Mexico has no single best season, because the country spans 3,000 kilometres and climates from desert to cloud forest. What it has is a dry season from November to April and a rainy season from May to October, and understanding what the rainy season actually looks like changes the calculation for most travellers.
Rain here usually means a heavy afternoon downpour of an hour or two, not all-day drizzle. Mornings stay clear, the landscape turns green, prices drop by a third and the sites are empty. The real reasons to avoid it are hurricanes on the coasts and impassable dirt roads in the mountains.
Season by season
- November to April — dry season. Reliable weather, cool nights inland, warm Caribbean. Also the high season, with peak prices at Christmas, New Year and Easter
- May — the hottest month in Yucatán and on the Pacific, before the rains break. Very hot at archaeological sites
- June to October — rainy season. Cheapest and greenest, with predictable afternoon storms. Hurricane season runs June to November, peaking in September
- September is the wettest month and the riskiest on both coasts. It is also Independence month, which is worth something
By region
- Yucatán and the Caribbean: December to April. Hot and humid from May, hurricane risk to November. Sargassum can wash up from May to October on beaches facing open sea — western Cozumel and Holbox are mostly spared
- Mexico City and the central highlands: good all year. At 2,240 metres it is mild, with 22 to 26 °C days and cool nights. March and April bring the jacarandas into flower and change the city's colour
- Pacific coast: November to May. Big swell for surfers from April to October in Puerto Escondido
- Baja California: January to March for whales, April to June for everything else. Very hot in summer
- Chiapas and the jungle: November to April, when the roads to Yaxchilán and the waterfalls are usable
- Copper Canyon: October and November for clear air, or spring. Snow at altitude in winter
Wildlife calendar
- Grey whales, Baja lagoons: January to March
- Humpback whales, Pacific: December to March
- Whale sharks, Holbox and Isla Mujeres: June to September; La Paz October to April
- Monarch butterflies, Michoacán: November to March, best in February
- Sea turtle nesting, Oaxaca and Michoacán: July to November
- Flamingos, Celestún and Río Lagartos: April to August
Dates to plan around
- Day of the Dead, 31 October to 2 November. The single best time to be in Mexico culturally, and the hardest to book. Oaxaca and Pátzcuaro sell out three or four months ahead
- Easter week. The whole country travels; coastal prices triple and everything is full. Book from January or stay put
- Christmas and New Year. Peak prices on both coasts
- Independence night, 15 September, with the Grito in every main square
- Guelaguetza, Oaxaca, the two Mondays after 16 July — the country's most important indigenous festival
- Equinoxes, 20 to 21 March and September, at Chichén Itzá: the serpent shadow, and tens of thousands of people
The short answer
For a first trip covering Mexico City, Oaxaca and Yucatán, go in November or February: dry, warm, and outside the two price peaks. If budget matters more than certainty, go in June or early July and accept an afternoon storm in exchange for a third off and empty pyramids.