For this third article on our trip to Mexico (after my practical tips for traveling in Mexico and my Mexican Food Tour), I am going to talk about our 3-day stopover in the lovely city of Puebla. The capital of the state of Puebla is a charming city with very colonial architecture, located a 2.5-hour drive from Mexico City. It’s a stopover that I particularly recommend, because even if Puebla is a very touristy city for Mexicans, it is much less so for foreign tourists and discovering it allows for total immersion in this Mexican atmosphere that my favorite photographer and I loved so much during our trip.
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Table of Contents
Practical Information for getting to Puebla
Getting to Puebla from Mexico City is extremely simple. Upon arriving at the airport, you just need to take a first-class bus (I spoke about this at greater length in the first article) directly on-site. Take the Estrella Roja company, which arrives at the 4 Poniente bus terminal in Puebla. The buses are very well signposted in the airport, but otherwise, don’t hesitate to ask for directions. It is not even necessary to buy your ticket in advance; we bought ours as we got off the plane and 2.5 hours later we arrived (admittedly, not very fresh) in Puebla.
Trip price: $290 pesos, about €15 / person
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Some cultural visits and other activities in Puebla
You will have plenty to do in terms of visits in Puebla, whether it’s checking out museums, churches, Mexican craft shops, or simply strolling through the colorful streets of the city center.
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The Baroque Museum
This incredible museum, which opened less than a year ago, features very modern museography focused on the history of the Baroque throughout the world, and especially in this region of Mexico where it is very prevalent.
Baroque Museum
Boulevard Atlixcayotl 2501
Reserva Territorial Atlixcayotl, Puebla
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Price: $50 / free for residents of Puebla and on Sundays for everyone
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The Museum of Viennese Music
This museum, housed in a brand-new and fully restored complex (it used to be a textile factory, the Factory of the Constancia Mexicana), also contains the puppet museum which, unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit.
In a totally unexpected way, you discover, right in the heart of Mexico and in a very interactive manner, the entire history of Viennese music. It is fascinating and completely incongruous; I love it! It must be emphasized that music is something extremely important in Mexico, and every event in Mexican life is punctuated by music; it is unthinkable otherwise.
Museum House of Music of Vienna
Ex Fábrica La Constancia Mexicana 10, corner of Boulevard Esteban de Antuñano, Col.
Luz Obrera, C.P. 72110, Puebla
price: $25_
The churches of Puebla
In terms of churches, you will have plenty to do in Mexico, and even if you are not a believer, they are really worth a look because their rather flashy style is unique in the world.
I particularly recommend visiting the Cathedral of Puebla (pictured above), which is located a few steps from the Zócalo, or the city’s main square.
You also absolutely must see the Santo Domingo church, whose slightly austere facade (photos above) houses a major work of baroque architecture and decoration: the main altar’s altarpiece and the extraordinary Rosary Chapel (Capilla del Rosario, photos below) at the very back of the church, which is a marvel of baroque; it almost hurts your eyes because there is so much gilding!
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The Palafoxiana Library of Puebla
If you like old libraries, you should also take a quick tour of the Palafoxiana Library, a historical and cultural treasure that houses more than 40,000 volumes, most of them dating back to before Mexico’s Independence, including many incunabula (dating from the 15th century). The original shelves housing these works date from the 18th century.
Palafoxiana Library Av. 5 Oriente 5, Centro, 72000 Puebla
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Talavera ceramic shops
Talaveras are ceramics typical of Puebla, for which the ancient manufacturing method has been preserved. Each piece is handmade, and it makes for a perfect gift and/or souvenir to bring back from a short visit to the city. This typically Mexican earthenware can be very colorful, but originally, it was composed only of blue patterns on a cream-white background. The “real” Talavera is produced artisanally only in Puebla and its surroundings.
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El Parián craft market
Don’t hesitate to also visit the El Parián craft market, east of the Zócalo. You will be able to find plenty of ideas for specialties to bring back, including the famous Talavera ceramics, which I mentioned just above.
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The Estrella de Puebla
A nice idea for an evening outing is to take a spin on the largest Ferris wheel in Latin America (80 meters high), the Star of Puebla. It has 54 cabins that can hold between 6 and 8 people each.
