My sister and I have talked for a while about how we wanted to visit the second biggest city in Mexico: Monterrey. Nestled in the north eastern part of the country among some stunning mountains, Monterrey is a cheap flight for me but it was harder to meet up. And so, we took advantage of a good opportunity when we saw it, and took a long layover here!
Prices had gone up for our flight from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta (I learned about seasonal price increases!!!) and so it was a win-win to see Monterrey and save on our flight.
ABOUT MONTERREY
This is the most "Americanized" city in Mexico. Only about 3 hours south of the Texas border, there are people that drive between the US and Mexico every week, and the influence of these both cultures is very prevalent. Monterrey is also one of the most developed and expensive cities to live in Mexico, and has some of the top industries and educational institutions.
It is also surrounded by some of the most dramatic mountains I've ever seen (in photos**) defining the city skyline. The mountains were what we were most excited to see, but sadly, the day we went was completely cloudy and smoggy and we didn't see them at all :(
All of these factors make Monterrey an attractive place to live, but not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when people think of visiting Mexico as a tourist. I wouldn't go out of the way to see Monterrey, but it's perfect if you can spend one or two days there just as we did.
ONE DAY IN THE CITY
We had less than 8 hours once we got our luggage stored and got into the city center, which left us time to do the following.
Take the airport bus and metro.
From the Monterrey airport, there is a bus leaving about every hour and costing 110 pesos. When there is no traffic, it takes about 40 minutes to get to the bus terminal in the center. When there is traffic, it can take upwards of 1.5 hours, which we unfortunately learned the hard way and nearly missed our flight!
Once at the bus station, you can easily walk to a subway station and buy a transit card for about 8 pesos and be on your way to most of the sightseeing spots.
Visit Macroplaza.
This is known as the biggest plaza in Mexico! BUT don't expect too much excitement. It is a public space that is more than 400,000 square meters, but because the "plaza" is divided up by roads and other buildings, I feel like it is hardly worthy of that title. Although it's no Zocalo, you can find important monuments spread out throughout its area. We simply got off the metro and saw a couple blocks before being on our way.
Visit Barrio Antiguo.
As the name suggests, this is the oldest neighborhood in the city and one of the only places in Monterrey with colonial architecture dating from the 18th century. It is an easy walk from the Macroplaza and is worth strolling through for a couple hours and taking advantage of the vibrant coffee, arts, and bars. This is definitely the most hip part of the city!
We absolutely loved the adorable (but pricey) ambiance at Libros Café y Detalles, quite literally a coffee shop, art space, and bookstore all at once! The Barrio Antiguo just has a few key city blocks to enjoy before you move onward.
Take the boat down Paseo Santa Lucia.
The end of Barrio Antiguo leads perfectly into the artificial river dock where a boat leaves several times an hour. If you pay the small fare to board the boat, you can ride one way to Parque Fundidora, or go roundtrip for the same price. The bright blue water is kind of strange, but it's a nice effort that the city made to create more urban outdoor spaces.
Quickly visit Parque Fundidora.
If you decide to get off the boat here, you'll be greeted by a huge old cauldron that is the symbol for the big public park, a relic of an old foundry. Normally, the mountains also look gorgeous from this spot but of course we were clouded out this day! Parque Fundidora has lots of family friendly fun, from bike rentals, golf cart rentals, green grassy spaces, and occasional seasonal events in the park. We were on a time crunch and the weather wasn't the best, so we didn't stick around here.
Hike Cerro de la Silla.
Ah yes, the mountains, what we really came here for! Despite not being able to see the views or the outlines, we had another mission in mind: to find a coati, the adorable small mammal that calls this climate home. If you have ever been to Cancun or the Yucatan peninsula, you may have come across these furry little guys. I had promised my sister we would find a coati if we did the short Teleferico hike, a commonly trafficked route that goes halfway up the iconic mountain, Cerro de la Silla.
While we were running short on time, we took an Uber to the hiking entrance and then huffed and puffed the hour up to the Teleferico, a large cement platform where a defunct cable car system once stood. Although we barely had time to stick around, we were blessed by finding exactly one very curious coati at the top, and it made the whole adventure and hike worth it!
Normally, if you have more time and if the skies are clear, it would be worth it to climb to the top of Cerro de la Silla. But fitting this in on a layover is exactly the spirit of me and my sister as travelers, and alas we achieved our goals!
IN SUM
That concluded our few hours in Monterrey, as we then had to backtrack to the bus station, then to the airport, and made our flight just a few seconds before they closed the gates! Yes, I may have been having a mental breakdown lol...
Although it has it's own character and it's a different side of Mexico, I don't think Monterrey should be at the top of anyone's Mexico travel list because it just doesn't have the same charm as destinations further south. HOWEVER, it is an amazing spot for hiking, climbing, and outdoor adventure! If given more time, I would have also loved to visit nearby pueblos magicos and waterfalls
What did you think of our layover in Monterrey? Have you ever had a crazy adventure in a few hours?
