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Municipality and city in Veracruz, Mexico
Photo: Sombra Inquieta, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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Catedral Metropolitana de la Inmaculada Concepcion
Built in 1641, this cathedral was overhauled in 1896 in a neo-gothic style with an arched nave, twin spires, and impressive stained glass windows.
Museo de Antropología de Xalapa (MAX)
Beautifully-designed museum of the pre-Hispanic cultures of Veracruz. A fascinating complement to the more famous archaeological museum in Mexico City. This museum is known for its extensive collections from the Olmec cultures, particularly some stunning examples of the giant Olmec head sculptures from San Lorenzo.
It is advisable to visit Juárez Park, next to the town hall. From there you can have a good view of the city, Pico de Orizaba and Cofre de Perote, from the terrace of the museum Ágora. A nice place and reunion site for tourist and locals alike, where also you can enjoy some treats and snacks. and next to the museum of coffee.
The Botanical Garden Francisco Javier Clavijero is an arboretum and botanical garden of 38 hectares of which 30 are of forest preserved in an old coffee plantation and 8 garden festivals. it has seven public scientific collections in eight hectares. Exhibits some 6,000 specimens belonging to 700 species of plants.
Patio Muñoz is a neighborhood built in the 19th century, with most of the original buildings intact. Here are held workshops in Veracruz-style painting, dance and music.
Sculpture Garden
A museum dedicated to sculpture, exhibiting works by nationally and internationally recognized artists.
Diego Rivera Gallery
Elegant, modern museum featuring the world's largest collection of art by Diego Rivera. Also features exhibits by modern and contemporary artists.
Hacienda El Lencero
Occasionally called the Museo de Muebles (Furniture Museum), this historic hacienda was established by one of the soldiers serving under Hernan Cortes. Located just 14 km southeast of the town center, the hacienda was for 14 years (1842-56) the home of Antonio López de Santa Anna, the 11-time president of Mexico. Here he retreated from the world, though on occasion he opened his doors to receive notable visitors. Furniture from Mexico, Europe, and Asia fills the rooms, illustrating the cosmopolitan tastes of Mexico's upper classes during the 19th century. Among the notable pieces is the leader's bed, embellished with the national emblem (an eagle holding a serpent in its beak).
Kid-oriented science and technology museum with a lot of interactive displays and exhibits that focus on specific applications of technology, like transportation systems and technology-enabled cities. Good for families, but little of interest to most adults.
Beautiful colonial era theatre that presents a diverse program of cultural events, including symphonies, popular music, dramatic theatre, and comedy.
Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa
One of the oldest professional orchestras in North America, it was founded in 1929. It is under the direction of Carlos Miguel Prieto (an internationally known conductor who performed with many pop and classical artists as well as musical director of the North Carolina Symphony and the Houston Symphony). The symphony performs a full season of classical and pops concerts at their elegant new concert hall that seats 1,285 people.
Restaurante de Cocina Huasteca
This restaurant specializes in Huasteca cuisine, from the northern part of the state of Veracruz. The dishes are quite excellent and not what you are normally familiar with as Mexican food. The owner is very demanding both in terms of cleanliness, and authenticity of the dishes, sourcing the ingredients from growers and suppliers in the region to which the dishes belong.
The customer service experience is adequate, and the menu is varied enough to find something to your liking. Most dishes include pork, beef, chicken or seafood, with few vegetarian and no vegan choices.
Traditional Mexican restaurant serving authentic regional Veracruzana cuisine in a small but elegant dining room. Service is top notch and the innovative cuisine rivals the best in Oaxaca.
Diamond Alley
One of the more crowded streets at night because of its Bohemian atmosphere with cafes and an artists' colony.
Great coffee shop with abundant people watching opportunities. Many specialty coffees. If you're going for dessert, try the coffee jello with rompope.
Warm, cozy cafe serving an interesting range of coffee drinks with assorted coffees from different Mexican states. You can choose whether to sample local coffee from Veracruz, or maybe try an exotic import from Oaxaca or Chiapas.
Inviting coffee shop with a garden courtyard area. Get an innovative coffee drink, a straight-up brewed cuppa (Americano), or pick up a bag of ground or whole bean coffee.
Cozy colonial-style place serving hot and cold coffee drinks and serving desserts and other foods. Live music.
Popular coffee shop that serves good food and a variety of coffee drinks. Morning special includes coffee and fresh fruit. Dog friendly. Live music shows.
Very comfortable guest house in quiet neighborhood within walking location of main plaza.
The hotel offers 16 rooms which have plasma TV with cable service, free Wi-Fi access, a coffee/tea maker, telephone, work desk, and a fan.
All of its rooms have a cable TV, telephone, and electronic keys and lock. Some of its facilities are La Tasca del Quijote (serves a variety of international cuisines), mutifunctional rooms, a business center, and Internet access.
All rooms equipped with cable television, coffee/tea maker, telephone, and Internet access. Some of its facilities are swimming pool, fitness room/gym, laundry service, and safe deposit boxes.
Traditional Mexican marketplace that has fresh produce and food products, but also an enormous variety of household goods, often of pitiful quality, made in China, and sold at rock bottom prices. The market is cramped and often dirty, but it's a typical Mexican market intended to serve local populations, not tourists. There are some vendors here selling Mexican artesanias, particularly ceramics and woven clothing.
La Rotunda
Food oriented marketplace with lots of produce and fresh meats, dairy and seafood. Great place to experience Verucruzana style regional Mexican cuisine. The most famous local dish served here is the picada, which is like a deep-dish pizza, but with taco filling made with finely chopped meat. Some of the picadas are huge, giving rise to vendors selling smaller versions, called picaditas. As with most Mexican markets, come hungry, eat cheap, leave stuffed.
By car
Xalapa lies about midway between Puebla and Veracruz on federal highway MEX 140D (toll road). It is just under 2 hours to Veracruz and about 2-1/2 hours to Puebla.
By bus
Almost-hourly buses go from Mexico City to Xalapa in several bus lines (ADO, AU), departing from TAPO station. The trip takes about 4 hours.
Hilly, densely constructed Xalapa is one of the world's great scooter cities. Rent one and the back areas of the city really open up for exploration.
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Veracruz · International · VER
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