49 Best Sights in Side Trips from Mexico City, Mexico

About a 40-minute drive south of Cuernavaca, just off toll Highway 95D, this sprawling 125-acre mashup between a theme park and a botanic garden is one of the region's leading attractions. The park claims to be the largest floral gardens in the world, and indeed, it takes two to three hours to walk the entire property, which is divided into a number of sections, each with its own theme and design: Italian, Japanese, cactus, tropical, labyrinth of senses, children's garden, and several more. A big focus of the owners are weddings and events, and there's also a large restaurant and gift shop---in other words, this experience is more commercial than a lot of traditional botanic gardens. That said, the whimsical animal-shape topiaries, thoughtfully designed paths, and sweeping views of the surrounding mountains make for a fun visit. Keep in mind that there isn't a lot of shade, so bring a hat and wear sunscreen.

More than 100 craft vendors sell their wares in this bustling open-air market decorated with Talavera tiles that's been a fixture of the city center since 1961. It's a fun place to shop for tourist souvenirs, such as toy guitars and colorful sombreros, but you'll also find a good selection of higher-quality jewelry, tapestries, metalwork, and ceramics. 

Locals from surrounding towns come to sell and buy produce, crafts, and everything from peanuts to cell phone covers at this bustling market. It's directly down the hill from Santa Prisca, accessed through a series of pedestrian alleyways and staircases. Look for the market's chapel to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

This former convent (sometimes called Ex-Convento de Santa Mónica) opened in 1688 as a spiritual refuge for women whose husbands were away on business. Despite the Reform Laws of the 1850s, it continued to function until 1934. It is said that the women here invented the famous dish called chiles en nogada, a complex recipe that incorporates the red, white, and green colors of the Mexican flag. In the museum's 23 permanent exhibit galleries, curiosities include the gruesome display of the preserved heart of the convent's founder and paintings in the Sala de los Terciopelos (Velvet Room), in which the feet and faces seem to change position as you view them from different angles.

This Moorish-style 18th-century house with archways, an ornate fireplace, soaring beam ceilings, and a finely detailed facade contains a wonderful little art museum that includes a mix of colonial works, historic photographs, and rotating contemporary exhibits. The space also occasionally hosts music and cultural events. It's also commonly known as Casa Humboldt, in honor of the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who stayed here in 1803.

To the west of Plaza Xicohténcatl is this fascinating museum with a colonial-era facade but a strikingly modern interior. By focusing on the folklore and festivals of various indigenous cultures, its displays recount the region's past and present.

Officially called the Museo Universitario Dr. Luis Mario Schneider and located near the entrance to Zona Arqueológica de Malinalco, this small but informative museum installed within a gracious orange mansion with galleries surrounding a plant-filled courtyard makes an excellent companion piece to the archaeological site. Exhibits are filled with both original and reproduced artifacts and artwork dating back to the Aztec period as well as photos and dioramas that interpret the region's history right up until the present day. 

A five-minute drive north of the Zócalo in an otherwise nondescript industrial area, you'll find this excellent museum inside the Zona Histórica de los Fuertes, an expansive park that commemorates the city's colorful military history, including the famous Battle of Puebla between France and the nascent Mexican Republic, in which the latter prevailed against what was considered to be far more formidable force. Unless you're a big history buff, you may not be familiar with this battle, but you probably recognize the date: May 5, 1862, or Cinco de Mayo, which though a popular holiday outside Mexico is a far less important date than that of Mexican Independence Day, on September 16. Nevertheless, the museum here inside this well-preserved fort is one of the more interesting, and underrated, ones in the city; it's filled with exhibits and artifacts that tell the story of this battle. Across the park, Museo del Fuerte de Guadalupe is interesting as well but not quite as comprehensive. It's worth a look, though, if you have time.

Rising high above Tepoztlán's low skyline is this buttressed former convent. It dates from the mid-16th century and has a facade adorned with icons dating from before the introduction of Christianity. Many of the walls, especially on the ground floor, have fragments of old paintings in earthen tones on the walls and decorating the arches. It is worth a visit just to see the building, which also houses temporary exhibits and a bookstore with a good selection of literature and music.

