TEPOZTLAN, MX
Tepoztlan is a pretty special place that I feel is so frequently overlooked by people traveling in and around Mexico City. It's a stunning little pueblo magico sitting only about an hour and a half or so away from the city. It's a vibrant town, with cool shops and restaurant that sits at the foot of a stunning mountain range. At nearly every point in the city if you look up you will see large vertical pillars of rock. For me after seeing some beautiful photos of the city, the mountainous backdrops, and colorful flags, I was in immediately. Theres also some old folklore surrounding the city, with people believing that aliens were here in the past. There are some ruins up in the mountains here, including some small pyramids and other structures. No one really knows how any of it got there so the myth is that it was built thousands of years ago by aliens. You can buy some alien souvenirs here if you like with that in mind if you feel like it. But in general Tepoztlan for me was an awesome place to spend some time. It's very relaxed. The traveling community here is cool and there are some nice hostels, places to eat, and places to go listen to music. The weekend market is a lovey thing to walk around and the town in general is very walkable and fun to explore. The weather is also great here it's very temperate. It's an amazing place to relax and just chill. Catch up on some mellow time in a beautiful and restful place. There will be some nightlife stuff to get into on the weekends, but the name of the game here is chill I would say for the most part. This place isn't hidden or anything; on the weekends especially you will get a lot of tourism from people who are coming down from Mexico City. So the weekends can get crowded, but in a good way. Hundreds of people walking around the market, drinking the mojitos that the city is famous for, enjoying themselves. I loved it here.
With its proximity to Mexico City, I was always surprised at how few people actually came here. Anyone who spent a lot of time in the city usually knew what it was or had been there but those passing through usually miss it. Given its ease to get to, and the only hour and a half trip to get there from the city I think it should be on most people's list of go tos.
Tepoztlan is located up in the mountains at 1700 meters, or nearly 6,000 feet, in the state of Morelos. Still significantly lower than Mexico City, however, which is up at 2,200 meters. In order to get to Tepoztlan you will descend down 95d, for what feels like forever, until arriving. It's mostly a straight shot from Mexico City, and there's nothing crazy about the road to get here. If you have your own car, you should have no problem putting in directions and getting there with your DOWNLOADED MAPS.
To get there by bus is really easy. Wherever you are staying in the city will be able to help you get here. It's a common spot for people traveling but as I said, often overlooked. the buses will take you into town, and it's pretty simple. You may have to walk a bit to get to your hostel. There aren't too many options, but the city is kind of big from a land-coverage perspective, and the hostels lie kind of on the outskirts of town. It's a beautiful walk, pretty much no matter where you are in Tepoztlan, so enjoy it. Well, I guess there are some hostels in town, but the one I stayed at was a bit further out. It's the one I would recommend though.
HOSTELS, CAMPING, AND HOTELS (IF ANY)
Looking at this place on Hostelworld, I can't believe it has such a low rating. It is entirely undeserved. I found this place to be amazing, and one of the more memorable places that I stayed in Mexico. It's a small, mellow hostel a little bit outside of town. It's about a 20-minute walk to downtown, or a 15 peso colectivo to get there from here. The hostel itself is nestled into the mountains in a large field, where they offer car camping and rig parking. They have a little restaurant, a kitchen, and a few different really mellow and relaxing common areas. This is where I would stay again if I went back.
There's actually a lot of housing options here in Tepoztlan, and a lot from a hostel-perspective too. They range from in town, to a bit out-of-town. But there are some really nice options based on what you are looking for. There will be a backpacking community here, so you will have traveling friends, no matter where you end up from this list as well. As with any place that is getting cool, the money is probably pouring into this place. Cool little boutique hotel destinations are popping up and stuff like that as well. If you aren't looking to do a hostel, then there are options outside of that.
There's good camping options too. It's located at Ekko Hostel though, that's where I would recommend camping; there's a big field where you can park your rig, and it's right under the mountains so it's beautiful as well. You get access to facilities too.
This hostel is more conveniently located in town than Ekko, and is a really great option as well. They have a nice communal rooftop where you can chill, and hang out and enjoy some of the nice views of the city. It doesn't have the hippie community feel that Ekko will have, but the location is certainly more convenient if you want to be closer to downtown. Gonna run you like $18 for a bed.
This is another option in the center of town. The hostel has a big backyard, and feels more like a converted house than a hostel. It's going to be the least social of the 3 that I have outlined here, and is on the more expensive side at $20 per night for a bed. But it will be quiet, relaxing, and nice, and the location is convenient in town.
EATS
The eating options in Tepoztlan are great. There is an awesome mix of street and local food, and restaurants that are more 'sit down'. The up-and-coming hippiness of the town as well, will allow for some healthier options. Eating healthy can be a task if you are traveling around Mexico and Central America. Other than fruits and veggies, local cuisine isn't exactly your idea of health anywhere. You will pay a premium for the healthy though.
