Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Puebla has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Drive up to Guadalupe Fort (where the Mexicans famously fought off the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862), for a spectacular view of the city, the valley below and the snow-capped mountains beyond.
- Arts and culture
- The church of Santo Domingo on Cinco de Mayo is a wonderful example of Puebla’s lavish Baroque architectural style, with an astounding amount of gold leaf and astonishing onyx stonework. Its 16th-century Rosary Chapel is dazzling. Also visit the Museo Regional de la Revolución Mexicana, the former house of rebel leader Aguiles Serdán. You can still see the bullet holes from his assassination, regarded as a factor in starting the revolution of 1910. The Museo Amparo (+52 222 229 3850) is one of the most admired in Mexico, with a fine collection of pre-Columbian and colonial art.
- Something for nothing
- Join the locals in the age-old Mexican tradition of the evening paseo and head to the main square at around 6pm. Soak up the atmosphere as people flood outside to savour the late-lingering sun and the pretty squares fill with couples and children, all simply taking a stroll.
- Shopping
- The American-style Angelopolis shopping mall has a clutch of high street designer names on its storefronts, such as Tiffany and Zara. For more local arts and crafts, including ornate ceramics, the pedestrianised streets of El Parian are rife with bargain hawkers and hunters. The Callejón de los Sapos is lined with antique shops and there’s a flea market on Saturday mornings. Siuamej (206 Avenida Juan de Palafox y Mendoza) is a collective of local women selling an intriguing array of handmade clothing and crafts.
- Daytripper
- Take the dirt road leading out from Cholula to the Paso de Cortés – the saddle of land between Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl, Mexico’s second and third largest peaks, respectively. The views of the countryside are stunning from here, and you can see Popocatépetl’s smoking volcanic top in menacing clarity. You’ll find a tasty lunch in any of the little restaurants perched on the hillsides.
- Perfect Picnic
- Pack a hamper and make the short trip to Cholula, about 10 miles east of Puebla. The ancient city is famously home to the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the largest (if not the tallest), pyramid in the world. Once a sacrificial hotspot for Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, most of the monument is now a scrub-covered hill crowned by Nuestra Señora de los Remedios church, and one of Mexico’s most scenic spots for alfresco eating.
- Walks
- On a Sunday, start early and make the three-hour trek up the foggy hills to Cuetzalan, where you’ll find a bustling Nahua Indian market underway. Even if you don’t buy anything, simply trudging the cobbles, examining artisan goods such as cradles, machetes and embroidery can while an afternoon away. You can get the bus back, or if your feet still have it in them, head for the 35-metre waterfall of La Gloria, near Apulco, on the way back.
- Children
- Take young animal-lovers to Africam Safari, a nearby park populated by African and Mexican wildlife. If ogling giraffes doesn’t appeal, there’s a host of other activities to distract youngsters, including zip-lines, a petting zoo and bungee (www.africamsafari.com.mx). In Puebla itself, take small ones to the Museo Interactivo Imagina on Guadalupe Hill, where interactive games, a planetarium and an IMAX screen should keep them occupied (www.imagina.pue.gob.mx).
- Activities
- Industrially, Puebla was known for its ceramics and a number of tile factories, producing the region’s distinctive blue-and-white talavera earthenware, still exist. You can catch a permanent exhibition of Pueblan pottery on the Playa de Armas, or go to the Taller Uriarte on Poniente (+52 222 232 1598) to see how the intricately designed ceramics are made.
Diary
February–March Carnaval: the week leading up to Ash Wednesday is celebrated with brightly costumed, high-kicking abandon. 5 May Public holiday remembering Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of Pueblo, marked by a procession and re-enactment of the battle. 1 September Processions with fireworks and dances in honour of the Virgen de los Remedios in nearby Cholula. 4 October A fiesta in Honour of San Francisco de Asís (Francis of Asissi) sees the Voladores of Papantia come to Cuetzalan to perform their traditional ‘flying’ dance, suspended from a 150-foot pole.
