Discover architectural wonders on this guided day trip to Cholula and Puebla from Mexico City. Inside Cholula’s archaeological zone, feast your eyes on Pirámide Tepanapa, or the Great Pyramid, the world’s largest—even bigger in volume than Cheops in Egypt! Wind your way through the UNESCO-listed city of Puebla, home to gorgeous tiled buildings and Mexican Baroque churches, including the Church of Santo Domingo and Chapel of the Rosary. Bonus: hotel transport and lunch are included.

Day trip to Puebla and Cholula from Mexico City
Explore the archaeological zone of Cholula
Enjoy guided visits of Talavera and onyx factories
Hotel pickup and drop-off and lunch included

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
Air-conditioned vehicle
Bilingual tour guide (English and Spanish)

Gratuities
Beverages at lunch
Hotel pickup and drop-off for hotels outside the pickup zone
Lunch

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Av. de la República 154
Av. de la República 154, Tabacalera, Cuauhtémoc, 06030 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

09:00 am

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Pick up available on the next hotels: Hyatt Regency Camino Real Polanco W Mexico City Presidente Intercontinental Polanco JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City Fiesta Americana Grand Chapultepec Four Seasons Hotel Hotel Geneve Hotel & Suites PF Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers Hotel Century Zona Rosa NH Mexico City Reforma Royal Zona Rosa Galeria Plaza Reforma Hotel Plaza Florencia Ibis Styles Mexico Zona Rosa Hotel del Principado Hotel City Express EBC Reforma City Express Plus Reforma El Ángel Ciudad de México Eurostars Suites Reforma Holiday Inn Express Mexico Zona Rosa LAILA (antes Casa Inn) Hotel Misión Express Zona Rosa Room Mate Valentina Hotel Metropol Hotel San Francisco Centro Histórico Hilton Mexico City Reforma Hotel Marlowe Best Western Hotel Majestic Hotel Ibis México Alameda Gran Hotel Ciudad de México Hotel Ritz Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel Zócalo Central Historico Central Hotel NH Centro Historico One Ciudad De México Alameda Fiesta Inn Centro Histórico Hotel Emporio Reforma Hotel Premier Fiesta Americana Reforma Le Méridien Mexico City Hotel Lepanto City Express Alameda Hotel Casa Blanca Sevilla Palace Hotel Plaza Suites Hotel Barceló Reforma Hotel Plaza Revolucion Hotel Fontan Reforma Hotel Regente City Hotel Imperial Customers must call to confirm the exact pick-up time, because it's prior the activity starts from 15 to 60 minutes before. Unfortunately, we are not allow to pick you up on apartment building or private residences. If you are not hosted in one of the hotels before mentioned or you are staying in a Airbnb please make your way to the meeting point located at De La Republica Avenue 154, Tabacalera, 06030. Near to Monumento a la Revolucion, behind Barceló Reforma hotel, in front of ISSSTE building.

What To Expect

After hotel pickup from Mexico City, travel with your guide southeast to Cholula, just outside of Puebla. Head inside Cholula’s Archaeology (Park Zona Arqueológica) and visit the world’s largest pyramid — the Great Pyramid of Cholula, aka Tlachihualtepetl, towering at 180 feet (55 meters) with a square base of 1,300 feet (396 meters).

From the pyramid base, look up to see the Church of Our Lady of the Remedies perched on the summit. Hear about how Hernan Cortes ordered the construction of 365 churches on this site, one for every day of the year.

 Then, your guide takes you to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Puebla, a city where buildings are sculpted out of freestone and covered with painted ceramic tiles. The charming city boasts 70 churches in its historic district alone. Swing by the 16th-century Church of Santo Domingo, whose plain gray and pink exterior belies the opulence inside.  Next, visit the Chapel of the Rosary, part of the Church of Santo Domingo and once considered the eighth wonder of the art world. Admire the gilded stucco inside this example of Mexican Baroque architecture.

Gaze at the serene-blue Convent of Santa Monica, now the home of the Museum of Religious Art. Finally, visit onyx and Talavera ceramics factories, and learn about how these artisanal items are crafted, before enjoying transport back to your hotel.

