Huauchinango Travel Guide: Discover the Magic of Huauchinango, Puebla

Small towns in Mexico can be given the pueblo mágico designation for any number of reasons.

In Xicotepec de Juarez, I’m sure Xochipila has a lot to do with it. In Cholula, the Great Pyramid is an obvious reason while in Tetela de Ocampo, the town’s historical significance has to be a major factor.

There are many things to appreciate in Huauchinango but my guess is that a venerated image of Christ and an award-winning film about ill-fated love have much to do with this town’s designation as a magical town.

If you’d like to visit this pueblo magico in the northern part of Puebla, then this detailed Huauchinango travel guide will tell you all you need to know to plan your trip.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MEXICO TOURIST CARD (FMM)

I didn’t need a visa to enter Mexico but you may need to secure a tourist visa depending on your passport. You can check iVisa.com for more information on Mexico tourist visas.

Whether or not you need a tourist visa to visit Mexico, all visitors will still need an FMM (Forma Migratoria Múltiple) to enter the country. Often referred to as a “tourist card”, it’s something you can get when you enter Mexico by land or by air.

Tourists driving into Mexico can get one at the border (with a fee) while people flying into the country are usually provided one by their airline (cost included in the airline ticket).

You can also process the FMM ahead of time online through the INM website or iVisa.com. Click on the link to learn more about the FMM.

HUAUCHINANGO AT A GLANCE

Huauchinango is a pueblo mágico (magical town) located in the Sierra Norte mountain region of Puebla, about 13.7 miles (22 km) south of Xicotepec de Juarez. It has a total population of over 103,000 people and was designated a pueblo mágico by Mexico’s Secretariat of Tourism in 2015.

The name Huauchinango stems from a Nahuatl phrase meaning “within a wall of trees”. Aside from the natural beauty of its surroundings, Huauchinango seems to be famous for two things – the venerated image known as Señor del Santo Entierro (literally “Lord of the Holy Burial”) and the 1957 Mexican movie called Tizoc.

I’ll talk more about them in more detail later in this guide but the venerated image gave rise to Feria de las Flores (“Flower Fair”) – Huauchinango’s main commercial fair – while Tizoc won the award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 15th Golden Globe Awards.

IS HUAUCHINANGO SAFE?

Personally, I felt safe in Huauchinango. While I did get a few stares from locals – likely because this magical town isn’t accustomed to receiving many foreign tourists – it wasn’t enough to make me feel uncomfortable or threatened.

Some parts of Mexico have a reputation for being unsafe but Puebla as a whole isn’t one of them. According to multiple sources, it’s one of the safest states in Mexico which is why we decided to spend most of our time there.

With that said, it doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen in Huauchinango and Puebla. They can happen anywhere so it’s important to follow the usual travel precautions like staying in populated areas, not wearing anything flashy, not walking alone at night, being mindful of your surroundings, etc. If you prioritize safety, then you shouldn’t have any problems in Huauchinango.

The US, Canada, and UK governments have general travel advisories to Mexico but I highly recommend checking the Puebla and Huauchinango Tripadvisor forums as well. If there are any recent incidents that you need to know about, then these travel forums are among the best places to learn about them first.

BEST TIME TO VISIT HUAUCHINANGO

Huauchinango is located around 5,043 ft (1,537 m) above sea level. It experiences an average annual temperature of around 60°F (15.6°C) and is known for being one of the most humid regions in the state of Puebla.

With that said, I visited in late August which is historically one of the wettest times of the year. It was overcast for most of my stay but it didn’t rain at all. If you’d like to go when precipitation is historically at its lowest, then December to March is the best time to go. You can check Weather Spark for more on Huauchinango’s climate.

If you’d like to experience Huauchinango at its most festive, then it’s best to go in February or March for the Feria de las Flores. The Flower Fair runs for nine days every year starting on the first Sunday of Lent.

HOW TO GET TO HUAUCHINANGO

There are many ways you can reach Huauchinango from wherever you are. This guide assumes you’ll be coming from Puebla City, Mexico City, or from other nearby pueblos magicos in Puebla.

From Puebla City

Futura runs direct buses from Puebla CAPU (main bus station) to Huauchinango. There are two bus terminals in Huauchinango – the old terminal and a newer Omnibus station. Your bus will probably stop at both so you can refer to our location map to see which one is closer to your hotel.

I don’t know how much longer the old terminal will be operational so you may want to catch a bus back to Puebla from the newer Omnibus terminal. Here’s a Futura bus schedule.

ADO runs direct routes back to Puebla as well.

