Since most people have the week off work, it’s a time when the chilangos head for the provinces, filling the airports, bus stations and roads out of town, and then filling the highways and the beaches and the colonial towns.

This is when you want to be in Mexico City. It’s a good chance to take in some museum you’d been meaning to visit, go sightseeing, ride the Turibus, or wander around one of the many fine museums, or the zoo.

One of the newest museums, the Soumaya, named for business mogul Carlos Slim’s late wife, has two venues, the main one in Polanco and the other located at the southern end of the city at Plaza Loreto. Admission is free.

For those who might find a whole museum a bit tiring, and would rather call-in for a quick look round while, say, sightseeing or shopping, the place to head is the city center, the Centro Histórico, which has the greatest concentration of museums.

One always worth a visit is the National Art Museum – Munal – located on Tacuba street opposite the Palacio de Minería. This can easily form part of a day’s sightseeing in the downtown area.

Busy time for travel across Mexico

As with Thanksgiving in the United States, Easter is when Mexicans travel to be with their families, and it’s also the most popular time of year for family excursions.  School is out for two weeks and workers book time off and flock to Mexico’s beaches, or take vacations abroad.

If you travel to any of Mexico’s popular retreats or vacation spots during Easter, expect airports and bus stations to be hectic, interstate highways around principal cities to be busy, hotels to be heavily booked, and leisure attractions to be teeming with people.

Usually a first wave of holiday makers making their way out of major cities comes on the weekend ahead of Easter week, with a second wave leaving on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Find tips and advice for traveling in Mexico during the Easter holiday.

Mexico City’s quiet streets during Easter Week

From Mexico City, roads are often clogged for hours heading south to Cuernavaca and Acapulco, south-east towards Puebla and Veracruz, west to Guadalajara and Morelia or north towards Queretaro and the colonial heartland.

For chilangos staying home for the holidays, or visitors who appreciate a break from the madding crowds, this metropolitan exodus has advantages as the streets of the capital city empty out for a week. A journey that could take as long as two hours during a normal weekday is completed in 30 minutes. Parking spaces are easily found, restaurants and bars are far less crowded. Museums and parks are quieter, and lines to see special exhibitions are shorter.

Easter week is an ideal time to wander around the capital’s historic center, visit the famous Anthropology Museum on Reforma or take a leisurely strolls and a quiet lunch around the popular colonial enclaves of San Angel and Coyoacán.

If you like to avoid the crowds and have a flexible schedule, visiting Mexico City during Easter and then heading out to Mexico’s beaches and colonial cities after the Easter holidays have passed will afford you the best of both situations: you’ll enjoy a tranquil capital and a quieter, off-peak, visit to a beach and/or colonial region afterwards.

Easter and economic activity in Mexico

The Easter holiday also has several effects on economic activity. Now, as in the weeks preceding the year-end holidays, costs of hotels and airfares rise with the added demand.

These prices usually come down again after the holidays, but of course by then most people have already traveled and vacationed at the higher prices. People with school-age children or who work in formal employment often have limited flexibility to choose to go on vacation off-season, but those who are retired or have flexible work styles can save money — and the travel crush — by avoiding flights and holiday resorts at this time of year.

As the Semana Santa week moves back and forth between April and March, it also has an effect on economic indicators. The holidays make for active sales at stores and supermarkets, hotels and travel services, while putting a damper on other activity such as factories and construction works—many of which shut down at least on Thursday and Friday of Easter week.

Those two days are official holidays in Mexico and banks and financial markets are also closed. If Easter falls in March one year and April the next, March will have better production numbers the second year and April the worse numbers. Retailers, however, will report better results for the month that had the holiday. It all balances out in the end.

Travel planning near the end of the holiday

At the end of the Easter week holiday, the traffic flows return to their usual congested states, only this time with thousands crawling along roads traveling back into the cities—especially Mexico City.  If you have to travel in Mexico City on the first Monday after the two-week Easter break, allow yourself plenty of time and patience for your journey across the city.

Find tips and advice for traveling in Mexico during the Easter holiday.

Families often take time away together at Easter causing beach destinations and some popular colonial cities become packed with visitors.  Flights and accommodations can be hard to find if not booked in advance, bus stations become remarkably crowded and interstate buses travel full, and delays can be expected when driving on Mexico’s highways, especially near and around major towns and cities.

Mexico’s roads and airports during Easter

Holy Thursday and Good Friday are national holidays in Mexico, and congestion is almost guaranteed on main arterial routes in and out of large cities—especially Mexico City.

