Posted by TravelPulse on 26 Nnovember 2022 8:00 PM ET

Although Mexico's beaches are a great attraction for tourists from all over the world, this country also has cities to enjoy extraordinary cultural, gastronomic, and fun experiences. These are some of best places beyond the beach to spend the holidays.

Guadalajara is one of the most beautiful and vital cities in Latin America, and its hotel and gastronomic services place it at the level of the best capitals in the world. In this fun city, the birthplace of iconic symbols of Mexico such as tequila and mariachi music, travelers don't have time for boredom. In the City Center, visitors can enjoy streets and buildings more than 500 years old and designed in Baroque, Neoclassical, Neo-Gothic, Art Nouveau, and Contemporary styles.

The most important places to visit are the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the Degollado Theater, the Museum of the Arts, and the Cabañas Cultural Institute, a World Heritage Site, where the impressive mural "The Man in Flames" of the famous Mexican painter José Clemente Orozco is located.

Although Guadalajara's gastronomic offer is one of the most diverse in Mexico, its most distinctive dishes are Carne en su jugo (juicy meat), which consists of a mixture of steak with bacon, tomatoes, and ground chilies. Another popular meal is tortas ahogadas, made with a special bread filled with meat dipped in tomato and spicy sauces. These two dishes are added to the birria, a preparation based on sheep meat, goat, or beef, with sauce from a mixture of peppers and cooked underground for five hours.

San Miguel  de Allente this charming and bohemian town, located in Guanajuato, is one of the preferred destinations for visitors from the United States and Canada. The atmosphere of its cobbled streets and the beauty of the Parish of San Miguel Arcángel, built in a neo-Gothic style, welcome tourists who can take exciting tours of historical monuments, art galleries, boutique hotels, and restaurants with world-class service.

The most recommended places to visit are the Allende Garden, the Casa Allende Historical Museum, and, especially, the imposing temple and oratory of San Felipe Neri, one of the most important examples of colonial architecture in the country. In addition, for art lovers, the former La Aurora Textile Factory exhibits collections of books, paintings, and sculptures that visitors enjoy throughout extensive exhibition areas.

San Cristobal de las Casas in this town, founded in 1528 and located in the mountains of Chiapas, near Guatemala, life is quieter and slower. Its enchanting natural environment invites the visitor to walk its countless paths and enjoy the fresh air of the thick forest in which this charming place locates.

The town preserves impressive colonial buildings, such as the former convent of Santo Domingo, one of the best examples of Spanish Baroque and indigenous art fusion. This building was built by the Dominican friars between 1547 and 1551 and featured fascinating ornaments, including angels and sirens, that make it unique among Mexico's historic buildings. Other places to visit are the Amber Museum and the Casa del Jade, precious elements that the pre-Hispanic communities of Chiapas worked with great skill. In this place, tourists enjoy an essential collection of jade carvings by artists from the Zapotec, Olmec, Aztec and Toltec cultures.

Mérida, besides being one of the safest and most fascinating destinations in Mexico, is one of the cities that best integrate the heritage of Mayan culture with that of the Spanish Colony. This fabulous city, the capital of the state of Yucatan, is an exotic place surrounded by lush nature and quiet provincial life in which visitors enjoy the beauty of its grand colonial mansions on the emblematic Paseo de Montejo and an extraordinary cuisine offered in both the smallest restaurants and luxury hotels of international brands.

To enjoy Mérida, it is advisable to start walking from the center of the city, the Plaza de la Independencia, and then visit the Cathedral and the Church of the Third Order. These two colonial churches were built in limestone and antiques from ancient Mayan temples. In addition to touring the entire Paseo Montejo, it is highly recommended that visitors get to know the Canton Palace.