From Mexico City

I haven’t done this but according to Rome2Rio, there are direct routes from Mexico City to Huauchinango via the Conexion and Autotransportes San Pedro Santa Clara bus lines. Conexion buses depart from Central de Autobuses del Norte while San Pedro Santa Clara buses depart from the Indios Verdes station.

From Other Pueblos Magicos

Some of these pueblos magicos in Puebla are located in the same general area so you can travel from one to the next without having to go back to Puebla City. Here’s how you can get to Huauchinango from nearby magical towns.

FROM XICOTEPEC DE JUAREZ: This is what I did. These two magical towns are about 13.7 miles (22 km) apart so I visited Xicotepec de Juarez first from Puebla CAPU before taking a Conexion bus to Huauchinango the following afternoon. At the time, the fare was MXN 20.

By Rental Car

Exploring Mexico in your own car is a popular way of seeing the country, especially for tourists driving in from the US. If you’d like to rent a car to visit Huauchinango, then you can do so through rentalcars.com.

WHERE TO STAY IN HUAUCHINANGO

At the time of this writing (and my visit), there are no hotels located in central Huauchinango on Booking.com or Agoda so I wound up staying at a hotel around 1.1 miles (1.8 km) west of the zocalo. I liked the hotel but it meant having to walk into the city along the highway at least twice a day. If you’d prefer to stay in the city center, then you’ll find a few more centrally located listings on Airbnb.

If you have a car or don’t mind walking, then here are some of the most highly-rated Huauchinango hotels on Booking.com:

If you don’t think these hotels are right for you, then you can do a search on Booking.com, Agoda, or Airbnb for alternate listings. You can also search for hotels in Huauchinango using the handy map below.

THINGS TO DO IN HUAUCHINANGO

1. Enjoy the Zocalo

The zocalo or main square is one of the best places to start your trip to any new city in Mexico. Typically located in the historic center, it’s the heart of any Mexican city and a great place to get your bearings.

Every zocalo is lovely and has its own charm but the main square in Huauchinango is one of my favorites in Puebla. It was prettier and felt more festive than the others.

Stay long enough in Mexico and you’ll find certain features that are common to many zocalos. One of them is a central kiosko or gazebo.

Other common features include the palacio municipal (municipal palace) and these letras gigantes (giant letters) spelling out the town’s name.

Going people watching in Huauchinango’s zocalo is fun, but it’s even more enjoyable when done from the second-floor balcony of the Italian Coffee Company. Like their outlet in Atlixco, you can enjoy a cup of coffee while getting a bird’s eye view of the zocalo and its daily cast of characters.

In spite of its name, the Italian Coffee Company is a Mexican chain of cafes that I believe started in Puebla.

2. Visit Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción

Driving or walking into Huauchinango, this domed structure sitting behind the Danzante statue and letras gigantes is the first building you’ll notice.

Looking less like a church and more like a planetarium, this domed place of worship is known as Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción and is one of the most famous landmarks in Huauchinango.

Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is located right next to another landmark church in Huauchinango – Santuario de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo en su Santo Entierro.

This is what the inside of Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción looks like. Measuring around 88 feet (27 m) in diameter and with a height of about 49 feet (15 m), the church’s dome is said to be one of the five largest in Latin America.

3. Visit Santuario de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo en Su Santo Entierro

Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is the more eye-catching church but its neighbor is probably the most important. Meaning “Sanctuary of Our Lord Jesus Christ in His Holy Burial”, Santuario de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo en Su Santo Entierro refers to this church that’s home to the Lord of the Holy Burial image.

The Señor del Santo Entierro image is Huauchinango’s patron saint. It depicts a buried Jesus after the crucifixion and is said to be a miraculous image that first appeared in Huauchinango around 400 years ago.

The annual celebration to honor the image started in 1923, which then gave rise to Huauchinango’s main commercial fair – Feria de las Flores.

Compared to its neighbor, the interior of Santuario de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo en Su Santo Entierro is relatively simple and unadorned. At the center of the church, right in front of the altar, is the venerated image of the Lord of the Holy Burial.

I didn’t approach the image but it’s said to have aged very little, if at all, over the centuries.

4. Relive Scenes From Tizoc

Located a quick colectivo ride from downtown Huauchinango are two dams – Presa Necaxa and Presa de Tenango de las Flores. Necaxa Dam is perhaps the prettier of the two but Tenango de las Flores Dam may be the more significant, thanks to its role in the Tizoc film.

One of the top attractions in Huauchinango, many people go for a boat ride on the dam’s waters but I was here mainly to see the house and tree used in the Tizoc movie.

At the time of my visit, the colectivo ride to Presa de Tenango de las Flores from downtown Huauchinango cost MXN 10 each way. You can refer to the location map near the bottom of this article to see exactly where you can catch it from.