Additional care is needed when driving, as traffic snarls can appear around any bend, and there’s a tendency for some drivers to speed on highways expecting them to be quite clear.

Schools across Mexico break for Easter, and many offices and factories close, creating a space for families to take a pause and rest. As with Christmas and New Year, this mass-holiday creates a heavy demand for travel and leisure services within a concentrated period, pushing prices for transport and accommodations much higher than they typically are at other times of the year, with service often of a lower quality, too.

Avoiding the Easter crowds in Mexico

Those with flexible lifestyles and work schedules perhaps ought to consider avoiding travel during the Easter period and elect to take their leisure breaks during the low seasons when crowds are thin and prices lower.

For many, this isn’t possible and is particularly difficult for those whose offices close those weeks; or who have school-age children tied to scholastic calendars.  People with flexible lifestyles who want to visit their families with young children and/or less flexible work arrangements may also become corralled into the crush of the Easter holiday period.

Much is made of international tourism —and rightly so, as Mexico is the world’s 7th-ranked destination for number of international tourists and 17th in foreign tourism receipts— but domestic customers make up a larger portion of Mexico’s overall tourist economy, and this is particularly noticeable during Easter. (Tourism accounts for about 8.5% of the country’s gross domestic product, and three quarters of the value of tourism services is driven by domestic vacationers.)

Mexico City during Easter Week

If your work and lifestyle schedules don’t lend themselves to avoid traveling at Easter and you’d prefer to miss the crowds, consider a visit to the capital and a tour to (re)revisit its famed Anthropology Museum on Paseo de la Reforma, the Chapultepec Castle, or the Soumaya Museum in Polanco.

The exodus from large cities as domestic tourists head for the beach, or to quaint and picturesque colonial towns, makes Easter an ideal time to visit places like Mexico City, with its historic attractions, myriad of museums, and other entertainment venues. Traffic in the capital during Easter week is generally light, making travel around the metropolis quicker and less stressful.

The historical downtown district of Mexico City is particularly pleasant during Holy Week, as the crowds are manageable, and the weather is fine—warm, with not much rain likely. When Easter comes early, it’s even possible to catch the lilac splendor of the Jacaranda trees which may still be in flower.

Tips for traveling during Easter Week in Mexico

If you intend to travel during the Easter period in Mexico, here are some key tips to help with your planning.

Lodgings and accommodation

Whether you intend to stay at a BnB, a beach resort or other hotel, we recommend that you reserve your Easter holiday lodgings well ahead of time.  The best accommodations book up early during Easter Week, and advance bookings are essential to ensure that you can secure space at the accommodations of your choice, especially in Mexico’s most popular destinations. Expect rates during Easter Week to be materially higher by comparison to mid- and low-season prices.

Roads and highways

If you plan to drive your car in Mexico during Easter week, be mindful that congestion on roads will be noticeable, especially around the capital and other cities—places from which hoards of people take to the road just before Easter and then return to just before the holiday finishes. Lines of traffic leading up to toll booths on major highways can extend back for miles in some places at the start and end of the holiday period.  Exercise additional precautions when driving, allowing extra time and being patient on your journey.

• Be sure that your vehicle is properly insured if you intend to bring your US or Canadian-plated vehicle to Mexico
• Allow extra time for your journey, regulate your speed, and keep plenty of distance between your vehicle and others to avoid accidents typically caused by congestion
• Be extra vigilant regarding the security of your vehicle and its contents while you’re traveling
• Download our free eBook Guide to Driving and Road Trips in Mexico that’s packed with helpful and advice about tips for driving in Mexico, including security and dealing with accidents.

Airports and flights

Build-in additional time to get to and from the airports you are using, as well additional time to check-in and get through security and immigration. Crowds at airports swell noticeably during Easter Week and everything takes a little longer to accomplish. Be prepared for possible flight delays, too.

Bus stations and bus seats

During most of the year, you can turn up at a bus station in Mexico, and be almost guaranteed a seat on the next bus out to your intended destination.  During Easter Week, this is not so.  Advance seat booking is essential, and bus stations —especially so but not exclusively in Mexico City —become exceptionally crowded. If you intend to travel by bus during Easter, book your seats ahead of time, arrive at the bus station early, and be prepared to negotiate big crowds and deal with long lines as you make your way to the boarding platforms.

Be extra vigilant with your belongings

Crowded places during peak holiday periods provide ideal conditions for pickpockets, bag-snatchers, and car thieves to operate.  Be especially careful at bus stations and airports, and don’t leave your car unattended when you call-in at highway gas stations and to make convenience stops.  Download our free eBook guide to driving in Mexico for detailed information about security on your road trip.

