Querétaro

Querétaro is a city in central Mexico, it is 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.

Understand

The city's full name is "Santiago de Querétaro", and although it is spelled out fully on the doors of every taxi in the city, nobody uses the full name in conversation.

The city is a strong business and economic center and a vigorous service center that has experienced high levels of migration from other parts of Mexico. The city is grow fast because of IT and data centers, logistics services, aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, call centers, the automotive and machinery industries, and the production of chemicals and food products. The region of Querétaro has a rapidly growing vineyards agriculture and hosts Freixenet, a wine producer from Spain. Wine production in Querétaro is the second largest in Mexico after that of the Baja California region.

Major international corporations in the aerospace, electronics, automotive, chemical, food, and financial areas have their national headquarters in Querétaro.

Get in

Querétaro is 213 km (132 mi) northwest of Mexico City, 63 km (39 mi) southeast of San Miguel de Allende and 200 km (120 mi) south of San Luis Potosí.

By plane

🌍 Querétaro Intercontinental Airport (QRO  IATA) (26 km (16 mi) away from the city center along the Carretera Querétaro-Tequisquiapan (Querétaro Route 200), between the towns of Colón and El Marqués). Despite its proximity to the busier airports in Mexico City and León, Querétaro's airport is nonetheless quite busy in its own right. It serves several cities within Mexico, particularly as the hub for regional airline TAR Aerolíneas,and flights from a few cities in the United States. 

Aside from TAR, Querétaro is served by Aeroméxico Connect, American Eagle, United Express, VivaAerobus and Volaris.

Ground transportation

Buses operated by Coordinados, a brand of Primera Plus, run between the airport and Querétaro roughly every 1-2 hours. Tickets are M$60 (pesos) and are sold from a dedicated office at the arrivals hall. Tickets may also be purchased online.

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 de Petosi – 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. Buses are normally inexpensive and some bus lines offer student discounts in either official Mexican holidays or the summer, winter and April vacation period. First class buses often offer movies and can be very comfortable.

🌍 Intercity bus station (Central de Autobuses). 
It is on the outskirts of the city, and features separate terminals for first-class bus lines and the local and regional second-class lines.

If you come from Mexico City or León and want to take a second-class van to Querétaro: Roll&bits has multiple daily rides for about M$200 (May 2022). Just book your ticket online on their website. The vans have a big trunk for luggage. In Mexico City it departs in front of the "Monument to Gr. Div. Joaquin Amaro" which is at the auditorio and near the bus stop of metro bus line 7 from the city center. In Querétaro the 🌍 vans of roll&bits stop at La Comer Estadio. In Google Maps the stop is called "Lateral Queretaro-Mexico y Mega Estadio". In March 2022 it was better to pick a seat in the front half of the van because of better A/C. The vans are marked with "roll&bits" only on the side of the van, but not on the front. So have a look and don't miss your ride.

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.

You can also arrive easily from Leon (2 hr) and the rest of Guanajuato state, San Luis Potosi (2 hr) and Morelia (2 hr).

Get around

By foot

The historical center of town is very compact. It's easy to walk around once you get there.

By e-hailing

Uber, Didi and Cabify cover the city.

By bus

Google Maps and Moovit show you connections to your destination.

There are many privately operated buses on the main roads. If you like, you can buy a route book on any newspaper stand.

By taxi

The minimum price for a taxi ride is M$40. Taxis do not have meters. Fares are established by the government and are determined by zone of pick up and zone of drop off, but might change from cab to cab. Try to ask the fare before boarding to make sure there are no misunderstandings.

See

The Centro Histórico (Downtown area) is considered a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, and it includes the Cerro del Sangremal (Hill of Sangremal), crowned by the Convent of the Holy Cross and the flat area on the east that extends into the Cerro de las Campanas (Hill of Bells).

There are also tour trolleys available.

  • 🌍 Teatro de la República (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. (updated May 2016)
  • Palacio del Gobierno del Estado (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. (updated May 2016)
  • Palacio Municipal (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" (updated May 2016)
  • 🌍 Templo de Santa Clara (Santa Clara Church). Old baroque covered with gold church (updated May 2016)
  • 🌍 Templo y Convento de la Santa Cruz (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. (updated May 2016)
  • Templo de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (El Carmen Church). Church and old monastery; part of the film Once upon a time in Mexico was shot here. (updated May 2016)
  • 🌍 Templo y Exconvento San Francisco de Asisi, Prolongacion Corregidora Sur. 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. (updated Feb 2023)
  • Jardin Zenea (Zanea garden). Main square with a gazebo, old financial center of the city. (updated May 2016)
  • Jardín Guerrero (in front of the Old City Hall). It's a lovely square, and a pedestrianized section of Madero street extends the square into the atrium of Santa Clara Church. (updated May 2016)
  • Plaza de la Corregidora (Corregidora Square). Old plaza with restaurants, gardens, and nightclubs. (updated May 2016)
  • Acueducto (Aqueduct). (updated May 2016)
  • 🌍 Cerro de las Campanas National Park, Centro Universitario. 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. (updated Feb 2023)

