Three weeks in to our stay in Mexico City, and we decided to take an overnight roadtrip. There were tons of options, but after just a bit of research, we found that the charming city of Puebla was the right fit for us.
We started with a very early bus ride from Mexico City to Puebla, arriving early enough to drop off our bags at our hotel and grab a quick breakfast. We are at a small boutique hotel that is fantastic and a great value.
Our first stop was the Zocalo, which was just starting to get busy for the day. The Puebla Cathedral dominates the square, so we stopped in to have a look.
Across the street from the massive cathedral is a very large city building that is home to Biblioteca Palafoxiana. This is a one room library full of amazing books, art and displays. The claim to fame is that the library was built in 1646, making it the oldest library in the Americas.
Puebla is eminently walkable, and is so very charming. Beautiful parks, colorful buildings, soaring churches, and cute shops and cafes everywhere.
Located just north of the Zocalo is a hidden site that not many know about - ancient tunnels. Believed to be 500 years old, these tunnels were built to deliver water to the city. They were re-discovered just a few years ago, and is now an amazing experience.
Emerging from the very long tunnels, you arrive to the edge of the massive Los Fuertes Parque. Here is the Fuerte de Loreto - an old fort that memorializes one of the most important events in Puebla's (and Mexico's) history. Have you ever heard of Cinco de Mayo? Well, on the 5th of July 1862, a very important victory over the French took place in Puebla, proving to be a huge morale boost for Mexico. The fort has some cool historical pieces and explanation, and the view down to the city is beautiful.
We hopped in an Uber to get back to Puebla so we had plenty of time to visit Museo Amparo, which turns out to be one of the most impressive museums we have seen.
In one of the entry rooms, they have the entire length of the wall covered in a timeline of what was happening in the world over ancient time. So impressive!
The museum has an incredible display of ancient art and historical pieces from all over Mexico.
Another section of the museum includes a completely rebuilt Puebla home, complete with kitchen, living rooms, bedrooms, entry and more, all completely decorated.
Located off a pedestrian street is the famous Capilla del Rosario, perhaps the most ornate chapel in the world. It is absolutely covered with gold, designs, statues, and more. It is overwhelming, and you could spend days just examining different sections of this chapel.
Not far from the chapel is another pedestrian street famous for a ton of candy shops selling local favorites from Puebla. Come to find out, Puebla likes to include alcohol in their candy. We bought some to try for ourselves. Not fans of this, but it was a novelty.
Puebla is a beautiful city at night, and once the sun went down, so did the temperature. This is one of the first times we have been cold in Mexico. So, we visited the famous Churro shop and called it a night.
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