Taxco de Alarcón is a gorgeous colonial town renowned for being the Mexican silver town, its cobblestone streets and whitewashed dwellings.
Located about 3 hours away from Mexico City on the Cuernavaca-Iguala highway. It is relatively easy to get here. Spite of being rather small there are still many landmarks and activities to do.
We would recommend spending 2 days here. However, you could do it in a day if you are pressed for time.
If you are thinking about having a day trip or do a road trip around Mexico, we recommend you consider Taxco, this unique Mexican silver town. M and I had a wonderful time with my mom and grandma.
Here is what stood out the most to us:
Santa Prisca Parish
It has an intricate altar and beautifully sculpted pillars.
After you come out of the church we recommend you find a bench on el zocalo (the main square) and do some people watching. If you enjoy photography this is probably bound to be one of the most photogenic areas in Taxco.
Looking for silver?
There are many stands all around Taxco since it is the Mexican silver town. So feel free, to browse as much as you like. At the end if you find something of your liking, we recommend that you get it as Taxco has some of the best prices in Mexico for silver.
As previously mentioned, there are jewelries across the town, but if you don’t have much time you can head to el centro joyero where there are many stands grouped together. We recommend to only buy from stores with a certificate. There is no way to guarantee that you are getting real silver if you are buying from a street vendor.
Posada de la Mision
This is actually a hotel but you should treat it as a tourist attraction as some of the most interesting sights are located here. Since Taxco is a Mexican silver town, they have a pristine mine located under the hotel. It is accessible through an elevator leaded by a guide. You can see the virgin quarry with large quantities of gold and silver embedded on the rock and learn about the colonial history of the town. There is also an enigmatic figure on the roof which inexplicably looks like the Virgin of Guadalupe.
The address is: Cerro de la Misión 32, Taxco.
Once you exit the mine you have an opportunity to walk around the hotel which has some of the most impressive décor and antiquities around. This hotel is also famous for its mural made by Juan O´Gorman who was one of Mexico’s most illustrious artists. El mural de Cuauhtémoc is a beauty which shows the last Aztec king as well as Aztec symbolism and mythology. O’Gorman was aided by Diego Rivera and many artisans from Guerrero to effectuate this mural.
One of the best panoramic views of the city is from the hotel’s balcony.
Museo Casa Figueroa
It is located next to el zocalo. We enjoyed our 30 minute visit through its rooms, azulejo tiles, furniture and macabre revolutionary war history.
The cost is 30 pesos per person OR 20 pesos for students and 65+.
Cristo Monumental
Take a bumpy ride up here where you will be able to enjoy the best view of this gorgeous white town. From certain angles in Taxco you can see the statue.
If you do not end up coming to Cristo Monumental but you still would like to get a great view of Taxco you can take a funicular for 95 pesos (about 5 dollars) round trip.
What to eat
Go eat at Tia Calla
You can get various Mexican specialties, but it is best known for its pozole. In Mexico, on Thursdays there is a country-wide tradition called Jueves Pozolero where many people eat pozole an get a 2 for 1 discount!
Pozole is the best-known food of Guerrero, the state which Taxco is located in. Other specialties of the house would be its tostadas or enchiladas suizas-although we do recommend you get pozole since after all it is a pozoleria.
Other regional food we recommend are tostadas, bean tamales (don’t forget to take the corn husk off lol!), chalupas de chilapa, mole rosa and pan de muerto! You should get atole from the street vendors along its main streets, my grandma loves it! Also don’t forget to have some delicious freshly squeezed juice.
If you like mezcal
Guerrero is a mezcal hotspot in Mexico only second to Oaxaca. Here you can get great bargain prices.
As I am sure you will see after your trip, Taxco is a beauty and one of the best-know pueblos magicos. If you drive into Taxco, we recommend you find a hotel with a parking space and leave your vehicule there as it will be challenging to find street parking. Keep in mind that it can take you a bit going place to place as it is very mountainous. What we did while we were there was take public transportation and taxis.
Also, as you will notice Taxco is incredibly clean and everything is white which evoke some similarities to the Greek islands. This aesthetic is required to keep their pueblo magico status so the city is preserved incredibly clean and aestetically pleasing.
Bonus
If you have time on your hands, I suggest that you make a stop at Ixtapan de la Sal on your way over to Taxco or on your way back (Ixtapan is 1h30 away from Mexico City).
My family and I often come here to bathe in the mineral rich waters of this town in El Bañito. They have various pools: some dedicated to hydromassage and others to clay facials. In another room, they have more pools full of hot springs. They also have a small water park for the kids next to the entrance with a large water slide.
El Bañito is not a 5-star spa in anyway but it is so soothing and inexpensive we keep coming back! I would recommend leaving early from Mexico City and make a stop here (we usually stay around 3-4 hours) to relax before heading further south and reaching Taxco. If you can come during a weekday you will likely not have many people in the baths.
The entrance fee is 50-90 pesos (3-5 dollars as of June 2019). It opens every day from 7 am to 6 pm.
