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City in Nuevo León, Mexico
Photo: Gildardo Sánchez, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Monterrey is the third largest city in Mexico and the capital of the state of Nuevo León. It is the commercial, industrial, educational, and transportation hub of northern Mexico, also third in economic importance after Mexico City and Mexico State. Although it is historically an industrial and commercial city (in fact most foreign visitors come for business purposes), tourists will be surprised at the wealth of cultural and entertainment attractions that the city has to offer.
Contains most of the city's top attractions, including the Barrio Antiguo, Macroplaza, and Parque Fundidora.
The rest of the Monterrey municipality, except for Centro. The southern part includes the TEC campus.
San Pedro Garza Garcia and Santa Catarina
Guadalupe, San Nicolas and Apodaca (airports)
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Tours and sample of Carta Blanca, Dos Equis, Bohemia, Sol, or one of the other beers brewed here.
In the east of the Zona Rosa is Mexico's largest zocalo, or central plaza, a stretch of green space lined with fountains, statues, gardens, and monuments. Ringing the park are many historical buildings and museums, including the Monterrey Cathedral, the Mexican History Museum, the Monterrey Contemporary Art Museum, and the former palace of the governor.
- Monterrey's most famous landmark is the saddle-shaped mountain that dominates the local skyline. After hiking about 25 min uphill there is already the viewpoint La Virgen. On the rocks you have a terrific view over the city. There are hiking trails continuing in the direction of its peak.
To the start point of the trail you can take an Uber or city bus. Bus lines 223 and 93 go very frequently from the Zona Rosa. At the bus stop near the trail is a minimarket, where you can buy water for the hike.
You can take the overground metro for a nice view over the city. The trains of new built section are almost empty, even in rush hour, so you can sit and enjoy the view. That new section is between the metro stations Félix U Gómez and Hospital Metropolitano. The price for the trip is M$4.50 (March 2022) altogether.
If WWE is too tame for you, check out Lucha Libre --- the original professional wrestling. Tuesday evenings at 7pm seem to be the best time to catch some wrestling action. It happens at the Coliseo, across the street from the Central de Autobuses.
By plane
Monterrey has two airports. All commercial flights use Monterrey International (MTY) -- the city's main airport. Private and cargo carriers use Del Norte Airport.
By bus
Inside the bus station are Mexican fast food chains like Doña Tota, El Carbonero and El Sabor de Villa de Santiago. They have main dishes from M$49 (March 2022).
By car
/Mexico border. The most common border crossings, both in South Texas, used to get to Monterrey are Laredo/Nuevo Laredo and McAllen-Hidalgo/Reynosa.
By e-hailing
By taxi
Taxis come in two color schemes: older ones are lime green and white, while the newer ones are yellow and white. The difference is just cosmetic as they are both affordable and plentiful.
By public transport
For finding a connection, Moovit and Google Maps cover the city. As of February 2025 bus timetables and routing information on Google maps are incorrect. Moovit seems to have correct routes at least.
By car
Renting a car is a possibility, though it can be expensive and navigating the streets can be a bit tricky.
Downtown tourism transportation
In the downtown area, there is a tourist trolley that does regular circuits around the Macroplaza and Barrio Antiguo areas.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Monterrey · International · MTY
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