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City and municipality in Querétaro, Mexico
Photo: jc_castaneda, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Querétaro is a city in Central Mexico. It is the capital of the state of Querétaro. Its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the city is notable for the many ornate civil and religious Baroque monuments from its golden age in the 17th and 18th centuries.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Theater of the Republic
The most important theater in Mexico due to its role in national history: Emperor Maximilian I had his trial there, the 1917 Constitution was written there, and the national anthem was played there for the first time.
Casa de la Corregidora
The house of the governor, since the time of the Spanish viceroyalty. The house played a role during the Mexican War of Independence as a meeting place for patriots. The corregidor's wife, Doña Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, passed word to Miguel Hidalgo that the Spanish learned of the plot for revolution.
Old City Hall
Used to be the palace of the bishop, then a luxury hotel and later the city hall, now it is the office of the "Delegación Centro"
Santa Clara Church
Old baroque covered with gold church
Santa Rosa de Viterbo Church
Old baroque covered with gold church. It's where Emperor Maximilian spend his last night before execution including the "Cruz de cantera Rosa" (pink stone cross) and the tree with cross shaped spines. Also the place where a series of missions "one day travel apart" started and were founded all the way to California.
El Carmen Church
Church and old monastery; part of the film Once upon a time in Mexico was shot here.
Old convent church that once served as the cathedral of Queretaro. Construction began in 1589 and the church was completed in 1640 and the cloister in 1698. The church is beautifully ornate and contains a number of important artistic pieces, including sculptures by Mariano Montenegro and Mariano Arce and some distinctive architectural details, such as the baroque lectern and high choir stalls, which were the work of 18th century architect Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras. The convent surrounds the temple and interior courtyards contain quiet gardens. The convent was originally much larger than the structure you see today, but several chapels from the 16th and 17th century were demolished in the 19th century.
Zanea garden
Main square with a gazebo, old financial center of the city.
It's a lovely square, and a pedestrianized section of Madero street extends the square into the atrium of Santa Clara Church.
Corregidora Square
Old plaza with restaurants, gardens, and nightclubs.
Aqueduct
This hill, just west of the historic downtown, is an important historical landmark. It was here, in 1867, that Emperor Maximilian I, General Miguel Miramón and General Tomás Mejía were executed by firing squad after being convicted in a court martial held downtown, thus ending a period known as the Second Mexican Empire. See the historical markers, visit the Museo Cerro de las Campanas for an interpreted perspective on events there, visit the Emperor Maximilian Memorial Chapel (erected by his brother, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria), and visit the monument to Benito Juarez. Also on the hill is the Museo de la Magia Pasado.
A pyramid from 300BC, and museum.
245-hectare park operated by the Queretaro municipal government as a resource for sustainable ecology. Picnic pavilions and campsites are available for a modest fee. Pets and motorcycles are prohibited. The park is in an area far from any urban light pollution and is known for its dark sky stargazing opportunities.
Home field for the professional soccer team Querétaro Fútbol Club, known also as Los Gallos Blancos, and playing year round in the Liga MX (Mexico's top football league). The stadium was built in 1985 and seats 33,162. The team has a reputation for hooligan fans whose antics make English football hooligans seem positively gentlemanly. The team is just coming off a 1-year penalty of being prohibited from having fans attend games (including allied youth or womens teams) after a particularly ugly incident in 2022 during a match against Atlas that saw fan club members beating and stripping opposing club fans, sending 22 to hospital. Fans who appreciate good sportsmanship can find better teams to support than Queretaro.
You get two slices of delicious fluffy pizza for M$29 (Dec 2021). Or two hot dogs for M$25 (Dec 2021).
You get spaghetti or rice with one kind of meat for M$65 (Dec 2021). It's open until around 19:00.
Italian cuisine, very relaxed ambient, pizza, salads & paninnis, great red wine, perfect for couples.
