Must-see attractions in Northeast Mexico

  • Horno 3, a blast furnace turned museum located in Parque Fundidora in Monterrey.

    Horno3

    Monterrey

    Blast Furnace No 3 in the former industrial site of the Parque Fundidora has been converted into Horno3, an exceptionally impressive high-tech, hands-on…

  • Overlooking Monterrey, Mexico from Parque Ecológico Chipinque.

    Parque Ecológico Chipinque

    Monterrey

    This stunning mountainside reserve is just 12km from downtown Monterrey. There's great hiking and mountain-biking on over 60km of well-marked trails…

  • Paseo Santa Lucia, Monterrey, Mexico.

    Paseo Santa Lucía

    Monterrey

    The stunning 2.3km promenade of Paseo Santa Lucía is a world-class example of urban regeneration. This (artificial) river forms a turquoise ribbon through…

  • Museo de Historia Mexicana in Monterrey.

    Museo de Historia Mexicana

    Monterrey

    This sleek modernist museum on the Plaza 400 Años presents an extensive but easily manageable chronological history of Mexico. In the heart of the museum…

  • Dunas de yeso, the gypsum dunes of Cuatro Ciénegas in Coahuila, Mexico.

    Dunas de Yeso

    Northeast Mexico

    Located within the Cuatrociénegas Reserve, these blinding-white gypsum sand dunes – the second largest in North America – contrast superbly with the six…

  • Museo de las Aves de México

    Northeast Mexico

    Mexico ranks 10th in the world in terms of avian diversity, and this fascinating museum displays more than 3000 stuffed and mounted species, many in…

  • Museo del Desierto

    Northeast Mexico

    Saltillo's top attraction, this no-expense-spared natural history museum is highly enjoyable and informative (even if you don’t speak Spanish). Exhibits…

  • Monument to Workers (Monumento a los Obreros) in Macroplaza square in the historic city center of Monterrey.

    Macroplaza

    Monterrey

    A monument to Monterrey’s late-20th-century ambition, this city-block-wide series of interconnected squares, also known as the Gran Plaza, was created in…

  • Fundidora Park in Monterrey, Mexico.

    Parque Fundidora

    Monterrey

    Formerly a vast steel-factory complex, this once-blighted industrial zone has been transformed into a huge urban park. Designers cleverly retained the…

  • Poza Azul in the World Biosphere Reserve of Cuatro Cienegas, located at north of Mexico in the estate of Coahuila, a biological reserve with a small ecosystems with a unique fauna and flora around the world.

    Poza Azul

    Northeast Mexico

    The official visitor center for the Cuatrociénegas nature reserve, this small structure has informative displays about the reserve in Spanish and English…

  • MARCO, Museum of Contemporary Art (Museo de Arte Contemporaneo) located on city landmark Macroplaza.

    Museo de Arte Contemporáneo

    Monterrey

    Don't miss the outstanding Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, its entrance marked by Juan Soriano's gigantic black dove sculpture. Inside, its idiosyncratic…

  • Landmark Tower of Commerce Monument (Faro Del Comercio) in historic city center of Monterrey.

    Faro del Comercio

    Monterrey

    At the southern end of the Macroplaza, the red 70m concrete tower Faro del Comercio (Lighthouse of Commerce) soars above the city, its green lasers…

  • Viñedos Don Leo

    Northeast Mexico

    In the picturesque Valle del Tunal, this mountain-backed vineyard is one of the highest in the world. The 2100m growing conditions along with technical…

  • Museo Casa Venustiano Carranza

    Northeast Mexico

    Housed in Venustiano Carranza's childhood home, this well-conceived museum relates the life story of Cuatro Ciénegas' most famous son. From mayor to…

  • Museo del Sarape y Trajes Mexicanos

    Northeast Mexico

    An excellent museum devoted to the Mexican sarapes (blankets with an opening for the head) that Saltillo is famous for. There's a priceless collection to…

  • Centro Cultural Vito Alessio Robles

    Northeast Mexico

    Once Saltillo's city hall, this cultural center houses the most extensive mural painted by a woman in Mexico. At 500 sq m, it is a remarkable and…

  • Centro de las Artes

    Monterrey

    Four disemboweled red-brick factories compose the Centro de las Artes: Nave Generadores and CONARTE feature rotating modern-art exhibitions; Nave Dos is…

