somewhere in notes

While planning my trip to Mexico, I knew I wanted to visit both Mexico City and Oaxaca. While looking at the map and figuring out my route, I noticed another city more or less in between the two: Puebla. At the time, I honestly didn’t know much about Mexico’s geography or its different cities. I decided to spend a few days in Puebla before continuing south. I booked a hostel, bought a bus ticket from Mexico City, and added Puebla to my itinerary.

Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla and is home to around 1.7 million people in the city itself, making it one of the largest cities in Mexico. Puebla also holds an important place in Mexican history as the site of the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, when the Mexican army defeated the French forces. The event now celebrated as Cinco de Mayo. The holiday is actually often celebrated more widely in the United States today, yet in Puebla it remains a proud symbol of resilience and national identity.

Puebla immediately felt calmer and more manageable than Mexico City. The historic center is very walkable, filled with colorful buildings, lively plazas, churches, and an endless amount of food to try. Yet as always when traveling, never enough time to taste and see everything.

After a relatively short bus ride, I arrived in Puebla, checked into my hostel, and headed out for a first walk around town. My first impression: colorful, beautiful, and less chaotic than the area where I had been staying in Mexico City.

Over the next few days, I explored different parts of the city, tried some of Puebla’s local dishes (as much as I could with a vegetarian diet), visited a few nearby towns, and had small conversations with locals and fellow travelers I met along the way. So let me share some of the things I did in Puebla.

Things to do while you visit Puebla, Mexico

Try some local sweets

You’ll find plenty of shops selling dulces típicos around Puebla, and if you have a sweet tooth like me, you’re in for a good time. One thing to try is camote, a traditional sweet made from sweet potato that comes in different flavours and colours. Another local favorite is Tortitas de Santa Clara: small cookies topped with a sweet pumpkin seed frosting. Very sweet, but honestly… very good. And as someone who (almost) never says no to dessert, I was absolutely not complaining.

Take a walk into history at Biblioteca Palafoxiana

Inside the Biblioteca Palafoxiana, located within the Casa de la Cultura, you’ll find one of Puebla’s most impressive historical treasures: the first public library in Latin America. After paying a small entrance fee, you can step inside and admire thousands of old books stacked on wooden shelves. Even if you’re not a huge history person, the space itself is beautiful and feels like stepping into another century.

Visit the Parían Market

A nice place to wander around in Puebla is the El Parián Market. It’s full of little stalls selling souvenirs, handmade crafts, ceramics, textiles, jewellery and all kinds of colourful treasures. Even if you’re not planning on buying anything, it’s worth visiting just for the atmosphere. Not everything is handmade, but that’s something you will figure out while checking the multiple stalls.

Eat a cemita in a local market

If you love sandwiches, you absolutely need to try a cemita poblana. These giant sandwiches are one of Puebla’s most famous dishes and are usually filled with milanesa (breaded meat), avocado, cheese, onion, tomato, lettuce and herbs inside a soft sesame-seed bun.

I ordered a vegetarian version at a small local spot in the Mercado El Parral, with stringy cheese, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes and a bit of spicy chili on top. Big sandwich. Very good memories. Honestly, unless you’re extremely hungry, sharing one with someone is not a bad idea. The exact place we got it from is called Cemitas Conchita. A very enjoyable lunch, being surrounded by locals. Big bites, and small chats.

Visit the Uriarte Talavera workshop

After visiting the market, we made our way to Uriarte Talavera, one of the most famous Talavera ceramic workshops in the city. Talavera pottery is one of Puebla’s most iconic crafts and has been made here for centuries. It is known for its detailed hand-painted designs and blue-and-white patterns.

The workshop and showroom are beautiful, especially the courtyard filled with ceramics. Sadly, I didn’t bring anything home, but I later found out they also offer workshops where you can paint your own Talavera piece. If I had stayed in Puebla a bit longer, I definitely would have booked a workshop.

Join a walking tour in Puebla’s historic center

I stayed at Casa Pepe Hostel Boutique Puebla (they also have a hostel in Mexico City), and they organised multiple activities every day, including a walking tour through the center. I always feel like walking tours are one of the best ways to get to know a city better. You learn about the history, discover places you might otherwise miss, and usually get great recommendations along the way.

During the tour we visited places like the Zócalo de Puebla, the beautifully decorated Capilla del Rosario and the colourful Artist Quarter. We also got to try some mole poblano and a little sweet treat in the famous street of sweets. While wandering around town, our guide shared stories about the city, its neighbourhoods and local traditions. It was such a fun morning, and I ended up making plans with the guide for the next day to visit some smaller towns around Puebla as well.

If your hostel doesn’t offer walking tours, don’t worry. You’ll find plenty of options around the city with a quick search (either online or in the town).

Take a day trip to the magical town of Atlixco

Together with the guide from the walking tour, we drove to Atlixco, a colourful town about 40 minutes from Puebla city by car. You can also reach it by bus. Atlixco is recognised as a Pueblo Mágico (Magical Town), a title given by the Mexican government to towns with special cultural, historical or natural significance. And honestly, it did kind of feel magical. The town is known for its flowers, colourful streets and beautiful views of the Popocatépetl volcano.

After exploring the main square and a local market, we walked up to the Templo de San Miguel Arcángel, with lots of murals along the way. It takes a few stairs to get there, but the view is worth it. From the top you can see the volcanoes Popocatépetl and La Malinche.

We only stayed for a few hours because we visited some smaller villages along the way, so I don’t have a long list of recommendations for Atlixco itself. But the walk up to the church, the market and an ice cream afterwards from México Lindo? Definitely recommended.

Watch the sunset from Cholula

Okay yes, technically this also isn’t Puebla city. But Cholula is close enough that it absolutely deserves a mention. It’s around 30 minutes from Puebla by car or public transport. One of the most famous landmarks here is the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, the yellow church built on top of the Great Pyramid of Cholula. The pyramid dates back to pre-Hispanic times and was considered an important religious center long before the Spanish arrived and built the church on top of it. Walking around the area gives you a look into the layered history of Mexico, where indigenous and colonial histories exist literally on top of each other.

We arrived just before sunset and wow. The sun slowly disappeared behind the Popocatépetl volcano, turning the sky bright orange while rays of light broke through the clouds. Very, very stunning. To me, there’s something special about volcanoes. In my country we don’t have any, so whenever I see one in real life, it makes me feel tiny in the best possible way. A reminder of how powerful and alive nature really is.

So yes, if you have the time, go watch the sunset in Cholula. And if you have even more time than I did, maybe plan a trip closer to Popocatépetl or La Malinche too.

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That’s it. These are some of the things I did while being in Puebla, but I’m aware there is so much more to do in this city! I spend 3 nights there, but honestly a few more would have been great. Maybe to do a hike to one of the volcanoes, see some museums in the center. But oh well, you can’t have it all. At least I’m glad I took a day to also see Cholula and Atlixco, even though it took “away” some of my time in Puebla city itself.