A 15 minute city is where everything is available to you within 15 minutes walking, biking, or public transit.
I know Mexico city fits this bill. Playa del carmen as well.
PDC I’d rather avoid. A bit too party tourism, dangerous I found.
Vallarta I’ve been too and almost fits. I enjoyed there.
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Guanajuato is lovely and fits the bill here, as long as you don’t mind going up and down lots of stairs haha!
Merida
I found Oaxaca to fit this perfectly while I was there for a couple months. I was staying in La Cascada but was able to walk anywhere I was interested in within 15-20 minutes. If you stay more central, even easier.
For a 15-minute city experience in Mexico, you might want to consider cities like Guadalajara or Querétaro. Guadalajara offers a mix of culture, cuisine, and convenience with most amenities accessible within a 15-minute radius, especially in areas like Tlaquepaque or Chapultepec. Querétaro, on the other hand, is known for its well-preserved historic center, vibrant cultural scene, and easy accessibility. Both cities provide a blend of urban convenience and cultural richness, without the overwhelming party tourism vibe. Plus, using services like Rebookify for accommodations can make your stay more affordable in these cities
Is Rebookify the best accommodation app in Mexico?
Is Rebookify the best accommodation app in Mexico?
After booking a money-saving tool, you have to book through another OTA first like Booking, Expedia, etc.
Mazatlan, Sinaloa has a malecon (boardwalk) that’s 18 km long with plenty of restaurants and shops along the route. You can walk, ride a bike, take a bus or pulmonia (an open air vehicle similar to a golf cart). Enjoy the magnificent ocean view.
Centro in Mazatlan would fit the definition. With just a pedal bike I was able to get everything I need (except for good surfing, lol). Great local markets, great farmers markets, transit system was quite good too.
I could run along the Malecon and up through the hills toward the lighthouse, then up to the top. To find running elevation so close to the center of a city is very unusual.
Internet was pretty good in most cafes and the “capacity for excellent was in place” at rental apartments. This is a nice way of saying you could have 200GBs every day but the power could go out or the internet might drop for 20 minutes or so. That said, uptime was around 90%. I had no problem working but lengthy Zoom calls sometimes dropped.
Speaking of rental apartments, we found places from 12000 pesos up to 25000 pesos. It was a little cheaper that other places we looked and the density of the grid pattern means there are hundreds of options within a 15 min walk.
It’s one of my top places but very little surf culture and support, and the breaks were not logistically accessible without a car. And my life is better when I surf.
I’ve been in PDC for a couple of weeks and it doesn’t seem dangerous. Lots of people out at night, we swim at the beach, no trouble at all. I don’t think it’s any more dangerous than most major cities or other places in Mexico. I was worried about coming here after reading stories online (also because I’m often alone, 30F) but I think they’re really quite uncommon, and my friends who live here permanently also confirm that.
I think there are different flavours of crime/corruption that it’s just worth being aware of. Like police shakedowns, more common when people are driving and easily handled. Not taking an Uber because local taxis are v pissed about it. Generally getting scammed by taxis. Fake drugs and meds in sketchy pharmacies. Pickpockets in clubs. That sort of thing, which is usually avoidable and seems quite common in many parts of the world, and I really don’t think should put you off. You always hear about the worst case scenarios.
PDC is a lovely, chilled, relaxing and friendly place. Lots to do and beautiful nature close by. Swimming in the warm ocean every day is glorious. Touristy stuff down 5th but not overwhelmingly crowded. Plenty of nomads here. :)
Ciudad de Guanajuato
Puerto Escondido was incredible when I was there. Everything was quiet close, with the exception of one excursion that was a 30 minute to 1 hour drive away.
I would think the historic centres of most mid-size colonial-era cities fit the bill eg. San Cristobal, Oaxaca, Puebla, Morelia, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi.
San Cristobal 🤩😋
Best city in Mexico 🤙🏼