The former home of renowned mid-20th-century silversmith William G. Spratling houses some 140 of the artist's original designs plus a vast collection of both original and reproduction pre-Columbian artifacts. Exhibits also explain the working of colonial mines.

Occupying a train station inaugurated by President Juárez in 1869, the National Railway Museum extends a nostalgic treat. Period engines sit on the now-unused platforms, and several vintage cars—including a caboose—can be explored.

No visit to the lovely Spanish colonial city of Tepotzotlán is complete without checking out the National Museum of Viceroyalty of New Spain, which contains an exceptional collection of art, furniture, and other items from primarily the 1500s through the mid-1800s. The museum is set inside the former College of San Francisco Javier, which was built by Jesuit priests in 1580. The ornate baroque architecture—in particular the gilded interiors—of the museum and its surrounding complex of colonial buildings is reason alone to visit. But the decorative arts inside, including stunning carved cedar retablos covered in 23-karat gold-leaf, as well as fascinating exhibits that detail the 300 years of Mexico's New Spain period, are also tremendously impressive. The museum sits right on Centro Tepotzotlán's main Plaza de la Cruz, which can sometimes be packed with crowds. For some quiet and a breath of fresh air, head out to explore the tree-shaded lawns and gardens in the back, which you can access from the lower floor in the rear of the museum.

Inside the eastern entrance to this government building north of the main square are murals by local painter Desiderio Hernández Xochitiotzin depicting Tlaxcala's pivotal role in the Spanish conquest. The city aligned itself with Cortés against the Aztecs, thus swelling the conqueror's ranks significantly.

The Parroquia de San José is cheerfully decorated in vivid shades of yellow and green. Don't miss the pair of fonts near the entrance that depict Camaxtli, a god of war.

The city's tree-shaded main square, which is partially lined with restaurants and shops, is marked by a hefty, volcanic-stone statue of revolutionary hero José María Morelos and a couple of little fountains. On weekdays the square fills with vendors from throughout the region. On weekends it is crowded with balloon sellers, amateur painters, and stalls for crafts, jewelry, and knickknacks. Opposite the northwest corner of the square is leafy Jardín Juárez, which hosts concerts in its bandstand, and on the southeast side of the square you can explore the excellent Museo Regional de los Pueblos de Morelos.

Manuel Toussaint, an expert in colonial art, likened this church to "a temple of porcelain, worthy of being kept beneath a crystal dome." Construction began in 1590, with the elaborate Spanish baroque decorations added between 1650 and 1750. Multicolor Talavera tiles cover the exceptionally ornate facade. The interior blazes with polychrome plasterwork and gilding; a sun radiates overhead. Unlike that of the nearby Santa María Tonantzintla, the ornamentation hews to the standard representations of the Incarnation, the Evangelists, and the Holy Trinity. Look for St. Francis, to whom the church is dedicated, between the altarpiece's spiraling columns.

About 8 km (5 miles) outside Cuetzalan lies the splendid archaeological zone of Yohualichan, founded by the Totonac around AD 400. Partly obscured from the road by an austere stone church, Yohualichan (which means "house of night") consists of a lovely hilltop grouping of administrative and ceremonial buildings, houses, plazas, and a long ball court. The easiest way to get here is to take a taxi (the ride should cost no more than MX$80), but combis (vans used for public transport) also make regular drop-offs at the top of the road that leads down to the site. To return to Cuetzalan, you can either make arrangements with your taxi driver to wait for you or walk up to the road and hail a combi or taxi.

Bordered by Calle Camargo and Avenida Juárez, Tlaxcala's main square has a gorgeously tiled bandstand shaded by graceful trees. Adjoining the zócalo at its southeast corner is another square, Plaza Xicohténcatl. Souvenir shops line its eastern edge.

On the town's square you'll find the Renaissance-style church, La Parroquia de San Francisco, as well as the Palacio Municipal. The bandstand and the municipal clock tower were both built in the early 20th century. As you take in the sights, vendors will try to sell you everything from flowers to napkin holders. If you are not interested in buying, sometimes saying "no, gracias" ("no, thank you") is not sufficient. If you want to get your point across, try "ya compré" ("I already bought one").