Safety in Mexico

The golden rule: Avoid travelling between cities after dark. During the day the tourist states are calm, but the risk of robbery on the highways rises sharply at night.

Transport: Use official taxi services or order through Uber. Do not get into an unmarked car that offers you a lift, however friendly the driver appears.

Valuables: Keep expensive cameras and phones out of sight in busy places. On markets and on the Mexico City metro, wear your backpack on your front, because pickpockets there are skilled and quick.

Regions to avoid: Skip the northern border states. Stick to the well-travelled routes through the centre, the Yucatan and the southern states, and read your own government's travel advisory for the specific states on your route.

Police: Tourist areas have dedicated police units whose officers speak English. They are approachable and are the right people to ask for help or directions.

Documents: Carry a photocopy of your passport and leave the original in the safe. Photograph everything and keep the images in cloud storage in case your phone is lost or stolen.

In Mexico the difference between regions matters more than any national rating. Yucatán with Cancún and Mérida is comparable to Europe on crime; Guerrero, Michoacán and Tamaulipas are a different country. Tourist scams, meanwhile, work the same everywhere.

ATMs and card cloning. Mexico's main financial problem. Withdraw cash only from machines inside bank branches and malls, never from free-standing units in Cancún and Playa del Carmen, where skimming is industrial. In restaurants, never let your card leave your hands — the terminal comes to the table.

Timeshare. At Cancún airport and outside hotels you are intercepted with an offer of a free transfer, excursion or dinner. In exchange comes a "short presentation" lasting four hours with very persistent salespeople. The scheme is legal, but it is exhausting and costs a day of your holiday.

Fake police in Mexico City. They demand to see your documents and your money "for checking". A real officer never inspects your money.

Petrol stations. The classic: the pump is not reset, or less fuel is delivered than charged. Watch for zero on the display and pay an exact amount.

Taxis in Mexico City. Do not hail from the street — use an app or an official sitio with a fixed tariff.

Weapons and ammunition are the gravest charge a foreigner can face. Bringing in even a single forgotten cartridge is a federal offence, and people serve real sentences in Mexican prisons for it. Check your luggage literally: hunting and sports bags, old rucksacks, jacket pockets.

Drugs. Personal cannabis use is decriminalised in Mexico, but buying, selling and possession above the minimum remain illegal. The practical conclusion is simple: buying drugs means contact with people backed by organised groups, and it is the fastest way to stop being an ordinary tourist.

Antiquities. Exporting pre-Columbian artefacts is a criminal offence. Buy souvenirs from licensed shops.

Drones require permission, and flights over INAH archaeological zones are prohibited — this is enforced at Chichén Itzá and Teotihuacán.

Archaeological sites. Climbing the pyramids is prohibited almost everywhere, and fines and detentions for it are real and regularly make the news.

Roads. Do not drive intercity highways at night. This is not superstition but standard advice: highway robberies and fake checkpoints happen after dark. Toll roads (cuota) are noticeably safer than free ones (libre).

Documents. Keep your FMM form or its electronic equivalent until departure.

Vaccinations. None mandatory. Hepatitis A and typhoid are advised.

Water. Never from the tap, Mexico City and Cancún included. Hotels provide coolers and bottled water, and ice in decent establishments is made from purified water and is safe.

Stomach. Montezuma's revenge is the commonest complaint. Mexican street food is superb and largely safe if it is hot and cooked in front of you. Trouble comes from sauces standing in the sun, cut fruit and salads.

Dengue. Present on both coasts year-round, with outbreaks in the rainy season. The mosquito bites by day.

Altitude. Mexico City sits at 2,240 metres. The first day can bring breathlessness, headache and poor sleep, and alcohol hits noticeably harder. Allow a day to acclimatise, especially before going higher.

Sargassum. The seaweed reaches the Caribbean coast from April to August, turning stretches of beach into a brown, pungent mass. It does not affect safety but affects a holiday considerably.

Cenotes and currents. Swimming in cenotes needs care: cold water, no lifeguards, and cave diving without a guide is lethal. The Pacific coast has strong rip currents.

Healthcare. Private clinics are good, but payment comes first: a hospital will take a card deposit before treatment begins. Insurance that pays the provider directly is essential.

Mexico sits in the lower part of the Corruption Perceptions Index, and the mordida — a roadside bribe — remains part of daily life.

Traffic police. The classic scenario: you are stopped for an invented offence and invited to settle it on the spot, sometimes with a hint about confiscating your licence. The working tactic is to ask calmly for an official citation (infracción) and note the officer's badge and patrol car numbers. Most conversations end there.

Different police forces. Municipal, state and the National Guard. Standards of conduct vary widely, and in the tourist zones of Quintana Roo they are noticeably higher.

Tourist assistance. The 078 number is a government tourist helpline operating nationwide in English. The Ángeles Verdes are a free highway assistance service for breakdowns, fuel and towing.

Reporting theft. Your insurer needs a denuncia filed with the state prosecutor's office. Quintana Roo and Mexico City have offices that work with foreigners.

Geography matters most. Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo are among the calmest states in the country. Guerrero (Acapulco included), Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Colima have high levels of violence and lie off the ordinary tourist routes. Look at the state, not the country.

Emergency number is 911, working nationwide.