The little extra: the VIP cabins, which are obviously much more expensive, but which allow you to both skip the line, be in a smaller group (up to 6 people), and have a transparent floor to enjoy the view even beneath your feet.
Estrella de Puebla
Zona de Angelopolis, Puebla
normal price: $30
VIP cabin price: $300
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A short excursion to Cholula
Cholula, a small town with many churches (it is said that during the Spanish conquest, Hernán Cortés swore to rebuild a Christian church in place of every pagan temple) and very close to Puebla, is one of the oldest in Mexico still inhabited. It is established at the foot of what would seem to be a hill, but which is actually a very large pyramid and it is surrounded by volcanoes.
If you don’t have a car, don’t worry, tourist buses leave from Puebla and travel to Cholula on Saturdays and Sundays (Turibus – price between $160 per adult / $90 for children).
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Hotel Xelhua
This charming boutique hotel has a very nice rooftop from which it is possible to get a magnificent view of the city of Cholula.
Hotel Xelhua 106 San Pedro Cholula, Puebla
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To do in Cholula:
- Visit the Santa Maria Tonantzintla church, an incredible mix of Spanish baroque and indigenous art.
- Visit the great pyramid of Cholula, considered one of the largest in the world. Today it is almost completely hidden under vegetation and earth (at first glance, you might even think it’s a simple hill), but you can enter and get lost (just a little, mind you) in its underground tunnels…
- Visit the museum explaining the archaeological site to discover the objects unearthed from the Pyramid and better understand the history of the city.
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Where to sleep in Puebla?
There are some very beautiful hotels in Puebla, each more typical than the last. I suggest a small selection of two addresses that I tested during my time in the city, plus another one to maybe test during a future trip.
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Hotel Mesones Sacristia
This superb boutique hotel in Puebla, a member of the TemptingPlaces brand, is full of charm. It is located in a period colonial house, very well situated in the city center of Puebla. All the rooms are unique and different. The furniture is antique and second-hand, and all the hotel room furniture is for sale, just like in an antique shop.
Our room: the Naveat Suite ($1,500 Mexican pesos per night)
It is also one of the best gastronomic tables in the city and the establishment sometimes hosts musical evenings (I actually talked about it in more detail in my Mexican Food Tour), which I think really enhances the meal. You can also take fairly reputable cooking classes there. The colorful breakfast in the establishment’s courtyard is one of my very fond memories of this trip (even if there are many others, I can assure you!).
Mesones Sacristia
6 sur 304, Callejon de los Sapos, Centro Puebla
Price: between $1,350 and $2,000 pesos per night (between 65 and 95 €)
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Hotel Descanseria
Located just a 5-minute walk from the first hotel, this other establishment is slightly less charming than the first, I think, but it is larger and has more rooms if the first is full. The rooms are spacious and the beds are very wide (we even slept in a single bed with the Man in the Hat even though we fit comfortably for two…).
I was more than thrilled by the breakfast at this address; it was super good and, in addition, there was really a very wide choice of different dishes to choose from. A very good way to approach Mexican cuisine first thing in the morning! Here are some photos below of the dishes we were able to test.
Hotel Descanseria
Calle 3 Oriente No.627, Centro, 72000 Puebla
Price: between $1,490 and $3,600 pesos per night (between 70 and 170 €)
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Hotel Boutique Casona de la China Poblana
I didn’t test this hotel, but it is very well located and I found its small inner courtyard very cute, maybe for a future stay then… I especially liked the legend that goes with the name of the hotel, the China Poblana, the story of this Asian princess sold as a slave and who was freed upon the death of her master; she is said to have subsequently joined a convent where it is said that she began to have visions of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. This character is very important in Puebla and people revere her as a saint.
Hotel Boutique Casona de la China Poblana 4 norte n°2, Centro Historico, Puebla
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I hope that with all this I will have made you want to discover Mexico by making a short stop in Puebla, and if you, too, have your own tips on this destination, don’t hesitate to share them in the comments!
Find below all my articles on my trip to Mexico in September/October 2016:
⇒ All my articles on Mexico
⇒ All my reviews of Mexican restaurants in Paris
MY STOPS IN MEXICO
⇒ Practical information for traveling to Mexico
⇒ Mexico City
⇒ Puebla
⇒ Mexican Food Tour
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos are not royalty-free, photographer's authorization required before any use
