Puebla is just great! There is so much to see and do here (that’s why we stayed almost 1 week in this area). Oh, and the Airbnb was just really cool! 🙂 It is another colorful colonial city with many churches, museums, and a very nice pedestrian area. And not to forget the tunnels leading up to an incredible place full of murals and finally ending on top of a hill where two forts can be found.
Skulls & Skeletons everywhere
Colorful Houses
Street Art
Our amazing Airbnb
In the City Center at Night
Through the Tunnels
At the Fort on the Hill
The neighboring town Cholula is said to be one of the oldest settlements in México. That’s also the reason why one of the oldest monasteries is located in this city. Furthermore, one of the many churches there has been built on a hill in which ruins are situated. From up there, it is possible to see the two volcanoes Popocatépetl (active) and Iztaccíhuatl (not active). What an incredible view! 🙂
The Colorful Streets
Walking up the Hill above the Pyramid
View of the Volcanoes
The Church on top of the Hill
The Pyramid Ruins
Atlixco is known to have the best climate in the world for flowers, vegetables, and fruit to grow. It really is a gorgeous city! All over the place there are colorful flowers – especially at the main square and the street passing the monastery. Oh, and there is a hill with wonderful views that is not overly hard to climb.
Flowers and Decorations at the Main Square
Amazing Views from above
Walking in the Colorful, Flowery Streets
Street Art
From Puebla we took a bus to Tlaxcala where we stayed for a night in Hostal Casa Coki in order to see the city and visit the closeby village Huamantla where the famous fair was taking place these days. Originally just chosen as a base, Tlaxcala turned out to be a nice town. We strolled around, took a look at the city center, and visited the bull ring.
Walking around Tlaxcala
Coolm Sculptures
The Bull Ring
Murals
Finally having made it to Huamantla for the “noche que nadie duerme” (= the night when nobody sleeps), I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the decorated streets, the rugs made out of flowers and colorful powder, and the festive crowd. Every year in this night, the statue virgin is carried through the colorful street in a procession followed by thousands of people. It was such a unique and amazing experience that just cannot be explained in words…
Impressions of the “Noche que nadie duerme”
The Saturday after that, bulls were released into the streets and people tried to provoke them. We went there, raced with the bulls but skipped the fight in the bull ring afterwards. The whole day, there were singing, dancing, and drinking Mexicans to be found in every corner of this small town. That’s also when we met Heike and Itze, two crazy Mexican girls we partied with. What a fun time! 🙂
Cuernavaca, Asis’ home town and the capital of the state Morelos, is well known for its pleasant weather all year round and is usually called “The City of Eternal Spring”. Here we went to the Ex-Hacienda de Cortez – a restaurant and hotel created in what used to be Hernan Cortez’s plantation. The most amazing thing about the restaurant is that it has a tree as the ceiling! It was a different and very beautiful venue to have breakfast at. Afterwards, we went to the city center, took a stroll around, looked at some churches and museums, and the botanical garden.
Asis’ family has a lot to do with horses. Thus, he took me to a horse ranch nearby and showed me the basics of horseback riding. I’m so proud of myself! Although it was my first time on horseback, I managed not to fall and tell the horse where to go (even backwards 😉 ) I’m definitely a born cowgirl! 🙂
Tepoztlan is a tiny town near Cuernavaca. It has a some very nice, colorful streets and a ruin at the top of a mountain. The hike is fairly easy (at least for me – for many Mexicans that went up that day, it wasn’t…) and can be done in about 1 hour. I just would recommend not going on weekends since it is full of people and not as enjoyable.
Taxco is a Pueblo Magico about an hour away from Cuernavaca in the neighboring state of Guerrero. Known for its silver products, narrow streets, and steep hills, Taxco has a peculiar charm to it. Filled with VW Beetles, it gives you the impression that this tiny town is a bit out of time. It also has this really cool hotel at the top of a mountain that we visited by cable car. Truly a gorgeous place to be at with an amazing view!
