Mexico: country facts, travel advice and health

Uber: ride-hailing in Mexico City and other cities.Moovit: route planning for city buses and their many operators.911 CDMX: earthquake early warnings in Mexico City; needs a local phone number.BlaBlaCar: ride-sharing between cities, usually cheaper than the intercity bus.WhatsApp: free international calls over Wi-Fi.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 3 of 5: Cash and cards are used about equally, so carry some of each.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Mexico

Mexican Peso · $ · MXN

If changing cash at Cancun airport, wait until after customs, where the booths give far better rates.

Skip the hotel exchange desk; its rates are usually poor for visitors.

Carry small notes and coins, as small-town shops often struggle to break big bills.

Card payments often add a 5% surcharge, and haggled discounts usually apply only to cash.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Mexican Peso in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Mon, 16 Nov 2026 · Revolution Day Día de la Revolución

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day Navidad

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day Año Nuevo

Mon, 1 Feb 2027 · Constitution Day Día de la Constitución

Mon, 15 Mar 2027 · Benito Juárez's birthday Natalicio de Benito Juárez

Thu, 25 Mar 2027 · Maundy Thursday Jueves Santo

Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday Viernes Santo

Fri, 30 Apr 2027 · Labour Day Día del Trabajo

Thu, 16 Sept 2027 · Independence Day Día de la Independencia

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Mexico say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 19 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise increased caution

Calm

Caution ●

Serious

Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 28 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

Advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country

Some regions differ, see the official page.

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 20 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Fake police officers

Hand over nothing; ask for ID and a written fine to pay later; note badge and car numbers.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Virtual kidnapping calls

Hang up on threats and contact the supposed victim directly to check they are safe.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Fake immigration officers at airports

Refuse any offer of help and go straight to the official immigration office yourself.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Staged traffic accidents

Don't hand over cash on the spot; call the authorities and your insurer instead.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money requests from a stolen phone

Before travelling, agree with family on real ways to contact them and transfer money.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine shots, hepatitis A and B, typhoid; no yellow fever jab; malaria in parts; altitude sickness risk.

Vaccinations

Keep routine shots current; hepatitis A and B and typhoid are advised, while yellow fever vaccine is neither recommended nor required.

Malaria

In some regions

Altitude

Mexico City and many other cities lie high up, so watch for altitude sickness.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Mexico City

Vast capital of Aztec ruins, colonial streets and museums

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

Absinthe is fully legal to buy and drink in Mexico.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: National Anthem of Mexico. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

36 World Heritage sites in Mexico, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $1.8 trillionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $13,889Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	cars, vehicle parts/accessories, crude petroleum, trucks, computers (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	131.9 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	31 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	74.6 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Catholic 77.7%, no religion 10.6%, other Evangelical Churches 7.5%, Jehovah Witness 1.2%; less than 1 percent: Pentecostal, Seventh Day Adventist, Historics, not specified, Latter Day Saints, other religions (2020 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2020 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	1,964,375 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	varies from tropical to desertSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desertSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	federal presidential republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+52Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).