Puebla City, the best getaway from Mexico City!

Why do I recommend Puebla City:

• Human Heritage City by the UNESCO

• A beautiful active Volcano: Popocateptl

• Great Gastronomy including Michelin recommended restaurants.

• Visit to the Great Cholula Pyramid, with the largest basement in the world and topped with a Catholic Church, Isn´t that incredible?

• International Baroque Museum designed by Toyo Ito, the Japanese architect winner of the Pritzker prize.

• Great atmosphere

WORLD HERITAGE CITY BY UNESCO

The Historie Centre of Puebla ("World Heritage"by UNESCO since December 11th 1987), contains 2619 monuments distributed across 391 blocks allocated over 6.9 square kilometres making Puebla the city with the largest number of monuments in the Americas.

Many relevant historical events have occurred in the city of Puebla; for example, the famous "Battle of 5 de Mayo" commemorated even outside of Mexico. This battle took place in 1862 and in it the Mexican army defeated the French army (then considered the strongest of all). Furthermore, the city is the birthplace of the Mexican Revolution. On November 18th 1910, the Serdán siblings were attacked at their house by the Mexican government due to their subversive ideas and activities. The revolution movement spread across the country in the days after this attack.

The Pueblan Gastronomy:

It is one of the most diverse and exquisite in Mexico and the world. Puebla has provided Mexico with its most traditional dish: Mole Poblano (chili chocolate sauce). Also, one can find there Chiles en Nogada (spicy peppers filled with mince and covered in batter and nut sauce), Chalupas (small fried tortilla snacks), and Cemitas (giant baps). The city is part of the "Delice Network," formed by cities characterized by having great gastronomy, restaurants, and professionals in this area.

Puebla has many restaurants recommended by the Michelin Guide to experience the best of its gastronomy: "El Mural de los Poblanos", "Casa Reyna", "Augurio", "El Güero Marinero", among my favorites. All of them are worth visiting.

Hiking at Popocateptl Volcano

POPOCATEPTL AND IZTACCIHUATL VOLCANOES

Visit Paso de Cortés, at 3,600 meters above sea level, where you'll enjoy spectacular panoramic views of both Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. The hike with local guides will take us along trails surrounded by pine forests and unique volcanic landscapes, where you can appreciate the high-altitude flora and fauna. During the trek, the guides will share fascinating stories about the Aztec mythology surrounding these legendary volcanoes, as well as information about the geology and ecology of the region.

If you are an art and architecture lover, Puebla is your best destination.

You will find the best examples of the Baroque style in Puebla: the "Capilla del Rosario" (Rosario Chapel), called the 8th wonder of the world, fully covered by gold.

The great Cathedral of Puebla, which exceptionally fuses the Herrerian style (sober and Renaissance) in its structure and facades with the sumptuousness of the New Spanish Baroque in its interior.

The International Museum of the Baroque is a museum of Baroque art designed by the Japanese architect Toyo Itō. It was inaugurated on February 4, 2016. To design the building, renowned Japanese architect Toyo Itō (2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate) drew upon three characteristic elements of Baroque art: movement, natural light as chiaroscuro, and the relationship between humanity and nature. These concepts, expressed through form, generate fluid spaces that respond to the complex needs of international museums. For Toyo Itō, architecture should be like a tree: an organism that grows and develops in relation to its environment, thereby generating new experiences that enrich the lives of its users. The museography of the new institution was conceived by the distinguished Mexican expert Miguel Ángel Fernández.

So, I could write the longest blog with all the beauties you will find in Puebla, but I'll just leave you with these examples so you can discover this destination by yourself. Puebla is located 130 km southeast of Mexico City. In 2 and a half hours, you will get there. Puebla offers a wide range of hotels, from exceptional experiences like the Banyan Tree Puebla with a Michelin key, the Cartesiano Hotel, and the Quinta Real Puebla (a former XVI Convent) to nice 3, 4, and 5-star hotels with excellent service.