Querétaro is an emerging star of a travel destination in Mexico and has quickly joined our growing list of favorites places within the country. It’s such a pleasant colonial city to experience in the central highlands of Mexico. We found so many fun things to do in Queretaro to make it worth spending at least a few days in this gorgeous city.
More formerly known as “Santiago de Querétaro,” most people just call the city Queretaro, which is the same name as the State that this city is the capital of. This capital is a thriving city of nearly a million people. That makes it the 24th largest city in Mexico, by population. Yet Queretaro’s historic centro still manages to retain an alluring quaintness for a city of this size. This centro historico is perhaps best experienced while ambling the many squeaky-clean pedestrian streets that are instead littered with countless fountains, churches, museums, and monuments.
There are over a thousand monuments throughout the lively historic center. Most of those date back to the 1700’s when the city initially thrived, during a time when Spaniards lived peacefully here with the indigenous people. It’s this unique history and the subsequent architecture from that era, which has led Querétaro to be recognized as one of Mexico’s 35 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Simply walking around the historic streets to see the architecture and monuments is clearly one of the best things to do in Queretaro. Yet those picturesque streets are also sprinkled with great restaurants and patio bars. The latter are just too inviting, given the mountain temps regularly hover around 70°F (~21°C) during happy hour time.
Source: Google Maps
Queretaro is located at altitude after all, so the city maintains an eternal spring-like climate throughout much of the year. You wouldn’t realize it from the mostly flat streets of Queretaro’s historic center, but the town is situated over a mile high (1,820 meters). The cool & dry mountain air comes as a most welcomed reprieve in this country that is otherwise very warm throughout the low-lying areas.
We love the cooler summer climate that Queretaro’s surrounding mountains delivered. It’s those same mountains that also provide great hiking opportunities, including a trek up one of the biggest rocks in the world!
After working up an appetite, Queretaro has excellent restaurants to refuel! The cuisine in Queretaro is delicious, from Mexican favorites to international fare, and from fancy patio restaurants to equally tasty taco stands in the mercado. And what an awesome surprise to find that there’s even a wine region way out this way to wash down all of Queretaro’s fine cuisine with.
Queretaro is a very friendly city and is a university town too, so you’ll likely notice its youthful presence. The friendly vibe of the city is carried over to Queretaro’s safety. We find it to be very safe too and many people often cite Queretaro as one of the safest cities in Mexico.
As for crime in Queretaro, Numbeo (the largest numeric database of cities worldwide) gives Queretaro a “low” rating of 39, which is even lower than my hometown back in the US (52). For perspective, you can see crime stats of how your hometown compares to Queretaro: here. You may be surprised! We never felt any safety concerns, even when walking around the streets at night. Like many places in Mexico, the only danger may be not wanting to leave.
So now that we’re finished swooning over why this city is such a lovely place in Mexico to travel, we’re ready to divulge what we’ve found to be the best things to do in Queretaro!
Best Things to Do in Queretaro Mexico
There are so many events, activities, and tours to consider all throughout Queretaro. So where do you even begin? Points of interest range from ancient ruins to national parks, and perhaps even a few brews in between. So below are our suggestions for the 15 best things to do in Queretaro. This map can help you to locate each of the recommendations.
1) Roam Around the Monuments of Queretaro’s Historic Center
The Historic Monuments Zone of Queretaro is what garnered the city its Unesco-listed status. Per Unesco, “The old colonial town of Querétaro is unusual in having retained the geometric street plan of the Spanish conquerors side-by-side with the twisting alleys of the Indian quarters.” Complete Unesco description: here.
This unique architecture from the 1700’s still remains much intact and well-preserved today, making for a beautiful setting to simply stroll around and explore. Within the 204 city blocks, across 4 sq. kilometers, there are a total of 1,400 designated monuments. That’s a lot of monuments!
Many of the streets and alleyways throughout Queretaro’s historic center remain completely car-free. So you can be carefree to wander around the pedestrian streets without having a deal with traffic. While doing so, you’ll undoubtedly bump into many of the 1,400 monuments along the way.
Some of the more notable Queretaro monuments to look for are these four:
- El Danzante Conchero – Dancing Conchero statue showing an important traditional dance
- Fuente de Neptuno – Fountain of Neptune, Roman God of the Sea (1797)
- Fuente de los Perritos – The puppy fountain dedicated to the benefactor of Queretaro
- Monumento de La Corregidora – Large statue of female Mexican independence hero doña Josefa Ortiz, holding a flame
Ambling around the historic centro is a “must” for things to do in Queretaro.
2) Tour the Queretaro Wine Region
There are actually some good wineries surrounding the city of Queretaro. This state boasts Mexico’s second biggest wine region (after Baja). Despite being outside the normal wine-producing parallels, the semi-desert highlands here are quite favorable for grape growing. The specialty in Queretaro is sparkling wine!
The most popular of Queretaro’s wineries is Finca Sala Vivé by Freixenet México. Freixenet is a well-known wine producer in Spain and was among the first to open facilities here in Central Mexico, back in the late 70’s. Now there are over 25 vineyards around Queretaro, all growing, squeezing, and fermenting locally grown grapes. There is even a dedicated wine and cheese route (ruta de vino y queso) in which you can spend a really delicious day touring around the vineyards and fincas (farms) surrounding the city of Queretaro.
Freixenet alone now produces 2 million bottles annually here! The majority of its sales are sparkling wines, which employs the same methods that are used in Champagne production. And we can vouch firsthand that this Mexican sparkling wine is quite tasty – salud!
We’re really impressed not only with the quality, but the entire experience of exploring this wine route. Touring the cellars, production facilities, and vineyards is all such great fun in Mexico! At Finca Sala Vive, English-speaking tours are conducted.
💵 Finca Sala Vive by Freixenet Tour Price: $110 pesos for the 45-minute Classic visit, includes tasting and glass.
🕒 Finca Sala Vive by Freixenet Hours: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm, tours hourly on weekdays (excluding 2:00) and every 30-minutes on weekends.