Great homemade tamales and atoles from the Sierra Gorda de Querétaro. Tamales are filled with goat cheese in a red sauce, rajas, pork and also serving sweet tamales filled with cheese and nuts. Simply delicious. Made the artisan way, all natural ingredients. Atoles are different flavors from seeds to chocolate and fruits. Menu changes weekly so call ahead to see what they are serving on the day of your visit
Los Nogales
Lots of cheap combos and a really good chicken salad. You can order a whole chicken, soft drink, salsa, tortillas and pasta.
Luxurious restaurant with great Argentinian and Mexican gastronomy. It offers a wide variety of Josper (prepared in a high-performance, closed-type charcoal oven) cuts of meat and seafood. Their most recommended dishes are the tacos gobernador, rib eye steak and their chocolate cake dessert.
Iconic restaurant with a varied offering of international gastronomy. It offers live piano music and a wide range of wine selections. Their most recommended dishes are the pork ribs, escamoles (ant eggs) and the traditional chile en nogada.
Modern luxurious restaurant with an exquisite offering of international cuisine located in the second floor of the Antea shopping mall. Some recommended items of their menu are their carajillo sweet cocktails, the carajillo burger (served with melted cheese) and their rib eye tacos.
Place to relax and taste one of the best coffees of Mexico, "Pluma Diamante", is made of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, an area known worldwide for its excellent climate for the production of coffee. For lunch you can find homemade pies, sweet or savory.
Margaritas (Tuesdays), martinis (Wednesday) 2x1. Live Jazz. Creole Cajun cuisine.
Trendy club with the best view of Querétaro City.
A small breakfast is included. A dorm is for M$230 (April 2022).
Functional budget 3-star hotel in a Colonial-era building with simple rooms for M$580 (Jan 2022).
Simple 2-star hotel. Including private bathroom starting at M$400 (Jan 2022).
Really basic 2-star hotel. With private bathroom week-days for M$250, at the week-end M$350 (Jan 2022).
Short-term rental, clean, wire-less internet, cable, and kitchen use in the centro histórico.
A B&B in the heart of the Historic Center.
Stunning modern hotel at the heart of true Mexican culture. Contains 140 rooms and many amenities to help you feel comfortable.
Very cute colonial house converted into a bed and breakfast, very colorful and lots of light and air. Located in the Historic Center on Altamirano Sur #35, rooms are a fraction of the price of the other hotels in the area.
Three comfortable rooms, tastefully appointed, modern comforts and old world charm. Great service. Terrific location. A couple of blocks from some of the principal plazas.
A boutique, family-owned hotel with tons of character, daily housekeeping, free high-speed wifi, on-site parking available on request.
Antea
An upscale shopping center. Some of the boutiques found here are El Palacio de Hierro (similar to Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus), Brooks Brothers, Hackett, Harmont & Blaine, La Martina, Massimo Dutti, Hugo Boss, Robert's, Scappino, Scotch & Soda, and Liverpool.
A beautiful store with fine Mexican handcrafts and traditional Mexican furniture.
By plane
Buses operated by Coordinados, a brand of Primera Plus, run between the airport and Querétaro roughly every 1-2 hours.
By carpooling
You can have a look for shared rides on Blablacar. Prices are approximately as of December 2021: • San Miguel de Allende – M$50 • León – M$160 • San Luis Potosí– M$190 • Mexico City – M$190
By bus
There are many buses that go to Querétaro from major cities, such as Mexico City or Guadalajara, as well as to/from the Mexico City International Airport direct.
By car
There is a toll road from Mexico City to Querétaro. It costs about M$166 for an automobile. The drive is about 2 hours, but add another hour for leaving or entering Mexico City.
By e-hailing
By bus
Google Maps and Moovit show you connections to your destination. Bus routes are extensive and frequent. Use a QroBus card, the local transport card to tap to pay.
By taxi
The minimum price for a taxi ride is M$40. Taxis do not have meters.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Querétaro · International · QRO
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