I had never heard of Tizoc before I started doing research for this trip, but I wanted to have a better understanding of what I was visiting so I skimmed through the movie on YouTube. Without getting into too much detail, it’s a 1957 Mexican drama about an ill-fated love triangle between the main character Tizoc, a native girl named Machinza, and a Criollo woman named Maria.

The house pictured below was the house Tizoc was building for one of the women. You can watch the movie to find out who.

This tree was featured prominently in the movie as well.

Tizoc was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival where Pedro Infante – the actor playing the main character Tizoc – won the Silver Bear Award for Best Actor. As previously mentioned, the movie also won for Best Foreign Language Film at the 15th Golden Globe Awards.

5. Wander Around Town

Like any magical town in Mexico, Huauchinango is small but therein lies much of its charm. The town has its tourist attractions but for me, one of the best things you can do in these pueblos magicos is to just sit in the zocalo or wander mindfully around town.

This narrow and hilly street just off the zocalo, for example, isn’t on any list of attractions but it’s arguably the prettiest and most Instagram-worthy street in Huauchinango.

This stone wall and steps leading from the two churches down to the zocalo are beautiful as well.

I believe the building on the left is a hotel.

6. Attend the Feria de las Flores

As described, the Feria de las Flores is the most festive time to visit Huachinango. Starting on the first Sunday of Lent, it’s a 9-day festival that features parades, musical performances, and lots of locally grown flowers and ornamental plants which are the main agricultural product of the municipality.

The highlight of this annual flower fair is the crowning of the Reina de las Flores or “Flower Queen”, which is done by the Governor of Puebla.

POBLANO FOOD GUIDE

Puebla is home to some of the best regional food in Mexico. Many people have heard of mole poblano and chiles en nogada but there are many other regional dishes that deserve your attention in Puebla.

If local food interests you, then be sure to check out our Poblano food guide for suggestions on what dishes to look for in Huauchinango and Puebla.

WHERE TO EAT IN HUAUCHINANGO

1. Mariscos El Tizoc

This was my favorite restaurant in Huauchinango. This magical town is nowhere near the ocean but the best restaurant I could find was a seafood restaurant.

As their name suggests, Mariscos El Tizoc serves different types of seafood dishes. The restaurant was inspired by the movie so I went with one of their aptly named house specialties – Platillo Tizoc. It’s a seafood medley consisting of baked crab, stewed shrimp and octopus, an incredibly delicious fish dip, and salad. YUM.

Here’s a closer look at the baked stuffed crab shell. Being nowhere near the ocean, I wasn’t expecting much but everything on this seafood platter was delicious.

Mariscos El Tizoc is located on the top floor of a small building so I recommend sitting outside on the balcony. Not only is the food delicious and the view terrific, but the restaurant offers attentive and very friendly service as well. I’d definitely eat here again on future trips to Huauchinango.

Here’s an unobstructed photo of the view. This alone is worthy of a meal at Mariscos El Tizoc!

2. Mariscos Mar Azul

I wasn’t kidding when I said that many of the top restaurants I could find in Huauchinango were seafood restaurants. Though not quite as good as Mariscos El Tizoc in my opinion, Mariscos Mar Azul is another seafood restaurant that you may want to visit in Huauchinnango.

Pictured below is the quesadilla calamar or squid quesadilla.

What you’re looking at below is a quartet of tacos de camaron or shrimp tacos.

Mariscos Mar Azul is located a few blocks south of the zocalo.

3. Taqueria Valdez

If you’re in the mood for some carnitas, then head over to Taqueria Valdez. On this plate are tacos topped with the usual carnitas offerings like cueritos (pork skin), tripa (pork intestines), and chicharron prensado (pressed pork chicharron).

Taqueria Valdez is located just a block away from the zocalo and near the two main churches so it shouldn’t be hard to find.

4. Helados Artesanales Yomi

Like I said, I enjoy spending time in the zocalo. Whether I’m sipping OXXO coffee or having a traditional pre-Hispanic breakfast of tamal and atole, whiling away the time in the zocalo is one of my favorite things to do in Mexico.

In Huauchinango’s zocalo, there’s this small artisanal ice cream stand run by a lovely Mexican couple. Called “Yomi”, they serve delicious small-batch ice cream made from local fruits and other ingredients. Just another reason to hang out in the zocalo!

POINTS OF INTEREST IN HUAUCHINANGO

To help you navigate to these attractions, hotels, and restaurants in Huauchinango, I’ve pinned them all on this map. Click on the link for a live version of the map.