🚗 How to Get To Finca Sala Vive by Freixenet: If you have a driver, follow the directions here on Google Maps for the one-hour drive, passing by Bernal.
🚐 Finca Sala Vive by Freixenet Tour: Wine & Cheese Route tours depart daily from Queretaro at 9:00 am, returning at 6:30. Cost is $830 pesos per person for this all-day Queretaro tour. You can book at the tourism stand located here, next to the dancing conchero statue.
3) Go Museum-Hopping All Around Queretaro
There are so many museums packed in the historic centro that it makes us wonder if Queretaro may have the highest density of museums in all of Mexico. I’m not certain whether or not that holds true, but we counted nearly 20 museums all within a few square kilometers of Queretaro’s historic center.
There are museums you would expect, such as art museums and history museums. And then there are peculiar museums you may not have anticipated, like the Vermin Museum or the Calendar Museum. The latter is actually much more interesting than it sounds!
While searching for things to do in Queretaro, you’d be hard-pressed not to stumble into a museum, many of which are free to enter. But which of Queretaro museums should you visit? Well, that depends on your interests.
These are what we found to be some of the best museums in Queretaro and recommend:
🏛️ Mucal Calendar Museum – It’s about time. No really, that’s the topic this museum is dedicated to, with exhibits ranging from intricate ancient Aztec time-keeping devices to vintage calendars spanning the past few decades. There’s a nice cafe in the courtyard too.
Cost: $30 pesos. Hours: 10-6. Closed Mondays. Official website: Mucal Museum.
🏛️ Museum of the City – The name of this museum is misleading. It’s not a museum about the city at all. Instead, the exhibits are composed of interesting, edgy, and humorous contemporary artwork spread throughout a baroque mansion.
Cost: Free. Hours: 11-7. Closed Mondays.
🏛️ Art Museum of Queretaro – Queretaro’s art museum is worth the modest entry fee simply to stroll around this very ornate former monastery. Art buffs will likely further appreciate the many paintings within the chambers.
Cost: $30 pesos. Hours: 10-6. Closed Mondays.
🏛️ Queretaro Regional Museum – Housed in another atmospheric monastery, this history museum contains many artifacts with significance to Queretaro’s past, spanning centuries from its indigenous roots to independence and on through the modern era.
Cost: $60 pesos. Hours: 9-6. Closed Mondays.
🏛️ Museo de la Casa Zacatecana – This mansion displays period furnishings showing what wealthy life was like in 19th-century Queretaro. The journey through this mansion reveals a tale of murder. Check out the mirador (viewpoint) too.
Cost: $60 pesos. Hours: 9-6. Closed Mondays. Official website: Casa Zacatecana.
4) Hike Up One of the World’s Largest Monoliths: Peña de Bernal
Venturing out to Bernal is one the best things to do in Queretaro for a day trip. It only takes about an hour to reach the small colonial town of Bernal, where a massive rock seemingly sprouts right up from the ground.
This behemoth of a rock, known as Peña de Bernal, is among the largest of its kind. The towering wonder comes just behind other famous monoliths like Australia’s Ayers Rock and the Rock of Gibraltar. Peña de Bernal is a spectacular sight to see shooting up above the scenic puebla. Yet to really experience Peña de Bernal, we strongly recommend anyone whose fit to hike up it!
You do need proper rock climbing gear to reach the very top. There are adventure outfitters who can assist with gear, but that needs to be arranged in advance. You can do that by booking a Bernal rock climbing tour from Queretaro like this one on Viator. Yet without climbing gear, you can still trek about 80% of the way toward the top of the monolith. You’re then rewarded with sweeping views of the town, surrounding mountains, and the countryside down below. Plan to spend up to two hours or so for the steep roundtrip hike up Peña de Bernal.
The gigantic rock certainly is an attention-grabber. But it’s the historic pueblo magico (magic town), which sits in the monolith’s shadow, that makes for a most charming base to set out from. This domestic tourism hotspot gets busy on the weekends. So a weekday visit will give you more space on the trails and a tranquil atmosphere. Meanwhile, the weekends are more festive, yet crowded.
Between hiking, eating Bernal’s local specialty (gorditas), exploring the town, and perhaps a post-hike michelada or two, you could easily spend a half to full day roaming around Bernal.
💵 Peña de Bernal Entrance: Free
🕒 Peña de Bernal Hours: No proper hours. Pursue during daylight.
🚌 Queretaro to Bernal Bus: Flecha Azul ($57-pesos) and Flecha Amarilla (AKA Coordinado) ($46-pesos) have buses with regular departures from Terminal de Autobus Quaretaro (TAQ), terminal B. Departure times (as of July 2018) are on the :35 of every hour beginning at 6:35 am.
🚐 Bernal Tour from Queretaro: For a Peña de Bernal climbing tour, you can book online here. There are additional non-climbing tours of Bernal from Queretaro that you can book at from the tourism kiosk in the center of town.
5) Go to Church
There are dozens of churches, convents, and other religious sites scattered all throughout Centro. So it’s only natural that visiting these ornate and historic cathedrals is on your list of things to do in Queretaro.
If you were to visit only one church in Queretaro, we suggest Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo. This 18th-century baroque church is perhaps the most visually interesting and elaborate of them all. It’s also where you can easily find the city’s colorful sign to snap a pic.
Meanwhile, the interior of Templo de Santa Clara is almost dripping with gold from floor to ceiling, making for an interesting sight.
Even if you’re starting to get a little churched-out in Mexico, you may still find it worth visiting the impressive, Templo y ex-convento de la Santa Cruz. To see this grand convent, you must take a short 20-minute guided tour (in Spanish). Yet it’s the storied “tree of the cross,” and the cross-shaped thorns it grows, that further captures much fascination.
6) Explore an Ancient Pyramid in Queretaro: El Cerrito
Ancient pyramids aren’t just in Egypt. You can find one right here in Queretaro! Take a short jaunt through Queretaro’s suburbs and to reach this impressive archeological site. This pyramid dates back to around 700-900 AD and was used as a place of worship among Mesoamerican civilizations spanning an entire millennium.
