Is it safe to go to Mexico as a tourist and what are some things and places to avoid?

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Finnayra

Hello,

As a Mexican national I will tell you about our situation in Mexico at the moment. Due to the massive wars between the drug cartels and the corrupted Mexican government in the Northern and West-Central part of Mexico is not very smart to go as a tourist, especially if you don't know the language. The cities and states to avoid are: Tijuana, Monterrey, Ciudad Juarez and the states of Sinaloa and Michoacan.

It's safe to go to the very touristic places where you can have fun even in the same resort/hotel you're staying at, usually most of the hotels in the Yucatan Peninsula have a lot of great programs for people to stay within the same perimeter of their properties.

Cancun, Acapulco and Cabo have always been great destinations for foreigners. They're beautiful, but they're overpriced and chaotic at the same time.

The place that nobody really knows about is the Riviera Nayarita, in the State of Nayarit. They have some of the most beautiful and virgin beaches in Mexico, there's nothing happening there. It's one of the safest States in Mexico. The people are very warmhearted and the accommodations are spectacular and affordable for every budget.

Remember that every country has their dangerous places, here in the United States we have our fair share of them as well. It's ok to be scared of these things, but they shouldn't keep you from visiting a country.

Also, try looking for people online who live in the area where you will be visiting. It's nice to have friends in countries you'd be visiting even if they're online friends. They're always big help when you're asking for something in particular about the place they live that you'd be visiting.

Good luck and have fun!

Cornflake

Of course it is. I've been twice and I love it. I stayed at two resorts but I have also been into the various towns. Just don't do anything stupid like clubbing at night in a sketchy area etc.

The Ghost

Please listen to this explanation, as it is a close representation of what actually happens.
Mexico has sketchy places ok?...you have to follow me here, just like any other place, but for the sake of this argument, let's just understand that Mexico has sketchy places
The Media continuously repeats images on tv, newspapers, magazines and the like of these sketchy and dumpy places. This helps them sell more, i.e. if the headline read "Mexico is ok" even "Mexico is fun" nobody would buy the paper/magazine/read the article etc, but if it says "Mexico is destitute" "Drug war in Mexico" and show images of shanty towns and crappy establishments, people buy it, that is the media's motivation to portray Mexico in this light. It is more marketable and therefore sellable, than if it just said impartial, objective or even positive remarks about Mexico.
Ok now, most people in the US do not travel out of the country very often, and worse, most people believe what they're told on News at Eleven with talking heads numbers 1 and 2, or what they read in the newspapers, ITS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT SOMEONE IS WRITING OR EDITING A CERTAIN PIECE OF LITERATURE OR VIDEO AND THAT THIS SOMEONE HAS OTHER MOTIVES THAN DELIVERING BALANCED/OBJECTIVE INFO, usually it's about making money, like any other business, so it becomes a matter of taking the truth and providing a marketable version of it. In this case, the portrayal, or the more marketable version is "Mexico is a poor dump with crime" This is far more marketable. (Sucks for people who know Mexico, but again, saying Mexico is cool on the headline won't help sell papers and airtime.
Now, once we take the simple motives of members of the media $ and join them with the gullibility of people that believe what they hear, and we consider the fact that, yes, in fact, there are SOME sketchy places in Mexico (that last part just means what it means, there are some sketchy places in Mexican cities, just as there are some sketchy places IN EVERY SINGLE BIG ENOUGH CITY IN EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY) we can begin to see what happens.

Simpleton Americans (I am not saying that all Americans are simpletons, I am American, I am saying that an individual who happens to be a simpleton, and at the same time an American) sees a shady Mexican place.
They've heard somewhere that a lot of people have great times in Mexican restaurants, bars etc, and these simpletons equate the shady Mexican place they are seeing with the one's their friends talked about. They never question the fact that the bar in question is not a good place. They have been conditioned into believing that that dumpy place is an adequate representation of Mexico, so they go in thinking they're getting a taste of Mexico. Imagine going into a bar in Watts, or Harlem and thinking that is an adequate representation of the US.
But because of being conditioned these simpletons think that the only kinds of places in Mexico are dives, which is confirmed by the media's portrayal, so it never occurs to them that they shouldn't go into the dive, but rather go into the dive thinking that that's the only thing Mexico has to offer, and hence that must be where their friend went when he went to Mexico. This then turns into a self fulfilling prophecy to some degree.
The media says "Don't go to Mexico because it is a dump". Once a person eventually does go to Mexico, he thinks," Hmm, oh, I remember hearing Mexico was a dump, so I guesst I have to go that dumpy/sketchy place"

So he goes to this dumpy place. He gets into trouble, and then the Media has a field day with it, why? Because Mexico is a dumpy place.
It's a vicious cycle perpuated by the members of the American media and moron tourists (again, not all tourists are morons, but rather the cycle is perpetuated by tourists who at the same time are morons).It's terrible and Mexico gets a bad rep.

Joel R

It's not as safe as it was three or four years ago. Carry your money in an interior pocket, no purses or wallets exposed. Preferably don't go to a border town if you don't want to be beheaded in one of the drug wars.

Any of the tourist cities are going to be much safer, but not immune to violence. Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, etc.

spunky 739

only drink bottle water or you wil get montazumas revenge and dont drink anything with ice and clean ur fruits and vegys with bottle water

Aryadna

hey, Mazatlan is safe, and it is in sinaloa, dont tell lies

kitzian B

Of course Mexico city (DF) is an ugly area! But there are a lot of other beautiful an saffer places to go!!!! There is Acapulco, Cancun, and a lot of beautiful towns like Ixtapan de la Sal, State of Mexico. A lot of people says tat Mexico is not safe, because they have been in ugly places!! But there are many safe places!! Don't listen to mean people who doesn't know!

You must avoid Mexico city (DF), Sonora, Cihuaua, Coahuila, or places of north Republic. Prefer places of the center of Republic, except Mexico city (of course). But Mexico is a BEAUTIFUL place to vacation! You just have to choose well!

Fernando

Just like in any countries, the bigger cities are the ones that are not as safe.

*JoJo*Rawrness*Audience*Of*One*

avoid Mexico city!dont let anyone see your money and make sure you lock your car!they will steal stuff from your car!no late night clubbing either!

slipstreamer

Right now it is pretty violent. There is a drug war that is spreading everywhere in Mexico. I would wait to go.

westhill1995

yes it is sorta safe. do not go on the public roads. stay at your hotel and the beach. dont drink the water

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