Capilla del Rosario, Templo de Santo Domingo

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Capilla del Rosario, Templo de Santo Domingo

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Great Pyramid of Cholula

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travellers with back problems
- The time of return may vary due to traffic situations or the number of people.
- It is not advisable to book a tour on the same day of the departure of a flight, since we cannot be responsible for the loss of the flight, for any tour delay

- Bilingual tour guide in the tour (English and Spanish)
Most travellers can participate
-Transportation will be according to the number of passengers by car, van or bus.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 51 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

svetlana_g

We had an amazing time in Puebla and Cholula. Jaime is a great tour guide. He knows what he is talking about, we felt safe with him. He showed us many things. He was so helpful. We recommend Jaime for a tour.

Reviews

4.0

242 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 242 reviews

Pueble & Cholula: Colonial Magnificance and Pre-Columbian Mystery

John_E, Aug 2023

A professional driver and energetic and knowledgeable guide took us on a journey of discovery through the beautiful colorful and colonial city of Puebla and the intriguing Pre-Columbian ruins at Cholula. The drive over the mountains was also spectacular!

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, we are glad that you had a fantastic. Your comments are much appreciated and will help other travelers to choose and experience our tours. Best!

Avoid it unless you are crazy about the places

Kai_H, Apr 2023

I will not recommend this tour at all.The tour guide sent me an email stating to pick up from the hotel at 8:30, but did not show up interest 9:15. Then we had to walk 10 mins to the bus. The bus left at 9:40. Then we arrived at the first site close to 1:00 pm. Three persons were missing and we waited extra an hour. The bus did not return untill 10:30 pm. The actual tour time is about 3 hours maximum. To be fair the guide tried his best. Unfortunately most people in group speak spanish. The three missing persons did not speak spanish, neither us. This is one of the reasons they were not able to follow llthe group and left in the first site. I really feel sorry for them. I am not able to imagine how they get back to Mexico City.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Dear Kai. Thanks for your comments. Unfortunatley we had some trafic and for this you had to walked at our meting point, and as you mentioned 3 people not stay on time and the guide try to find them, and we talked whit them but they preffered to come back to Mexico city. This situation affected the logistic of the tour. Have a nice day.

Worst Tour Experience in Mexico City

william_j, Jan 2023

Let’s start with the bad related to this tour. We were picked up at our hotel at 8.15 and did not get back until after 8pm as traffic out of Mexico City is horrible, and no fault of the tour company. It makes for an incredibly long day when the tour is not great to begin with. We arrived at Cholula ruins and cathedral at noon. If you want to see pyramids do the tour of Teotihuacan which are more impressive. Our guide wanted our group to vote on whether to take free time to climb to top of pyramid where cathedral is located. This was after we were promised free time on the site, and I’m sorry but it is disrespectful not ask for a vote when the best thing at Cholula is the view from the top. Very disrespectful and we would have told guide to grow up if we had not been able to ascend the pyramid to see cathedral. Next was off to Puebla where we spent over an hour in the van with high heat and no air conditioner access. The guide said sorry he didn’t know. That should be a rule of thumb to check van equipment before putting people in essentially an oven at mid day. We arrive in Puebla for the included lunch which was lackluster to say the least. Not impressed. You get dry baked chicken, or two small slices of tough pork cutlet, or mole poblano which does not describe its with chicken quarters. The ice cream at end was cheap and disgusting. The onion soup and bread were the best items offered. We then had a quick walk through town to a cathedral were our guide asked another guide to give a tour and then asked our group to top the guy, pretty unprofessional for a tour guide to ask a group to tip someone else and then he seemed upset with the Latina women who wouldn’t tip on the group, and tried to call them back saying, “chicas!” We were the taken to a talavera to see pottery video and to buy items. That is all this is about….a push for tourists to buy. The tour promises you will see onyx factories and the guide pretended to not know what we were asking when we inquired. The tour group should not include in this description if not being offered. It takes about two and a half hours to get back to Mexico city. That’s the time so nothing to complain about. The bus speaker system is staticky and still needs replacement. The good thing is on the drive you see volcanoes that likely will be smoking and Cholula is beautiful view at the top. The best part of the tour was when it was over. I’m glad this was not our first tour or experience in Mexico city. Best recommendation, do something besides this tour.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Dear William, Thank you for your comments and points to review. Your opinion is very important to us. First of all, we want you to receive our most sincere apologies for the inconvenience in the unit. The unit that went on tour that day was new and assured that the technical failures it presented were reported so that this does not happen again. Regarding what you mention about our guide, rest assured that all our guides are certified and with the knowledge to tour. We regret that the food was not to your liking since Puebla is known for its delicious food. Once again, we appreciate your comments and assure you that we take your observations into account to improve every day as a company and provide you with better service.

