Enjoy one day of your weekend away from the busy capital to discover new places and relax from stress. Mexico City has the advantage of having very beautiful, serene surrounding towns with an immense cultural wealth. Malinalco, Villa del Carbón, Metepec or Tepotzotlán can be one of your options to visit. These places are less than 100 kilometers away, in the State of Mexico, so you will arrive quickly and you will not have to spend much.
Malinalco
This incredible little town is located in Toluca. It is a huge valley full of vegetation, cobblestone streets, beautiful colonial mansions and ancient temples. The place has witnessed some historical events of the Independence of Mexico and the Mexican Revolution.
The name of Malinalco is made up of malinalli, a gramineous plant called “zacate del carbonero”, with which ropes or mecates are made; from xóchitl: “flower” and from co: “in”. Therefore, it means “Where Malinalxóchitl, the malinalli flower, is worshipped.”
Transport
The transfer can be in different ways: the first is by bus, you can board it from the Poniente Terminal at a cost of 110 pesos; the other is by car, for the fuel you will be paying 200 pesos and the collection of two booths 105 pesos. So the total round trip will cost approximately 600 pesos.
activities
Malinalco has several cultural and recreational attractions such as a Golf Club, the Santa Mónica Chapel, the former Augustinian Convent, the Cuauhtinchán Archaeological Zone, the Divino Salvador Parish, the Señor Chalma Sanctuary, the Andrés Medina Gallery, the Cuauhtinchán Ceremonial Center and the Tlakuikani, some are free and others with a cost but they will not exceed 200 pesos per person.
food
And for food in the Center there are several restaurants where you can eat economically in a range of 45 to 180 pesos.
Carbon Village
This town has a cold climate and is surrounded by mountains and forest. If you like handicrafts here you can find many shops on the streets. 12 kilometers from Villa del Carbón is the beautiful Presa del Llano, surrounded by pine forest and therefore this place is considered ideal for ecotourism.
In colonial times, the town changed its name to Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia, and later it was called Villa del Carbón because the main activity was coal extraction. Currently it has a lot of culture, traditions and interesting activities.
Transport
The cost of the bus will cost you $100 pesos round trip, this is because in the Cuatro Caminos, Toreo and Rosario subways, there are transports that leave you in the center of Villa del Carbón. If you go by car, the booths will cost you 70 pesos and approximately 150 pesos for gasoline. So the total round trip will cost around 440 pesos.
activities
Villa del Carbón has different attractions such as camping or visiting some of these places: the Dr. Jiménez Cantú House of Culture, Cerro de la Bufa, “La Planta” Recreation Center, the Church of San Francisco de Asís, Llano de Lobos, the Craft Market, the Municipal Park “Luisa Isabel Campos Jiménez Cantú” among others. Visiting historical places is free, museums are, depending on the day and also camping, climbing or buying handicrafts.
food
The representative food of Villa del Carbón is the barbecue of ram, fritters, red or green mole, pork carnitas, pork rinds, turkey or chicken in mole or nugget, longaniza, tamales, trout and artisan eggnog of various flavors and the approximate cost for meals is 300 pesos per person per day.
Metepec
They call it the municipality of the sirens and the tree of life and it is very close to Toluca de Lerdo. Its name comes from Nahuatl and translates as Cerro de los Magueyes. The town is characterized by having artisans who transform the clay into beautiful pieces, pottery is the main activity of the place.
Transport
To get to Metepec you have to take the Marquesa highway, the cost of the booth is 88 pesos and you will spend approximately 170 pesos for gasoline, so the round trip will cost you a total of 516 pesos. If you decide to go by bus, the ticket costs around 200 pesos.
activities
Here you can visit all these places at a maximum price of 100 pesos per person. The House of Culture, the Chapel of Calvary, the Cerro de los Magueyes, the Former Convent of San Juan Bautista, the Fuente de la Tlanchana, the Church of Calvario, the Craft Market, the Clay Museum or the craft workshops are places worth knowing in Metepec.
food
The prices of some restaurants are around 100 to 200 pesos per person.
Tepotzotlan
Tepotzotlan It is a town declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a place full of history and culture since it is home to the National Museum of the Viceroyalty, which was built in 1580 as a Jesuit school.
Transport
If you decide to go by car, the cost of the booth will be approximately 89 pesos plus 150 pesos for gasoline, so the round trip will cost you approximately 478 pesos. The cost of a truck to Tepotzotlán is between 50 and 100 pesos.
activities
You can visit the National Museum of the Viceroyalty, where you can find cloisters and an old library. You can walk through the Plaza de la Cruz or through the craft market. There is also the Xochitla Ecological Park and the Arches of the Site where there is also rental of motorcycles, horses and a dam for fishing.
food
In order not to spend too much of your budget, you can eat at the Municipal Market where you can find all kinds of Mexican food, with an approximate cost of 150 pesos per person.
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