In Toluca, we stayed at a German friend’s house. The city, although industrial, has a charming center with nice colonial buildings. Seeing it on the way to dinner (black dough pizza 🙂 ) and back in the dark was definitely enough time.
The City Center of Toluca
The
next morning we woke up early in order to go to the Nevado de Toluca, a volcano located about 45 minutes away from
the city that has two lagoons at the crater known as the Sun and Moon lagoons.
The hike was easy and I really liked being back in nature surrounded by
beautiful views and clean air. But I do have to say that if you are hiking this
trail, make sure to take the right shoes – the floor is loose and made out of
gravel, so it’s easy to fall down if you don’t pay attention (like Asis 😉 ).
Metepec is a nice charming town that we went to after the
hike. It is the birthplace of the Tree of
Life – a Mexican craft that’s sold all over the country. It originally
represented Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden but now there are many different
representations. The one I got is tiny and very cool – it was painted by hand just
for me! The town also has representations of the tree all over the place. Another
specialty here is the church on top of a hill with some very nice forests and beautiful
flowers behind it. We spent a wonderful afternoon in Metepec – definitely worth
a visit!
The next day, the three of us went to Valle de Bravo – a nice, quiet town
about 1 hour away from Toluca. Located at a lake, it’s a very popular tourist destination
in the center of Mexico – especially, when the Monarch butterflies arrive in winter.
The city is nice, clean and has a very peculiar feel to it with its white houses.
The views are gorgeous – we enjoyed them while having dinner with the sun in
our faces. In total, Valle de Bravo is a nice little town worth a visit when in
this area!
Morelia is an amazing city – it is big, clean and has the most impressive church in Mexico. The city center is very well kept and shows a lot of history. Now, there are people that like avocado and then there is me! For dinner we decided it would be a good idea to have an avocado soup, guacamole, and avocado – the most avocado you can have in one meal! 🙂 But moving on to the city, we saw a fireworks show above the cathedral in the evening. The cathedral is nice but not as stunning as the Santuario de Guadeloupe that has to be the most beautiful and unique church in Mexico with such a surreal look that’s just so amazing and beautiful.
The next day, we decided to go to Patzcuaro, a famous lake in Mexico that is supposed to be the best place to go to on “Dia de Muertos” (so check it out if your’e around at the beginning of Nov). The islands have a charm to them that is hard to explain. Janitzio island is topped by a statue that is supposed to be bigger than the Statue of Liberty in NYC. Patzcuaro itself is a nice small town with colonial beauty and charm that has its own unique personality compared to the rest of Mexico. In a way, it feels a bit more lost in time than the rest since cars are not as present as in other cities.
Our
next stop was Guadalajara – it could
be a beautiful city with its churches and colonial-style houses but the fact
that modern buildings, stores and businesses are so present everywhere takes
away from the charm. It is Mexico’s second biggest and most important city.
To Chapala it’s a 30 minutes bus drive from Guadalajara’s old bus station. There, you are greeted by a nice lake with a charming little town including a nice promenade along the water. Now, if you really want to see something unique, you should also go to neighboring Ajijic where you can see a lot of very cool, colorful street art and retired Americans – since Mexico is cheaper than the USA a lot of them decide to move here.
An adjacent city to Guadalajara is Tlaquepaque which has a very nice vibe and personality to it. With its art, pottery, and mariachi everywhere, it is totally worth a visit! Especially along Calle Independencia, you’ll see a lot of interesting things and beautiful buildings.
Zapopan, another neighboring city and part of the urban
footprint of Guadalajara, is also very charming. It has one of the most important
cathedrals in this area and some other buildings that are very awesome. Furthermore,
not very far away, the blue agave fields for making the Tequila can be found all
over the place. Oh, and don’t forget to take a look at the colorful rings in one
of the streets in the city center.
