Tepoztlan Mexico is a small town about an hour south of Mexico City. It’s an easy day trip from Mexico City, but I highly recommend spending at least one night so you can enjoy the town and all of the amazing food on offer. Plus, you’ll need some time to recover from that hike!
Where to Stay in Tepoztlán Mexico
There are a few really cute hotels in Tepoztlán as well as some great Airbnbs. I recommend staying near the center of town along or just off of Del Tepozteco. This is where all of the restaurants and bars are and it gives you easy access to the main attraction, the hike up to Tepozteco.
I stayed at this Airbnb in the center of town. I thought it was pretty good value for money at only $30 a night. It has three beds including one double bed and two single beds, so you can sleep up to four people making it super affordable. It’s really close to the main street and we loved that we could just pop back to grab a jacket or use the bathroom for free.
The downside to staying right in the center of town is that it is quite noisy in the morning (as in before dawn), especially if you are traveling to Tepoztlan on a weekend. This means you may not get the best sleep. Check out the booking here.
I also recommend checking out these hotels – they were all fully booked when we started planning our trip to Tepoztlan, otherwise, I probably would have booked one of them.
- Hotel Teocalli: This is an absolutely stunning boutique hotel. The town is known for it’s healing energy and a day at the spa here will heal all. Rooms start at $60 a night. Book here.
- Posada de Tepozteco: Right in the center of town you can’t miss this somewhat famous hotel. Be sure to book in advance as it always books out on weekends. Rooms start at $80 a night. Book here.
- Casa Fernanda Boutique Hotel: If you’re looking for a quiet place on the edge of town with big plush beds to lay in after hiking up to Tepozteco, then this is the place to rest your head. This is perhaps the nicest boutique hotel in town in my opinion. Rooms start at $90 per night. Book here.
If you are on a super budget, you can check out the campsites and cabins here. There are some great places on Airbnb in the center of town like this one or this one.
If you’ve never used Airbnb before, you can sign up with this link to receive up to $35 off of your first booking.
What to Do in Tepoztlán Mexico
There’s not a ton to do in the town, but enough to keep you busy for a long weekend (we spent three days here which I thought was perfect).
El Tepozteco
The main draw to Tepoztlan is the pyramid at the top of the mountain that looms above the town’s main street. It’s called El Tepozteco. Hiking Tepozteco takes roughly an hour to hike up to the top. It’s worth noting that this is very steep, although there are stairs almost the entire way up.
You should also know that if you are coming from sea level, there is the added challenge of the city being over 5,000 feet above sea level. Those that don’t hike often should pack plenty of water and take plenty of rest stops along the way.
Once at the top, you have to pay 55 Pesos (roughly $3) to get into the pyramids, but it’s well worth having a look around. You can climb the steps and catch your breath as you sit on the pyramid and take in the amazing views of the town below. I highly recommend not trying to see where the pyramid is before climbing to the top. Once you get to the bottom you can look back up at how far you climbed.
This is the pyramid you’ll see once you get to the top
You’ll also see these guys once you get to the top. They’re called Coati or Coatimundi and they are cheeky. They want your food!
Weekend Market
Every weekend there is a tianguis or market that comes and sets up inside the zocalo and along the street next to is, Revolucion de 1910. You can buy shoes, bracelets, pottery, fresh produce, and plenty of cooked food too.
There are a few delicious places inside to eat – look for the busy places that say comida tipica or comida nativo. This means they’re cooking regional foods.
Massages and Temazcal
The town has been something of a hippie refuge for several decades. The mountains and the rocks within them are said to have healing powers. That means there are plenty of places offering massages using some of the stones or other traditional methods of relaxation.
One of the things you’ll see on tons of different signs is Temazcal. Temazcal is an ancient therapy that is usually done in a small room with a group of people (you can pay extra to do it alone or just with your group). The room gets very warm and medicinal plans are burned in order to cleanse you. There are ancient songs sang as you are cleansed. I didn’t opt for this, but if you’re looking for a unique experience, this is certainly it.
Where to Eat in Tepoztlán Mexico
There are so many good places to eat in Tepoztlán. I recommend trying some local specialties like itacates, cecina from Yecapixtla, and some seriously fresh requeson. We had truly delicious food while we were here, so sample the little spots with no names in addition to some of the ones I list below.
Avenida 55
This was one of the first places we tried when we got to the town. They do cheap liters of beer and really tasty micheladas. Like many of the bars and restaurants in Tepoztlan, they have a huge comal (flat top grill) outside the restaurant where they are making things like cecina, itacates (they are particularly good here) and really delicious quesadillas.
Almost everywhere in town makes their own tortillas too, which are grilled up on the comal and filled with things like potatoes and chorizo or tinga (chicken in a spicy tomato sauce).
Our spread at La Colorina – those quesadillas were SO good! (I also ruined my white shirt here, but it was worth it).
