Tepoztlan is a really small town in a beautiful valley that is famous for its spas, meditation, alternative medicine clinics and a very traditional city center. It is one of the 121 Pueblo Magicos you will find in Mexico. It is a timeless place that will bring you back in time as lots of the city has a very particular charm. It is a place that must be visited and we urge people to consider visiting before it become more popular as the tourists might take Tepoztlan’s magic away!
We took a break from our 6 weeks stay in Mexico City to spend our Thanksgiving weekend in this town. Let’s look at what we did, where we stayed, how we got there and how much we spent!
Note: Unless specified otherwise, prices are in MXN as of November 2018 and include taxes. When prices are converted from MXN to USD, we used a ratio of 20 MXN for 1 USD. (so 1 MXN = 0.05 USD).
How much time to spend in Tepoztlan?
We recommend between three or four days. You can take a day trip to Tepoztlan but you won’t be able to truly enjoy the beauty of this place. For us, we decided to take a four day weekend over Thanksgiving.
What did we do?
Here is the daily summary of our weekend:
| Day | What did we do? |
| 1 (Thursday) | We left Mexico City and took the bus to Tepoztlan to reach our AirBnB which was conveniently located in the center of the city. We spent most of the day visiting the city market and then enjoyed a really nice (Thanksgiving) dinner. |
| 2 (Friday) | We spent the day hiking the Pyramid El Tepozteco (see intro video). It is a bit of a hike to get to the top but you are rewarded by a beautiful sight with a stunning view of the city. We recovered from the hike by enjoying a nice hour long massage. |
| 3 (Saturday) | We finished exploring the city and then took a three hour long Temazcal ceremony that was both a physical and spiritual experience. |
| 4 (Sunday) | After a late start, we enjoyed our favorite food that we found through our stay and then headed back to Mexico early to get some rest before starting a new week. |
Day 1 – Pre-Hispanic food & gourmet dinner
We commuted from Mexico City to Tepoztlan and arrived at our AirBnB a couple hours after lunch time. Once we checked in, we headed to the market and enjoyed some pretty amazing Pre-Hispanic food that included some really amazing Tlaltequeadas (pre-hispanic food). It is basically a selection of “vegetarian” balls that come all prepared with weeds, flowers, seeds, fruits (& even crickets) from the region and were served with some delicious mole! Cost: between 20-100 MXN per person (or 1-5 USD)
We then kept exploring the center of the city and enjoyed a nice dinner date at the restaurant of the Hotel/Spa Casa Ferdina. The food was fantastic and we pretty much had the entire place for ourselves 🙂
Day 2 – Hike to the top of El Tepozteco & Couple Massages
After a good night of sleep, we got our breakfast at our AirBnB and headed to the start of the trail to visit the pyramid of El Tepozteco. The site may be reached by walking down Avenida 5 de mayo (in the direction away from where you entered the town).
El Tepozteco was used to be a shrine dedicated to Tepoztecatl (patron god of the people from the Tepoztlan valley). It takes about an hour to get to the site. It is a majestic place nested on top of a mountain which overlooks the city. After visiting the pyramid, we hiked more to find a nearby peak so I could get the aerial footage (see the intro clip for this blog post) in order to capture what pictures could not represent. The entrance fee (that you pay only once you reach the pyramid) was 55 MXN (or ~3 USD) per person.
This great adventure took most of they day. We then went to look for a nice massage place in the evening. We got an hour long couple full body massage. Cost: 1150 MXN with tip (or ~29 USD) for the two of us.
For dinner we went for a vegetarian dinner at Corazon Sonoro.
Day 3 – Exploring Tepoztlan and Temazcal ceremony
On our third day we went to explore the city. We walked through the small town to discover many murals, shops and restaurants.
The town has two main churches and if you climb up you can reach some fancy hotels.
The highlight of our day was a Temazcal ceremony. A Temazcal literally means “house of heat”, so it’s a sweat lodge. The ceremony came from pre-hispanic indigenous and was done to purify the body after exertion. Our ceremony lasted for 3 hours! Two and a half of them were spent inside the Temazcal with 7 others people + our spiritual guide. We passed through four “gates” (representing different stage of human life). Between each of them, the door of the Temazcal would open to let burning hot volcanics stones inside that were later sprayed on with water and medicinal herbs. Throughout the ceremony we set – in pitch dark – intentions and sang songs rhythmed by instruments. It was both a great spiritual and physical experience. Cost: 450 MXD (or 22 USD per person). This was money well spent! We got some tea and fruits after our ceremony and went straight to bed after that.
Pro-tip: book your Temazcal ceremony in the evening so that the temperature is a bit more cooler than in the middle of the day.
Day 4 – Pre-Hispanic food
For our last day, we enjoyed a nice breakfast at our AirBnB. We then went back to the market and indulged on our last Pre-Hispanic food & snacks. We decided to pack some home and we did well as after spending 3+ months in Mexico we were not able to find this food anywhere else. Can it be just done in Tepoztlan? If you know, please let us know in the comment section below.
We then took a taxi to get back the the bus station to head back to our home in Mexico City.
What else to do in Tepoztlan?
