Personally, I would much rather drive than deal with inconvenient buses (to the ruins for example, not city to city, and to many interesting and colorful locations such as cenotes and little pueblos), especially in the withering extreme heat. Or have the extra expense of tours to avoid those bad bus connections and still get to the ruins. The roads are excellent, the gas is cheap and the car (we rented recently from EasyWay for the same route) was without problems and relatively cheap. If you have driven in Europe, you would have a pleasant and safe trip to the areas/cities you mention.

The bus system in Mexico is excellent, and quite comfortable. You will have no problems getting around the Yucatan. Unfortunately, I have not yet been to Chiapas and so cannot comment on the bus service there. I will say, though, that it is a long way from the Yucatan and you might want to fly, then resume using the buses.

While Chichen Itza is a very impressive ruin, I think you should also plan a visit to Uxmal and the Puuc cities, about an hour and half south of Merida (spend the night), as well as Ek Balam, about ten miles north of Valladolid (take a taxi). Both of these sights offer very elaborately decorated facades which I believe to be unique in Mexico. Tulum has a matchless setting, but the ruins themselves are fairly crude.

I think you will very much enjoy your trip to Mexico.

I love the buses and greatly prefer combining buses with tours and taxis to renting a car. You don't have to worry about navigating, can watch the scenery instead of the road, and can choose budget lodging options that don't have protected parking.

It's great you can take your time and stay near the ruins so you can get an early start, beating the crowds and - in low lying areas - the heat.

In Yucatán we visited Tulúm (great setting, ruins themselves not too impressive and you can't climb anything), Chichén Itzá (also not a favorite, setting isn't special and you can't climb in or on anything), Ek Balám (also close to Valladolid, LOVED it), and Cobá (really enjoyed it - great jungle setting and you can rent bikes or bike taxis to get from site to site and climb to your hearts content).

In Chiapas I loved both Palenque and Toniná; the latter is not on the regular tour circuit so I had to hire a private driver to make the stop there.

Loads of photos with blog and travelogue links on the main page of each collection - all my recommendations are there. Happy planning!

Here's the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

> I'm wondering if doing most of my travel between cities is feasible and comfortable.

I used buses to visit most of the places you mention, and had no problem - I found them clean and surprisingly comfortable. I did rent a car for 3 days because I wanted to see the Ruta Puuc in more depth than was possible at the time I went (2009) by public transportation or guided tour. Having decided that public transportation would not serve me well for that particular goal, I was glad to have the convenience of the car; I was also very glad to return the car and proceed with buses from then on.

> I'd like to visit Valladolid, Mérida, Campeche, Villahermosa, Palenque, and San Cristóbal de las Casas. I want to see the colonial architecture, local culture, and Mayan ruins.

Great selection of sites for your interests! I visited all of them save Villahermosa (which had been badly flooded shortly before I planned my trip, and was not particularly accessible - I'd have loved to have seen it!).

My 21-day itinerary was:
- Fly to Cancun and leave it ASAP ();
- bus to Puerto Morelos - 1 night (snorkel!);
- bus to Tulum - 2 nights (ruins, cenotes, Sian Ka'an, beach at sunrise and sunset);
- bus to Valladolid - 1 night (Valladolid and Chichen Itza and Ek' Balam and the Cenotes Zaci and Dzitnup);
- bus to Izamal 1 night (town and stay in a hacienda that has since closed;
- bus to Merida - 2 nights (city and its museum, market, lively weekend activities);
- rented car to/through Ruta Puuc with night at the Flycatcher Inn near Uxmal (I highly recommend the inn) - Uxmal, Sayil, Labna, Kabah, and the Loltun Caves;
- drive to Celesun - 1 night (flamingos +);
- return rental car and bus to Campeche - 2 nights (town and Edzna);
bus to Calakmul - 2 nights (Calakmul and Balamku);
bus to Palenque - 3 nights (Palenque ruins and musuem; Misol Ha, Agua Clara, and Agua Azul);
bus to San Cristobal de las Casas - 2 nghts (& Chamula and Zinacantan);
bus to Tuztla Guitierrez - 2 nights (and the Canon del Sumidero and Chiapa de Corzo);
flight home.