Disorganized Tour Operator Means Far Less to See

Devin_H, Jan 2023

We were picked up and went to a place were several other buses had picked up passengers for various tours. Apparently, one driver didn't show up for work which meant more waiting to pick up more passengers as well as one less bus. The company took a full hour to figure out how to do their schedules and we had to go back to their main terminal to change into a larger bus. Because of this, we saw almost nothing in Puebla as they ran out of time.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Dear Devin, We appreciate your comment. We are sorry for the inconvenience presented in your tour of Puebla and Cholula. There was a problem in our system and a reservation didn't appear, this caused more passengers than what appeared in the system, and for that reason we had to change the unit so that everyone was comfortable since the tour of Puebla and Cholula takes the whole day. Please receive our sincere apologies and we hope you will give us the opportunity to improve your experience with us on your next visit to Mexico.

We enjoyed

Rosario_P, Jan 2023

The trip was very nice. We could visit Choula piramid as well as the nice city of Puebla, which is really worth a visit. Very nice places and guide.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, we are glad that you had a fantastic time. Your comments are much appreciated and will help other travelers to choose and experience our tours. Best!

Scam - took the money, didnt show up at agreed time, wont give me a refund

Dara_O, Nov 2022

We were supposed to have been picked up from our hotel at 9am, it was confirmed in writing. We were waiting from 8.40 until 9.20am, at which point we called, but were told that the pick up had already happened at 8 ish, this mistake on their part could have been resolved if someone had just called as we were waiting at the hotel. we asked for a refund over the phone, and were told this would be organised, its a month later so i have asked again via the website and the operator said they wouldn't honor it. looking at other reviews it seems this happens all the time... is this a scam?? I will now have to try reporting it to my credit card provider. Very expensive mistake, should have read the reviews

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Dear Dara_O, Thank you for your comment. We have analyzed your situation, in each reservation the data such as: hotel, phone, date are requested. Having the information, we contacted by Viator informing us if it is "meeting point", by sending the address and time. Our tours leave at 09:00 - 09:10 hrs we can't wait any longer out of respect for our tourists. We would like you to give us the opportunity to personally address your situation and follow up on it. Contact: atencionaclientes@mexitours.com.mx

Would not recommend. 0/10.

Kyle_H, Sept 2022

My husband and I were incredibly excited to go on this tour, but unfortunately we never made it. We picked up at 8:15 and driven to another location where we were supposed to meet up with the tour bus. The tour was scheduled to begin at 9am. The tour operators spent a long time walking around and talking on the phone before they finally returned and asked us if we would be okay sitting in the front and middle seats of another bus, next to the driver. They essentially wanted to fit us onto a different bus so they wouldn't have to take a second one. We agreed to this, however, the second bus never came. Eventually, we were told the second bus was going to pick us up from a different location, so we were driven there. Once we arrived to that location, we again had to wait around on the bus that was supposedly picking us up. The tour operator was on the phone a lot again and didn't seem to know where the bus was. He kept saying they'll be here in 5 minutes, but 10 would go by and it would not arrive. Finally, it was around 10am when we opted to skip the tour altogether. It was a 2-hour one-way drive to the tour destination, and was supposed to be a 10-12 hour tour. That would have put us back in the city at 10pm, which we did not want to do. They agreed to issue us a refund which we requested through Viator and did receive nearly immediately, so that was good. That being said, they did not even offer to drive us back to our hotel. We ended up walking from the pick-up spot and finding our way back to our hotel on foot. I will say that everyone we dealt with was very nice, including the drivers and the woman who appeared to be the one coordinating the plans. That being said, they should have known well in advance how many people would be on the tour, and coordinated how many buses they would need and where the pick-up locations/times for each bus were going to be well in advance. There was no excuse for us having to get up at 6am to get ready to be picked up for a tour at 8am that was supposed to begin at 9am, and then driving us to multiple locations and have us still waiting around at 10am. Very uncoordinated, very poor customer experience.

Response from Host, Sept 2022

We appreciate your feedback by sharing your experience Ms. Kyle_H, as your opinion is very important to us. We apologize for the inconvenience caused, I put myself in your place and I fully understand the situation. I can assure you that we will work on every detail to avoid this kind of experience.

