Place to visit in Mexico

 1 - Tulum: Mayan post-classic walled city perched on the cliffs by a beautiful white-sand Caribbean beach, with the second biggest coral reef in the world just a 100m swim away - what’s not to love!

2 - Oaxaca: beautiful colonial city with the best hot chocolate in the world abundantly available (and very cheap in the local market), and very close to some beautiful spots like the ancient city of Monte Albán, the Árbol de Tule (one of the biggest trees in the world) and Hierve el Agua (a petrified waterfall in th edesert mountains). And plenty of local mezcal on offer!

3 - Teotihuacán: one of the most stunning cities of the ancient world, anywhere in the world, amazing urban planning from a time lost in the haze of early history - we don’t even know what language the inhabitants spoke, but we do know that their influence spread throughout Central America, from coast to coast and right down into Guatemala.

4 - Coatepec, Veracruz: home of the best coffee in the world, surrounded by coffeee plantations nestled in the shade of the remnants of the cloud forest, in a mountainous region carpeted in green foliage and dotted with impressive waterfalls. You might even encounter a local pixie (called ‘chaneques’)!

5 - Mexico City: noisy, busy, crime-ridden and so polluted you can’t see more than a mile along the main avenues before everything is too clouded in brown murk to distinguish. Nevertheless, there are so many things to see it really is a must, at least for two or three days. Don’t miss the central post office just across from Bellas Artes - a real hidden gem. Also stop in at Bar La Opera, opposite the Casa de Azulejos, and enjoy a beer under the bullet hole in the ceiling where Pancho Villa himself loosed off a shot in a moment of excitement!

Of course all of these lists are subjective. Really a list of the top five is far too few for Mexico, all the places mentioned by everyone else commenting here are also well worth visiting, so your best bet is to take a couple of months off, pack your backpack, and come and explore!