It was a very fast-paced trip, but I enjoyed it!

I skipped Villahermosa because

Oh dear! The cyber-rulers just posted my thread mid-stream and mid-edit.

> I want to see the colonial architecture,

Again, I think you've chosen well! Valladolid, Mérida, Campeche, and San Cristóbal de las Casas are each (IMHO) charming and showcase somewhat different features of colonial architecture. If you can fit it into your itinerary, I suggest you consider spending at least a few hours in the absolutely charming town of Izamal, which showcases yet another style of colonial architecture. (BTW, when I was there in 2009, horse-drawn carriages were still the predominant mode of transportation within the city and an hour-long ride to see its highlights cost me all of about $5. Seriously! If that doesn't appeal, you can easily walk from the bus station to the town's beautiful center in just 10 minutes or so, as I recall.)

> I want to see the ... local culture

Do make sure your time in Merida includes at least some of the events it supports from Friday evenings through Sunday evening - markets and dance exhibitions and bands on the streets (complete with dancing by people of all ages with every conceivable level of fitness and skill) and street performers... And while in San Cristobal, visit its amazing crafts market and be sure to take a tour of local villages such as Chamula and Zinacantan. (I don't usually recommend tours, but in this case, I think it would be very difficult to appreciate what you are seeing - or even to have the chance to see certain things - without a knowledgeable guide.)

> I want to see ... Mayan ruins. I'm open to suggestions as to which ruins are most interesting, but I definitely want to see Chichen Itza.

If you can visit Chichen Itza and Uxmal and Palenque, you will see 3 large and accessible sites that each (a) contain interesting differences within their grounds and (b) differ from each other in some amazing ways, giving you a perspective on Mayan civilization that I suspect is otherwise very difficult to glean from a visit to any one or even two of these three. I'm really glad I saw the other ruins I visited, but in general, they were a bit like icing on the cake (or gravy on the meat, or whichever metaphor works for you). If you want, you can select a subset of the other sites that fits your schedule. (Actually, Calakmul is a truly substantial site - not icing or gravy by any means! But it was hard to reach, so I'm essentially ignoring it. It is amazing, though, and if you're interested, check into it!)

> In my guidebook...

I planned my trip using a combination of on-line resources and about a half dozen guidebooks. The books I found most useful for the sites you mention were the Rough Guide and the Moon Guide. I also (of course!) used this forum. The info is old, but just in case they prove useful, here are the links to my threads:

http://www.fodors.com/community/mexico-central-america/please-help-me-plan-a-trip-to-the-yucatan.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/mexico-central-america/revised-plan---the-yucatan-peninsula-chiapas-and-a-dash-of-tabasco.cfm

And my post-trip thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/mexico-central-america/restaurant-notes-the-yucatan-peninsula-and-chiapas.cfm


> I have pretty much unlimited time, so I can certainly relax for a few days between each leg of the trip.

How I envy you!

For some places that might be nice for a bit of down time, I already mentioned the Flycatcher Inn along the Ruta Puuc. You might also consider Bela's B&B in San Cristobal.
http://flycatcherinn.com/
http://belasbandb.com/

And BTW, in Palenque, which is IMHO not particularly charming, you might want to find a place in the area known as La Caneda, which is a pleasant tree-filled area with some decent hotels and restaurants.

> Can anyone help..?

One last thing: Please ask the editors to add a tag for Mexico to this thread!

Oh, and of course, take lots of insect repellant, sunscreen, and whatever your physician recommends if you end up with Montezuma's revenge.

You are going to have a fantastic journey! Please keep us posted as you develop your plans and then experience them.

