This post's overview:
- 1 Where is Taxco and why is it worth visiting?
- 2 How to get to Taxco from Mexico City?
- 3 Where to stay in Taxco if you decide to stay there for 2 days
- 4 Tips on visiting Taxco for a day trip
- 5 The best things to do in Taxco in one day
- 6 Summary of a day trip to Taxco from Mexico City
- 7 Some other posts you might like:
One of the best day trip ideas from Mexico City is a day trip to Taxco de Alarcon, the Silver Capital of Mexico. In this article, I will share with you some ideas about the best things to do in Taxco in one day and the tips on how to get there from Mexico City using public transport or a rental car. Without further ado, let’s get started!
Where is Taxco and why is it worth visiting?
Taxco is a very beautiful colonial city located in central Mexico, circa 180 km away from Mexico City. Taxco is famous because of its silver jewellery and beautiful architecture. It’s a lovely city to visit if you’re looking for exciting day trips from Mexico City!
Before visiting Taxco, I didn’t know much about the city. However, during our last trip to Mexico, Jose and I have decided to visit the town of Jose’s vacation home, Ixtapan de la Sal, located just 1 hour away from Taxco. Jose had visited Taxco before as a child and thought it was a lovely place to show me and, honestly, it was the best decision ever! I really enjoyed walking around Taxco, managed to buy a very unique and pretty pendant and took some beautiful photos.
How to get to Taxco from Mexico City?
Travelling around Mexico might be a little challenging as Mexico doesn’t have a great public transport system around the country. There are also no trains, and roads are narrow and winding. Sometimes the traffic can also be very heavy, making your journey a couple of hours longer.
However, Taxco is actually located quite close to Mexico City, just 170km away. It takes between 2 and 3 hours to get to Taxco from Mexico City, depending on where you are based in the capital and how heavy is the traffic there.
The easiest way to get to Taxco for a day trip (or a weekend trip if you prefer to stay there for longer) is by renting a car and driving there. We always use Rentalcars.com for renting cars all around the world and also Expedia since recently, as they added their own full insurance that you can purchase at checkout. If you’re interested in some tips for driving in Mexico, head to this post >
Alternatively, you can take a coach. You can check the schedule and prices for buses to Taxco here.
Usually, it takes around 3 hours to get to Taxco by bus.
Finally, you can also buy an organised tour! You can find out more about the prices and availability here >
Where to stay in Taxco if you decide to stay there for 2 days
Taxco is a lovely city, so if you decide to stay there overnight, I can’t blame you! There are plenty of properties to choose from for any budget. These particular hotels seem to have the best reviews:
Tips on visiting Taxco for a day trip
Taxco is a stunning city, however, it has some serious traffic issues. The problem is that there is only one road that leads through the historic centre. In order to enter or exit the city, everybody has to use the same road. Unfortunately, that ruins the experience for pedestrians, as you need to be quite cautious, trying to walk between hundreds of cars stuck in a traffic jam.
There are also very few parking lots in Taxco city centre, so if you have a chance to park the car a bit further, it’s probably the best thing to do!
Taxco is also quite hilly! Make sure to bring really comfortable shoes so you can enjoy the city to the fullest!
The best things to do in Taxco in one day
Buy some silver jewellery for yourself, your family or friends
The ultimate best souvenir to bring from Taxco is silver. In Taxco, you can see jewellery shops around every corner. Hence, Taxco is often called the “silver capital of Mexico”. There are plenty of silver mines nearby (although most of them are not in use anymore) and a lot of artisan jewellers as well bigger chains have their shops in the city centre of Taxco. As most of the jewellery is made in Taxco, the prices are very low! Mostly, the prices depend on design. You can find some expensive designer jewellery as well as very affordable items (there are things for any budget).
Every shop has a different selection of jewellery, hence visiting a few is a good idea. You will be able to evaluate the prices and see a variety of different designs and perhaps find something that you really like!
A lot of people come to Taxco just to buy silver jewellery from all over Mexico!
Visit the “Plateria” – the museum of silver
Another silver-related thing to do in Taxco de Alarcon in one day is visiting the famous Plateria, the museum of silver. You will find out more about the history of silver mining in Taxco, you will see how a lot of jewellery is made and you will also learn more about the current situation with silver manufacturing in Taxco.
Try local food of Guerrero province
Every state (and sometimes even each town) in Mexico has its own famous food specialities that originated in this region and have been cooked in this region for many years. While some regions are more famous for their food than the others (e.g. Oaxaca, for example, which is often referred to as the culinary capital of Mexico), some other ones aren’t as famous, but still have some amazing dishes that are definitely worth trying!
Taxco is famous for its insect dish that consists of jumiles. If you aren’t scared away by the fact that you’ll be eating insects, then you should definitely try it!
Some of the best restaurants to visit in Taxco are:
- Rosa Mexicano
- La Hacienda
- Sotavento
Visit Taxco cathedral – Santa Prisa de Taxco
The main cathedral of Taxco is indeed very impressive and totally worth visiting. Built in the middle of the 18th century, this cathedral stands very tall above all the other buildings in Taxco!
Walk around the city centre and find the best viewpoints.
Finally, how can you visit Taxco and not spend a few hours just discovering the nicest streets in the city centre and walking a bit further away to find the best panoramic viewpoints of the city? Right! This is definitely one of the best things to do in Taxco! The only downside is perhaps the traffic – Taxco wasn’t built with having cars in mind, so the streets are very narrow, winding and can hardly fit a car and a pedestrian, so you should be careful, as there are many cars in the city (perhaps too many).
Summary of a day trip to Taxco from Mexico City
Alright, I hope you enjoyed this blog post about a day trip to Taxco from Mexico City! To summarise, Taxco is a charming town that used to produce a lot of silver in Mexico, which is not the case anymore. However, Taxco is still a go-to destination if you want to buy some unique and affordable silver designs. Also, Taxco has great food, beautiful streets and it’s located just a short driving distance from Mexico City!
Some other posts you might like:
Coyoacan – one of the best places to visit in Mexico City
Playa del Carmen on a budget: things to do
Cancun vs Riviera Maya: where to go
Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende road trip from Mexico City
SUCH A comprehensive guide! Thank you for sharing!