When you’re traveling, keep your bags and personal belongings close, be especially mindful of your handbags, wallets, and technology devices; and dress down—leave your expensive jewelry at home.

Leaving your home in Mexico unattended at Easter

If you live in Mexico and intend to vacate your home during the Easter period, take appropriate measures to secure your vacant house, as burglars can be mindful that owners may leave for the holiday.

One of the best ways to secure your home when you’re away for an extended period is to have a friend or family member housesit while you’re gone.

A home insurance policy will cover you in the event of certain losses due to burglary and vandalism.  Read our article about preventing home burglaries in Mexico for more details and practical advice.

Statutory holidays are legislated at a Federal level and dates given as a holiday by statute are termed locally as “Dias Feriados.” There are currently ten statutory holidays in Mexico, as well as a range of civic holidays and regional/national festivities.

See also: When to visit Mexico: Seasons and Events

Statutory Public Holiday dates in Mexico

Statutory holidays are dates decreed as national holidays for all workers in Mexico. There are currently ten statutory holiday dates in Mexico, as follows:

January 1

Año Nuevo. New Year’s Day. Banks, offices and factories remain closed.

February 5

Dia de la Constitucion. This day celebrates the promulgation of the country’s 1917 Constitution The date is observed on the first Monday in February.
See also: Long weekend holidays in Mexico

March 21

Cumpleaños de Benito Juarez. The birth date of Benito Juarez, Mexico’s first and most revered President, is celebrated with a public holiday. The date is observed on the nearest Monday to his birth date every March.
See also: Long weekend holidays in Mexico and Benito Juarez
See also: Benito Juarez

March/April:

Semana de Pascua. Easter week holidays vary depending on each year: consult your calendar for details. In Mexico, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are designated public holidays.
See also: Easter in Mexico

May 1:

Dia del Trabajo. Mexico, like many other industrialized countries, Mexico celebrates Labor Day on May 1 every year, commemorating the advent of workers’ unions. All banks and offices close, but most shopping centers remain open for business.

September 16

Dia de la Independencia. This date commemorates the date when Father Miguel Hidalgo made his ‘cry for independence’ on September 16, 1810 in the town of Dolores Hidalgo — an event that ultimately led to Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule. Independence celebrations take place on the evening of September 15; September 16 is a public holiday.
See also: Independence Day in Mexico

November 2

Dia de los Fieles Difuntos. Mexico’s “Day of the Dead”, celebrations take place over 2 days (November 1st and 2nd) and contemporarily, October 31 is often included, taking-in Halloween. Mexico’s banks and businesses close on November 2, to observe this important religious holiday in Mexico.
See also: Day of the Dead in Mexico

November 20

Dia de la Revolucion. November 20 commemorates the start date of Mexico’s 1910 revolution, led by Francisco I. Madero. The date is observed on the third Monday in November.
See also: Mexican Revolution and Long weekend holidays in Mexico

December 1 (presidential election year)

Transmision del Poder Ejecutivo Federal. Mexico’s Federal Government and Presidency returns for re-election every six years. On the date of transition, which is December 1 every six years, Mexico observes a public holiday.
See also: Mexican Politics

December 25

Dia de Navidad. Christmas Day is observed with a public holiday in Mexico.
See also: Christmas in Mexico

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Civic holidays in Mexico

In addition to the national holidays decreed by statute, Mexico observes a number of other Civic Holidays. These are not holidays although some states and municipalities may observe them and offer workers time off in their locale.

February 19

Dia del Ejercito. Army Day, also known as Dia de la Lealtad (Day of Loyalty), commemorates the day when President Madero was escorted to the National Palace by cadets of the nation’s military college.

February 24

Dia de la Bandera. Flag Day was introduced by President Lazaro Cardenas, a man best known for having nationalized Mexican oil reserves in the 1930’s. The day commemorates Mexico’s current flag as well as previous ones. Schools often get children to undertake flag research projects for presentation on this day.

March 18

Anniversario de la Expropriacion Petrolera. This day commemorates the day in 1938 when President Lazaro Cardenas expropriated all oil reserves and declared oil a strategic Mexican national asset.