Here are also additional options that we had on our list but we did not have a chance to try out! If you do, please come back and leave us a comment about it!
Look for UFOs!
If you are curious about it, the locals claim UFO sightings are common, which mostly just adds to the “new age” vibe of the town. You can try to ask the local about the “ovni” to hear strange tales.
Have brunch at La Posada de Tepoztec
This hotel is located two blocks above the main square. In addition to offering beautiful lodging, the restaurant serves delicious local cuisine. Sit on the serene patio to enjoy the mountain and town views. I’ve heard that their chicken Mole is delicious.
Where to stay?
As always, we used AirBnb to find a place to stay! The apartment we found (listing) was a studio located in the center of the town just a 5 minutes walk from the main market where lot of food options are. We had a kitchen and a nice view on the garden. The place was very well appointed and we did not have any problem enjoying some yummy breakfast there before starting our day. (Pro-tip: you can use our AirBnB referral link if you want to get a 40 USD credit on your first rental when you sign-up).
The town offers a wide range of options so you can also get really fancy by booking for instance a few nights at Posada Del Tepozteco.
How to get there?
The best way to get to Tepoztlan is by bus. From Mexico City, get to the bus terminal near the Tasqueña subway station. The cost for a one way ticket is 135 MXN per person. The bus ride was comfortable, scenic and took about an hour and a half. Because the bus terminal in Tepoztlan is a bit outside of the city, you can either walk for 30 minutes or take a taxi that should cost you about 16 MXN per person.
How much did we spend?
TL;DR; As a couple we spent 51 USD (or ~1000 MXN) per person and per day. Note: this budget is as a couple so if you travel solo, your budget might differ.
| Category | Daily Cost USD (per person) | Comments |
| Accommodation | $16 / night | This is basically covering cost for our AirBnB apartment for the weekend. |
| Transportation | $5 / day | This is for the commute to/from Mexico City |
| Groceries /Snacks | $3 / day | This covered our breakfast and some snacks/ice-cream. |
| Eating Out | $13 / day | This include our lunch & dinners, including a nice dinner date at Casa Ferdina. |
| Activities | $14 / day | This includes our couple massage and our 3 hours long Temazcal ceremony. |
| TOTAL | $51 / day | We won’t say that this 4 day weekend is on the inexpensive side, but it’s not bad considering that we splurged quite a bit on food and entertainment. |
Others tips?
Here are our tips for anyone that is planning a getaway weekend in Tepoztlan and wants to save time and money while having the best possible experience:
- Eat street food! Not only it is really inexpensive, it is also really nutritious and delicious. Go to the market, sit at a stand that sells pre-hispanic food and try as many options as you can. Trust us, you won’t regret it and you might come back for more, as we did!
- Use AirBnB! AirBnB is a website that allows homeowners, in destinations all over the world, the ability to rent private spaces (or entire apartments) for a fee. As nomadic long term travelers, we like to call AirBnB our home as it has helped us save a lot of money and provided us with really great places managed by wonderful hosts! Pro tip: If you sign up for AirBnB using our referral link, you will get a 55 USD credit (or the equivalent in your local currency), which should give you a pretty nice discount on your first night!
What do you think about Tepoztlan? Would you like to spend a weekend there and embrace the nature and spirituality that this “Pueblo Magico” has to offer?
7 Comments
Amy · January 28, 2019 at 7:36 pm
Another terrific trip report! Love the video, too.
Mr. Nomad Numbers · January 29, 2019 at 3:32 am
Thank you so much Amy! Glad to see that the information we are providing is useful. Feel free to let us know if there is anything else that we should provide to make these reports even more useful!
Gerri · November 10, 2019 at 10:57 pm
Looks gorgeous! How is the bus ride there? I have trouble with winding cliffside roads. .
Mr. Nomad Numbers · November 11, 2019 at 12:33 am
Thank you Gerri. The bus ride from CDMX was fine as far as I can remember. I don’t have motion sickness though so your experience may vary.
Yumi · January 5, 2021 at 12:41 am
Thanks for the trip report and nice tips and photos. Do you remember the name of the massage place?? Also, some pyramids in Mexico are crowded with pushy street vendors or overly strict guards. What was your experience here?
Mr. Nomad Numbers · January 5, 2021 at 2:45 am
Hi Yumi. The Tepoztlan pyramid wasn’t as busy as more significant pyramids in Mexico. And while Tepoztlan is still not as touristy as other spots in Mexico (at least back in 2018 when we visited it), it is always better to visit during weekdays (vs weekends). As for the name of the massage place, here it is called “Zafiro Tepoztlán (Centro Holístico & Boutique)”. Here is the Google page for it: https://g.page/Centroholisticozafiro?share. Are you currently in Mexico?
Cost of our nomad living in Mexico City - Nomad Numbers · January 16, 2020 at 7:32 am
[…] Tepoztlan [trip length recommendation: 3-4 days] – Tepoztlan is a really small town in a beautiful valley that is famous for its spas, meditation, alternative medicine clinics and a very traditional city center. It is one of the 121 Pueblo Magicos you will find in Mexico. For more details, please check out our weekend guide to Tepoztlan. […]