Puerto Vallarta is a very nice city with a beautiful promenade along the beach. We stayed in Hostal Vallarta Suites which is definitely recommendable – economic prices, nice rooms, a great location in the center, and a healthy breakfast on the rooftop – what else would you want?! We explored the seafront, the island and the beach close by. For an amazing view of the sunset over the sea, you should go up to the Cross on the hill – spectacular!
Our next destination was Sayulita – widely known as THE hipster hotspot at the Pacific coast. Well, what can I say… It’s expensive, tiny, and full of tourists. We stayed at MBoutique Hotel and regretted it: the internet was not working, some lambs weren’t either and the organization was just low level. I really don’t recommend going here… Choose wisely and spend your days at a nicer place on the Pacific coast.
Arriving at Léon was, well, a bit underwhelming. An industrial city with a mixture of architecture and culture, it is famous for its leather products, the soccer team and a white cathedral with a very peculiar style. And we did see some street dancers doing the so called “Danza de los Machetes” (= Dance of Knives). Although small and not very impressive, we did find a very nice breakfast spot that day and even got another delicious cheesecake! 🙂 But I don’t think this is a necessary place to visit when in Mexico…
Talking about disappointments – Aguascalientes was supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico. To tell you the truth, the city is quite dirty, streets where not very pleasant to walk in and the city center, although nice, was not as impressive as one might think. The Government Palace on the other hand was very pretty and very well kept for a colonial building. This is a city you dedicate three hours to and then move on to the real jewel of the North…
Now, when you see the list of the 15 most beautiful cities in Mexico and your previous two experiences were not that impressive, the city of Zacatecas appears even more astounding. It is gorgeous – the architecture is done in a pink stone that makes the buildings stand out, the churches are very pretty. The Alameda park is beautiful and we had the fortune of watching a parade with “Charros” (Mexican cowboys) on horseback. Zacatecas has so many things to do, for example the Eden silver mines and the Bufa Mountain and with its cable car. Oh, and by the way: if you do look for the Statue of the Sad Indian, look up! 😉 Zacatecas is a place where you should definitely make a stop at!
In San Luis Potosi, we got a Korean style Airbnb for a change – really cool and unique! 🙂 The city consists of many colonial buildings in pink color and is very well kept -thats why it became a UNESCO world heritage in 2010. It does have its own personality and we were even able to look at a Mexican military base. Not as nice as Zacatecas (and not so much to do), but definitely one of the better cities in this part of Mexico.
The city of Queretaro is gorgeous, the colonial buildings are amazing, and the food is delicious. A UNESCO world heritage, the city center is definitely worth spending some time in order to explore. And I totally love the colorful Mexican dolls that are handmade and typical for that region. I would highly recommend going to Queretaro since it’s a city you will love and enjoy so much!
San Miguel is a beautiful little town. Being the cultural capital of Latin America for 2019, it has a lot to offer. As soon as I had arrived, I enjoyed walking the streets at night and watched a show at the cathedral. The next day, I chilled on the roof terraceof our beautiful boutique hotel Casa Oratorio with a gorgeous view and as soon as the sun was out, I went out and explored the town a little bit more. The city center is gorgeous, clean and very special. I really liked this town and had a wonderful time here!
My favorite city in Mexico! Guanajuato is known as one of the cultural centers in Mexico and that shows! At night, there are “Callejoneadas” – groups of people that walk around the city center singing and playing music instruments – a lot of fun in a very special atmosphere. The buildings are gorgeous and the food is really good! Oh, and don’t miss out on the view from one of the lookouts around when you’re here! Nevertheless, the most amazing part of it all is the Mummy Museum. It is very different and full of stories and personality – even includes the tiniest mummy on earth.
Later on, on the way back from Xilitla, we took a night bus, stopped by in Tequisquiapan – the geographical center of Mexico – and moved on to Bernal. Being the place with the 3rd largest monolith on earth, it is a nice tiny town with some cool buildings and a cool vibe! It is possible to hike the monolith up to a certain point but from there on, you need to climb. Amazing views!
