A Weekend in Puebla, Mexico

Things to do when spending a couple of days in Puebla and the sites you don't want to miss...

Calle de Dulce

Puebla has many historical sites and museums and is famous for its sweet street, which is known as Calle de dulce.

For accommodation, we opted for an Air BnB. There are many options available on this site and the host we had was great. She provided breakfast at no extra cost and even drove us to the nearest museums the next morning, giving us some information about Puebla on the way. The second night we decided to stay in Cholula as the district is only a half hour taxi ride away from the centre of Puebla and we were able to stop at la Estrella de Puebla on the way back to the centre to catch a bus out of the city on Sunday.

In terms of food, like many Mexican cities, you won’t struggle to find tacos if you’re looking for a cheap and quick meal. The market also had a variety of food but we found that the stalls weren’t open every day. Enjoy the market whilst you can and get as many souvenirs as possible!

Biblioteca Palafoxiana

This was a great place to look for souvenirs in the traditional Mexican markets and get a look at some hand painted china in the many small shops. During our tour, we visited Puebla Cathedral and the Biblioteca Palafoxiana. What’s interesting about the cathedral is the modern sculptures in the courtyard outside, the contrast between old and new is quite striking. The library is just 25 pesos (£1.08) to enter and view the small collection. This was the first public library in Mexico and is even a UNESCO world heritage site so definitely worth a visit.

There’s also a whole selection of museums and hidden tunnels in the towns historic centre. Unlike the tunnels in Cholula beneath the church, these tunnels feature artifacts and artwork. Almost hidden on Cinco de Mayo road, an unassuming door leads to a network of tunnels beneath Puebla’s historical centre. The antiques exhibited in the tunnel were found in the mud when the tunnels were unearthed in 2016.

Church at the Top of the Great Pyramid of Cholula

We visited the district of Cholula, about half an hour away from the city centre, so we could see some of the pyramid ruins and the church on top of the hill. This is a great trip away from the city centre but still within reasonable travel distance. The ruins also have their own collection of tunnels like Puebla’s historical centre. However, the tunnels here almost seem more authentic, set amongst the ruins of the pyramids. They also contain less information and artifacts so visiting with a tour guide helps to fill in some of the blanks. The view from the Church on top of the Great Pyramid allows you to see the whole city and is worth the short uphill walk.

Museo Amparo was surprisingly hard to find, hidden amongst the other colonial buildings, just a short walk from the Cathedral and centre of Puebla. This pre-Hispanic museum contains numerous ancient artifacts as well as more modern exhibits. During our visit, we were treated to the Juan Rulfo exhibition in which we viewed the authors own photography of his early life. As I was reading Pedro Paramo on this trip, the exhibition was particularly interesting. An interesting surprise was the rooftop bar which was practically empty when we visited the museum. This bar offers views over the church and has large open areas and a variety of drinks and snacks which you can enjoy in the sun when you’ve finished wandering around the museum.

Estrella de Puebla

La Estrella de Puebla also provides great panoramic views of the city. It isn’t far from the city centre and just 30 pesos per ticket, unless you want to hire out a private cabin which costs 300 pesos, not bad in comparison to hiring a pod on the London eye.