MarionrockstheworldQuerétaro is a great destination if you want to discover a more authentic Mexico. There are many unmissable places in Quérétaro. Still the destination is very popular with Mexicans but relatively unknown to international travelers. So we propose you to come with us to discover unmissable places in Querétaro and its surroundings.
- The city of Querétaro, a hidden gem to discover
- Few adresses to live like a local in Querétaro
- Unmissable places to visit in the surroundings of Querétaro
The city of Querétaro, a hidden gem to discover
Querétaro is a stunning city. The city center, composed of colonial style streets, gorgeous churches and many small squares, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. No doubt you will be charmed by this old colonial city 3 hours from Mexico city.
Wander in the Plaza de los Fundadores and others squares of the city center
Querétaro posseses a really unique atmosphere. This is mainly due to the omnipresence of churches and squares all around the historical center. This gives a landscape of mountains and domes that match very well together.
For instance, we recommend you La Plaza de los Fundadores. You will find here the temple de la Cruz, great temple and first evangelization school in the continent. Missions for whole America started here, like the one for Los Angeles in California ! This is really an unmissable place in Querétaro. Besides the church, the square has statues of the founders of the city. Also on this square starts the oldest district of the city, the district la Cruz.
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In addition, I can recommend the Plaza de Armas, main square of the city, or the Jardín Zenea, with its beautiful kiosk where local bands play on the weekend. Finally, for the churches, my favorites are the temple Santa Rosa de Viterbo with its golden bath and majestic facade or the temple San Felipe Neri with its red rocks facade.
Admire the Aqueduct and the Mirador de los Arcos, an unmissable spot in Querétaro
Just behind the plaza de los Fundadores, you will find what makes Querétaro famous in Mexico; a 1,3km long aqueduct! It crosses the city with 74 arches up to 23m height. Close to this impressive construction, there is the Mirador de los Arcos. Surely the best spot in town to admire the Aqueduct and the landscape of this beautiful city surrounded by mountains.
Discover the park of Cerro de las Campanas, a historical place in Querétaro
The Cerro de las Campanas is a wonderful park close to the city center. But this is not the most remarkable thing about this spot. An emperor has been executed there ! It is Maximilian I of Mexico. On the execution site now lays a chapel. In the light of such an event in such a peaceful park, it gives the place a special atmosphere. You have to pay a small fee to enter the park, but it completely worth it.
The Tranvía, an unusual way to discover the unmissable places in Querétaro
Notice to those who want to see the city differently, you can find touristical buses crossing it. During our stay, we tried 2 lines, one is with an old fashioned tram like called Tranvía on the history of Maximilian’s execution and does a stop in the Cerro de las Campanas. The other, a panoramic bus, called Querebus, was on the foundation of the city and the Aqueduct with a stop at the Plaza de los Fundadores.
Moreover, these tours provide a lot of information (in Spanish) and allow to discover the city in an unusual way. We did them with Querétaro Lindo, an established tour operator, and completely recommend it.
Few adresses to live like a local in Querétaro
Querétaro is a very pleasant city to spend few days or even more. Therefore, we want to share with you few nice adresses we discovered while wandering in the city during 3 weeks:
For a coffee break :
📍 Dulceria Compania : Enjoy a sweet moment in this coffee place. Great hot beverages and their own baked pastries are delicious.
📍 Begonia Mandarina : Just in front one of the last one, it’s a lovely alternative, where all the beverages are plant-based. Plus, the interior is super cute.
Where to eat :
📍 El Galpón : The best pizza in town in a beautiful space, completely hidden and a bit outside of the city center. You have to ring a bell to enter there.
📍 Mercado Hidalgo : A cheap and very local option where you’ll find nice cheeses, juices, vegetables and street food options. 100% local experience.
Bakery :
📍 La Petite Mort : One of our favorites bakeries, with really good pastries and low budget friendly. An unmissable place in Querétaro if you want to taste delicious pastries.
📍 Galileo : Our second favourite bakery, a bit more expensive but also proposing more elaborated pastries.
Bookshop :
📍 El Alquimista : A great bookshop in the city center selling new and second hand books.
Unmissable places to visit in the surroundings of Querétaro
The surroundings of Querétaro offer a lot to see with several Pueblos Mágicos (magic towns), vineyards, and typical food. Not to mention that it is surrounded by a semi-desertic environment !
Visit the Pueblo Mágico of Bernal and its impressive monolith, an unmissable place in the state of Querétaro
Bernal is a wonderful town located at 1 hour of Querétaro. It is famous for its impressive monolith, the 3rd tallest in the world. The city center is really beautiful and with many typical food options. However, we advice you to try the Mercado Gastronómico, a bit outside of the center but where you will find the best and cheapest specialties like the gorditas de maiz quebrado that you can’t miss.
Tequisquiapan, charming Pueblo Mágico at the very center of Mexico
Also at 1 hour of Querétaro, you will find Tequisquiapan, other Pueblo Mágico in the semi-desertic area. It is famous for its artisanal production that you can discover in the Mercado Municipal. Other surprising fact about the town, it is the geographical center of Mexico ! You will find a monument to celebrate it behind the main square. In addition, we liked the Pila park, where you can see Ahuahuates, emblematic trees of Mexico. This is the same type of tree than the largest one in the world, located in Oaxaca.
Viña TX, artisanal wine producer in Tequisquiapan
It was impossible not to mention this amazing small wine producer 5 min from the city center of Tequisquiapan. We stopped in this beautiful building, received by Geraldo and his family. He showed us his vineyard, telling us more about the wine production in such an extreme climate. You can only buy his production in the property, giving even more pleasure discovering such a hidden gem. Afterwards, we did a wine degustation with cheeses! Yes with an s, 10 typical Mexican cheese accompanied our wine glass. A great experience !
Freixenet, a wonderful hacienda hidding one of the biggest wine producer in Querétaro
We also visited Freixenet, one of the biggest wine producers of Querétaro. You are received in a beautiful hacienda, typical of the region with a patio and nice outdoor. You can visit their cave to learn more about their wine productions, especially sparkling wines. They also host few festivals every year to enjoy wine with music. You will meet a lot of people in the weekend, indeed this is a famous spot for the locals and visitors.
Querétaro Lindo, a local tour operator to discover the unmissable places in Querétaro and its surroundings
We explored the city of Querétaro and its surroundings with Querétaro Lindo. They propose a tour called Arts, Cheese and Wine englobing all the stops we mentioned here. We really like their tours, the kindness of the guides, all the information we learned and the good communication. Their tours are in Spanish, but we definitely recommend it.
They propose other tours in Querétaro so if you want to discover the amazing state of Querétaro with them : more info here.
That was our suggestions of unmissable places in Querétaro and surroundings. I hope it will give you the curiosity to discover this amazing state, so authentic and unknown to international travelers. This is one of our favorite discoveries this year in Mexico. Did you already visit it? Do you know other spots to recommend? Please let us know in the comments section. And as usual, don’t forget to follow our adventures on Instagram!