Taxco, the city of silver and pink mole, is the perfect day trip from Mexico City! Only a 2.5 hour drive and you’ll be in the most beautiful valley surrounded with mountains covered in white houses, tiled roofs and silver galore. A true example of what Mexico looked like during colonial times.
Do you remember the, now discontinued, old Volkswagen Beetle? This place is where they all retired! There are hundreds of them! Their Mexican nickname is ‘Vocho’.
EAT
Pozolería Tía Calla
The local’s favorite for its taste and cheap prices. Their menu has many Mexican dishes, but the star of the show is the pozole –especially the green one, which they only serve early in the morning on Thursday and Saturday and sells out by 1pm, or the red one served on Thursday.
La Parroquia Restaurant
One of the many beautiful terraces overlooking Taxco’s famous parish. Arrive before sunset, ask to sit on the highest terrace and enjoy the city lights.
Del Ángel Inn Restaurant
The place to try Taxco’s delicatessen: pink mole! Have you heard of this? It’s made with a mix of beetroot, chipotle chili, almonds, nuts, pine nuts, garlic and rose petals. Very interesting taste… Definitely a must, if you like trying new dishes.
SEE
Santa Prisca Parish
Astonishingly, this super elaborate 18th century church was completed in only 7 years. To give you an idea, Mexico City’s cathedral (three to four times bigger, but with less interior detail) took almost 300 years.
The whole project was made and paid by José de la Borda, one of the most important miners of that century, as a gift for his son, who was a priest. Architects say it’s one of the best examples of Mexican baroque.
Viewpoint
If you are looking for a grand view of Taxco, head to the Mirador. Unless you are used to steep trekking, we recommend taking a taxi from the kiosk and asking him to wait for you. Do haggle before you get in, because we stayed for less than five minutes and were charged $120 mxn.
Silver Market
Silver galore! A Saturday market (08:30-16:00) with hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of designs. You won’t believe your eyes! A must, even if you are not looking to buy. Just be careful, because not everything is silver. The best way to know is to use a magnet: if it sticks, it’s not 100% silver and it’s most likely plated.
Wander around
Although walking feels more like trekking or climbing up very steep hills, it’s the best way to get to know the town (and tone your legs). Many picturesque spots, small cafés and cool shops. Plus, you’ll experience the organized chaos of the cars going up and down very narrow two-way streets without ever crashing into each other. It’s amazing!
SHOP
Platerías
Besides the market, there are thousands of stores selling silver! Our favorites were: Platería Tego & Platería July. This last one made the silver virgin that’s standing on Santa Prisca’s altar.
Something to keep in mind: Taxco miners have been in strike for almost 10 years, forcing vendors to seek their raw materials in other states, like Zacatecas. Although this has increased their production prices, you can still find some good bargains. Not buying is almost impossible.
Nuestro México Artesanías
When you get tired of looking at silver, head to this place. They have quite a collection of amazing masks that are used in popular Mexican dances, along with many other traditional souvenirs. And items are well priced, compared to other stores. You’ll love it.
La casa de la alpargata
The cobblestone streets can be a nightmare when you don’t have the proper footwear. If you forgot your sneakers like me (Maggie), this place sells beautiful and cheap “Toms”. But, the best part has to be the view –we took this photo from here.
STAY
We stayed at Hotel Los Arcos, a beautiful 16th century colonial casona that’s right in the center of Taxco. Our favorite part was the view from their rooftop with Santa Prisca’s talavera dome on one side and green mountains and white houses on the other.
Have you been to Taxco? It could easily become our go-to destination to unwind from Mexico City’s hecticness…
Useful information
Map
We’ve pinpointed all the sites mentioned above on to this map, to save you some time!
Hotel
We made our reservation here.
Other Day Trips
These are other Day Trips from Mexico City you can enjoy!
–Archaeological Site of Teotihuacan
–Nevado de Toluca
–Tlaxcala
–Firefly Sanctuary
–Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary
I was in Taxco someday