Monterrey All Destinations
Explore Monterrey
Monterrey Tours
All Monterrey Tours
State Museum of Popular Cultures (Museo Estatal de Culturas Populares)
Plaza Fiesta San Agustin
Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame (Salón de la Fama)
Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery (Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma)
Barrio Antiguo (Old Town)
Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana)
Avenida Morelos
How to Spend 1 Day in Monterrey
Macroplaza (La Gran Plaza)
Garcia Caves (Grutas de Garcia)
St. Lucia Riverwalk (Paseo Santa Lucia)
Fundidora Park
Chipinque Ecological Park (Parque Ecológico Chipinque)
Sesamo Park Plaza (Parque Plaza Sesamo)
Parque La Huasteca (La Huasteca Canyon Park)
Mirador del Obispado (Bishop's Lookout)
4 Tours and Activities
Build in the early 1980s, this popular town square is a hub for commerce and the fourth-largest plaza of its kind in the world. Impressive monuments line the pedestrian zone, including Faro del Comercio, which shoots green laser lights into the city sky each night.
Visitors to the plaza can wander the halls of the Palacio de Gobierno, where local government offices are located, or explore the Biblioteca Fray Servando Teresa de Mier—the city's iconic public library. Visitors can escape the noise of the city in nearby Jardin Hundido—located at the center of Macroplaza—where quiet fountains and well-kept gardens provide a true urban oasis.
Macroplaza (La Gran Plaza) Tours & Tickets
Garcia Caves (Grutas de Garcia) Tours & Tickets
Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana) Tours & Tickets
Travelers love wandering the scenic St Lucia Riverwalk, which opened to locals in 2007. The calming man-made stream winds through bustling Monterrey and provides visitors with an uninterrupted path along the river's edge. Quiet riverside tables and tasty restaurants are the perfect place to unwind and inexpensive boat rides drop travelers at popular destinations like the Plaza de los 40 Anos and the Mexican History Museum.
St. Lucia Riverwalk (Paseo Santa Lucia) Tours & Tickets
Locals gather at this park in the center of Monterrey to run the track, watch hockey tournaments at the popular ice rink, navigate the ramps of the skate park and experience the outdoors in an otherwise urban jungle. Situated on more than 100 hectares or land, Fundidora Park is home to expansive green spaces, concert venues, pedestrian walkways and the unique Museum of Industrial Archeologial Site, making it a destination for nature as well as for history and culture.
More than 13,000 indigenous trees and plants make the park feel like a truly urban escape, while two five-star hotels lend a bit of luxury to this destination loved by locals.
Fundidora Park Tours & Tickets
1 Tour and Activity
Sprawling across the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains and blanketed with pine and oak forests, the Chipinque Ecological Park is one of Nuevo Leon's most enchanting natural attractions and the most easily accessible part of the Cumbres Monterrey National Park.
Centered around the 2,200-meter peak of Chipinque, the park is a favorite retreat of city dwellers, with ample opportunities to explore and an abundance of untamed wilderness filled with exotic birds and wildlife. Along with a vast network of hiking and mountain biking trails, rappelling and rock climbing are popular activities, and Chipinque is also home to an astronomical observatory, a butterfly farm and several natural lookout points, which offer views over nearby Monterrey and the surrounding countryside.
Chipinque Ecological Park (Parque Ecológico Chipinque) Tours & Tickets
Sesamo Park Plaza (Parque Plaza Sesamo) Tours & Tickets
Parque La Huasteca (La Huasteca Canyon Park) Tours & Tickets
Barrio Antiguo's cobble streets and colonial structures may be some of the oldest in the city, but once the sun goes down the area comes alive with locals and tourists looking to experience the electricity of true Monterrey night life. Poplar Padre Mier is the prime party zone, where thumping discothèques and chic dance clubs line the streets.
Travelers who want to avoid the nightlife scene can still enjoy a visit to Barrio Antiguo. World-class restaurants and quiet cafes are perfect for relaxing over a cup of strong Mexican coffee or a plate of flavorful local cuisine. On Sunday afternoons regional artists and antique dealers set up street side tables for a unique alfresco shopping experience.