Museums
  • Museo de Arte Sacro
  • Museo de Bichos
  • MAQRO Museo de Arte Queretaro
  • MUCAL Museo del Calendario
  • La Zacatecana
  • Museo de la Magia Pasado
  • Museo el Pendulo

Do

Culture
  • Enjoy a concert of the "Orquestra Filarmónica de Querétaro" the state philharmonic orchestra in the most important theater in the country "Teatro de la República" where the constitution was written, the emperor Maximilian I had a trial, and where the national anthem was first played.
  • Take the "Leyendas" (legends) tour, where people dress like historical characters and explain everything in a very colorful way.
  • Go to the colonial theater "Corral de Comedias" where you eat and enjoy mostly classical comedy plays in a Colonial Style place.

Spectator sports
  • 🌍 Estadio Corregidora, Avenidas de las Torres S/N, Centro Sur. 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. 
  • Basketball - a team plays in the Arteaga Stadium in the historic center.
  • Bull fighting: Querétaro has two bullrings, one is considered the third most important in Mexico (Plaza Santa Maria), and the other is considered the most beautiful bullring in Latin America (Juriquilla).
  • Baseball: Queretaro's professional home team is the Conspiradores who are having a new stadium built in the ridiculously inconvenient Rancho Mora area. Baseball is a fun evening anywhere, but frankly, there are 19 LMB teams in Mexico with more mature teams and better stadiums.

Participant sports
  • Get out and do some sports you can go to the public parks. Play some paintball (or known in Mexico as gotcha) scenery or speedball with turf at Evolution Paintball Field located between Jurica and Juriquilla.
  • In December be sure to visit the "Feria Internacional Querétaro" is an international Cattle Fair, that has more than a million visitors from all over the world, it has rides, a palenque (cock fights and concerts), free concerts of famous Mexican pop stars and many other things.

Buy

In the south-west of the center are ATMs of BanCoppel (24/7), BanBajío and Banco Azteca (inside the elektra store). In the north of the center are Banca Mifel and citibanamex ATMs. Santander ATMs are available throughout the center.

For buying groceries, there are Oxxos and minimarkets. In the centro is the 🌍 Supermarket Waldo's with a bigger variety of products.

In the historical center you will find lots of tourist souvenirs and handcrafts.

  • Antea Lifesyle Center (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. (updated Jul 2017)
  • Galerías Querétaro - Exclusive Liverpool department store, Sanborn's, Sears, Martí Sports, Tous, Zara and many other stores.
  • Plaza del Parque - Shopping center with a Comercial Mexicana (Mexican supermarket), Sanborn's (small department stores where you can find everything), Suburbia (Fashion affordable store) and many more
  • Plaza Boulevares - Shopping and entertainment center with sports club (Sport City), betting club (Yak), Cinemas (Cinemark 12), arcade place, and many stores.
  • Quinto Real, Reforma 80, corner of Rio de la Loza (3 blocks from the Plaza de Armas), ☏ +52 442 212 8601. M-Sa 10:00-19:00. A beautiful store with fine Mexican handcrafts and traditional Mexican furniture. 

Eat

Typical food is the Gordita Queretana. It's round and bigger than usual gorditas. You can find it e.g. in some street food stalls. There it costs M$30 (Jan 2022) filled with meat or cheese. Filled with both it's M$45 (Jan 2022).

in the city center:

🌍 Food stalls on the plaza in front of the Iglesia De La Santa Cruz. They are open daily in the afternoon and evening. One stall has a big variety of what you want on your taco. On Friday to Sunday in the afternoon and evening there is also a stall serving Gorditas Queretanas.

In the center:

The budget eats are along the street C. Corregidora around the Hotel San Francisco.

  • 🌍 Boyo's pizza. You get two slices of delicious fluffy pizza for M$29 (Dec 2021). Or two hot dogs for M$25 (Dec 2021). 
  • 🌍 Athéntica Comida China. You get spaghetti or rice with one kind of meat for M$65 (Dec 2021). It's open until around 19:00. 
  • Los Compadres, Calle 16 de Septiembre 46 - Excellent Mexican food. The "Rico Pozole" is very good.

