Coatzacoalcos

A day and a half between the Olmec museum and the jaguaroundi forest

Start Coatzacoalcos early on the Malecón Costero, while the air is cool. Walk the seawall toward the river mouth watching ships wait for the port, have picadas for breakfast at a seafront diner, then spend an hour at the Olmec archaeology museum on the promenade, a stepped pyramid holding more than a thousand objects.

Late morning. Spend an hour or so at the Olmec archaeology museum on the promenade. The building itself is a stepped pyramid, and inside more than a thousand objects, from carved stone figures to everyday ceramics, explain the culture that flourished in these coastal wetlands long before the Maya. Note the closing day: Monday.

Afternoon. Take a taxi to the Jaguaroundi Ecological Park, on the road toward La Cangrejera. It is a free reserve with trails through tropical forest, wetlands and enclosures for rescued animals; hundreds of birds and more than 65 species of mammal live here. Go after the midday heat breaks and bring insect repellent.

Evening. Back on the coast, take a table at a seafood restaurant facing the water for a long dinner of arroz a la tumbada and grilled fish, then walk off the meal on the malecón, where the evening crowd is out until late.

Next morning. If you are heading on by rail, the Tren Interoceánico leaves for the Pacific coast at Salina Cruz, a slow, scenic crossing of the isthmus through farmland and hills. By road, Catemaco and the Los Tuxtlas hills are about two hours northwest, with a lake, waterfalls and rainforest.

Arroz a la tumbada, picadas and pipián enchiladas on the southern Gulf

Coatzacoalcos's signature dish is arroz a la tumbada, a soupy tomato rice cooked with shrimp, crab, squid and fish, closer to a stew than a paella. The city eats like the rest of Veracruz, heavy on seafood and lighter on chile, with huachinango a la veracruzana, cóctel de camarón and caldo de mariscos on most menus.

Breakfast is its own institution. Picadas are thick corn rounds with pinched edges, spread with red or green salsa, crumbled cheese and cream; gordas and empanadas of shrimp or cheese share the menu. Wash them down with strong Veracruz coffee, often served as café con leche.

Away from the sea, the city's enchilada houses are worth seeking out. The local style uses pipián, a sauce made with ground pumpkin seeds, as well as red and green salsas, and places sell combination plates so you can try several. They tend to open in the morning and close by late afternoon, and the most popular ones take cash only.

The Malecón Costero is the place for seafood with a view, from simple open-sided palapas to long-running family restaurants with live music at weekends. For roast chicken, ribs and grilled meats, the big rotisseries along the main avenues fill up with families on Sundays.

Nortes, September floods and the driest weeks on the Bay of Campeche

Coatzacoalcos is one of Mexico's wettest cities, and February to April is the reliable window to visit: 46 to 58 mm of rain a month, highs rising from 27 C to 31 C, a calmer sea and the beach at its best. Rain then builds fast, peaking at an extraordinary 506 mm in September.

From May the temperature holds at 30 to 32 C, with nights barely dipping below 24 C, and the rains build fast. May averages 155 mm, July 268 mm, August 311 mm, and September is extraordinary at 506 mm, followed by 365 mm in October. Storms usually come in the afternoon and evening, flooding low streets briefly. This is also the Gulf's hurricane season, so keep an eye on forecasts.

The winter months bring a different weather pattern. From November to January cold fronts called nortes sweep down from the United States across the Gulf. They arrive with strong north winds, choppy grey sea and drizzle, sometimes for several days at a time, and drop highs to around 26 C. Rainfall stays high, 266 mm in November and 224 mm in December, but it falls as steady drizzle, not tropical downpours. Between fronts, the days can be bright and pleasant. If you are travelling on to the Pacific by train, the dry, windy side of the isthmus at Salina Cruz makes a sharp contrast.