Cuernavaca

No reviews yetCity Morelos, Mexico

The Palace of Cortés was built in the 1530s and is the oldest surviving colonial civil building on the American mainland, Cuernavaca, Morelos

The Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary began as a Franciscan monastery in the 16th century, Cuernavaca, Morelos

The Jardín Borda is an 18th-century garden and mansion that Emperor Maximilian used as a summer residence, Cuernavaca, Morelos

The Salto de San Antón is a waterfall within the city of Cuernavaca, Morelos

About Cuernavaca

Cuernavaca, the capital of Morelos, lies south of Mexico City in a valley famous for its mild climate, which earned it the nickname City of Eternal Spring. Aztec rulers, Hernán Cortés and later Emperor Maximilian all kept residences here, and the city has long been a weekend escape for residents of the capital and a center for Spanish-language schools.

The Zócalo is the heart of the old center, and next to it the Palace of Cortés, one of the oldest colonial civil buildings in the Americas, houses a museum with murals by Diego Rivera. The Cuernavaca Cathedral, built as a Franciscan complex in the sixteenth century, belongs to a UNESCO-listed group of early monasteries. Jardín Borda, the gardens Maximilian enjoyed, offers fountains and quiet paths. The Robert Brady Museum displays an eclectic art collection in a former home, and the Juan Soriano Museum of Contemporary Art features modern sculpture. Teopanzolco preserves a pre-Hispanic pyramid in the middle of the city.

Cuernavaca suits travelers looking for gardens, history and a relaxed climate near Mexico City. Chapultepec Park and the Salto de San Antón waterfall offer green breaks, and the hilltop ruins of Xochicalco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, make an excellent day trip.

Best seasonPleasant year-round; October to May is driest, while summer brings afternoon rain.

Ideal stayTwo to three days covers the center, gardens and a day trip to Xochicalco.

ArrivingMost visitors travel by car or bus from Mexico City on the toll highway south.

WiserMap travel guideCuernavaca Mexico City of Eternal Spring Gardens and PalacesPlan a trip to Cuernavaca, the City of Eternal Spring in Morelos, with the Palace of Cortés, Borda Garden, Teopanzolco, Xochicalco and Tepoztlán day trips.Read the guide

12 Unforgettable Things to Do in Cuernavaca

Landmarks 2

Zócalo de Cuernavaca

Cuernavaca's main square is really two connected plazas, the Plaza de Armas and the smaller Jardín Juárez with its bandstand, and...

Cuernavaca Cathedral

The cathedral complex began as a Franciscan monastery in the 1520s and still feels like a fortress, with thick walls, battlements...

History 3

The Palace of Cortés

Hernán Cortés had this stone fortress-palace built from the 1520s on top of a Tlahuica ceremonial platform, and it ranks among the...

Teopanzolco

Surrounded by city streets, this archaeological site preserves a large pyramid built by the Tlahuica people, with a double stairca...

Xochicalco

About 40 kilometres southwest of Cuernavaca, this hilltop city flourished between roughly 650 and 900 AD, after the fall of Teotih...

Parks 2

Jardín Borda

These terraced gardens were laid out in the eighteenth century for the family of José de la Borda, a fabulously wealthy silver mag...

Jardín Etnobotánico de Cuernavaca

Set in the quiet Acapantzingo neighbourhood south of the centre, this botanical garden occupies the grounds of a nineteenth-centur...

Museums 2

Robert Brady Museum

American artist and collector Robert Brady lived in this house beside the cathedral, known as the Casa de la Torre, from the 1960s...

Juan Soriano Museum of Contemporary Art

The Museo Morelense de Arte Contemporáneo is a striking modern building near the city centre, created to honour Juan Soriano, one...

Nature 2

Parque Chapultepec Cuernavaca

This ecological park grew up around freshwater springs on the city's east side, and clear streams still run beneath tall trees thr...

Salto de San Antón

In the old village of San Antón, now part of the city's west side, a stream plunges roughly 40 metres over a cliff of dark basalt...

Shopping 1

Mercado Adolfo López Mateos

Cuernavaca's sprawling main market lies a short walk from the historic centre and is where locals shop for everything from tropica...

Reviews

No reviews yet. Been to Cuernavaca? Be the first to share your experience.

Write a review

Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.

Share your photos

Been to Cuernavaca? Add your best shots to the gallery.

More places in Morelos

Tepoztlán

Morelos, Mexico

Tlayacapan

Morelos, Mexico

Xochicalco

Morelos, Mexico

Ixtapa

Guerrero, Mexico

Bacalar

Quintana Roo, Mexico

Cancún

Quintana Roo, Mexico

Chetumal

Quintana Roo, Mexico

Cobá

Quintana Roo, Mexico

See all places in Mexico →

Photo credits

Photo: Turgidson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Zoran Lazic, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: GABIEGUIN, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: JathZamudio, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Gabysss2505, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Maxtreiber, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: Juan Pablo M. Bastida, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Capucine Byron, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ken Eckert, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Bambirucho, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Christian Manuel Campos Navarro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: MONICA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: ·Maunus·ƛ·, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Thelmadatter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: MaríaJoséFelgueresPlanells, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Krystalms11, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Maxtreiber at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: 13Scorpio87, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: ProtoplasmaKid, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: LuisS211, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: SSVelasquez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Pavel Kirillov from St.Petersburg, Russia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: LuisS211, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: José Luis Tristán Espino, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: JathZamudio, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: EmmanuelHePe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: ORGP, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Danerus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: AndreaEloisaIzquierdo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Alessia Tatti, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Zara Molinar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: ANGM 142, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Zara Molinar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Andrea.rdz64, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Anaporti, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Salvador Barrera Rodriguez (self-made?), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5

Photo: Yotzin.sanchez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Danerus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Yotzin.sanchez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Danerus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Yotzin.sanchez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: GABIEGUIN, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Itzelsaenz03, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: GABIEGUIN, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Logue 0019, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: HJPD, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0