Compare Mexico City Stopover by Intrepid Travel vs UNESCO Heritage Challenge by Vibe Adventures
Compare details and see what other travelers are saying.
| Trip |
4.5 | Great
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 3 days | 8 days |
| Price From | $ 740 | $ 990 |
| Price Per Day | $ 247 | $ 124 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Small group tour | Small group tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard | Standard |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Ground transport included |
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| Meals Included | N/A |
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| Description |
Navigate your way through Mexico’s enormous and vibrant capital on this jam-packed Short Break Adventure. Set out on a city tour and learn the history surrounding the stunning sights of one of the biggest cities in the Americas. Wander the stalls of Mercado de San Juan and be overwhelmed by the incredible array of produce on display. Venture out of the city and experience the incredible Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan with a knowledgeable local guide, then be welcomed into a family home to share some authentic dishes bursting with local flavours. In your spare time, simply chill out with a tequila or two and let this city’s ambience take over. |
Join our 9-day tour to explore the magnificent colonial heritage & natural beauties of Central Mexico. Our way will follow the famous La Ruta de la Plata (“the Silver Road”) – a historic route created during the colonial era and, according to experts, the oldest & longest built by the Spanish conquistadors in the Americas. |
Day 1 Mexico City
Bienvenidos! Welcome to Mexico City. Check in to your hotel, where a welcome pack will be waiting for you. This will include all the information you need for your Short Break Adventure. If you have free time today, why not venture into the streets and check out this incredible city. Modern meets ancient in Mexico City – one of the world's largest urban centres. Although crowded and smoggy, D.F. (Distrito Federal) offers a great variety of impressive museums, galleries and architecture, along with exciting night life and delicious street food. Why not head to the Zocalo – the city's huge central square – to see Aztec ruins and colonial architecture or relax in one of the many parks, plazas and gardens.
Day 2 Mexico City
Pick up the rest of your travel mates today and head out of town by public transport, experiencing how locals move about this crowded city. Hop off at the archaeological area of the Teotihuacan pyramids and explore the grounds. Visit the Moon Pyramid, the Calzada de los Muertos (Dead Pass), and the 63-m-high Sun Pyramid, the tallest and most spectacular in the area. Next, head to a nearby village and stop by a family-run business where you’ll learn about obsidian – the material that the Teotihuacan people use to make their tools, idols and decorations. You’ll also get to sip pulque (an ancient sacred drink), considered by some as the great-grandfather of tequila! After working up an appetite, be welcomed into a family home for a memorable lunch where you’ll be served authentic dishes bursting with local flavours and plenty of Mexican hospitality. After lunch, head back to Mexico City.
Day 3 Mexico City
Have breakfast this morning and then take some time to refresh and pack up, before checking out of your hotel. You can leave your luggage here this morning, before heading out on today’s final adventures. Your guide will pick you up from the hotel, at 10 am, for an epic journey of exploration through Mexico’s incredible capital. Let your expert guide bring 700 years of history back to life as you uncover little-known facts and hidden hotspots, from Aztecs to art, in one of the biggest cities in the Americas. Head into the heart of Mexico City – the Plaza de la Constitucion – and hear about the remains of an ancient city located under the modern metropolis. Visit iconic sites like the Templo Mayor and the Metropolitan Cathedral – the biggest cathedral on the continent – and see one of Diego Rivera's most famous murals at Museo Mural. Head to the fresh food stalls at Mercado San Juan and shop for snacks and souvenirs. Wander through the Palace of Fine Arts (Palacio de Bellas Artes) and when you’re finished, your guide will lead you back to your hotel, where your trip will come to an end.
Day 1: Mexico City
Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-owned hotel/B&B in Mexico City
Activities: welcome meeting
Bienvenidos a la Ciudad de Mexico – the largest city in Latin America where ancient and modern coexist in harmony. Arrive at any time before meeting your group and Tour Leader in the evening: welcome meeting, optional welcome & get-together with the rest of the group in one of local restaurants/bars.
Day 2: Mexico City
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-owned hotel/B&B in Mexico City
Activities: walking tour in the Historic Centre of Mexico City & Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; guided visit to Luis Barragán House and Studio; boat tour in Xochimilco.
Join your group to explore UNESCO-listed architectural gems of Mexico City: Historic Centre of Mexico City (walking tour), Luis Barragán House and Studio (guided visit), Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (guided tour), Xochimilco (boat tour). Optional dinner & get-together with the group in the evening.
Objects on the UNESCO World Heritage List (3x): the Historic Centre of Mexico City & Xochimilco; Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Luis Barragán House and Studio.
Day 3: Mexico City – Xochicalco – Cuernavaca – Tepoztlan
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-own hotel/B&B/guest house in Tepotztlán
Activities: guided visit to Archaeological Monuments Zone of Xochicalco; walking tours in Cuernavaca & Tepotztlán
Firstly, go to Xochicalco – ruins of the ancient Mesoamerican city whose apogee came after the fall of Teotihuacan and that, allegedly, may have played a part in the fall of the Teotihuacan empire. After exploring the archeological zone, we will continue to Cuernavaca. Known as “the city of eternal spring”, this capital of the state is flanked by imposing hills and is festive all year round.
