Side Trips from Mexico City

In every direction, via every major highway leading outside Mexico City, locals and increasing numbers of tourists fill cars and buses headed to the dozens of intriguing towns and cities known for everything from awe-inspiring natural scenery to bewitching colonial-era centers. If you're traveling to Mexico City for at least four days, even on your first visit, it's well worth making at least one side trip.

The most popular and closest destination is Teotihuacán, which is just an hour away and whose legendary Mesoamerica archaeological sites can be explored in a half-day or so. If you're feeling ambitious, you could even combine this adventure with a detour to Tepotzotlán, which is also on the north side of the metro area, about an hour west of Teotihuacán. Both of these places can be efficiently visited by bus or even Uber, which is particularly economical if you're sharing your ride with two or more passengers. 

The other six destinations covered in depth in this chapter are all far enough away---between 1½ and 3 hours by bus or car---that it's best to plan at least an overnight stay or ideally a couple of nights to enjoy them. Puebla and Cholula are part of a quite sizable metro area about two hours east of CDMX and actually offer enough to see and do to keep you busy for several days or more. But you can cover their key sites and get a sense of each city in two or three days. Another sizable city that's also a base for several outlying attractions is Querétaro, which lies about three hours northwest of Mexico City and is again best explored over two or three days. You could also combine a trip here with a longer tour of popular San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, which are only an hour or two further northwest.

The chapter's other four destinations---Tepoztlán, Cuernavaca, Taxco, and Malinalco---all lie within a relatively compact but extremely mountainous area that extends south and southwest of Mexico City. Tepoztlán and Cuernavaca are close to one another and roughly 90 minutes from CDMX---you could even visit one or the other (but both would be too much) on a long day trip. But ideally give yourself two to three days to visit the pair, and the same amount of time for a trip to Taxco or Malinalco, which are a bit farther away. You could also visit all four of these towns, especially if you rent a car, by driving one big scenic loop---give yourself five to seven days, however, to visit them all together. 

Given the distances and logistics, it helps to think about your objectives and how much time you'll be in Mexico City before planning side trips beyond Teotihuacán and Tepotzotlán. If you're spending a week to 10 days in CDMX, consider spending two or three of those nights on a side trip---Puebla and Cholula if you love cities and worldly restaurants, and either Tepoztlán (which can be easily combined with Cuernavaca), Taxco, or Malinalco if you're seeking a relaxing small-town getaway with gorgeous natural scenery. Because it's farther away and also a large city with a lot to see and do, Querétaro is perhaps better saved if you're visiting Mexico City for an extended period, you've already been a couple of times, or you're planning a longer trip up north that will also include San Miguel de Allende.