Mid-range
  • La Mariposa - Great traditional food and antojitos prepared the old style. Downtown(Coordenates: 20.594565,-100.392535). Suggestions: "Pan de Queso", "Pozole", "Tamales"(spicy and sweet), atole, ice cream and shakes of "Mantecado", "nieve de limon", "Dulce de Membrillo", "Jamoncillos", "Enchiladas Rojas"(also known nowadays as "Enchiladas Queretanas"), "Enchiladas Suizas".
  • Che Che - Great seafood and ceviche (raw fish "cooked" in lemon juice). The main dishes are very big -- plan to share with a friend. The appetizers are very tasty -- a meal in themselves.
  • Il Diavolo, Universidad #202 Downtown (close to de la Cruz market), ☏ +52 442 223 0996. Italian cuisine, very relaxed ambient, pizza, salads & paninnis, great red wine, perfect for couples. 
  • Tamales Penamiller, Reforma # 59 Centro Historico (Between Pasteur and Rio de la Loza st), ☏ +52 442-212-6422. F Sa 19:00-23:30. 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 
  • Pollos Los Nogales (Los Nogales), Avenida Pie de La Cuesta NO 1703 Int 13 Col. Los Robles Plaza B, ☏ +52 442 243 2025, . Lots of cheap combos and a really good chicken salad. You can order a whole chicken, soft drink, salsa, tortillas and pasta. 

Drink

Querétaro has many nightlife districts where you can enjoy all kind of music and people, everything for everybody.

  • Wicklow - Irish pub located downtown with various kind of beers
  • Chava Invita - Classical "Cantina" founded in 1940s where you can take drinks and the food is free.
  • Pluma Lounge Cafe, Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera 30 (close to Templo de la cruz and Plaza Fundadores), ☏ +52 442 713 1338. 10:00-22:00. 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. 
  • Hank's Querétaro, Juarez Sur 7, downtown (Plaza Constitución), ☏ +52 442 214 2620. 12:00-00:00. Margaritas (Tuesdays), martinis (Wednesday) 2x1. Live Jazz. Creole Cajun cuisine. 
  • 🌍 Kaah, Ejercito Republicano #2 Col. Centro Historico. Trendy club with the best view of Querétaro City. 

Sleep

Budget

The budget sleeps are in the centro in Calle Juarez between Av. Reforma and Av. Zaragoza. Some of them are incredibly basic.

in the Centro
  • 🌍 El Mexa Hostel. With a rooftop. Drinking water is provided. Several low priced eating options around. M$215 (Dec 2021) for a dorm. 
  • 🌍 Jirafa Roja Hostel, Cnr 20 de Noviembre/Dr. Lucio. A small breakfast is included. A dorm is for M$230 (April 2022). 
  • 🌍 Meson de Carolina, Av Reforma Ote 36. Functional budget 3-star hotel in a Colonial-era building with simple rooms for M$580 (Jan 2022). 
  • 🌍 Hotel San Francisco, Prol Corregidora Sur 144. Simple 2-star hotel. Including private bathroom starting at M$400 (Jan 2022). 
  • 🌍 Hotel Corregidora, C. Corregidora 138. Really basic 2-star hotel. With private bathroom week-days for M$250, at the week-end M$350 (Jan 2022). 
  • Queretaro Guest House. Short-term rental, clean, wire-less internet, cable, and kitchen use in the centro histórico. 

Mid-range and splurge
  • HOME. A B&B in the heart of the Historic Center. 
  • La Casa de la Marquesa - The mansion of the Marquis has been turned into a luxury hotel.
  • Doña Urraca - Old Spanish mansion turned into a hotel and spa, very expensive and elegant.
  • Fiesta Inn - Chain hotel, located far outside the downtown.
  • Fiesta Americana - Hotel beside the Plaza Boulevares mall.
  • Holiday Inn Diamante - The best view of the city, it is on a hill far from the city center/downtown.
  • NH Queretaro, Av 5 de Febrero #1303, ☏ +52 442 2384200. Stunning modern hotel at the heart of true Mexican culture. Contains 140 rooms and many amenities to help you feel comfortable. 
  • Mansion del Burro Azul. 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. 
  • Plaza Camelinas - Large hotel with enormous character. Location next to highway can be loud.
  • Flamingo Inn - Modest motor court style hotel, clean rooms, excellent choice for the motorist on a budget.
  • La Casa del Atrio, Allende Sur #15, ☏ +52 442 212 63 14. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. 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. from M$3,000 (Dec 2021). 
  • 🌍 Residencia Sofia, Fray Bernardino de Sahagun No. 55, Col. Cimatario, ☏ +52 442 369 9242 (only texts or Whatsapp), . Check-in: 15:00-22:00, check-out: before 12:00. A boutique, family-owned hotel with tons of character, daily housekeeping, free high-speed wifi, on-site parking available on request. promo/long-term rates $25+. (updated Aug 2022)

Learn

Querétaro has one of the fastest growing foreign populations in Mexico, and the need to learn Spanish is growing.

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