Santiago de Querétaro is a centric city in México. Querétaro offers many affordable and unique lodging options in its historic center where you’ll be able to stroll the small streets and enjoy a coffee, beer, or mezcal in any of its sunny terraces. With a short 3-hour bus ride from México City, this ‘small town’ is worth the visit. Here’s how to best take advantage of a short trip to this colonial town.
Historic Center Landmarks
Discover Old Town on the tramway known as ‘Trolebús’. You’ll get a guided tour of all of the city center of Querétaro’s landmarks. If you prefer to discover on foot, below is a list of the locations you can’t miss.
The city’s Aqueduct adds a Roman touch to this colonial city making it one of its most popular landmarks leading up to the center.
No city tour is complete without a hike to the viewpoint where you can appreciate the city from above. Mirador Los Arcos offers this and more. It’s a small stone plaza with amazing city views, street food, and artisan craft vendors. It’s next to Cementerio de los Ilustres, a military cemetery considered one of the most historic areas of the city.
Alameda Hidalgo is a small park with plenty of food choices and street vendors. It’s also a good location to hail a cab or get a ride share outside of the city center since the center’s streets are very narrow creating traffic congestion.
Not far from the center, next to the University, you can visit the small park of ‘Cerro de las Campanas‘. It’s a perfect place for an afternoon stroll or picnic where you’ll find street vendors selling snacks. Inside the park, you can also visit the Museum ‘La Magia del Pasado‘, an interactive museum sharing the XX-century history of the city.
Plaza de Armas is a centric plaza characterized by its fountain. It’s surrounded by restaurants, cafes, and bars. This plaza is very lively both day and night with live music and events happening at the kiosk in the plaza.
Where to stay in Querétaro
Gran Hotel Querétaro is an affordable yet luxurious and spacious hotel. The rooms are large with all the amenities. The location is centric, right in the heart of old town Querétaro, yet the room was quiet at night. The staff was friendly and welcomed us with a free bottle of wine.
Hotel Boutique el Serafín is a centric and more affordable option. This 3-star hotel has a modern look and a very attractive terrace.
Kuku Rukú is another affordable, centric, and modern lodging option. It is both hotel and hostel so you have options of private or shared bedrooms to fit any budget.
Eating and drinking in the city
Breton café is a very cute café that is frequented by locals. It serves french pastries and it’s very busy during brunch.
Pánico is a small bakery with specialty coffee and many choices for delicious Mexican pastries.
Restaurante Las Monjas serves authentic Mexican food where you can find Querétaro’s local dish “enchiladas queratanas”
By far, my favorite is Almacén Hércules, a repurposed old warehouse turned craft brewery. Leading up to the brewery’s entrance, you’ll walk through a small path to find unique small businesses such as artisan soap and lotions, as well as specialty coffee. The brewery itself offers pub-style Mexican food and sometimes hosts events such as live music or projected films.
If you’re not a beer lover, quality mezcal is easily found in Querétaros bars. A drink that is unique to this city is the “mezcal soup”. This cocktail is served in a bowl, infused with fruit and mixers. You can either sip from the bowl or get a straw. You can find this and more at Rasten bar.
Nightlife in Queretáro
La Condesa Mezcalería is a small bar with music, and of course, mezcal. This bar even has flavor-infused mezcal. It is frequented by locals and located on a narrow yet popular street called Andador Pasteur where you’ll find many street food vendors.
Terraza La Grupa offers live music on weekend nights and affordable prices.
Querétaro offers walking night tours where you can hear folkloric stories of interesting, sometimes supernatural, events that happened in the city. If you visit during the Halloween/Day of the Dead season you’ll find beautiful altars and decorations all over the city center.
What stood out the most from the city is its unity. On Halloween night, many locals and visitors gathered at the kiosk at Plaza de las Armas and danced to whatever music was blasting from people’s speakers. We danced to salsa, reggeaton, cumbias, and everyone joined in the fun.
The Day of the Dead altars were gorgeous and I spent hours walking down the ‘andadores’, corridors, which are completely decorated with ‘flores de cémpasuchil‘, marigold flowers, and beautiful altars related to the city’s history and people. Learn more about the Day of the Dead with this previous post on A Unique Day of the Dead Celebration in Tijuana.
Enjoy this beautiful and affordable city. Get to know its people, this is the best way to experience a city through the local eye. While you’re walking to the narrow corridors and smelling the ‘garnachas‘, authentic Mexican food, take a deep breath and always BE PRESENT.
Have you ever visited Santiago de Querétaro or the nearby vineyards? Or have you ever celebrated the Day of the Dead in México? Let me know in the comments below and follow me @bpresent.blog for more pictures and videos.