After a walking tour around the historic center, optional lunch, a visit to UNESCO-listed Cuernavaca Cathedral & nearby 40-meter high San Anton Waterfall we will go to Tepotztlán. Located at the foot of Tepozteco Mountain, this “Magic Town” is the result of the combination of the unique ancient traditions and wisdom that enrich its many cultural expressions, such as esotericism, pre-Hispanic and vice-regal treasures, the counterculture, ecotourism or the simplicity of its everyday life. Check-in, walking tour around the historic center, optional dinner & get-together with the group in one of local restaurants/bars.
Transportation: private vehicle
Objects on the UNESCO World Heritage List (3x): Archaeological Monuments Zone of Xochicalco; Cuernavaca Cathedral; Convento de la Natividad o de la Anunciación in Tepoztlán.
Day 4: Tepoztlan – Tlayacapan – Oaxtepec – Puebla
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-own hotel/B&B/guest house in Puebla
Activities: guided visit to El Tepozteco archaeological site (entrance & explanation); walking tours in Tlayacapan, Oaxtepec & Puebla.
After a visit to Tepozteco Mountain with an impressive Prehispanic temple, we will go to a “Magic Town” of Tlayacapan. Being there is like stopping time and enjoying a break in your life, while observing the majesty of perfectly carved murals in the UNESCO-listed Former Convent of San Juan Bautista, with walls that seem to form a celestial vault to guard the recently discovered mummies.
After a walking tour around the historic center of the town, we will move to a nearby town of Oaxtepec to visit local UNESCO protected Ex-Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán. Finally, we will finish our day in Puebla – a vibrant capital of the same-named state that retains a fantastically well-preserved center, a stunning cathedral, and a wealth of beautiful churches. After check-in and some rest at our accommodation, we will go out for an evening walking tour around the historic center and optional dinner in one of the local restaurants.
Transportation: private vehicle
Objects on the UNESCO World Heritage List (3x): Ex-Convent of San Juan Bautista in Tlayacapan; Ex-Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Oaxtepec; Historic Centre of Puebla
Day 5: Puebla – Cholula – Teotihuacan – Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque – Queretaro
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-own hotel/B&B/guest house in Querétaro
Activities: guided visit to Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacán & Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System; walking tours in Cholula & Querétaro
To begin with, we will visit Cholula – the oldest city in America inhabited without interruption since its origins. There we will see The Great Pyramid of Cholula, the world’s largest pyramid topped by the Virgen de Los Remedios church. After a walking tour around the historic center of the town, we will go to Teotihuacan – a complex of awesome pyramids, set amid what was once Mesoamerica’s greatest city. After a guided visit to the archeological zone, we will go to visit an impressive Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System built by the Jesuits in the 18th century and surrounded by beautiful landscapes.
TO conclude our day, in the evening we will arrive in Querétaro – one of the most representative examples of Spanish Colonial cities with buildings from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. After check-in and some rest at our accommodation, we will go out for an evening walking tour around the historic center and optional dinner in one of the local restaurants.
Transportation: private vehicle
Objects on the UNESCO World Heritage List (3x): Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacán; Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System; Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro
Day 6: Queretaro – San Miguel de Allende – Guanajuato
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-own hotel/B&B/guest house in Guanajuato
Activities: walking tours in San Miguel de Allende & Guanajuato; guided visit to the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco; cable car to Monumento Al Pipila in Guanajuato
In the morning go to San Miguel de Allende – a small city with a huge cultural heritage and a cosmopolitan population that preserves its true colonial feeling. After a walking tour around the historic center and optional lunch, we will go to Guanajuato, passing by UNESCO-listed Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco – a church complex built in the 18th century that features mural work of Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre that is often dubbed the “Sistine Chapel of Mexico.” Evening arrival to Guanajuato – an opulent colonial city, located among gold and silver deposits, with its greatest peak in the 17th and 18th centuries. After check-in and some rest at our accommodation, we will go out for an evening walking tour around the historic center and optional dinner in one of the local restaurants.
Transportation: private vehicle
Objects on the UNESCO World Heritage List (2x): Protective town of San Miguel de Allende and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco; Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines
Day 7: Guanajuato – Isla de Janitzio- Patzcuaro – Morelia
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-own hotel/B&B/guest house in Morelia
Activities: walking tours in Morelia & Pátzcuaro; boat tour to Isla de Janitzio
In the morning, go Isla de Janitzio – the main island of Lake Pátzcuaro whose town is famous for the butterfly fishermen that you can see on the back of the 50-peso Mexican banknote. Afterward, we will be back to Pátzcuaro – a picturesque colonial town founded in the 1320s as the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center. Finally, after a walking tour around the historic center of a town and an optional lunch, we will go to the last destination of our trip – Morelia. Known as the “City of the Pink Stone”, it is home to numerous Baroque and Neoclassical monuments. After check-in and some rest at our accommodation, we will go out for an evening walking tour around the historic center of the city and optional farewell dinner in one of the local restaurants.
Transportation: private vehicle
Objects on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1x): Historic Centre of Morelia
Day 8: Morelia – Mexico City
Meals: Breakfast
In winter, on the way, we will visit nearby Monarch Butterfly UNESCO Biosphere Reserve – a breathtaking over-wintering site of the eastern population of the monarch butterfly. In summer, instead, we will go to Angangueo – a small town with rich mining traditions located in high rugged forested mountains: walking tour around the historic center and optional lunch.
Transportation: private vehicle
Objects on the UNESCO World Heritage List (1x): Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (in winter only)
