Tepoztlan: A Short Trip from Mexico City

The town of Tepoztlan is about an hour and a half by bus from Mexico City. It is called a Pueblo Mágico (of which there are several near CDMX) due to its spiritual energy and the surrounding nature. There aren’t a whole lot of “attractions” here but its a great break from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City. We spent almost a week here just relaxing!

How to get to Tepoztlan

We took a bus from Terminal Central del Sur to Tepoztlan. You can get to the bus station by metro (to Tasqueña), but we were running behind and opted for a Beat rideshare (similar to Uber). Uber, Cabify, Beat and Didi are all ride share options to get around Mexico City and are usually very affordable.

The bus leaves you on the edge of town, about a 20-25 minute walk from the town square. We opted for a shared minibus that dropped us in the square. I don’t remember how much it cost, but knowing me it had to be cheap ($1?) in order for me not to have walked.

Since our airbnb was far from the plaza, we were able to store our luggage at the corner of Calle 5 and 22 de febrero before exploring.

What to See in Tepoztlan

We didn’t do much in Tepoztlan besides relax at the AirBnb. I was working most of the time and enjoyed birding from the garden. Below are some recommendations both from firsthand experience and general top attractions.

Visit the Market

We arrived on a weekend and it was very busy in the town square (I think it was also a holiday), but it was a great time to shop around. Our AirBnb host, Luis, recommended either the Los Chinelos or Yola food stalls at the market.

A popular food here is the blue corn itacates (like a thick triangular tortilla), which is the darker dough in the bowl in the photo, and crickets as a filling. We were adventurous here and did try the crickets (chapulines). Wasn’t horrible but not necessarily something I want to eat again.

After lunch we walked around the town square and shopped for local goods and artwork. We bought a painting and a handwoven rug, both of which are in our home and we absolutely love! The rug place was located on Ignacio Zaragoza street near the square and the painting store was on Pablo Gonzalez street (bottom of the hill).

Relax at a Spa

There are several spas in town. Some are only open to hotel guests, but some allow day visits. We chose Amomochtli due to a combination of good reviews, beauty and price.

This was our big ticket item of the trip. We did a temazcal which is similar to a sweat lodge. I was very nervous about this because I don’t like being hot, but it was really very tolerable and I would’ve been okay with hotter.

After the temazcal we had a couple’s massage, which was very relaxing. The end was a bit interesting: they placed our hands together and about 5 people came in to play music and dance around us (our eyes were closed, though).

Overall the was a really unique experience and I would recommend it! It was much pricier than activities I normally pay for, around $300 USD, but it was a nice day.

Hike to the Tepozteco Ruins

The #1 thing to do here is to hike up the mountain to visit the Tepozteco Pyramid. We were content hanging out at our AirBnb (and I was working during the day) so we didn’t actually do this. Oops. The views look very impressive if you’re up for the hike. The hike is accessible from the town center and there’s a small entrance fee at the top.

There are additional trails in the park but you may need to ask locals for directions. Here are some recommendations from AllTrails.

Birding

Originally, I had planned for a birding company to take us from Mexico City to Tepoztlan (birding along the way), but they had to cancel last minute. To make it up to me, they offered the tour for free in the opposite direction. Fortunately we had an afternoon flight so we were able to make this work. This is the company I contacted. We were put in touch with Miguel Aguilar.

I also did a group birding trip with them in Amatlán (a small village near Tepoztlan). This was my first time ever birding in a group and I’m not a huge fan, but it is much more affordable of course.

This was my first time birding in this area, which is always exciting! Here’s a list of the birds seen during the group tour (42 species in 3-4 hours):

The guides or other members may have marked more, but I only marked what I could see.

During the trip from Tepoztlan to the airport we stopped at several locations and saw a lot of birds, including the Aztec Thrush which is not normally found in the area. The guides were very excited to see it.

We saw 63 species in about 4 hours! I highly recommend Miguel and Isain Contreras as guides.

Restaurant Recommendations

In addition to Yola and Chapinero food stalls at the market, our host gave us no shortage of recommendations: Juanitos for burgers and pastas, La Taberna del Telón, La Cueva, Mariscos El Tulipan, Kua Amatlan Cafe and Resturant, and El Pan Nuestro. On our way to Amomochtli, we ate at Ombú which was very good.

We also ate at Mariscos El Tulipan for sunset. The food wasn’t very memorable but the sunset is beautiful! The very first picture on this post is from here too.

We went to Kua Amatlan for dinner our first night where there was live music and many expats. It’s a good option for vegetarians and vegans.

Where to Stay

I knew I would be working during the day most of the time we were in Tepoztlan, so I really wanted somewhere with a view where I could bird throughout the day. Luis’s place was perfect for this. It is a bit far from the city, 10 minutes or so by car, but it was beautiful and you can catch minibuses to go either to Tepoztlan or to Amatlan, a small village very close by.

Luis gave us a lot of recommendations and was available throughout our stay. Our room was a a small building with its own bathroom and coffee maker. There is also a pool onsite, though it wasn’t really hot enough to use in February.

Since we were here for a week, I really got to know the birds in the garden. It was a nice change to be able to recognize them instead of always looking up what I was seeing. Here’s a list of what I saw over the week (35):

Tepoztlan was a great town to visit. We really enjoyed a relaxing week here and got to see a lot of new birds! I hope you found this helpful and please reach out if you have any questions!

Looking for more to do in Mexico? Check out my guide to Mexico City or the Yucatan.