Having arrived in Xilitla on a night bus, we stayed at Casa Caracol Hostel. Located just right in front of the Edward James Surrealist Gardens, the hostel has a lot of personality and charm. One feels like Alice in Wonderland – definitely one of my favorite hostels on that trip! Crossing the street, you go into the gardens and I have to say this is something very outstanding! The gardens are amazing with all these magical structures and there is a waterfall with pools you can swim in. Definitely one of the coolest things in Mexico and worth a trip!
From Xilitla, we went around the area of Huasteca Potosina a little more. In the morning, we were taken to the Swallows Basement, a 550m deep sinkhole where many birds live and as soon as the sun comes out, all of them come out in tiny bird tornados – an amazing thing to see! Mexico does have some very particular things and this is one of them! Afterwards, we went on canoes on a river towards a very nice waterfall and a nearby Cenote in order to take a dip.
Arriving to Pachuca is a simple thing – being so close to Mexico City, there are a lot of transport options to get there. This place is known for its delicious pastries and, let me tell you – we finally found a great Mexican all-you-can-eat buffet here! J The city itself has some nice buildings and parks, but the more interesting places are the Pueblos Magicos in the area around.
Mineral del Chico is a nice quite town with a charming
city center. It is in the middle of El Chico National Park and, thus, it is
mandatory to do some hiking. We went up the Peña del Cuervo, a mountain surrounded
by forest and with a very interesting voice distortion at the very top. Oh, and
we hopped on a four wheeled cart to check out some places in the surroundings,
like a witch house, the river, and some waterfalls.
The next day, we went to Mineral del Monte – a mining town with a very cute personality. It has some very interesting and nice buildings all over the place and I would totally encourage a stroll around the city center and up to one of the mines which feature a great view. Totally worth a half-day trip from Pachuca.
CDMX (= Ciudad de Mexico) is a huuuge city (the second biggest in the world) where we stayed in one of the nicest airbnbs ever! 🙂 We decided to start discovering this metropolis by strolling around in the city center. There is a lot to see: the big main square, the cathedral, the government palace, and lots of museums and churches. There are also many houses with beautiful colonial architecture while having a walk in the streets. And in the Zócalo (“Plaza de la Constitución” – birthplace of México’s Constitution), we did not only see the city’s most visited tourist attractions – the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Templo Mayor with its Aztec relics but also a regional food expo and a lot of traditional Aztec dancers! It was very colorful and fun!
Inside the Palace of Fine Arts
Angel in front of the Holocaust Museum
A Pedestrian Street towards the Zócalo
Food Festival
The Ruins of Templo Mayor
One of the Numerous Art Galleries
Our gorgeous Airbnb
At the House of Tiles
The Metropolitan Cathedral
For our second day in the city, we went to Chapultepec Park & Castle which used to be the residence for the Aztec rulers as well as later the Mexican presidents. With more than four square kilometers, this is the largest park of CDMX. These days, the park is popular for its lakes, sports facilities, the botanic garden, the zoo, and several museums. You can take a nice, relaxing stroll there – and be sure to eat some mangos! Now also a museum, the castle is in some ways very simple but it has some majestic rooms and offers a great view of the city from up the hill.
Crossing for Princesses
Strolling through the Park
Greeting the Zoo Animals
Welcome to my Castle
In the Hallway
One of the Bedrooms
Amazing Views
South of the city, you can find Mexico City’s floating fiestas in the UNESCO-listed ecological reserve Xochimilco, where you will be going along the canals (Yes – México City used to be a lake!) on small colorful boats called “trajineras” while enjoying the music, the views, and the food sold from other boats. Don’t miss the flower gardens and the island of the (creepy) dolls! Oh, and I would definitely recommend going there on a weekend since it is way more fun than on work days! And make sure to hire some mariachis who will sing for you.
