Planning a Trip

Getting There & Departing

By Plane -- Most visitors still fly to Mexico City and then take the bus that leaves directly from the airport's main terminal to Querétaro. Look about for an escalator in the E-2 area. Take it up to an elevated concourse, which leads to the bus ticket counters. A one-way ticket is $23 (£12). Departures are about every half-hour, and the trip takes 3 hours.

Querétaro's new airport has limited international service and is a half-hour from downtown. Continental ExpressJet (tel. 800/231-0856 in the U.S., or 01-800/900-5000 in Mexico) flies to/from Houston. Delta Airlines (tel. 800/241-4141 in the U.S. or 01-800/902-2100) flies to/from Atlanta. In the future, some of Mexico's newborn discount carriers might be introducing international service. There are also connecting flights from nearby Mexico City.

By Car -- From Mexico City, take the super toll road 57D (2 1/2 hr.). From San Miguel, take Highway 111 to 57D, then turn right (1 hr.). From San Luis Potosí, take 57D south (2 1/2 hr.).

By Bus -- From Mexico City's northern bus terminal (Central del Norte), buses leave every 15 minutes. Make sure you get a directo (nonstop). From San Miguel, second-class buses leave every 20 minutes. The bus station is south of town. Look for a booth in the terminal that sells cab tickets. A cab ride downtown costs $4 (£2).

Visitor Information

There is a good tourism information office at Pasteur Norte 4, just off the Plaza de la Independencia on the north side. It's open daily from 9am to 8pm. The phone numbers are tel. 888/811-6130 in the U.S. or 442/238-5067; or visit www.venaqueretaro.com. The office was running 1-hour tours of the city by trolley-style bus. These tours are now operated by private companies who have a concession from tourism and also staff the information kiosks in some of the plazas. You can get info from the staff at these kiosks, but you'll also get a pitch to take a bus tour. These concessions are, thus far, on a trial basis. Tourism still offers a self-guided audio walking tour of the centro histórico. At the information office, you can rent a digital player for $5 (£2.50) per day, using a credit card voucher for a deposit.

City Layout

The heart of downtown is the Jardín Zenea, at the intersection of the main north-south and east-west streets, Corregidora and Madero. Just east is the Plaza de Armas, and farther east are the Convento de la Cruz and the famous aqueduct. West of Jardín Zenea are several plazas, churches, convents, and museums.