Toluca
At the northeast end of Plaza Garibay, the stunning and unique Cosmovitral Jardín Botánico was built in 1909 as a market. The building now houses 3500 sq…
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West of Mexico City
The area to the west of Mexico City is dominated by the large industrial, transportation-hub city of Toluca, the capital of the state of Mexico. While pleasant, Toluca has little to recommend it to travelers and most bypass it en route to the area’s two wonderful small-town, colonial gems. Malinalco is a sleepy and remote village with some fascinating pre-Hispanic ruins perched above it, and Valle de Bravo, a cosmopolitan getaway, is located on the shores of a large, artificial reservoir, a dramatic two-hour drive west of Toluca. The countryside surrounding Toluca itself is scenic, with pine forests, rivers and a huge extinct volcano, Nevado de Toluca.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
West of Mexico City
An invigorating 358-step hike up the mountainside above Malinalco takes you to one of the country’s few reasonably well-preserved temples (even surviving…
West of Mexico City
This interactive collection of live and mounted insects and other creepy crawlies is a giggly delight. You can join a continual circuit tour where you can…
Toluca
This musuem exhibits the work of modern Mexican-Japanese muralist and landscape artist Luis Nishizawa (1918–2014). Nishizawa was born in the state of…
Museo de Arte Moderno del Estado de México
Toluca
The Museo de Arte Moderno traces the development of Mexican art from the late-19th-century Academia de San Carlos to the Nueva Plástica and includes…
Museo de Antropología e História
Toluca
This standout museum presents exhibits on the state’s history from prehistoric times to the 20th century, with a good collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts…
Toluca
This museum has a wonderfully varied collection of Mexico’s traditional arts and crafts, with some astounding ‘trees of life’ from Metepec, whimsical Day…
Toluca
This large cultural center, 4.5km west of the city center, houses three good museums (which all keep the same hours). It’s no must-see, but still a…
Plan with a local
Guidebooks
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