A Girl's Guide to Mexico

Situated in the Sierra Made mountains, Oaxaca is traditional Mexico at its best. Famous for its mezcal and 'mole' sauce, it is known as the culinary capital of Mexico. You can take a stroll down its colonial streets, visit the stunning cathedral or shop for crafts at one of the markets. A must-see day trip from the city is the Hierve El Agua petrified waterfall, one of only two of its kind in the world! You can also take a Mezcal tour and see where the spirit is made or visit the ruins of Monte Alba. To get to Hierve El Agua, take a bus to Mitla, a small roadside town, where you can take a colectivo or open-back truck which drops you off at the entrance. If you sit at the back you can get stunning views of the surrounding mountains. You can take ADO or other coaches to Oaxaca. See schedules here .

The most popular destination in Mexico for international tourists, I myself flew to Cancun on my first trip to Mexico. Its popularity has earned it a bit of a bad reputation for being too commercial and expensive but there are some great places you can visit if you know where they are. Cancun Famous for being a popular with Spring Breakers, Cancun is often maligned as trashy and overpriced. However, flights to Cancun are by far the cheapest from international airports and if you want you can take a coach direct to Playa del Carmen or Tulum. The hotel district is where you'll find the fanciest places but budget travellers can find a lot of cheap hostels in the downtown area of the city. From the centre you can take a bus to Playa Delfines and you won't be disappointed: the water is the clearest and bluest you'll ever see. What's more it's totally free! If you arrived at Cancun airport, take an ADO coach to the city centre. It's waaaay cheaper than taking...

Mexico is surprisingly easy to travel around by public transport and there are many different options depending on where you are and where you're going. Coaches ADO is the main coach company in Mexico and is perfect for medium to long journeys. Usually reasonably priced and always extremely comfortable, if you're feeling extravagant you can even splash out on their premium 'platino' service for extra luxury! Other coach companies serve different destinations. You can buy your tickets at the bus station or book in advance on their website or using clickbus .  Even in tropical climates it's advisable to bring a sweater as the air conditioning is usually on full blast! Colectivo Taxis Colectivo taxis were a strange concept to me when I first arrived in Mexico but they're actually a cheap and quick way to travel short to medium distances. They are basically minivans for about 10 - 15 passengers. Often the destinations they serve will be written on the windsc...

Mexico City has been my home for about a year now and I still feel like I've barely scratched its surface. It's definitely still got a bad rep internationally but when you get here you realise it's actually a great place with so much to offer. Perhaps the lack of hoards of international tourists also adds to its charm. There is way to much for me to list everything here so I'll just go for a few top picks: Centro Historico Zocalo The old town is colonial architecture at its best, especially the impressive Zocalo (central square), which is the largest in Latin America. Here you can see the ancient Aztec ruins of the Templo Mayor alongside the colonial cathedral, built by the Spanish conquistadors as a symbol of their dominance over the old civilisation. Opposite is the National Palace, former place of residence of the president, where you can see fabulous murals by Diego Rivera. You can get there by taking the blue metro line to the Zocalo station. Bellas Art...

Valladolid has to be one of the most underrated destinations in the Yucatan Peninsula. I myself overlooked it on my first trip to the area in favour of the more-popular Merida. However, I found myself there more or less by accident and it surprised me with how charming it is. Unlike Merida, the climate was warm but not unbearably hot - at least in February and September. It has a typically charming central square and attractive colonial architecture. The town has a laid-back feel to it and is not overrun with tourists. What to Do Valladolid has a lot of underground lakes, known as cenotes, close by. In the city itself is cenote Zaci and always seems to be surprisingly quiet. Go early and you might be lucky enough to have the place to yourself for a while! Also highly recommended in the San Lorenzo or Oxman Cenote, located a short taxi ride out of the city. It's deep underground and has long vines hanging down into the water. There's even a swing! When you start to fell chil...

On the Oaxacan coast lies the small fishing town of Puerto Escondido. As one of the closest beaches to Mexico City, it's advisable to visit outside of peak times such as Easter and Christmas in order to avoid the crowds. It's a popular destination for surfers and indeed, some beaches, such as Playa Zicatela, have waves far too strong for just taking a dip! Those more interested in taking it easy are better off heading to the scenic Playa Carrizalillo. If you go during the hatching season, you can take part in releasing baby turtles into the sea. However, although this assisted ritual increases the rate of survival for the turtles, there is still a high chance a crafty seagull might swoop down before your turtle has a chance to get into the ocean... Close by is the Manialtepec Lagoon where you can see the beautiful bioluminescence: take a night time boat trip and experience the shimmering lights in the water while looking up at the star-illuminated sky. The best time to go...