From Veracruz General Heriberto Jara Intl Airport in Veracruz, the surrounding region opens up quickly, with cities, towns, and attractions within easy reach. Veracruz is the oldest port in Mexico and one of its most musical cities, where couples dance danzon in the main square on weekend nights and marimba players work the cafe tables under the arcades. It is humid, loud, and warm-hearted, with a Caribbean flavor you will not find anywhere else in the country.

Standout experiences around Veracruz: - Tour San Juan de Ulua, the island fortress that guarded the harbor for four centuries - Tap your glass for a lechero coffee at the Gran Cafe de la Parroquia on the malecon - Dance, or just watch, the danzon under the portales of the Zocalo - Walk the malecon at dusk and watch the ships come into the port - Spend a few hours at the Veracruz Aquarium, one of the largest in Latin America - Eat huachinango a la veracruzana and arroz a la tumbada in Boca del Rio - Join the Carnaval parades, among the biggest in Mexico, in the week before Lent - Sip a torito, the creamy local liquor made with peanuts or fruit

Veracruz also opens the door to the places where Mexican history began. La Antigua, about 30 minutes north, holds the ruins of a house linked to Hernan Cortes, and the ruins of Cempoala are not far past it. Tlacotalpan, a UNESCO-listed river town of pastel houses, is about 90 minutes south, and the state capital Xalapa, with its Olmec heads and coffee culture, is roughly the same distance inland. Try picadas for breakfast and let the son jarocho carry you through the evening.