexico City, the lakeside community has long been a popular weekend getaway for Mexico City’s elite. Smart attendants stand ready at the many white-tablecloth restaurants and hip bars that line the town’s main drag. Meanwhile, thrill-seeking paragliders float above the pine-forested hills that frame the shores of Lake Avándaro. The main difference between Valle de Bravo and Lake Como — besides the chance of a George Clooney sighting — is the price tags. It is easy to find five-star luxury accommodations in Valle de Bravo for less than $150 per night. In Lake Como? Not so much.
Santiago de Querétaro
Querétaro, population 2 million, offers its residents a higher quality of life than most cities in North America. It’s the city’s natural beauty and historical importance that give it a grounded feel. Eye-catching craft shops and candy stands set along Queretaro’s narrow passageways invite travelers to slow down and experience life at a more leisurely pace. Inhabited continuously since 200 A.D., the city reached its golden age in the 17th and 18th centuries. Queretaro has worked continuously to preserve its history and was rewarded in 1996 when UNESCO declared the city’s historic center a world heritage site.
Palenque/San Cristobal de las Casas
The most dangerous thing about San Cristóbal de las Casas may be its cobblestone streets, which become perilously slippery during summer rain squalls. To stay safe in San Cristobal, should you find yourself attempting to cross town in flip-flops during a rainstorm, it is best to wait it out under one of the city’s red-tile-roofed terraces, where you can browse through a cornucopia of handmade goods and crafts on offer by brightly dressed indigenous people from surrounding mountain villages. When in the state of Chiapas, don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit the misty, magical ruins of Palenque just three hours away, set in a jungle full of moaning howler monkeys.
Todos Santos
If art, beer and surfing are your holy trinity, then Todos Santos will be your heaven on earth. The gallery scene is sophisticated enough to receive nods from international art collectors. The beer goes down extra easy when enjoyed against the backdrop of golden sand beaches and the peaceful turquoise sea. And even the waves are easy-going in this tranquil little beach town at the south end of the Baja Peninsula.
Tulum
The hippie-gone-chic white sand beaches of Tulum are an upscale yoga lover’s Shangri-la. Beyond the meditation classes and mango daiquiris, Tulum boasts an international gourmet food scene that makes it possible to eat your way around the world in style. For those not into getting their “om” on, day trips to Mayan ruins, snorkeling trips in the crystal clear water of a cenote and scuba diving in the coral reefs beyond the beach are fun options. Just a few hours by plane from either coast, Tulum is the perfect place to get off the grid and return to yourself.
Merida
Yucatan capital, Merida, was founded in 1542 and built on top of the ancient Mayan city of T’ho. Modern Yucatecans today are as proud of their Mayan ancestry as they are of their glistening city. Restored pastel haciendas dating back to the mid-19th century pay tribute to Merida’s period of prosperity as the world’s leader in sisal production. A thriving cultural and culinary scene keeps travelers coming today, as does its solid reputation as one of the safest and cleanest cities in Mexico. Merida is convenient to the stunning pyramids of Chichen Itza, as well as the large flamingo flocks of Valladolid, and countless cenotes and coral reefs.
San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende is known as much for its expat population — 8,000-plus Americans and Canadians and counting — as it is for its rose-tinted turrets. The city makes it famously easy for newcomers to settle in to a comfortable lifestyle and works to retain its baroque, cobblestoned allure. The result is a safe, relaxed city with a knack for seduction. San Miguel de Allende’s good restaurants, idyllic weather, interesting architecture and healthy art scene also contribute to showing travelers a good time.