Tampico to Poza Rica: the first leg
The coastal corridor begins at Tampico's Central de Autobuses on Avenida Ejército Nacional, south of the Río Pánuco. ADO and its sister brands run frequent departures down Highway 180 through Ciudad Mante and Ciudad Valles before turning east toward Poza Rica; count on six to seven hours including the Mante stop. Book a morning coach, not the last of the day, so a delay does not leave you arriving after dark in a city you do not know.
Tampico itself rewards a night before you travel. The historic centre around the Plaza de Armas and the canal-side streets of the old port are walkable in an afternoon, and the beaches at Miramar are a short taxi ride east. Hotels cluster along Avenida Hidalgo and the Zona Dorada; mid-range rooms in the centre generally sit below what you would pay in Veracruz city, which makes Tampico a sensible first base if you land at the airport late.
Poza Rica is an oil town with little to detain a leisure traveller beyond the bus terminal, but it works as a junction. From here, coaches run west into the Sierra Norte de Puebla toward Zacatlán and north toward Papantla, and the terminal is on Boulevard Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, a short taxi from the centre. If your coach arrives in the evening, take a hotel near the terminal and move on in the morning rather than pressing toward the coast in the dark.
Papantla and the Totonacapan
Papantla, roughly an hour north of Poza Rica by local bus or taxi, sits under the hill of the Voladores and the pyramid site of El Tajín, about twenty minutes away by combi. The town's centre is compact: the Plaza Totonaca, the mural-covered parish church, and the smell of vanilla drying in the surrounding villages. Spring is the best window; the heat and humidity of May and June are punishing, and the September rains turn the site paths muddy.
Base yourself in Papantla rather than El Tajín itself, where accommodation is thin. Small hotels around the plaza run modest rates and put you within walking distance of the evening food stalls. See the Voladores ceremony in the plaza, then give El Tajín a full morning; the site is large, shade is limited, and the ballcourts deserve more than a hurried lap. Skip the packaged day tours from Poza Rica if you can manage the local combis.
From Papantla, coaches rejoin the coast at Gutiérrez Zamora and run south through Nautla and Palma Sola toward Veracruz. The route passes lagoons and coconut groves, and the stretch between Nautla and Cardel is the most scenic of the whole journey. Sit on the left-hand side heading south for the water views where the road hugs the coast.
Veracruz: where to stay and what to skip
Veracruz's historic port centres on the zócalo, the Cathedral, and the malecón running north toward the Gran Plaza. Hotels in the centro histórico put you within walking distance of the Danzón on the plaza in the evenings and the seafood stalls along the waterfront; expect a wide range from simple rooms off Calle Independencia to restored colonial buildings with courtyards. The Boca del Río district, south along the coast, is newer and quieter, with larger hotels and easier parking, but you will rely on taxis to reach the old town.
For a first visit I would book the centro histórico, close to the zócalo but a street or two back from the late-night noise. Veracruz is a working port, so the malecón is lively rather than tranquil, and the Carnival weeks in February or March fill rooms fast. For a family stay with a car, Boca del Río is the better choice.
Give the city two full days. The Mercado de Pescadería for breakfast, the Baluarte de Santiago and the naval museum, then the Acuario de Veracruz north of the centre. The beaches at Mocambo and Villa del Mar are convenient rather than beautiful; if you want sand, continue south toward the Costa Esmeralda instead. Skip the bus tours that combine everything in one afternoon; they leave you with an hour at the aquarium and none at the fort.
The return north is straightforward: Veracruz's main terminal, the ADO on Avenida Salvador Díaz Mirón, sends coaches toward Poza Rica and Tampico through the day. Check the departure board the evening before; the coastal highway beyond Cardel can slow in heavy rain, and afternoon departures often run behind.