Destination: Mexico

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: Colonial Heartland

THREE WEEKS

The entire loop around all the finest colonial cities, starting and finishing in Mexico City, is 2200km and takes around three weeks with a few days at each stop en route. Many travelers are selective and cover only chosen parts of the route.



The nation’s capital is ringed by a necklace of colonial cities blessed with gorgeous architecture of carved stone and colorful tiles, broad plazas, splashing fountains and lively modern cultural scenes – Mexico’s historic, architectural and artistic gems.

After checking out the colonial center of Mexico City itself, head east for Puebla, which has the country’s greatest concentration of restored colonial architecture. Southward, Cuernavaca has been a retreat from Mexico City ever since Cortés built his fortress-palace there in the 1520s. Continue south to charming, hillside Taxco, which harbors many surprises in its lovely cobblestone alleyways.

Go west to Michoacán’s capital Morelia, home to an imposing cathedral and many well-preserved buildings. Pátzcuaro is a handsome highland town where the indigenous Purépecha sell their wares around one of Mexico’s loveliest central plazas. Further west, muy mexicano Guadalajara is less quaint than its neighbors but retains beautiful plazas and plenty of fine architecture, not to mention fabulous shopping and nightlife.

To the north, trip up to prosperous Zacatecas, a stylish silver city with a stupendous cathedral. Back toward Mexico City, in the Bajío region, lively Guanajuato awaits in a ravine awash with quixotic callejones (alleys) and vibrant student life. The lack of stoplights is only part of the charm in the festive expat capital San Miguel de Allende. En route back to Mexico City, stop off in historic Querétaro which has several fine museums and a very walkable historic center.