La Colorina
This was my favorite place in Tepotzlan for food. It is crazy busy at all times of day, so if you go past and see a few seats available, head in and grab a bench. I highly recommend the cecina here – it was the best I had during my time in the city. We had it in a taco with some nopales on it (cactus salad). It was perfection.
This was also one of my favorite itacates in town filled with fresh requeson (a creamy type of cheese). If I had more days in Tepoztlan, I would have eaten here again.
Los Colorines
Confession, I didn’t actually eat here, but it seemed like everyone else did. It is the one restaurant in town that seems to be “famous.” When I was doing some research for this weekend trip, this restaurant came up again and again. It’s pretty big, with two floors full of tables, but there was always a wait, even at random times of day.
If you want to try some local food as well as some different types of mole in a more upmarket environment, then get your name on the list here.
Vereda Tepozteca
For a great breakfast spot, Vereda Tepozteca was my absolute favorite. Their chilaquiles verde was amazing and they also made some really great tinga quesadillas (without the cheese in the AM for me). We also tried their eggs Mexican style (huevos a la mexicana) and they’re served with freshly made tortillas. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
My chilaquiles at Verada Tepozteca – I had it with a side of scrambled eggs and you also have to have their cafe de olla!
Tacos La Parilla
If you enjoy a few beers after dark, you’ll likely discover that there isn’t anywhere open after 9pm for food. That is, except for Tacos La Parilla. This is the late night spot in Tepoztlan. Regular readers will know that means I frequented this place more than once.
Luke and I tried a few of their alambres – I loved the submarino which was pastor with chorizo. Luke went for the normal pastor alambre. Both were served piled high with onions, peppers, and plenty of meat as well as a stack of tortillas.
On a second visit we tried their megaquesadillas. They are truly mega. One is enough for even the hungriest person. I loved the costilla and luke opted for the pastor which went well with the melted cheese.
Jacaranda
This is more of a bar than a restaurant, but they had the best vibes on the weekend. They had live music every night around 8:30 or 9pm which was so great. It attracted a huge crowd, which made for a fun atmosphere. The beers are pretty cheap and they have a nie cocktail list, too.
If you get hungry they have huge bowls of popcorn for only 30 pesos and they also do other snacks like mini pizzas.
Bambu Cafe
Another good spot for drinks and snacks is Bambu Cafe. This was perhaps the second busiest bar during the weekend we were there. The burgers looked great, although we didn’t try them. The beers here were incredibly cheap compared to our usual spots in Mexico City. This is a great spot if you get tired of itacates and quesadillas.
A Close of up one of the itacates we ate – they’re much thicker than a tortilla so when they’re fried up they are nice and crunchy (and slightly greasy).
Antojitos Mexicanos Tionapesquina
For more local cheap eats around lunchtime, this is a great place. There are only a few tables and it gets pretty busy during Mexican lunch time (around 2:30-3pm). Go slightly earlier to avoid the crowds and really enjoy their seriously good cecina tacos and tinga quesadillas. They also make itacates. The price is incredibly cheap.
No-Name Antojitos Spot
This place had no name, but is directly next to La Parilla tacos and the Hotel Chinelos. You’ll see lots of handmade signs for quesadillas, agua frescas, jugos, and itacates. There is a small awning and it’s only open from around noon to 6 or 7pm, but they made some of the best quesadillas.
We ate here just before we left for the bus station and it kept us happy and full. I recommend washing it down with their pineapple juice (jugo de piña). I know it’s starting to get very repetitive now, but they really did have some delicious cecina and a very flavorful itacate with potato and chorizo.
One of the churches along the main street in tepoztlan. They had beautiful decorations inside for Day of the Dead.
Getting To and From Tepoztlán Mexico
Getting here from Mexico City is very simple. Head to the Tasqueña bus station, which is located just outside of the Tasqueña metro station (the end of the blue line). You can also take an Uber here.
I highly recommend downloading the ADO app onto your phone. This allows you to pre-book your tickets. If you book at least two days in advance, you get it for almost 50 pesos cheaper (as low at 97 Pesos). If you arrive at the bus station and book on the day, the ticket costs 134 Pesos.
You can then simply have your ticket on your phone rather than carrying around a piece of paper. This will also save you tons of time. If you are traveling to Tepoztlan on a weekend and you show up to the bus station, you likely won’t get a bus for an hour or more since they will be sold out.
Once you get to Tepoztlan, you can hop into a taxi and get into the center of town for 40 Pesos. There are also colectivos that drive past. These are little white vans that have signs in the front window that say Tepoztlan Centro. These are only cheaper than a taxi if you are traveling with one or two people.
The third option is to walk. It’s about 20 minutes at a normal pace. If you cross the street from the bus station, you’ll see a sidewalk that takes you down the main road in safety. Once you get to the bend in the road where the sidewalk ends, turn left and you’ll head into town that way (use the app Maps.me for offline navigation).
Check Out My Video of Tepoztlán Mexico
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