This rugged, partially excavated pyramid rises up from the platform, nearly 10 stories high (30 meters). Exploring the site makes for one of the more interesting things to do in Queretaro. You can admire centuries worth of history and what is said to be one of the most important sites of the Toltec world!
The pyramid itself is a remarkable sight. Yet the well-manicured desert garden landscaping is also quite admirable, while wandering the paths leading to the ruins. There’s also a recently renovated onsite museum to learn learn more about this archeological site.
Although El Cerrito is a bit out of the way from Centro, we find it well worth venturing out to. Definitely add this fascinating site to your list of things to do in Queretaro!
💵 El Cerrito Entrance Fee: Free
🕒 El Cerrito Hours: 8:00 am – 2:50 pm.
🚕 Getting to Cerrito: It’s a 20-minute drive from Queretaro centro, approximately $80-peso Uber fare.
⌚ Time Spent: About 45-minutes, maybe longer if lingering at the museum.
7) Hang Out in the Many Plazas and Gardens of Queretaro
There are so many beautiful plazas throughout Queretaro’s historic center. Early city planners must have had a beautiful vision in mind, as the gardens and park spaces in Queretaro add greatly to the city’s charm. On weekends these plazas tend to be filled with families and friends. The festive environment makes for fantastic people watching.
Perhaps most lively and scenic is the Zenea Garden in front of the San Francisco Church. Plaza de Armas is another popular gathering spot.
Yet it’s the largest garden of them all that often gets overlooked, perhaps due to its location just on the outskirts of centro. We find the tree-filled Community Garden (Alameda Hidalgo) to be well worth a 5-minute walk to have a sense of nature from right within the city.
8) Learn the Sordid History of Cerro de las Campanas National Park
Cerro de las Campanas is a Mexico National Park located right within Queretaro. While the grounds of this National Park are scenic, the importance of the park is actually more for its historical significance than its natural beauty. Even if you’re not aware of the history this site holds, taking a stroll around the park still makes for a very worthwhile thing to do in Queretaro.
We’ll help briefly get you up-to-speed now about the history of Cerro de las Campanas. This National Park is on this hillside where the Mexican Emperor Maximilian I surrendered and also later executed in the same spot. It was these events in 1867 that signified the end of the French Intervention and the fall of the Second Mexican Empire. Today you can visit the Austrian-built chapel on this hillside that now honors Maximilian I.
Interestingly, further above this chapel is a huge statue of Benito Juarez, who maintained he was President during Maximilian’s reign and was ultimately the one who ordered Maximilian’s execution. Strolling a bit further into the National Park, you’ll come across a museum that explains some of this history in addition to other notable events in Queretaro, spanning many centuries.
So what about the bells? The name of this park translates to “Hill of the Bells” because it contains strange rocks that make a ringing sound when struck together.
💵 Cerro de las Campanas Entrance Fee: $5 pesos
💵 Museum Entrance Fee Entrance Fee: $15 pesos (buy the museum ticket at the park entrance, not museum)
🕒 El Cerrito Hours: 6:00 am – 6:00 pm.
🚶 Getting to Cerrito: 20-30 minute walk from Centro, or 5 minutes by car (~$40-peso Uber)
⌚ Time Spent: About an hour or so.
9) Wander through Queretaro’s Lively Market: Mercado La Cruz
Exploring the local market is a quintessential experience in any Mexican city to get a feel for the local vibe. And Queretaro’s Mercado La Cruz is no exception. Whether you’re in search of produce, a new pair of shoes, or a piñata, you’ll find it all here at Mercado La Cruz.
Yet it’s the many taco stands that kept us returning to this vibrant open-air market. Find a stall that looks to have garnered many satisfied customers and pull up a stool. It’s the perfect thing to do in Queretaro to soak in the charmingly local atmosphere.
10) Discover Queretaro’s Fascinating Public Buildings
In addition to all the churches and museums, there are a number of public buildings scattered throughout Queretaro with historical significance. You could easily walk right past them if you didn’t know what they were. Yet it’s worth knowing their location and significance so you can take a quick stop in to look around.
The Teatro de la Republica is where the Mexican Constitution was signed, where Emperor Maximilian I was sentenced to execution, and where the Mexican National Anthem was first sung. Lots of Mexican history here! Completed in 1852, it still functions as a theatre today and it’s free to visit between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.
Stroll into the Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace) located right next to the Plaza de Armas. There are three impressive murals depicting scenes from Mexico’s history from within this building where the country’s independence was planned. Today it still operates as a government office and is open to the public on weekdays 8:00 am – 6:00 pm. Cost: free.
11) Drink Craft Beer in Queretaro
While Queretaro is renown in Mexico for its vineyards, we also find that the local cerveza artesanal (craft beer) to have a strong presence throughout the city. There are few different breweries and taprooms you can find while strolling around Queretaro Centro. So visiting breweries and sampling the local cervezas definitely makes for a fun thing to do in Queretaro!
For example, Brewer Gastropub has six tasty taps, three of which were their own brews, ranging from $65-$75 pesos for a beer. A nice food menu compliments the beers. Meanwhile, Tap Room 27, a new brewpub in Queretaro, offers their own beer on a promotion of two-for-$130 pesos at the cozy & friendly corner bar.
But it is Cerveza Hercules that impressed us the most. You can find their beers at some of the better bars, cantinas, and pubs throughout Queretaro. But if you like beer, then we highly recommend making the extra effort to visit their brewery and beer garden, located about 15-20 minutes by Uber/taxi from Queretaro centro.
It’s a beautiful outdoor setting, with communal tables in a big open-air courtyard with mountains as a backdrop. Yet Cerveza Hercules has some well-produced brews to match this cool atmosphere. International styles served at this brewery will take your taste buds on a trip around the world, with proper English brown ales, Czech pilsners, German schwarzbier, Belgian old bruins, American west-coast style IPAs, and many more. There are a total of 15 taps here and prices range depending on style and glass size, with pints averaging around $75-$85 pesos. There’s good food here too, ranging from ceviche to pizza.