April 21

Heroica Defensa de Veracruz. The Heroic Defense of Veracruz commemorates the defense of Veracruz in 1914 when the port city was sieged the by the USA.
See also: Guide to Veracruz

May 5

Batalla de Puebla. The Battle of Puebla, or more commonly referred to as simply Cinco de Mayo, is observed as a public holiday in the state of Puebla, but nowhere else in Mexico. The date commemorates the victory of a small Mexican army against a French army double the size on May 5, 1862. The French re-took the city a year later and soon after installed Emperor Maximilian in 1864. The date is far more widely celebrated by people in the USA than in Mexico itself; possibly due to beer and liquor companies aligning themselves with the date as part of their US marketing. The date is sometimes mistakenly associated with Mexico’s Independence, which is September 16.
See also: Cinco de Mayo in Mexico

May 8

Cumpleaños de Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. Miguel Hidalgo is known as the “Father of Mexican Independence.” Although he and his conspirators were captured and executed by the Spanish for their insurgency against the Spanish Crown, his movement gave inspiration and created a political vacuum that eventually led to Mexico’s independence from Spain and, alongside Ignacio Allende and Jose Maria Morelos, is a revered personality in Mexico’s independence history.
See also: Mexico’s History

June 1

Dia de la Marina. Mexico’s Navy Day, acknowledging the nation’s maritime service men and women. The day is commemorated with various military parades.

September 13

Dia de los Niños Heroes. “Boy Heroes” (or Cadet Heroes); this day commemorates the events which took place at the Battle of Chapultepec, in modern-day Mexico City. The battle, which took place during the Mexican-American war in 1847, gave victory to US troops over Mexican forces defending Chapultepec Castle. According to military records, six cadets refused to fall back as the superior US forces moved to take the castle; choosing to fight to the death; the last of the six is said to have wrapped himself in a flag and jumped from the castle point. The event is also commemorated in a permanent monument of six pillars, which stands at the foot of the castle near the capital’s principal boulevard, Paseo de la Reforma.

September 27

Consumacion de la Independencia. Consummation of Independence; this date marks the end of the War of Independence, eleven years after Miguel Hidalgo’s ‘cry for independence’.

September 30

Cumpleaños de Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon. Birth date of Jose Maria Morelos, a general in the armed struggle for independence who took up leadership of the rebellion following the execution of Miguel Hidalgo. Jose Maria Morelos was captured and executed by the Spanish for treason in 1815. Following the execution his Lieutenant, Vicente Guerrero, continued the armed struggle against the Spaniards for Mexican independence. The city of Valladolid was later renamed in his honor to present-day Morelia.
See also: Guide to Morelia.

October 12

Dia de La Raza. Columbus Day; commemorates the Discovery of the New World by the Italian navigator, Christopher Columbus.

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Principal festivity dates in Mexico

These festivities are generally observed in modern-day Mexican culture, but they are not statutory or civic holidays in Mexico.

January 6

Epiphany, also known in Spanish as Dia de los Reyes Magos. In previous generations it was on this day that children received their holiday gifts; today, children receive their gifts at Christmas and sometimes an additional gift on this date. It’s also the date when Rosca de Reyes is taken, a sweet bread inside which is hidden a plastic doll. If your slice contains the doll, you host a party at your home on February 2, Candles mass, and serve Mexican corn tamales.

February 2

Dia de la Candelaria – Candle mass. This is the date when tamales, flavored (sweet or sour) corn paste wrapped in corn leaves and steamed, are eaten. If your slice of Rosca de Reyes contained the plastic doll, traditionally you serve tamales at a house party on this date.

February 14

Not traditionally a Mexican holiday, but with the Anglo-American influence February 14th is celebrated as Valentines Day — Dia del Amor y la Amistad — particularly in more urbanized places across the country.

April 30

Dia del Niño — Children’s Day is widely observed in Mexico. It’s not a holiday but children receive gifts from family members on this day.

May 10

Dia de las Madres — Mother’s Day is an important cultural date in Mexico, as the country has a strong matriarchal culture. Families take their mothers and grandmothers out to lunch. Restaurants are very busy on this date.

May 15

Dia del Maestro — Teacher’s Day, traditionally school-age children will take their home room teacher a small gift.

Third Sunday in June

Dia del Padre – Father’s day in Mexico. Children will buy a gift for their father and some families take their fathers out to lunch. Restaurants are very busy on this date.