Barrio Antiguo (Old Town) Tours & Tickets
Proudly flying Mexico's largest monumental flag, the Mirador del Obispado (Bishop's Lookout) is impossible to miss, but the scenic hilltop esplanade is best known for its unbeatable panoramic views, which look out over the city of Monterrey and the surrounding mountains. Set at the top of the 775-meter-high Bishop's Hill, Monterrey's highest point, the Mirador del Obispado takes it name from the grand baroque Palacio del Obispado (Bishop's Palace) that sits atop its peak and now houses the Nuevo León Regional Museum.
While locals gather at the Mirador del Obispado year-round, the most atmospheric time to visit the lookout point is during one of the many annual celebrations and military ceremonies, like Mexican Flag Day and Mexican Independence day, when the Mirador hosts live music, traditional dance performances and huge firework displays, set against a backdrop of the neon-lit city below.
Mirador del Obispado (Bishop's Lookout) Tours & Tickets
More Things to Do in Monterrey
Glass Museum (Museo del Vidrio)
Galleries at Museo del Vidrio showcase the history of Mexican glass manufacturing, including pieces that date back as far as the 18th Century. Unique tools like glass molds and medal spires are on display in ground-floor halls, and daily glassblowing demonstrations draw crowds of interested travelers. One of the museum's most popular exhibits is a traditional stained-glass workshop that's more than 100 years old. A well-stocked shop in the heart of the museum sells items made on site, making it the perfect place to pick up a piece of Monterrey.
With a series of permanent exhibitions celebrating the world's cultural diversity, the State Museum of Popular Cultures is one of Monterrey's most unique attractions and offers an unparalleled insight into Mexico's cultural heritage and traditions, as well as popular cultures from around the globe.
The museum is also notable for its surroundings, housed inside the landmark Casa del Campesina, Monterrey's oldest civil building and former Governer's Palace, which dates back to the early 18th century.
A pedestrianized shopping street running through the heart of Monterrey's central Zona Rosa district, Avenida Morelos makes a popular alternative to the city's glitzy shopping malls, with a large number of handicrafts stores and a distinctly local flavor.
Stretching over almost 10 blocks, the shopping arcade is the best place in the city to shop for local specialties, which include leather goods (most notably Mexico's largest selection of cowboy boots), marquetry wooden boxes and hand-painted alebrijes (wooden figures), along with clothing, furnishings and souvenirs. Even if you're not shopping, Avenida Morelos is an atmospheric spot to pass an afternoon, with a wide selection of restaurants, cafés and bars, from which to watch the world go by, and entertainment provided by street musicians and performers.
Home to Mexico's largest baseball park, champion team Monterrey Sultanes and more than 50 Little League networks, Monterrey is the undisputed heart of Mexican baseball, so it seems only fitting that the city would host the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame (Salon de la Fama del Beisbol).
The Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 1973 and honors over 170 of Mexico's biggest names, including US-based players like Josh Gibson and Roy Campanella, and recent inductees like All-Star pitcher Teodoro "Teddy" Higuera, pitcher Mercedes Esquer and outfielder Jimmie Collins. Located on the site of the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery, Mexico's oldest brewery, the museum features an interactive baseball exhibition, displaying memorabilia and player's personal belongings, alongside individual plaques for each player.
Founded in 1890, the historic Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery produced its very first beer in 1893. Its initial frosty brew was delicious enough to win first prize at the Chicago and Paris world fairs. Today, the once independent purveyor of barley and hops operates as a subsidiary of big-name beer company Heineken, but visitors can still experience the old world charm on a visit to the brewery, where a popular beer garden plays host to travelers and offers a free glass of Bohemia, Dos Equis or Carta Blanca to patrons.