12) Go Shopping for Indigenous Crafts in Queretaro
Shopping isn’t something we usually recommend in our travel guides, as we personally are not ones to buy many souvenirs during our travels. Yet we’d be doing you and the Queretaro’s street vendors a disservice by not mentioning the many handicrafts you can purchase from indigenous communities surrounding Queretaro.
Sure, you can find tourist trinkets like keychains and t-shirts. But there are some beautiful and unique crafts, jewelry, and traditional wares that you can buy from stands set up right from within Queretaro’s pedestrian streets. Much of it is handmade. (We’ve gotten pretty good at spotting the fake cheap Chinese-made souvenirs and we didn’t see such items being sold here.) Local artisans come in from the communities surrounding Queretaro to sell their wares in the city.
13) Attend an Event or Fiesta in Queretaro
There seems to always be events happening throughout Queretaro. Whether it’s Semana Santa festivities in the Spring, Dia de los Muertos in the Fall, or the many annual fiestas that occur nearly every week to celebrate something, there are constantly events popping up in Queretaro.
Independence Day celebrations are particularly strong here, given Queretaro’s strong ties to Mexican independence. Usually, it’s a weeklong celebration of happenings in Queretaro, rather than the single day of September 16. Expect to hear many cohetes (loud Mexican fireworks) that week!
Outside of major holidays in Queretaro, you can still find many concerts, art shows, children’s activities, dance performances, and other special events. When we were last in Queretaro (July), a big international Jazz Festival was taking place throughout the city. Shortly after that is when Queretaro’s famous vendimia (grape harvest) celebrations began. Then the annual water fiesta is held, during which visitors may get wet! There’s always something going on in Queretaro!
When arriving in Queretaro, we suggest picking up a free copy of the Cultura QRO magazine to see what’s going on. Find it at either the Secretary of Tourism office or the City Museum, among other places.
Or check the city’s website with recommended events and calendar for your travel dates. Just beware that this calendar doesn’t tend to be updated until the dates get closer. So it may falsely appear empty if you’re looking at events in Queretaro far in advance from now.
14) Unwind at an Outdoor Patio Bar or Cafe
Since we’ve been talking about both drinking wine and beer as great things to do in Queretaro, perhaps this is a good place to mention the fantastic outdoor cafes and patio restaurants sprinkled all throughout Queretaro’s historic centro. These establishments line the pedestrian streets and surround the plazas. It would be wrong traveling to Queretaro without stopping into one for a refreshment.
While ambling amongst all those monuments, churches and museums, these patio cafes are here to tempt you when happy hour rolls around. Hanks and Cantina Comalli both have daily drink specials with tables overlooking the wide Plaza Constitucion and its big fountain.
Yet we found that arguably the best brew-with-a-view in Queretaro to be at Corregidora. Go early to snag one of only four tables on the second-floor balcony which overlooks Jardin Zenea down below. To help motivate your early arrival, they even promote $45-peso liters of beer Wednesday to Saturday until 6:00 pm. ¡Salud! 🍻
Not into drinking? Then grab a coffee at an outdoor café. Better yet, get some ice cream. There’s no shortage of ice cream shops, which carry flavors local to Queretaro, such as montecado ice cream.
The point here is not necessarily about drinking. Rather, it’s finding a perfect spot to chill out in Queretaro Centro’s remarkable surroundings.
15) Check Out Queretaro’s Roman-Style Aqueduct
Is that really a Roman-style aqueduct running through streets of this sprawling Mexican city? Yup, it sure is!
This nearly 2-kilometer long aqueduct was built way back in the early 1700’s. It remains one of the few colonial aqueducts left in Mexico today.
Looming 100 feet (30 meters) high, the 75 arches have been delivering water from the surrounding mountains into the city center for centuries.
The aqueduct slices right through the city over one of Queretaro’s roadways. It’s easy to get up close to the aqueduct by taking a stroll down to Calzada de los Arcos. Yet the best panoramic views of Queretaro’s famous aqueduct are from the lookout point on the eastern edge of centro: Mirador de Los Arcos.
Are You Packed And Ready To Experience the Best of Queretaro?
Before you depart on your trip to Queretaro, here are a few final preparations to consider:
- What to Pack for Your Trip To Queretaro Mexico? Queretaro can get chilly, particularly at night. So we recommend packing some light jackets and long sleeve shirts. April and May are the hottest months, as temperatures rise into the mid-80’s F (29°C). Yet even then, it still dips into the 50’s (below 29°C) at night. During the coldest months of December and January, temperatures tend to swing between 42°-75°F (6°-24°C). So whatever time of year you visit, light layers are a great idea, packing for both warm and cool weather. ❄️☀️
- If you travel there between June and October, be sure to pack some rain gear as there tend to be showers that briefly come about in the late afternoons. ☔
- To ensure you haven’t forgotten anything important, you can check out our Ultimate Packing Checklist which is full of packing tips and recommendations. 💼
- Have You Purchased Your Travel Insurance Yet? You never know what could go wrong during a trip to Mexico. Possibilities include getting sick, a flight gets canceled, natural disasters (thankfully, Queretaro is mostly outside the active tectonic area), lost baggage, your phone goes missing, etc. Travel insurance will have you covered. We never roam around Mexico without travel insurance. We use and have been happy with World Nomads, with what we’ve found to have the best price and coverage combination. Enter the dates for your trip to get a quick estimate. ⚠️
- Where To Next? Check Out Our Other Mexico Travel Guides. If you found this Queretaro travel guide to be helpful, you may also like our guides to these other awesome travel destinations in Mexico 🇲🇽:
Best Things to Do in Queretaro?
So those are what we’ve found are the best things to do in Queretaro. Have you been? What are some of your favorite activities to do in Queretaro? Let us know in the comments below.
Or if you stumbled across this travel blog because you’re planning a trip to Queretaro, what are you now most excited to do once you get there? If you have any questions about the area, let us know and we’re happy to help if we can.
Most of all, have a wonderful trip to Queretaro, Mexico!
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I read it all in one breath. It is a wonderful travel and culture article.
