Mexico Family Holidays

Take the Family is a travel agency specialising in active, adventure and luxury holidays. Your personal travel advisor will create the perfect Mexico holiday for your family, with expert advice and dedicated support throughout.

Why Mexico is perfect for family holidays with kids

From Cancún in the east to Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coast, Take the Family specialises in family Mexico package holidays at many of Mexico's vast choice of fantastic child-friendly resorts, some all-inclusive.

Mexico is exotic, fascinating, beautiful and relatively affordable. Book a holiday in Mexico with Take the Family and you can opt for full-on adventure or indulge in the ultimate in Caribbean beach life – or do both. Aztec and Mayan ruins, colonial cities, and the mountains and deserts of the north-west are all wonderful destinations to explore with older kids.

As a specialist UK-based family travel agency, we can tailor-make the perfect family holiday to Mexico. Contact one of our travel advisors now and let's discuss putting together the holiday of your dreams.

Below you'll find all the information you need to inspire your Mexico holidays with the kids.

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The best things to do in Mexico with kids

Mexico History and Culture

Explore Mexico City

Explore Mexico City, which is especially fascination for older kids and teens. Make a beeline for the canals of Xochimilco, once an Aztec transport system now offering water-gondola rides, food and crafts stalls, mariachi band music and the eerie Island of the Dolls, where toys hanging from trees commemorate a one-time tragedy.

Aztec Ruins Near Mexico City

Visit the Aztec ruins surrounding Mexico City, especially the vast site of Teotihuacan with its large pyramids.

Guadalajara – Birthplace of Tequila and Mariachi

Explore the country’s second city Guadalajara 470km west of Mexico City. The birthplace of tequila and mariachi groups is full of Mexican cowboys.

Oaxaca – Colonial City and Day of the Dead

Go to the beautiful, UNESCO-listed colonial city of Oaxaca 450km southeast of Mexico City, for crafts shopping, trips into the mountains and markets where you can enjoy the regional cuisine with its pre-Hispanic influences, including chapulines (fried grasshoppers) and mole negro (sauce with chocolate and chilli). The city is also one of the best places to head to for the Day of the Dead celebrations (see When to Go to Mexico), and there are wonderful archaeological sites nearby.

Yucatán Peninsula and Mayan Ruins

Head east of Oaxaca to the Yucatán Peninsula with its extraordinary Mayan ruins, including the breathtaking World Heritage site of Chichén Itzá, voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Play Indiana Jones in the lush jungle, climbing over crumbling towers and peering through the vegetation to discover altars once used for human sacrifice.

Mexico Beaches and Watersports

Caribbean Beaches – Cancún and the Mayan Riviera

Visit the lovely Caribbean beaches around the Yucatán/Mayan Riviera resort of Cancún. Cancún’s status as an über-resort means it has plenty of family-friendly activities and enough water parks to keep everyone entertained. And you're also within day-trip distance of the region's cenotes – underground caverns with subterranean lakes where you can swim, snorkel or dive.

Playa del Carmen and Tulum

Leave behind Cancún’s big resort hotels and head south along the Yucatán Peninsula coast for miles of white-sand beaches and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. Playa del Carmen and stunning Mayan Tulum have accommodation for all budgets plus the chance to snorkel or scuba-dive along the world’s second-largest coral reef.

Pacific Coast – Puerto Vallarta and Sierra Madre Mountain

Alternatively, experience Mexico’s Pacific coastline. Puerto Vallarta is great for families, especially on Sunday nights when its boardwalk comes alive with free shows, mime artists and souvenir stalls. Just 45 minutes from Vallarta, anyone aged eight and up can swing through the tropical forest canopy of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Costa Chica – Surfing, Canoeing, and Wildlife

Go surfing mad on the Pacific’s undeveloped Costa Chica or ‘Little Coast’ south of Acapulco and Oaxaca, with vast deserted beaches punctuated by somnolent villages. Though some of the waves attract budding surf champs, others are gentle enough for beginners, and there is also canoeing in lagoons and estuaries, turtle- and crocodile-viewing tours at the remote, paradisiacal Playa Ventanilla, and tours of the National Mexican Turtle Conservation Center.

Baja California – Northern Pacific Coast

Discover the Baja California region on the Pacific, to the north – a less-developed alternative to some of Mexico’s more famous resorts. Los Cabos at Baja’s southern tip offers several family-friendly all-inclusives, although many of the beaches are unsuitable for swimming. On the eastern coast, near La Paz, there are opportunities for watching whale birthings and sea-kayaking.

Mexico Adventure and Activities

Tolantongo Canyon – Hot Pools and Outdoor Fun

Don't miss the Tolantongo canyon about three hours north of Mexico City, where grottos emit volcanically heated water that flows into small pools in which you can soak. There's also rappelling, spelunking and hiking on-site, and you can choose between hotels and campsites.

Northern Mountains and Deserts

With older children venture into the wonderful mountains and deserts of Mexico's north-west.

Day of the Dead display

Food in Mexico: what families and kids will enjoy eating

Traditional Mexican Cuisine

Kids tend to love colourful Mexican cuisine, and sampling it in its home country is a delight. The staples – tortillas, frijoles (beans) and chilis – have many regional varieties and subtle differences. Seafood is also fabulous here, especially the ceviche.

International Dining and Cooking Experiences

In addition to local cuisine, the Mexico hotels and resorts we can recommend and book for your often have several restaurants serving an array of cuisine from different parts of the globe. Some also offer Mexican cookery lessons for families, or this is included in some Mexico family adventure holidays (see Best Organised Trips tab).

The best time to visit Mexico with kids

High and Low Seasons in Mexico

Mexico has two high seasons: December to April, then during the school holidays in July and August, though the coast is too hot and humid for many people from May to September. The official hurricane season is June to November. Inland, it's chilly between November and February.

Festivals and Special Times to Visit

The best times to go to Mexico include the Day of the Dead celebrations on 2 November – one of Mexico’s most colourful and magical holidays. Meanwhile, the most impressive Semana Santa (Holy Week, leading up to Easter) celebrations take place at Iztapalapa, when the whole city enacts the Passion of Christ.

How to get to Mexico from the UK

Direct and Charter Flights to Mexico

Flights from the UK to Mexico take 11 hours. We will book you onto regular scheduled flights as part of your tailor-made itinerary, or our package deals include charter flights from London or some regional UK airports.