One of the best places to eat in the city will be the market though. The main parkette around the plaza will be open everyday of the week where you can get street food at any time. On the weekend the market significantly expands to cater to the tourism. The streets will be lined with vendors selling local food and drinks. It's a great time, on top of a great way to get your food.
Food Options
This is really what drives the city; it's the cultural center if you ask me. The market will be a hotspot for street stall food. They are primarily known for their prehispanic offerings. I will get into some of the traditional foods. But just walk around the market; there are tons of different options for food. Sunday is the biggest and most popular day, but the main market is open every day around Plaza de Las Armas.
Try Tlaltequeadas
One of the must-tries here are the 'tlaltequeadas', which is a types of traditional spinach fritter that is sold all over the place here. This is a prehispanic traditional food. the Spanish brought over things like pig, so most of the early traditional food was veggie based. These little fritters are delicious and cheap, and everywhere in the market.
Eat Some Itacate
'Itacate' in Mexico is a word that simply means 'take-away' food. But in Tepoztlan it takes on its own meaning; it's a small little corn-based snack that can be served with little veggie sides and is a great quick snack as you are touring through the market.
— Was the most popular, or famous restaurant I found in Tepoztlan. It has 10k google reviews, which is crazy. Overwhelmingly good as well. It's located on the main road; 'Del Tepozteco'. It's a cute little pink spot that's a few storeys, and is a nice place to sit down on the main drag.
I randomly stumbled into this place on my walk back to Ekko hostel from downtown. There was house music coming from a cool backyard bar and restaurant. They have some food here; it won't be that cheap, but it's good, and the vibes are awesome.
This is a good option for food if you are staying at Ekko and looking for some food at night. It's just down the road, they have pizza to go, and there is live music in there sometimes. It's a cool local vibe.
and many more...
Go explore. There are restaurants all over the place. Eating your way through a city can be one of the best places to figure it out anyways. The market options are relativley endless and there's tons of restaurant options along the main street — 'Del Tepozteco', that you will notice as you are walking around or on your way up to the ruins.
NIGHTLIFE
Bars and Clubs
I didn't partake in the nightlife here too much; not sure how much of it there really is to be honest. Tepoztlan is a pretty hippie town. If you stay around long enough, you will certainly find that there will be some raves in the woods or parties like that, but if you are only doing a couple day trip there, the nightlife is probably not the reason you are here. The market on the weekends is a pretty lively social event though.
The town is famous for their Mojitos, and it seems like every stand in the market is selling their liter-sized mojitos on the street. They are bright green, huge, cheap, and get the job done. There's also bars all over the place on the main street, Del Tepozteco; offering drinks and stuff during the day. A lot of them have rooftops so that you can enjoy the view of the mountains. From my experience not much happened after dark here. But the walking around and day drinking can be great fun.
Mercado Mojito
I know this isn't a bar or a club or anything like that, but from a drinking perspective it's probably the best thing that you can do in Tepoztlan. Get one of the GIANT mojitos that they sell everywhere in the market, walk around, and have an afternoon.
I randomly stumbled into this place on my walk back to Ekko hostel from downtown. There was house music coming from a cool backyard bar and restaurant. The vibes are great, the crowd cool and the music really nice.
— One of the many bars that are located on the main street on the way to the ruins but I stopped in here. Got a big michelada and hung out in foothills of the mountains. Good spot for a big drink, and a stop inside to have a seat.
SIGHTS
Probably the largest tourist attraction in the city is the infamous and mysterious pyramid of Tepozteco. The word around town is that these centuries old ruins are generally a mystery. No one really knows how they got there, and there are conspiracy theories that aliens are responsible for them. You can even buy some merch related to the idea. But there is a nice little hike up to the ruins that you can take, and it's a great way to spend an afternoon. You just walk down the main road and it eventually turns into the hike up to the pyramids. Really nice view of the city from up there also.
There's lots to see in Tepoztlan. One of the best being just walking around and admiring the city. But below are a few options outside of that.
I have already touched a lot on the market here in Tepoztlan, but it's really spectacular, and worth spending a lot of time in. It happens every day of the week surrounding the Plaza de Las Armas, but is really in full force on the weekends; Sunday being the biggest day of the week. You can eat local, prehispanic food, buy local goods and get drinks; all as you walk around and explore the beautiful city.
TEMEZCAL
You are entering Temezcal country. This is a traditional sweat lodge essentially. It's a pretty amazing experience where you spend a few hours in a handmade (if traditional) clay hut for a few hours, and go through a traditional ceremony. You can do them here if you are looking for that. I personally recommend the mountains of Oaxaca to do these, but in the magical mountains of Tepoztlan it can certainly be a nice and relaxing thing to do.
You're in the mountains baby. You already know there's nothing going on up here.
SURFING