Flower Gardens
Creepy Dolls
Trajineras
Mariachis
Being the city with the most museums in the world, one of Mexico City’s most important of these is the Museum of Archeology and History. As spectacular as the building itself is its vast collection, which includes archaeological finds from extinct Indian cultures along with details of the lifestyles of contemporary Indian inhabitants of Mexico. It is filled with statues, objects and relics of the most important prehispanic cultures as well as modern crafts and tiny representations of ancient life. Here, you can even see the Aztec Sun Stone – commonly known as the Aztec Calendar. Oh, and also make sure to check out the Soumaya Museum of Art when in CDMX – it’s free of charge and an impressive building.
Ancient Sceletons
Relics of the Mesoamerican Ballgame
Staring at the Aztec Calender
The Outside Area of the Museum
The Thinker
Museum Soumaya
On September 16th in 1810, México started its war calling for the end of the Spanish rule. The celebration of the Mexican Independence Day begins in the evening of September 15th when at 11 pm the President along with all the mayors of each state and city gives a speech called “El Grito (de Dolores)” (originally held by the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo) and people respond with “Viva!” to whatever Mexican hero the speaker is remembering. This is Mexico’s largest, noisiest and most important party – with a lot of drinks, food, and dancing on the streets. The celebration is crowned by enormous fireworks in each and every city all over the country. What a vibrant, unforgettable FIESTA MEXICANA!!! 🙂 And make sure not to miss the big parade on the following day due to a hangover!
Dressed in Colors of the Mexican Flag
At the Zócalo
Asis & Me during the Party (covered in foam)
Watching the amazing Fireworks
The Parade the next Morning
Lucha Libre is unique – it’s a mixture of a comedy and a drama. The fights look so real and so fake at the same time. This Mexican version of wrestling with colorful masks and characters is very melodramatic and acrobatic. People usually cheer for either the good guys named “Tecnicos” or the bad ones named “Rudos”. They engage in a fight with half show, half reality where they throw themselves at each other with slaps, bumps, big jumps, and grabs. This show is very unique and interesting – definitely a must-see when in CDMX! Afterwards, we went to the restaurant & bar high up in the Torre Latinoamericana – a skyscraper downtown – in order to have a birds-eye view of the city from high above.
Entering the Arena Mexico
Lucha Libre
Enjoying the View from above
UNESCO-listed Teotihuacán is one of the most important archeological sites in México. With both the Sun Pyramid and the Moon Pyramid as the main features connected by the Avenue of the Death, this ancient city is just amazing. Now one thing is going to the ruins – a whole other experience is getting up in very early morning and going on a hot air balloon ride for sunrise with the Teotihuacán pyramids as the main backdrop. It was spectacular – I loved it! Definitely unforgettable and an amazing goodbye (for now) to México! Thank you, Asis! 🙂
Impressions of our ride in the Hot Air Balloon
And of course, we went to explore the ruins and their surroundings afterwards, as you can see:
Having arrived in Guatemala, I decided to spend my first night there in the very small, laid-back town of El Remate. I highly recommend Hotel Mon Ami directly at Lake Peten Itza: small jungle-like huts and a very neat, spacious dorm beneath the roof. There, I enjoyed sunset and sunrise at the lake before taking the shuttle bus to Tikal.
Hammocking in the Dorm
The ancient Ruins of Tikal were the capital of the Mayan empire. They are huge and some of them are accessible, that means you can climb them and overlook the whole jungle surrounding these buildings. Pretty impressive! And since it was raining cats and dogs when I was there, I had the whole area almost for myself and could hear birds chirping as well as howler monkeys making noises. A very special experience!
The Impressive Ruins of Tikal
After my visit to the ruins, I went to the island of Flores where I stayed in Hotel Aurora which has a very nice terrace overlooking the lake. There is not much to do other than strolling through the colorful streets and taking a boat to San Miguel in order to go up to the lookout or enjoy the beach (a pretty ugly one though after having been to the Caribbean).