Our daughter married Roberto, who lived here, in the Eugene, OR area when we met him and after 2 years, they moved to Queretaro where his family lives. 6 days later we visited for 2 weeks. So we all did the tourist thing together. Also, one of my High School classmates lives there in a very nice gated community, half the year to be near a married daughter and grandkids. She took me to lunch in a restaurant in the Centro area. I asked my son-in-law if he had ever gone to that place and he said no, that it was for the rich people!
I was told it is the small city outside Mexico City that is only 3 million instead of 25 million people! So to me, Queretaro is still a huge city! We did a lot of shopping with them and three of our other grown kids. In the big market in a warehouse which may be the one mentioned here, I actually found my Mother-of-the Bride dress for our next daughter’s wedding! To try it on, they arranged the mannequins to create a sort of screen!
We also tried lots of restaurants. I was always grateful because the restaurants had bathrooms! I have not seen anyone mention that you need to carry 5 peso coins to spend for the bathrooms. Most places have no seat on the toilets, just to warn you! In case you don’t live in the country with a well and have learned to flush toilets with a bucket of water when the power goes out, you will find that set up in various places from a church, gas stations and even the parking lot at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Also, you have to throw your toilet paper away in the waste basket because the concrete pipes for sewage can snag the paper and plug up the municipal plumbing! You are given a good amount of toilet paper when you pay but I carried my own on subsequent trips! If you are used to camping without an RV, it will be fine but we know family that would not be able to handle some of the “roughing it”. I also learned there are no rest areas, so on a couple of our 4 hour drives, they would stop by the roadside where there were bushes, say for our grandsons! Fortunately that was never an issue. I became very aware of planning around the locations of the bathrooms, or finding one before you needed it. CostCo has PVC plumbing and you can flush your TP there!
We did go to Bernal and loved it. It was by far cleaner than any place else we went. We learned it is funded by the government as a tourist destination and our son-in-law had some disdain about the inequity of it all, when we traveled down there again. (He boycotts Cancun as well…whole story behind that) While dining in Bernal, on top of a 3 story building, a whole parade of about 100 dressed up horses and riders came down one of the side streets, along with a brass band on a trailer. They were headed to the Square by St. Sebastian Church. (all the main squares in the towns are by the churches) It must have been quite the sensation because all the waiters were leaning over the wall to watch, along with us! They gathered roughly in a circle and took turns showing off their horse’s dancing and style, one at a time, kinda like when folks dance in a circle with one after another taking their turn in the center to “show their stuff”! I don’t know how you would find out when something like that is going to happen, but it was well worth the special experience.
There is a place nearby, like an hour and a half drive, called the Geyser. It is hidden away gem and you really have to know how to get there. Roberto’s dad plays in a Huapongo Band, mostly in Texas but locally as well, and he loves to go soak in the hot, sulfur smelling water to get a health rejuvenation after a long road trip! There is also a kiddie pool with lots of slides and fountains. A zip line is up the hill for adults. We have gone several times and it is quite the resort for Mexicans. The equivalent of $7 American gets you in for 24 hours. There is hotel but we just went for the day. Some pitch a small tent. There are many temperatures of hot pools and tables to picnic at with thatched roofs (bring your own chairs). You can buy food and drink but we mostly brought our own. The most sought after part is where the steam blasts out clouds and people stand in them breathing in the therapeutic benefits! Really hot up close and cooler farther back. They have fashioned concrete caves with benches to hang out in, enjoying the steam. It is also a very clean spot with awesome bathrooms! WooHoo!
My youngest son who has rented a car there and even driven in Mexico City, says to make sure you do not get a gutless car with no power. You need to to able to react quickly and move fast to keep up with the traffic pace there. Queretaro was much calmer traffic-wise than Mexico City. Yes, lots of buses are available and Roberto’s family rides the bus a lot, everywhere. His mom even rode 19 hours to Manzanillo, to pick up items we sent down for our daughter, when our son was vacationing there with the band he plays in.
We were there during the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12th, and did visit the Basilica in Mexico City, 2 days before that. A lot was already going on with groups of school children all dressed alike, farmers bringing huge produce offerings, bands and pilgrims. Masses in different languages were being celebrated one after another in the new church where the Tilma is on display and in the old church with the uneven floor. Christmastime is a huge deal here and this feast day is majorly celebrated everywhere. So while having ice cream one night, a whole parade of dancers, machete wielding “natives” and folks bearing huge bags of onions, potatoes, etc. all processed through the street accompanied by fire works and processed into the church across the street. And after the feast day, they have Las Posadas in the interim until Christmas. For one night, Roberto’s family joins several blocks of homes and businesses, blocking the streets, sharing food and music outside and always a piñata! The same happens all over the city and anyone is welcome.
It was a lovely experience. We have been 4 times so far and can’t wait to go back! We do always fly into Queretaro now. Once landing in Mexico City was enough!
I would be glad to share pictures if there is a way!
I loved reading your detailed review and I want to go even more now! It sounds absolutely amazing and hope to take my children to experience all of this one day soon.
Thank you for all of this good information regarding this amazing city. I am wondering about costs. When you say something costs $30 pesos does the $30 mean the item costs $30 American money?
Glad to hear this was helpful. When listing the prices in pesos, we are referring to the local Mexican currency. So for example, $30 pesos is $1.45 USD, using today’s exchange rate. You can check xe.com for up-to-date currency conversions. You will need to use pesos locally, as American money is generally not accepted.
$20 pesos (mxn) is 1 USD so no not in US dollars.
Hello! I will be visiting for only 3 days. I am staying in aloft Querétaro hotel but no idea what to do. I will have one day free and a half free. Can you please suggest a one day itineary? This is a work trip and I’m leaving by the end of this month! All suggestions and detailed advice is appreciated. BTW I live your blog!
Thank you!!
With one day free, I’d suggest staying in Querétaro centro and trying to pack in all that you can within a day.
