Experience the best of Veracruz

Veracruz traces its name to the settlement Hernán Cortés founded in 1519, and its harbour made it the main port of colonial Mexico on the Gulf coast. The Zócalo, a palm-shaded square lined with arcades and cafés, is the city's living room, with marimba and son jarocho groups playing in the evening. The Malecón, a waterfront boulevard, runs past the old harbour, and the Baluarte de Santiago preserves a piece of the old wall.

The fortress of San Juan de Ulúa stands on an island at the mouth of the harbour, once a stronghold and later a prison. The Carnaval de Veracruz, in the days before Lent, is one of the biggest in Mexico. Boca del Río's seafood restaurants, the Totonac ruins of Zempoala to the north and the river town of Tlacotalpan, a UNESCO site, to the south are all within reach.

Huachinango a la veracruzana, red snapper cooked with tomatoes, olives and capers, is the city's signature dish, with arroz a la tumbada, a soupy seafood rice. Coffee is served with hot milk poured at the table, and a spoon tapped on the glass calls the waiter. The climate is hot and humid, with cooler northerly winds called nortes in winter, and rain falls from June into the autumn.