The Streets of Flores
Crossing the Lake by Boat
Terrace of Hotel Aurora
From Flores I took a shuttle bus to Lanquin where I was picked up by a four-wheeler in order to get me to a place to stay near Semuc Champey. This one was called Pachamaya Eco Lodge and I can definitely recommend it – location at the river, many hammocks, a good restaurant/bar etc. and all this for an extremely affordable price. In the early morning, I walked over to Semuc Champey, a protected area consisting of a 300 m limestone bridge, under which passes the Cahabón River. Atop this bridge is a series of turquoise pools. You can see it quite good from the lookout on top of a hill. Afterwards, swimming in the natural pools is obligatory. Oh, and in the afternoon, I went tubing on the river in front of my lodge before leaving for the South of Guatemala early the next morning.
Antigua is one of my favorite cities in Central America. It has so many colorful colonial houses and churches and is surrounded by volcanoes – truly a very impressive view! Most of the city had to be rebuilt after a severe earthquake in 1773. That’s why many ruins can be found all over this place – just take a look at the pictures… Oh, and I definitely recommend staying at La Casa de Maria! It offers private accommodation in a family’s house that has many flowers in the inner yard and even a parrot that greets you. 🙂
Impressions of gorgeous Antigua
Hiking Volcano Acatenango (3,976 m of altitude) is a quite though one. We met up in the evening at the tour agency in order to get our equipment. Then we drove to the starting point and hiked the first half of the trail through the woods up to the base camp where we had a bonfire and some time in the tents before we continued our way up – this time on volcanic rock which is not very easy to walk on. Early in the morning, we arrived at the top seeing Volcano Fuego spiting lava into the sky. What an amazing experience! A couple of minutes later, the sun rose and we had one of the most spectacular sunrises ever! Just breathtaking: an erupting volcano on one side and a beautiful sunrise on the other. This was definitely worth the effort.
Impressions of our Acatenango-Hike
The next volcano on my list of the must-dos in Guatemala was Volcano Pacaya – one of the most active volcanoes on earth. This was a stroll compared to the other hike… Not even one hour and we were up there on the lava field where we were able to roast marshmallows in the hot lava. Indeed a very unique experience! 🙂
View of the neighboring Volcanoes
Volcano Pacaya
Cold Lava Stone
Hot, Liquid Lava
Roasting Marshmellows
Ready to eat!
After having hiked and experienced these active volcanoes, it was time to go on to Lake Atitlán surrounded by the three other volcanoes San Pedro, Toliman, and Atitlán. I arrived in Panajachel, just strolled around (it’s veeery touristy), and took a boat across the lake – with great views on the small little towns at the shore and the majestic volcanoes. In San Pedro, I stayed in Hotel Playa Linda with a great breakfast in the morning – truly a great place to stay and relax for a while. Having explored the town in half a day, I got up in the middle of the night in order to hike up a hill called “Nariz del Indio” (Indian Nose) to see the sun rise above the lake with its volcanoes. What a spectacular view!
Looking over Lake Atitlán
Harbor of Panajachel
The Streets of San Pedro
The Garden of Hotel Playa Linda
Having arrived at the Top of the Hill
Incredible Views during Sunrise (with Volcano Fuego spiting lava and ash in the background)
On the same day, I took a so-called “chicken bus” (an old American school bus that’s used for public transport here) to Xela which is on the way to México. It’s not the nicest city (especially compared to Antigua) but for half a day, there are some good things to see. The coolest one was the stroll up Baul Hill where I met some really nice policemen who gave me a ride back to Hostel Casa Seibel after I had been interviewed on top of the hill for a TV-show…
View of Xela from Baul Hill
The next morning, I took a chicken bus from the market in Xela in order to cross the border to Chiapas, Mexico.
