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Puebla, Mexico 🇲🇽 - Part 1

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momo

We thought of Puebla as a small colonial town outside Mexico City. It turned out to be the 4th largest city of Mexico with a population of 1.5 million so not small at all. The city has beautiful colonial architecture and a rich culinary history. There were so many picture-worthy moments in Puebla that I have to split it into two parts. Part 1 - the first two days of our visit were spent exploring Puebla’s historic center.

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1st visit

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itinerary

itinerary Halo
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highlights

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Overview

Getting around the city was pretty easy and cheap with Uber. The rides we took in the city were usually US$2-3 per ride (at most $5).

English is not well understood or spoken by local people. Hotel staff speak decent English but outside that, you should have Google Translate app ready if you don’t speak Spanish. Most restaurants we ate at were quite modern/international but we would be lucky to find one waiter that could communicate in English.

One other thing to note is that Mexico is very dry. Even in winter months like February, the dry air makes the warm temperature feel really hot so wear summer shorts during the day between 10am and 10pm. For early morning and late evening hours, you will need layers (a sweater or a light jacket). If you are not used to the dry weather, you might also be prone to dry skin, chapped lips, frizzy hair, and even nose bleeds (our little one had multiple accidents on the trip).

trip-journal-location
Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, Mexico City

Day 1 Itinerary

Places visited: Mexico City International Airport - Azul Talavera Hotel - Azul Talavera Hotel - Templo de San Francisco - Paseo San Francisco - Restaurante Casareyna

Arrival in Mexico City
Arrival in Mexico City
Arrival in Mexico City
Arrival in Mexico City
Arrival in Mexico City

Arrival in Mexico City

Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel

Azul Talavera Hotel

Previously part of Rosewood, Hotel Azul Talavera has upscale rooms, beautiful common space, and impeccable services. The hotel is located on the edge of the old town so a good base to explore. It’s about a 15-20 mins walk from the hotel to the center square (Zocola) and it’s a very enjoyable walk as you will pass many beautiful sites.

The hotel front desk and concierge are extremely helpful in making our stay comfortable (Oscar is the man to ask for any local recommendations at the concierge) . We requested a crib for our little one and not only did they deliver a crib, it also came with a set of baby beddings and pillow. They even left us a whole set of baby products (shampoo, soap, moisturizer).

The courtyard restaurant and the rooftop bar+ pool are both gorgeous spaces to relax at the hotel. The restaurant has outdoor seating overlooking the garden and the lawn. Almost every night during our stay, there was some special event like a birthday party or a wedding so it must be a popular event space for locals.

Hotel Rooftop
Hotel Rooftop
Hotel Rooftop
Hotel Rooftop
Hotel Rooftop
Hotel Rooftop
Hotel Rooftop

Hotel Rooftop

The rooftop is our favorite hangout spot at the hotel. The view is just gorgeous and the heated pool was an instant hit with the little one. We spent some relaxing and quality family time there every day :).

Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco

Templo de San Francisco

Paseo San Francisco
Paseo San Francisco
Paseo San Francisco
Paseo San Francisco
Paseo San Francisco

Paseo San Francisco

Restaurante Casareyna
Restaurante Casareyna
Restaurante Casareyna
Restaurante Casareyna
Restaurante Casareyna
Restaurante Casareyna
Restaurante Casareyna
Restaurante Casareyna
Restaurante Casareyna
Restaurante Casareyna
Restaurante Casareyna

Restaurante Casareyna

Food was ok but we were not blown away. We liked a few dishes: fried parsley, white mole (mole is a specialty dish originated from Puebla and their version of white mole uses pine nuts instead of the more common peanuts), and grilled beef tongue (really tender).

trip-journal-location
Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, Puebla

Day 2 Itinerary

Places visited: Azul Talavera Hotel - Bistrot Pasquinel - Templo de San Francisco - Artist Quarter - Museo Casa de Alfeñique - Parian market - Templo de la Compañía de Jesús - Templo de Santo Domingo, Puebla - Capilla del Rosario, Santo Domingo - La Victoria Centro Comercial - Calle Cinco de Mayo - Zocalo - Catedral de Puebla - House of Culture of Puebla - Biblioteca Palafoxiana - Casa Mimi - Profética - Puebla Centro - Amparo Museum - Plazuela de los Sapos - Casa Barroca - Puebla

Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel
Azul Talavera Hotel

Azul Talavera Hotel

Gorgeous morning views of the old town with an active volcano in the background.

Bistrot Pasquinel
Bistrot Pasquinel
Bistrot Pasquinel
Bistrot Pasquinel
Bistrot Pasquinel
Bistrot Pasquinel
Bistrot Pasquinel

Bistrot Pasquinel

Our room included free American breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Bistrot Pasquinel. The restaurant itself is very beautiful. Because the hotel wasn’t that busy, we got this window table with a nice view every morning. The breakfast itself was simple but made with high quality ingredients. The crossaint and home made granola were excellent.

Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco
Templo de San Francisco

Templo de San Francisco

Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter
Artist Quarter

Artist Quarter

Charming area with numerous spaces for artists to work and showcase.

Museo Casa de Alfeñique
Museo Casa de Alfeñique
Museo Casa de Alfeñique
Museo Casa de Alfeñique
Museo Casa de Alfeñique
Museo Casa de Alfeñique
Museo Casa de Alfeñique
Museo Casa de Alfeñique
Museo Casa de Alfeñique

Museo Casa de Alfeñique

The building next to the museum is quite nice looking too!

Parian market
Parian market
Parian market
Parian market
Parian market
Parian market
Parian market
Parian market
Parian market

Parian market

Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
Templo de la Compañía de Jesús

Templo de la Compañía de Jesús

Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo
Templo de Santo Domingo

Templo de Santo Domingo

Capilla del Rosario
Capilla del Rosario
Capilla del Rosario
Capilla del Rosario
Capilla del Rosario

Capilla del Rosario

La Victoria Centro Comercial
La Victoria Centro Comercial
La Victoria Centro Comercial
La Victoria Centro Comercial
La Victoria Centro Comercial
La Victoria Centro Comercial
La Victoria Centro Comercial
La Victoria Centro Comercial
La Victoria Centro Comercial

La Victoria Centro Comercial

Calle Cinco de Mayo
Calle Cinco de Mayo
Calle Cinco de Mayo
Calle Cinco de Mayo
Calle Cinco de Mayo
Calle Cinco de Mayo
Calle Cinco de Mayo

Calle Cinco de Mayo

A quaint shopping street that leads to the city center (Zocola).

Zocalo
Zocalo
Zocalo
Zocalo
Zocalo
Zocalo
Zocalo
Zocalo
Zocalo

Zocalo

Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla
Catedral de Puebla

Catedral de Puebla

House of Culture of Puebla
House of Culture of Puebla
House of Culture of Puebla
House of Culture of Puebla
House of Culture of Puebla
House of Culture of Puebla
House of Culture of Puebla
House of Culture of Puebla
House of Culture of Puebla
House of Culture of Puebla
House of Culture of Puebla

House of Culture of Puebla

We stumbled upon the Culture House of Puebla when looking for Biblioteca Palafoxiana, the old city library, which happens to locate on the 2nd floor of the Culture House. Lucky for us, we got to enjoy a performance of Hawaiian dance, completely free to public. It was also a nice break from all the morning walk of sightseeing.

Biblioteca Palafoxiana
Biblioteca Palafoxiana
Biblioteca Palafoxiana
Biblioteca Palafoxiana
Biblioteca Palafoxiana

Biblioteca Palafoxiana

Casa Mimi
Casa Mimi
Casa Mimi
Casa Mimi
Casa Mimi
Casa Mimi
Casa Mimi
Casa Mimi
Casa Mimi

Casa Mimi

A cute cafe (serves mostly salads and panini sandwiches) for lunch. The street the cafe is on has some very pretty houses.

Profética (Library Cafe)
Profética (Library Cafe)
Profética (Library Cafe)
Profética (Library Cafe)
Profética (Library Cafe)

Profética (Library Cafe)

A bookstore + library + cafe, good for a coffee break.

Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro
Puebla Centro

Puebla Centro

Colorful buildings and churches are everywhere if you walk around the old town center of Puebla. Many of them I can’t even find names for so I will just tag them as Centro Puebla here 😁

Amparo Museum
Amparo Museum
Amparo Museum
Amparo Museum
Amparo Museum

Amparo Museum

A museum for modern and colonial art.

Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos
Plazuela de los Sapos

Plazuela de los Sapos

"Alley of the Frogs" is among the top things to do for Puebla on TripAdvisor but we had a hard time finding it because there is no street actually called "Calle de Los Sapos". We eventually found a flea market on Calle 6 Sur and realized this was the "Alley of the Frogs". The segment of the street right passed the flea market is one of the prettiest streets we have seen in Puebla.

Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca
Casa Barroca

Casa Barroca

A beautiful restaurant with great food. Service was great too. Highly recommend! A similar meal would have cost 3x in the States 😉.

Puebla at Night
Puebla at Night
Puebla at Night
Puebla at Night
Puebla at Night
Puebla at Night
Puebla at Night
Puebla at Night
Puebla at Night
Puebla at Night
Puebla at Night

Puebla at Night

Puebla is pretty at night too! All the monuments are well-lit.

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