HUAUCHINANGO ITINERARY

An overnight stay is enough time to see all the top attractions in Huauchinango. Because of their proximity, Huauchinango is best paired with a trip to Xicotepec de Juarez. It doesn’t matter which magical town you visit first as they’re both pretty easy to get to and travel between.

Here’s a sample 2D/1N Huauchinango itinerary to help you plan your trip.

HUAUCHINANGO TRAVEL TIPS

1. Stay Connected with a Mexico Sim Card or eSIM

Needless to say, a reliable internet connection is a must when traveling, especially when you’re visiting a more off-the-beaten-path destination like Huauchinango. You’ll need it to navigate, do research, and stay connected on social media.

In my experience, pocket wifi devices don’t work well in Mexico so you’ll need to get a SIM card for your trip. Among all available carriers in Mexico, Telcel is widely regarded to be the best while airalo is a trusted eSIM provider.

You can purchase a Telcel SIM card anywhere in Mexico but it’s a good idea to get one before your trip through Amazon (affiliate link). That’s what I did. It’ll come with 3GB of data so you can hit the ground running as soon as you land in Mexico.

If you’d prefer to get an eSIM, then you can purchase one in advance through airalo.

2. Learn Basic Spanish

You don’t need to be fluent in Spanish to have a wonderful time in Mexico but it helps to know a few basic phrases. Here are some of the most commonly used Spanish phrases in Mexico:

Por favor: “Please”
(Muchas) gracias: “Thank you (very much)”
Buenos dias: “Good morning”
Buenas tardes: “Good afternoon”
Buenas noches: “Good evening”
Con permiso: “Excuse me” (when passing someone on the street)
Perdon/Desculpe: “Sorry” or “Excuse me” (when you didn’t hear what someone said)
¿Cuanto cuesta?: “How much does it cost?”
La cuenta por favor: “The bill please”

3. Bookmark the Puebla and Huauchinango Tripadvisor Forums

Some parts of Mexico have a reputation for being unsafe. Though Puebla is considered one of the safest states in Mexico, it’s important to still keep yourself informed.

One of the best ways to do that is to follow the Tripadvisor travel forums on Puebla and Huauchinango. If there are any recent security incidents that you need to know about – things like muggings, kidnappings, gun violence, etc – then chances are, they’ll pop up there first.

Click on the links to go to the Puebla and Huauchinango travel forums on Tripadvisor. These forums are frequented by locals and expats so it’s a great place to ask any questions as well.

4. Start at the Tourist Information Center

I wish I had done this. I often visited the Tourist Information Center at other pueblos magicos in Puebla but I didn’t do that in Huauchinango.

Usually located around the zocalo, tourist information centers are a great place to start your trip to any new city in Mexico. They’re especially valuable in these smaller towns where there may not be as much information online.

The locals who work at these tourism offices are always eager to help and can provide lots of information on tours, outdoor activities, transportation, and other travel-related services.

5. Bring Cash

Some of these smaller pueblos magicos don’t have as many banks or ATM machines so it’s a good idea to bring enough cash with you.

6. Don’t Drink Tap Water

Drinking tap water isn’t safe in Mexico. Not even the locals do it so you should always buy bottled water or drink from a filtered water bottle. It sucks having an upset tummy while on vacation so check out my article on the drinking water in Mexico for more information.

7. Leave a Tip

Mexico has a tipping culture but it seems to be observed more in larger cities that get many foreign tourists. In some of these smaller pueblos magicos, tipping doesn’t seem to be as expected (ie no tip jars).

Personally, I always leave a tip of around 10% of the total bill. You can read my article on tipping in Mexico for more information.

8. Get Travel Insurance

I used to think that travel insurance was a luxury but not anymore. Nowadays, I make sure to get it before every trip, no matter how short. The fact is, you never know what might happen so it’s always good to have a safety net.

For peace of mind, we always get travel insurance from SafetyWing. Click on the link to learn more and get a free quotation.

9. Bring the Right Power Adapter

Mexico has Type A or Type B electrical outlets so be sure to bring the right power adapters for your devices. Electrical voltage is 127V and the standard frequency is 60Hz.

WHAT I LOVED ABOUT HUAUCHINANGO

Before wrapping this up, I just wanted to share some of the things that I personally loved about Huauchinango:

OUR TRAVEL GEAR

Here’s some of the travel equipment and gear I brought with me to Huauchinango and Mexico. (Amazon affiliate links)

Disclosure

Some of the links in this travel guide to Huauchinango, Puebla are affiliate links. What that means is that we’ll earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. As always, we only recommend products and services that we use ourselves. We’re truly grateful for your support as it helps us keep this free Puebla travel website going. Thank you!

Thank you for sharing!