November 1 & 2

Dia de los Muertos, also Dia de los Fieles Difuntos: All Saints Day and All Souls Day. One of the most important religious holidays in Mexico. November 1 is not a public holiday but November 2 is. Halloween (October 31) is often tied-in with the festivities these days.
See also: Celebrating Life on Day of the Dead in Mexico

December 12

Dia de la Virgen Guadalupe – Not a public holiday but an important religious holiday in Mexico.
See also: The Virgin Guadalupe and Juan Diego

December 16-24

Posadas Navideñas – Christmas processions begin on the 16th and run until Christmas Eve on December 24.
See also: Posadas Navideñas

December 24 & 25

Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) and Dia de Navidad (Christmas Day). Traditionally, Mexicans take their main Christmas meal and open presents on the evening of the 24th. Some families have taken up the Anglo-American tradition of eating on the 25th. The 25th is a public holiday, but the 24th is a normal working day in Mexico.
See also: Christmas in Mexico

December 28

Dia de los Santos Innocentes — Day of the Innocent Saints. This is a day when Mexicans traditionally play practical jokes on each other, similar to April Fool’s day in the Anglo traditions.

December 31

New Year’s Eve. New Year’s eve is a traditionally a family affair in Mexico, although the squares of main towns and cities will fill up with revelers celebrating the New Year.
See also: New Year Celebrations in Mexico

When to visit Mexico

Mexico offers visitors and foreign residents year-round opportunities to enjoy the climate, culture, and events taking place here. For details about seasons and events see the article about when to visit Mexico

The sheer volume of people living in the capital which, in turn, creates its legendary rush hours — of which there are three: 6 to ~10 a.m, 1 to 3 p.m. and again between 7 and 9 p.m. — make Mexico City a pretty challenging place to get around in on an average week day.

But something quite remarkable happens in Mexico City during Easter Week: the capital’s now-normal congestion eases substantially.

Easter is an important religious holiday in Mexico, and more people travel during this time than at Christmas.  As with Thanksgiving in the United States, Easter is a time when Mexicans travel to be with their families, and it’s also the most popular time of year for family vacations.  School is out for two weeks and workers book time off and flock to Mexico’s beaches, or take vacations abroad.

If you travel to any of Mexico’s popular retreats or vacation spots during Easter, expect airports and bus stations to be hectic, interstate highways around principal cities to be busy, hotels to be heavily-booked, and leisure attractions to be teeming with people.  It’s also the most expensive time of year to vacation in Mexico.

The Easter exodus from Mexico City begins on the first Friday of the holiday period.  Roads south to Cuernavaca and Acapulco, south-east towards Puebla and Veracruz, west to Guadalajara and Morelia or north towards Queretaro and the colonial heartland are packed with cars on the first weekend of the Easter holiday.   The airports at Mexico City and Toluca experience their busiest weeks of the year during Easter, so even flying-out of the capital requires patience.

A second flurry of people leave on days following Good Friday, as those who had to work earlier in the week finally take their leave from the capital for a long weekend away.

A corollary of the holiday exodus is a capital that can feel more like Mexico City on any given Sunday in 1976. Journey times that could take two hours during a ‘normal’ weekday are completed in thirty minutes. Car parks have ample free spaces in them. Restaurants and bars are less crowded. Museums and parks are quieter, more serene.

Some of the colonial enclaves within the city, like San Angel and Coyoacán, which are usually bustling with activity, feel close to the small provincial villages they were before the capital engulfed them. The city’s metro, buses, and micro-buses don’t tend to have their passengers packed to the rafters; taxis and Ubers are plentiful and fares cost less due to shorter journey times.

The air is fresher and feels more crisp, especially during the mornings.  The majestic volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Iztaccíhuatl, which have flanked the valley since time immemorial, may be seen clearly from vantage points facing south-east as the smog clears.

The feel and vibration of one of the world’s largest capital cities is transformed during Easter Week: its natural — almost mystic — aura becomes emphasized as the noise and commotion created by twenty million people going about their daily lives eases for short while.

If you enjoy big cities, but you prefer less congestion when you visit them, note Easter in your diary as an ideal week to visit Mexico City.  Conversely, if you like big cities and the swirl of people, activity and movement which normally accompanies them, make a note to avoid Mexico City during Easter.

If you like to avoid the crowds and have a flexible schedule, visiting Mexico City during Easter and then heading out to Mexico’s beaches and colonial cities after the Easter holidays have passed will afford you the best of both situations: you’ll enjoy a tranquil capital and a quiet, off-peak, visit to a beach and/or colonial region afterwards.

The capital’s activity levels begin to pick up again after Easter Week, but it’s not until the following Monday after Easter Sunday, when the holiday period is properly over and the kids are back at school that Mexico City will return to its usual high levels of activity and congestion.

If you have to travel in Mexico City on the first Monday after the two-week Easter break, allow yourself plenty of time and patience for your journey across the city.