Many of the recommended things to do throughout this guide are walkable and within close proximity to each other, so it can be easy to hit up many places all within one day. In a single day, focus on Querétaro’s historic center and don’t wander out to the wineries or Bernal. Instead, visit Querétaro’s churches, wander around Querétaro’s monuments and plazas, see the aqueduct, and go to a museum or two that is of interest to you. Along they way, go to the local market, have a good lunch somewhere, take a glance at public buildings like the government place and theatre. Use the map in this guide to form a practical walking route, connecting the places of interest. Also know that many of the buildings/churches/aqueduct are just interesting places to walk by and simply have a quick look or pop-in that don’t take much time. Hence, they can be easy to cover in a day.
In addition to the main churches, buildings, monuments, and plazas within Querétaro centro, you may also have time to squeeze in the El Cerrito ruins or Cerro de las Campanas National Park. Personally, we find El Cerrito ruins to be more impressive (just our two-cents). But Cerro de las Campanas is closer, way more convenient, longer hours, and hence may be more practical. The history there is quite interesting too.
Hope that helps! 🙂
Hello, and thank you for the many tips you gave in your post! We want to retire early in Mexico in a couple of years and we visited (besides Cancun resorts :)) the city of Merida and Mexico City. The latter is too busy and crazy for us, and Merida is too hot + we saw a snake and countless blizzards while there.
I am ok with lizzards, but cannot see snakes or scorpions. They are the fear of my life…
So Merida is out.
I was looking for safe cities, cultural, and the size of Merida, and that’s when I found Queretaro.
My question is – if I get a place with a bit of garden, will I have to fear at all the snakes? I see the temps are very temperate, so I don’t think it is like in the Yucatan, but do you know anything more on this topic from visiting, living there for a while, talking to people there?
If no issue, then we would love to visit Queretaro and even move there in 2 years!
Thank you so much!
There are snakes species that can be found in Queretaro (and all throughout Mexico). But I don’t believe snakes are particularly common within the city of Queretaro. We’ve spent a few years worth of time in the central highlands of Mexico, in Queretaro and neighboring/nearby states that share a similar climate and geography. During that time, I can only recall seeing snakes on two different occasions. Both instances while hiking in the mountains. (Meanwhile, we’ve seen several snakes throughout the Yucatan.) I can’t guarantee that you’d never ever encounter a snake in Queretaro if living there. But I certainly wouldn’t let it prevent you from taking a scouting visit to get a better feel for it and find out more. Hope that may help. 🙂
Yes, thank you, this helps a lot! It is hard to get this information unless I specifically ask – in youtube videos nobody mentions it… The best intel I get from people like you that live there. I needed to find this out before planning a visit, which is costly.
Thanks again and happy new year! 🙂
Mihaela
We have been spending time in Mexico for well over 20 years had attempted to get to QRO for about 10 years but time, scheduling and other things kept us around but never in the area.
About 5 years ago we stayed for a couple of weeks. We are now in the club that puts Querétaro on the top of our inland favourites we’ve been going back for extended stays almost every year since.
We’ve made friends there, one will be joining in Valladolid in a couple of weeks.
Your stated preference for QRO over San Miguel de Allende matches our own choice. Each trip to the area we give San Miguel another opportunity but it just doesn’t work for us.
Thanks for these best of summaries.
I have heard that Queretaro is known for Fire Opals If this is true would you have any information on where to purchase them while visiting?
Opals are indeed found throughout the mines of Queretaro state. It’s even possible to tour the opal mines near San Juan del Rio and Tequisquiapan from the small pueblo of La Trinidad, about an hour’s drive from Queretaro City. It’s there in La Trinidad that you can also find vendors selling opals that I’d presume likely include the fire opals you’re looking for. You may also be able to find them in jewlery stores in Queretaro city itself, or they can at least help to steer you in the right direction of where to find them in the city if you can’t venture out to the mines themselves. Hope that helps! 🙂
We love Quéretaro! Going back this summer with our two kiddos. We went a few years ago, and to Bernal, which was unbelievably beautiful! In Qtro, my kids were mesmerized by the shoe-shiners in the plaza for a good 45 minutes. I had to PEEL my 6-year-old daughter away!! Mexico is such a kid-friendly country, we so enjoy traveling around every summer (my husband is from Gto)
Right on! 🙂 I bet Quéretaro can be a lot of fun for the kiddos. Funny to hear it’s the shoeshiners that they were impressed by. I’d imagine they’d gravitate towards the balloons or the big inflatable pencil-shaped things that bounce into the air that we often see the niños playing with in Queretaro’s plazas. Hope you and your family have yet another great summer exploring Mexico!
Hey, we’re in Queretaro now with our two kids, ages 4 and 5. What could we do I’m Bernal with them? Thanks
Not sure if this reply has reached you in time, but there are a few things to do with kiddos in Bernal in addition to simply enjoying the small town. It may be best to avoid hiking up Peña de Bernal, as it may not be suitable for young kids. There are some steep drop-offs too. Even so, it’s still well worth going to the base of the rock to check it out and photo ops. There are local dulce (candy) shops in Bernal that kids would likely appreciate. There’s also a trolley ride that goes around town that could be fun for them while making it easy for parents see the town on a short guided tour. If you’ve already gone Bernal with your children, please do let us how it went from the kids perspective. Happy travels!
I met the love of my life there in 2010, got married there in 2013, and we had our kids baptized there in 2015 and 2018 (all at Parroquia de San Sebastian, btw, where my wife’s grandmother was baptized in the 1930s and then her mom in the 50s!)!! So yeah, I’m kind of partial to Queretaro! You guys nailed it with the list of what to do in the city, so I’m going to add a couple of excursions to this–you mentioned Bernal which is fantastic. I would add Amealco to the list–small town about 30 minutes away, very indigenous, you’ll hear lots of Otomi spoken here. Home of the little “Maria” dolls. Tequisquiapan is gorgeous, especially around Christmas. Lots of gourmet cheeses and wine. Cadereyta is another beautiful town to explore. San Joaquin sits at the foothills of the Sierra Gorda, beautiful little hilly mining town, apple trees and products everywhere, with some excellent ruins sites and waterfalls nearby. North of San Joaquin you’ll find all the mountain towns–Pinal de Amoles, Jalpan, Penamiller, etc, and the Franciscan Mission churches of Junipero Serra. And, don’t forget that Queretaro is only about 45 minutes from San Miguel de Allende and other beautiful historic cities and towns in Guanajuato. Honestly I could go on and on, I’m blessed to have family there that we adventure and party with whenever we’re there. So, I was so happy to find this blog today–I’m happy to see people that love this city as much as I do. Que les vaya muy bien amigos.