  • Casa Madero

    Northeast Mexico

    This, the first winery in the Americas, was established at Parras in 1597, a year before the town itself sprang up. It’s now an industrial-sized operation…

  • Museo del Palacio

    Monterrey

    Sister to the Museo de Historia Mexicana and Museo del Noreste, this small museum in the Palacio de Gobierno focuses on the history of the state of Nuevo…

  • Chipinque Visitor Center

    Monterrey

    Staff at the visitors center of the stunning Chipinque park offer excellent advice about activities and trails, including maps. Permits for those heading…

  • Parque Ecoturístico Cola de Caballo

    Monterrey

    This family-friendly park is centered on a 25m waterfall that is reminiscent of a horse's tail – hence the name. A steep trail leads to the falls or opt…

  • Museo del Noreste

    Monterrey

    Technically this is a separate institution from the Museo de Historia Mexicana, but, practically speaking, it's galleries on the culture and history of…

  • Parque la Huasteca

    Monterrey

    About 10km west of Monterrey’s city center, this spectacular canyon is studded dramatically with 300m-tall rock formations and gorgeous desert landscapes…

  • Museo del Palacio de Saltillo

    Northeast Mexico

    Located within the Palacio de Gobierno, this sleek museum focuses on the history of the Coahuila with an emphasis on the state governors. Exhibits include…

  • Iglesia del Santo Madero

    Northeast Mexico

    This deeply striking church perched precariously on the rocky outcrop on the south edge of town has – once you’ve undergone the steep-but-rewarding 293…

  • Plaza Zaragoza

    Monterrey

    A shady park, Plaza Zaragoza hosts many concerts and special events. The centerpiece of the plaza – and the larger Macroplaza – is a 70m-tall, red…

  • Plaza 400 Años

    Monterrey

    This plaza, graced with fountains and pools, forms an impressive approach to the sleek, modernist Museo de Historia Mexicana and the Museo del Noreste. It…

  • Catedral de Saltillo

    Northeast Mexico

    Built between 1745 and 1800, Saltillo’s cathedral has one of Mexico’s finest Churrigueresque facades, with columns of elaborately carved, pale-gray stone…

  • Museo Metropolitano de Monterrey

    Monterrey

    A small museum inside Monterrey's original city hall, the Museo Metropolitano showcases the history of the city, from it's founding in 1596 to the present…

  • Catedral Metropolitano de Monterrey

    Monterrey

    Just north of MARCO on the Macroplaza is the baroque facade of the Catedral Metropolitano de Monterrey, built in stages between about 1663 and the 1899…

  • Explanada de los Héroes

    Monterrey

    Explanada de los Héroes has statues of Mexican national heroes in each corner. It's the most formal and traditional of the spaces in the Macroplaza and…

  • Parque Hundido

    Monterrey

    Public square, forum for art, garden and green spaces all fuse to form Monterrey's unique Parque Hundido.

  • Bodegas Ferriño

    Northeast Mexico

    This winery, one of the oldest in the Americas, was founded by an Italian immigrant, Don Miguel Ferriño Lander, in 1860. It's known for its 'Sangre de…

  • Museo Salas Carranza

    Northeast Mexico

    Tucked inside the Palacio de Gobierno, this small museum is dedicated to Saltillo and it's place in Mexico's history. Guides walk visitors through the…

  • Palacio de Gobierno

    Monterrey

    Inaugurated in 1908, the stunning neoclassical Palacio de Gobernio is the longtime seat of state politics. Located on the Macroplaza, It's also home to…

  • Casa de la Cultura

    Northeast Mexico

    Located in the former home of Venustiano Carranza, a revolutionary leader turned Mexican president, this simple museum has a small but interesting display…

  • Vinos El Vesubio

    Northeast Mexico

    Founded in 1891, this quaint winery is known for its artisanal sweet red wines. Tours take visitors through its homegrown production process, a few barrel…

  • Biblioteca Central

    Monterrey

    Monterrey's modernist central library is an architectural landmark along the Macroplaza, bringing to mind a reimagined Roman stadium. It hosts lectures…

  • Antiguo Palacio Federal

    Monterrey

    Overlooking little Plaza Cinco de Mayo is the grand facade of the 1928 Antiguo Palacio Federal, an art deco beauty that was once the tallest building in…