From €2,417
Destination:
Mexico
Available from:
23 March 2023
Available to:
7 December 2023
from:
Paris + 13 cities
Duration:
9 nights
Travellers:
1 to 10
Meal plan:
full board
Star rating:
5 stars
Transport  Transfer  Guide  Visit 

This 9-night tour plunges you into the heart of Mexico’s major archaeological sites: the symbolic monuments of Mexico City, the enigmatic ruins of Teotihuacan, the historic centre of Oaxaca, the pre-Columbian archaeological site of Monte Albán, the pre-Hispanic city of Palenque, the walled city of Campeche, the Mayan remains of Chichen Itza and Uxmal, the pre-Columbian city of Izamal, and the colonial mansions of Mérida.

Your best ruins to visit in Mexico archeology history tour will take you from the Mexican capital to the Yucatán peninsula in the middle of a tropical forest. Your lodgings will include all your meals and travel in an air-conditioned coach. Stops off the beaten track will enhance the discovery of these cultural jewels: Oaxaca’s handicraft market (one of the most lively and colourful in Mexico), a close-up view of the Sumidero Canyon from a boat, the historic centre of San Cristobal, the floating gardens of Xochimilco (also explored by boat), the picturesque villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán, the Agua Azul waterfalls, a cocoa museum, meeting with different ethnic groups and Indian communities, as well as tasting the local cuisine.

From €2,417 per person for 10 days and 9 nights. Non-contractual information as of 24 September 2023.

 

Departure cities: Bordeaux, Brest, Clermont Ferrand, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Mulhouse, Nantes, Nice, Paris, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse.


Gallery

  • A complete tour that will take you more than 1,500 kilometres through Mexico, combining historical monuments, cultural museums and natural sites.
  • You will visit impressive archaeological sites built by pre-Hispanic people, including six UNESCO World Heritage sites; and discover places hidden from the everyday tourist.
  • Meals feature local products and regional specialities and you will attend culinary demonstrations.
  • Mexico has two of the three largest pyramid complexes in the world, second to the site of Giza in Egypt: the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan and the Great Pyramid of Cholula (Tlachihualtepetl) in the state of Puebla.
  • To date, there is no evidence of kings ruling Teotihuacan (as was the case, for example, with the Aztecs and Mayans). There is also no trace of ancient rulers or a ruling class. However, priests would have played a major role in the organisation of the city, the holding of ritual sacrifices and the delivery of offerings. Their power undoubtedly allowed them to attract the blessings of the gods and the rallying of several different groups of populations that occupied distinct districts as in modern cities like New York.
  • According to the archaeologist, Dominique Michelet, the Maya peoples erected 10,000 pyramids in Central and North America. They were not a unified civilization and were organised in small states ruled by kings whose territories were around city-states like Chichen Itza. These people are divided into three geographical sub-regions of Mesoamerica: the Southern Maya lowlands (northern Guatemala and adjacent parts of Mexico, Belize and western Honduras), the Northern Maya lowlands (Yucatán Peninsula) and the Southern Maya highlands (southern Guatemala).
  • The tour is for 3 to 35 travellers. The minimum age of children is from 5-years-old.
  • By request, you can extend your stay by three additional nights in a 4-star hotel in Cancún, along the Caribbean Sea, as part of an all-inclusive package.
  • Service charges are excluded from the price of the tour. You will have to pay environmental and tourist taxes at your lodgings (between €2 and €3 per day per person) and an exit tax at the Cancún airport (10 € per person).