So awesome to hear your personal history with Queretaro and your mutual love for this special place in Mexico! Thank you so much for all of these fantastic excursion suggestions! We’re actually heading back to central Mexico for another extended stay this summer, so perhaps we’ll make it back to QRO to check them out. We’ve been yearning to venture out to the Sierra Gorda area. Yet all those other towns you’ve suggested sound so intriguing! We may just need to rent a car for a few days, hit the road, and have a look around all of these recommendations. Muchas gracias! 🙂
Saludos Larry,
We are thinking of visiting Queretaro end of May for my husbands 75th birthday. We’ve been to San Miguel and Guadalajara – one too small to consider living there and one too large, but Queretaro sounds perfect.
Any suggestions about good areas to live where it would be one level? Also any really good Mexican hotel suggestions? We never stay in American or large hotels. In Guadalajara we had one for $52 a night just off the main square. They were fantastic and had a driver for long explores.
I do speak Spanish quite well and my husband is learning. Thanks for any suggestions.
Best regards,
Lynda
Saludos Lynda, I’m not so familiar with specific neighborhoods that might have what you’re looking for, but it seems like the neighborhood around the acueducto has homes like what you describe. The only downtown, historic, colonial hotel I have personally seen is Casa del Atrio, my friends stayed there last summer for a few days when we were down there. It was beautiful, and they loved it—google it. It was more like $100 per night though, if I remember right. I hope you and your husband love Querétaro!
I am planning to take a trip to San Miguel de Allende, but also would like to explore other areas close by.. You mentioned Waterfalls, and that is what my group is looking for aside from side seeing. What do you recommend, visit San Miguel de Allende first and or Queretaro first? Also, since you are so familiar with the area, where should most of our stay be spent (SMA or Queretaro). It almost sounds as if there is a lot more to do around Q. You suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Oh, also, is it worth renting a car?
The logistics of where to go first would depend greatly on where you’re coming from and/or where you’re flying in & out of. Deciding where to spend the most time would depend on interests and personal preferences. Most people absolutely love and adore San Miguel de Allende. It’s absolutely beautiful and we like it too. But truth be told, we prefer Queretaro. Yet that’s just our preference. Really, there’s lots to do in and around both cities. Maybe split the time? As for a rental car, it could prove convenient for a group. But every place mentioned in this guide can be accessed by public transport or tour.
Norma, i agree with John, it just depends on your preferences. I think to really do all the things they mention in their article, you need a good 3 days to explore Querétaro, the city. From there you can check maps and go visit some of those other towns I mention. I’m not sure about waterfalls around San Miguel—you’ll start to find waterfalls in the mountainous areas of Querétaro state, like Cadereyta and San Joaquin and north of there. As for San Miguel de Allende, it’s great too, I just have never spent a lot of time there. There also lots of other beautiful towns and things to explore around San Miguel too, like Dolores Hidalgo, santuario de Atotonilco, Mineral de Pozos, doctor mora, to name a few. If that’s what you’re interested in, “puebleando” like they say, I’d probably get a car. Whatever you decide to do, you’ll love it.
Great article… I visited QRO last summer for work and fell in love with the city, the people and the culture. Looking to go back and take my family. Uber and taxis are totally safe. I wandered the centre for hours by myself as a woman and never once felt out of place or unsafe… of course, don’t be foolish. I do recommend Dona Urraca as a fabulous hotel. Puts you in the center of most of the pictures above. Next time I will get more pesos to benefit form the pop-up food festivals and fun. I wouldn’t spend a week here… but 2-3 days and maybe a bus ride to Mexico City (as my co-worker did). However, I will say, I could retire to Queretaro! Would be fabulous.
So glad to hear from another QRO-lover! 🙂 Such a great city in Mexico! I’d agree that spending 2-3 days feels about right for the city itself. Although perhaps an extra day or two if pursuing lots of day trips from the city. I think there are some people that definitely share your sentiment about wanting to retire in Queretaro, as we noticed some expat retirees beginning to trickle in. Heck, we’d retire there in a heartbeat ourselves. Love QRO!
What a great article! I am traveling to Querétaro for a few days in February for my friend’s wedding. I am looking forward to exploring during my free time, it looks like a beautiful city. I am a bit nervous about traveling from the airport to the city center by myself. Are taxis and Uber considered safe modes of transport?
Glad it helped and hope you have a great visit to Querétaro in February! You’ll be totally fine traveling from the airport to the city. We’ve never flown into Querétaro personally, but at most airports in Mexico, there is a taxi kiosk where you purchase your taxi fare from, which makes things easy. We found both taxi and Uber to be quite safe and reliable throughout Querétaro. We tend to prefer Uber to get around, for a few reasons. You input the destination, so no need to explain directions in Spanish to a taxi driver. Your route and everything is all tracked through the Uber system, so that adds a layer of security. And no need to negotiate fares. All of our Uber drivers in Querétaro were not only excellent and safe but also tended to be quite friendly.
Great article John. I’ve traveled to Queretaro multiple times for work. And as a non spanish speaking American womay, I do find going about the city very safe. Because don’t speak the language I will add that most people in Queretaro don’t speak English. For example, 1 out of 20 uber drivers I’d be lucky to get English. I am luckier at restaurants. Wondering John if you found great restaurants to share.
