7 Days: Mexico City Day Trips
Seven days takes the 6-day spine , Teotihuacan, Puebla, Cholula, Tepoztlan, and Cuernavaca each on their own day, and gives Taxco the overnight it genuinely earns instead of cramming Mexico’s silver capital into one exhausting round trip. Only got a couple of days? Start with the 2-day version instead.
Book these before you go
- The Teotihuacan sunrise balloon, sells out days ahead in high season: book the balloon flight
- Puebla and Cholula tours, useful for either day: check current tours
- A Taxco hotel for the one night away from base: check rates in Taxco
- Your Mexico City base for the other five nights: check rates in Mexico City
| Day | Trip | Distance / Travel Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teotihuacan | ~50km NE, ~1hr each way |
| 2 | Puebla | ~130km SE, ~2h10min each way |
| 3 | Cholula | ~130km SE plus 20-30min from Puebla |
| 4 | Tepoztlan | ~82km S, ~1-1.5hrs each way |
| 5 | Cuernavaca | ~85km S, ~1-1.5hrs each way |
| 6 | Taxco (arrival) | ~170-180km SW, ~2.5-3hrs, overnight |
| 7 | Taxco (return) | ~170-180km SW, ~2.5-3hrs back to base |
Day 1: Teotihuacan
Balloon pickup around 4am (1,990 MXN weekdays, 2,300 MXN weekends) or Autobuses Teotihuacan from Terminal Central del Norte, Sala 8, every 15-30 minutes from 6am, up to 104 MXN one way, per the official archaeological zone page . Entry 210 MXN foreign, 105 MXN nationals and residents. Return buses stop around 2pm.
Day 2: Puebla
Estrella Roja from TAPO, every 10-30 minutes, roughly 198-280 MXN, 2h10min each way. A full day in the UNESCO center, a real Talavera workshop, and mole poblano at an unhurried pace, per the official Puebla page .
Day 3: Cholula
Same route, stopping short of Puebla center this time for the Great Pyramid, the world’s largest by volume, entry 210 MXN foreign per the official Cholula archaeological zone page . Tunnels reopen late July 2026 after six years closed, worth building the day around if your dates line up.
Day 4: Tepoztlan
Pullman de Morelos from Terminal Sur, roughly 200 MXN, 1 to 1.5 hours. El Tepozteco hike, 45-90 minutes to a hilltop pyramid, small cash entry at the top, plus a full look at the artisan market. See the official Tepoztlan destination page for current hours.
Day 5: Cuernavaca
Same route, 17km past Tepoztlan. The Palacio de Cortes, now the Museo Regional Cuauhnahuac, holds Diego Rivera murals for roughly 90-100 MXN, closed Mondays, per the official museum listing .
With a Full Week, Should Every Day Trip Get Its Own Day?
Yes, and this is the version that proves it. Five genuinely different landscapes, pyramids, a colonial UNESCO center, an active-volcano backdrop, a mountain hike, and a colonial palace, all fit into five unhurried days before Taxco even starts. The only real risk of a full week is fatigue, which is exactly what day 6 and 7’s overnight is built to prevent.
Day 6: Taxco, Arrival
Morning
The genuine outlier, 170-180km southwest, 2.5-3 hours on Highway 95D’s mountain switchbacks. Buses run from Terminal Sur via Costa Line, Futura, or Estrella de Oro, roughly 300-380 MXN one way, per the official Taxco destination page .
Afternoon
Check into a hillside hotel, rates run reasonable for Taxco compared with a Mexico City night. Walk the Santa Prisca church, free, and browse the silver workshops without the pressure of a same-day return bus.
Evening
Dinner somewhere with a view over the hillside, this is the one night of the trip you’re not sleeping in Mexico City, worth treating as its own occasion.
Why Does Taxco Get an Overnight When Nothing Else on This List Does?
Distance. Everything else sits 1-2.5 hours from Mexico City; Taxco sits a genuine 2.5-3 hours away, and a same-day round trip eats 5-6 hours of driving against maybe 4-5 hours actually in town. An overnight flips that ratio entirely, more time in Taxco, and a real night’s sleep instead of a late bus back.
Day 7: Taxco, Return
Morning
A slower start than the rest of the week. Hit the Saturday silver market if your dates land right, or revisit a workshop from the day before for a piece you didn’t buy yet.
Afternoon
Bus back to Terminal Sur, the same 2.5-3 hour ride in reverse. Budget the full afternoon for it rather than scheduling anything on arrival back in Mexico City.
Evening
One last dinner back at base, closing out all six day trips in this family.
Is a Full Week of Day Trips Actually Better Than Splitting Time With the City Itself?
Depends what you came for. This itinerary deliberately covers zero in-city sightseeing, no Zocalo, no Casa Azul, nothing from the neighborhoods themselves, because six genuinely distinct landscapes fill seven days on their own. If you want both, our Mexico City guide covers the in-city side to pair with a shorter version of this plan instead.
Reconfirm your Taxco return bus time the morning of day 7, weekend departures fill faster than weekday ones and a missed bus means a late, expensive rebooking.