Monterrey City Hall (Palacio Municipal)
Rodrigo Gómez Dam (La Boca)
Less than an hour from Monterrey, the manmade lake of La Boca Dam is a popular retreat for both locals and tourists, especially during the summer months, when the floating restaurants and waterfront BBQ areas play host to family picnics and lively social gatherings.
Often combined with a visit to the nearby Cola de Caballo (Horse Tail) Waterfall and Villa de Santiago, La Boca Dam is the ideal spot to cool off after a day of sightseeing and as well as swimming, the reservoir is also a hotspot for watersports and outdoor activities. Visitors can try their hand at fishing, zoom around the lake on a jet ski, soak up the scenery with a kayak or boat cruise, or enjoy hiking or horseback riding in the surrounding mountains.
Cascada Cola de Caballo (Horsetail Waterfall)
The scenic skyline of Cerro de la Silla (aka Saddle Mountain) in the rugged foothills of Cumbres de Monterrey is one of the main draws to this national park, but Cola de Caballo—also known as Horse Tail waterfall—in another popular stop in this urban escape just outside Monterrey. Located in the town of Villa de Santiago in Nueva Leon, Cola de Caballo looks like the horse tail it's named for and cascades some 130 feet into a crystal clear swimming hole that has become a favorite among travelers.
Cumbres de Monterrey National Park
The iconic natural skyline of Cerro de la Silla—known as Saddle Mountain for its unique carved out "u" shape—is one of the highlights of a trip to Cumbres de Monterrey. The national park, located in the northern part of the Sierra Madre Oriental, just outside Monterrey, is home to some of the country's highest mountains, winding rivers, thundering waterfalls and narrow canyons. Travelers can explore indigenous flora and fauna lining quiet pine-oak forest trails or hike to scenic waterfalls, like popular Cascada Cola de Caballo, where rushing waters resemble a horsetail and nearby streams offer the perfect place to cool off and escape the hot Mexican sun.
Villa de Santiago
The charming cobblestone lanes and elegant colonial architecture of Villa de Santiago have earned it a place on Mexico's list of 'Pueblos Mágicos' or 'Magic Towns' - traditional towns known for their unique culture, history and heritage. The architectural highlight of Villa de Santiago is the baroque church of Iglesia Santiago Apostol, which dates back to 1854, but there are a number of other attractions, including the grand fountain and pavilion of bustling Plaza Ocampo, the fascinating Santiago History Museum, a colorful handicrafts market and an excellent range of restaurants known for serving up some of Nuevo Leon's best cuisine.
Less than half an hour from Monterrey, Villa de Santiago is also strategically located for exploring nearby sights like La Boca Dam, a popular summer swimming spot, and the Cola de Caballo, or Horsetail Falls, where activities include hiking, horseback riding and even bungee jumping.
As one of Mexico's largest shopping malls, Plaza Fiesta San Agustin offers a myriad of options for shoppers and whether you're looking to pick up some unique souvenirs, sample an array of international cuisine or just enjoy a glimpse of local life, visiting the mall makes a popular side trip from Monterrey.
With more than 350 shops, you'll find just about everything at Plaza Fiesta San Agustin, from department stores like Dorians and Sears to high street favorites like Zara, Mango and Guess, and top brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Levis and Swarovski. Also on-site is a multiplex cinema and a huge food court featuring a range of ethnic cuisine, fast food and high-end restaurants.
This well-loved city in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon may be home to some of the country's major corporations, but there's also plenty for travelers not on business trips to do and see. The seventh-largest city in Mexico, visitors love the Centro Cultural Alfa—a science museum with an impressive planetarium and plenty of interactive exhibits perfect for the younger set. Contemporary music acts and world-class performing artists take to the stage at the Auditorio San Pedro, and travelers in search of exclusive shopping can head to the ritzy Calzada del Valle and Calzada San Pedro or visit Paseo San Pedro and Plaza Fiesta San Agustin for more mainstream offerings.
More Tours in Monterrey
Things to do near Monterrey
Things to do in Mazatlan
Things to do in Sinaloa
Recommended for Monterrey