Yes, Queretaro is definitely a very Spanish-speaking city. We also found little English spoken and that knowing some Spanish basics can prove so helpful while going about this city. Regarding restaurants, there are lots of great ones throughout QRO! During our time there, we stayed in an apartment outside the city center, so often ate at little local joints in our neighborhood and took advantage of our kitchen by cooking up the fun ingredients we found at the market. As a result, we didn’t get a chance to explore Queretaro’s dining scene with the depth we normally would. That said, Hacienda La Laborcilla, is widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in town and sports a beautiful setting. The Brewer Gastro Pub may be known for beer, but they’re dishing out some incredible food too. We further really enjoyed the Oaxacan fare at Maria y Su Bici. So perhaps that may give you just a few leads. 🙂
You should also know that Querétaro is one of the most important idnustrial cities of Mexico. Largely peopled by middle and upper middle class, who live in the sourrounding neighbourhoods. It is not a little town. It has everything you expect from a big north american city, including large shopping centers, and of course traffic problems in the Streets. It is strategically situated: from it you can reach many small towns in the same state, of historical and turistic interest. You could rent an appartment and take Querétaro as your hubb to visit the sourroundings. Queretaro state, even small as it isl, has wonderfull places tio visit, and the weather is also really nice, not hot, nor cold. Strongly reccomended.
Sí, sí, sí, All very true and many of the aspects that have helped us to enjoy Querétaro so much! 🙂
Great article. Expect to visit in May 2019.
Hope you enjoy Querétaro as much as we have. Buen viaje! 🙂
Excellent post. Thank-you! We are going to Queretaro in few weeks and definitely we will follow your suggestions – and your FB page 🙂
I was wondering if anyone knows about any Spa/Retreat/wellness centre in Queretaro that can recommend. We are looking into taking a day to relax and reset in one of those places.
Glad it was helpful! 🙂 We don’t have any first-hand experience with spas or retreats in the area, so will leave this comment up to see if any other readers may be able to chime in. There are some spa hotels in Queretaro city and even Bernal has some too. Check out La Tortuga Xaha Hotel-Spa (http://latortugavillastemascal.com/). Maybe something like that? It sure sounds nice and relaxing.
Also, just outside of San Miguel de Allende there is La Gruta Spa, which we’ve been to and enjoyed our day there very much. It’s about 90 minutes from Queretaro.
Have a great trip!
Mexico has been on my bucket list for quite a while. It has so much to offer I can’t even begin to image a town with a 1000 monuments in it. It would keep me busy for days! I also had no idea that there were so many UNESCO sites. Thanks for a great post1
Right? We almost couldn’t believe that there was so many. We probably saw at least a good hundred or so of the monuments. So many fountains, statues, and buildings all over centro! It’s a beautiful thing.
I absolutely love this part of Mexico, but haven’t made it to Queretaro yet. I had no idea there was a wine region in this area! The aqueduct reminds me of Morelia, which I think is kind of a similar city in a lot of ways. Adding to the list!
Yeah, we didn’t know there was a wine region here either until we arrived. What a pleasant surprise that was to find! The aqueduct is definitely reminiscent of Morelia, as that was actually our next stop after Queretaro. But I will say that the Queretaro aqueduct is much much taller than the one in Morelia. Both great cities though! Hope you do make it to Queretaro! 🙂
Oh, a Mexican region I haven’t seen – how nice! My favorite would be the Cerrito – I’ve never seen such a big, overgrown pyramid – amazing! The street scenes bring back wonderful memories of all the Mexican places I’ve seen. It’s a place I’d definitely visit when going back to Mexico – escpecially since it’s not too far from DF and buses in Mexico are pretty comfy.
Yeah, it’s only a few hours from DF and they may even build a high-speed rail to connect it in the not-so-distant future. The Cerrito pyramid is pretty impressive! It’s crazy to come across it in the midst of Queretaro’s suburban sprawl. Hope you do get a chance to experience this beautiful city! 🙂
Mexico has so many wonderful places and this certainly looks like one which is going on my itinerary. The historic centre is so well-maintained and as you describe it…squeaky-clean. I’m glad i came upon this post.
I have to go. Everything looked and sounded picture post-card perfect as I’m a great fan of Mexico and its culture already. Thank you for focusing on this gem and I hope more people do visit (although it sounds pretty popular already.)
It is a post-card perfect type of place. But it’s actually not very popular at all, at least not on a global scale anyway. Queretaro does receive some domestic tourism, but we felt like it was a very underappreciated place in Mexico. Hope you do get a chance to make it there! 🙂
Wow you think you know a country. I have never heard of Queretaro – it is so beautiful, and it does seem quaint despite having a million people. There is no shortage of things to do – ancient pyramids, nature, wineries! What is the internet situation like there? A place that someone could stay for a while and work on line?
We had barely heard about it either before venturing over there and was pleasantly surprised at what an awesome find it was in Mexico. Internet speeds are good. We were clocking in about 10-15 mbps at the Airbnb we stayed at, but there is higher speed available. It’s definitely somewhere you could stay and work online for a while. That’s exactly what we were doing there actually.
Gosh I’ve never heard of Querétaro and I certainly didn’t realise Mexico had so many UNESCO sites. So many fascinating things in the area too – I’d love to visit the Ancient Pyramid at El Cerrito
wow very detailed information on what to do. What love to visit mexico sometime and i think it should be on everyone’s bucket list of place to go to.
University towns are so much fun to visit. 1400 monuments is a crazy amount to discover! Love the image of Peña de Bernal above the city. And I would like to check out the Pyramid at El Cerrito
Queretaro looks like a fantastic place to visit and would love to check it out. I love the brick arches as seen on the photo and the size of the beers, I am there! How many of those large beers did you have that day? 😉 I think I had about six like that in Germany once in an evening and I was on the floor. Oppsie. Still planning a trip to Mexico soon so I hope I can visit this part of the country.
Nothing here on how to get there. How far from nearest Airport ect.
Querétaro Intercontinental Airport is located 22 kms east of the city. A taxi from the airport to Centro takes about 30 minutes or so. The Queretaro airport has connections to many domestic destinations all across Mexico in addition to Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas / Ft Worth, Houston, and Chicago. You can also easily reach Queretaro by bus, after flying into Mexico City. Buses from Mexico City to Queretaro depart regularly and it takes a bit more than three hours. There has also been some discussion about the possibility of a high speed rail to Queretaro. But if that does come to fruition, it will be many years from now.