I don't know those particular regions of the country but have spent a lot of time solo/female in Mexico and have only positive things to say (Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, La Paz).

Personally I am not comfortable renting a car there though (face it there are incidents reported getting into it with crooked police, possible car trouble, gas station overcharges, etc.) and would stick to what could be done by bus (taxi, shuttles, tours) myself. It would just be more relaxing and feel safer to me to plan it that way.

Thank you all so much for the information. You've made me even more excited than I was when I began researching--and also more confident. I'm going to print out this info and stick it in my guidebook.

You have been given good advice. Take the very nice 1st class buses, but for longer hauls (exmple: Yucatan to Chaipas) do the very good and very inexpensive budget airlines (VivaAerobus, VOlaris, Interjet).

Thanks again, everyone.

My Frommers guidebook suggests November as the month with the best weather. Do you agree? When did you all go? How was the weather when you went?

Yes, IMO November is the best month for your desired destinations. We own a place in Playa del Carmen, and I have been there and traveled from there to Merida, Valladolid, Chichen Itza, Ruta Puuc ruins, Villahermosa, Palenque and many other places. I have done most of those at different times of the year, and the November trip I took was by far the best for weather and low crowds.

November is WONDERFUL in Merida. I was there for almost a wk. in Nov 2012. Weather was spectacular, sunny, dry (as opposed to the incredibly oppresive heat and humidity for late spring through Sept.) Never broke a sweat, but it was warm enough to swim in the hotel pool. And same for Palenque. All the areas you want to go will be great then.

November is a lovely month. But really most any time, say Thanksgiving to Easter typically has good weather.

The only time I wouldn't go to coastal Mexico is Aug/Sept because it's rainy season, hot and humid, and chances of hurricanes on that side.

We went in mid-October of 2012. Online weather reports were forecasting torrential rain for Cancun/the Yucatan area (just before storm Rafael hit some of the Caribbean islands)in the days leading up to the trip. I almost cancelled.
We ended up having an entire week of sun, with not a drop of rain or a raincloud in the sky. Go figure.
Friends had gone in mid-September (same year) and also had all sun. Not sure if this is typical for the season.
Do enjoy your trip. We can't wait to go back.

Thanks for the weather reports. All this information makes me more confident about my decision.

We took the bus from Palenque to Campeche. If you're into birds, views of excellent aquatic birds on the left side of the bus. That bus continues to Merida.

Ruins/ruin tours in the area we've seen, in order of merit/artistic achievement in my opinion:

1. Palenque
2. Yaxchilan/Bonampak combo
3. Chichen Itza
4. Coba
5. Tulum
6. Muyil

? for RAC -

Did you visit Uxmal?

I'd put it up there with Palenque and above Chichen Itza, especially if one includes other sites along the Ruta Puuc.

(I'm not challenging your view!!! Just asking.)

Peg,
We'll be going back down to the Yucatan peninsula again this year with additional trips to Chiapas. I'll report back if interest.I've driven and taken buses in Mx.
Both are fine. If, however, I had to choose I'd go with busing. It's cheap, comfortable and reliable.That said,
I'd do the same in most locations.
Also, there are tours to Chichen Itza which are fine but they seem to arrive too late in the day. Take the earliest bus you can to the ruins. This will get you there before the crouds and the vendors.
As for the weather in Merida,
I found it to be fine until April. I like Dec through March. Many places have pools or you can take a siesta mid afternoon if it gets too warm.

More thoughts.
I haven't yet found any totally comprehensive books. Two that seem to be ok are;The Rough Guide to Cancun &
the Yucatan and Moon Chiapas handbook.

Be aware that many of the books have outdated info on roads and transport.
Check out ADO buses.
Enjoy!

kja--didn't get a chance to fit Merida or Uxmal into our most recent trip to Mexico. Will probably do those locations plus Calakmul next time we hit the Yucatan.