Toluca

No reviews yetCity State of Mexico, Mexico

Los Portales are three sets of arches lined with shops and cafes behind the cathedral, Toluca, State of Mexico

Plaza de los Mártires is the central square and has a monument to Miguel Hidalgo, Toluca, State of Mexico

The cathedral of Toluca is topped by a dome and a statue of Saint Joseph, the city's patron saint, State of Mexico

The Santa Veracruz Temple houses an image known as the Black Christ, Toluca, State of Mexico

About Toluca

Toluca is the capital of the State of Mexico, set on a high valley west of Mexico City beneath the extinct volcano Nevado de Toluca. Its altitude gives it a cool climate year round, and the city is a significant industrial and administrative center. The historic core, though compact, holds arcades, churches and an unexpected number of museums.

Los Portales, the long arcades lined with shops and cafés, are the traditional meeting place, and they are known for local sweets and for the green chorizo associated with the region. Plaza de los Mártires, flanked by government buildings, faces the Cathedral of San José, and the Santa Veracruz Temple sits just off the square. The Cosmovitral is the city's signature sight, a former market building transformed into a botanical garden beneath enormous stained-glass windows by artist Leopoldo Flores. Downtown museums include the Museo de Bellas Artes, the Museo de la Acuarela and the Museo José María Velasco, honoring the landscape painter.

On the city's outskirts, the Centro Cultural Mexiquense gathers several museums, and Sierra Morelos Park provides forest trails. Toluca suits culture-focused travelers and those heading to the Nevado, Metepec or Valle de Bravo. Days are mild and nights can be cold, so layers are wise.

Best seasonOctober through May is drier; bring layers year round because of the high-altitude chill.

Ideal stayOne or two days for the center and museums, plus side trips to the volcano.

ArrivingToluca International Airport serves the city, and highways and buses link it to Mexico City.

WiserMap travel guideToluca Mexico Cosmovitral Stained Glass and ChorizoExplore Toluca, Mexico's highest state capital: the Cosmovitral stained glass garden, Los Portales arcades, museums, local chorizo and day trips to Metepec.Read the guide

12 Ways to Experience Toluca

Landmarks 3

Portales de Toluca

The long stone arcades of the Portales wrap around a block of the historic centre and have been the city's commercial heart since...

Plaza de los Mártires Toluca

Toluca's main square takes its name from the insurgents executed here in 1811 during the War of Independence, honoured by the monu...

Cosmovitral

Toluca's most famous landmark is a former market hall from the early 20th century that was transformed into a botanical garden in...

History 2

Toluca Cathedral

Dedicated to Saint Joseph, the Cathedral of Toluca stands on the south side of the Plaza de los Mártires, on ground once occupied...

Templo de la Santa Veracruz Toluca

Facing the Plaza de los Mártires next to the cathedral, this church is one of the oldest places of worship in Toluca's centre. The...

Museums 4

Museo de Bellas Artes de Toluca

Housed in the former Carmelite convent of El Carmen in the historic centre, the Museum of Fine Arts of the State of Mexico shows a...

Museo de la Acuarela

One of the few museums in the world devoted entirely to watercolour painting, this museum in central Toluca opened in the 1990s in...

Museo José María Velasco

This small museum honours José María Velasco, the great 19th-century landscape painter born in 1840 in Temascalcingo, in the State...

Museo Modelo de Ciencias e Industria

Created by the brewing company Grupo Modelo, which operates a large brewery in Toluca, this interactive museum in the city centre...

Arts 1

Centro Cultural Mexiquense

On the western edge of Toluca, this large cultural complex opened in the late 1980s on the grounds of a former hacienda. It brings...

Parks 1

Parque Sierra Morelos

Covering wooded hills on the northwestern edge of the city, Parque Sierra Morelos is Toluca's big green escape, popular with famil...

Entertainment 1

Estadio Nemesio Díez

Known affectionately as La Bombonera, this stadium is the home of Deportivo Toluca, the Diablos Rojos, one of Mexico's most succes...

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