Great trip

MARISOL_V, Aug 2022

It was a very nice tour. We saw many historic churches. It was a whole day event so I recommend this only if you want to spend the entire day visiting different towns in Mexico. Puebla is very beautiful.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

A good trip to Puebla and Cholula

Ccile_G, July 2022

Visit of Puebla was very good but it's a pity to start the visit of the talavera factory. The lunch was very good and Cholula would have needed more time to visit especially the village We spent a nice Day trip

Response from Host, July 2022

We appreciate your comments dear Ccile_G. We like to know that your experience in Puebla and Cholula was very good. The visit to the Talavera factory is part of the tour, as it is a wonderful opportunity to know the valuable work of our artisans, ideal to buy a souvenir of the place, the estimated time for you to make your purchases is 15 minutes maximum. We would like to offer you our private tours, where you can have time to visit Cholula again or any of the other tours we have.

It was great. Just one...

Albertina_R, July 2022

It was great. Just one issue on the last stop due to the time wasted in Puebla awaiting for the driver. Rather than that, it was great

Response from Host, July 2022

Not what I expected from the online booking description!

Christopher_R, June 2022

The site at Cholulu and historic Puebla. However, my tickets stated 900 a.m. and I had said the four seasons hotel across the street from the Ritz Carlton where I was staying, but the pick up time was never sent to me. It actually was 8:15am!! Also, 13 hours is too long and there was a lot of wasted time. My friend and I were the only English speakers of the 16 in the group. The bad microphone is not loud enough to hear. Also once the explanation was given in Spanish everyone began speaking about it while the guy was trying to repeat it in English. It doesn’t work. When I signed up for the tour online in the states I specifically said English. I do complement Francisco for doing the best he could with a group that were not very disciplined in time or gathering.

Response from Host, July 2022

Mr. Chrispher, We are sorry for the inconveniences you had on your tour. Your experience and opinion is very important to us, the Ritz Carlton Hotel is relatively new in Mexico City and was not on our pick up list, we appreciate this comment you share with us to expand our pick up route for future inconveniences. Our electronic equipment is continuously maintained and used at an appropriate volume so that our passengers can be heard and understood. We would like you to give us the opportunity to improve your experience and also to mention our private tours, fully customized and trained so you can live a completely different experience than the one you had.

Highly recommend

Melody_V, Mar 2022

Our tour guide, Gabriela was amazing! She was very knowledgeable and caring. The stops were amazing!

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, we are glad that you had a fantastic time with the assistance of Gabriela, our professional guide . Your comments are much appreciated and will help other travelers to choose and experience our tours. Best!

The towns are beautiful ,...

Maria_B, Feb 2022

The towns are beautiful , magical. Impressive history, the churches took ur breath away. The food was great that came with the package.

Response from Host, Feb 2022

Very long and boring trip

Jan_B, Jan 2022

The trip would be chaotic and poorly organized. I understand that the driver was also a guide, so it was difficult. The guide never said exactly what time the departure was, so it was still waiting. In Cholula we waited for an hour for tickets and in the end we saw the arena only behind the fence. We wanted to go to the temple on the hill, but we wouldn't make it because it was only 15 minutes of free time. Finally, we waited an hour for departure. In Puebla we spent the most time in a restaurant, we went on a tour of the city when it was getting dark. We didn't see anything from the city except the temple. We spent 1 hour in the pottery workshop. The trip was extremely long and boring, we saw almost nothing. It was a waste of time. I do not highly recommend this agency.

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Dear Jan Bartusek Thank you very much for your comments, they are really very important and useful for us. Fortunately, during the end of the year holidays, we had many visitors, therefore a lot of influx in the tourist sites; In order to make better use of the time, it was agreed with the passengers whether to continue with the tour or prefer to wait to enter the archaeological zone, and the majority decided to continue. Thanks to your comments, we will talk with Francisco so that he can better organize his time. We hope to be able to make up for your experience with our services in the near future, we cordially greet you.

Fantastic family experience

Gerardo_V, Nov 2021

Erik out tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. The mole poblano at the restaurant was amazing. I would recommend this tour to everyone.

Response from Host, Nov 2021

Don't go

tracy_d, Nov 2021

In traffic for 10 hours, tour ended upbeing only 4 hours and guide decided to go to "palace, which wasn't part of tour which added 1.5 hours and a total waste if time. Lunch ended up being dinner and we rushed through Pueblo which was the best part.

Response from Host, Nov 2021

Dear Tracy, Thank you very much for your comments. Unfortunately the highway to Puebla it’s being repaired, besides we were on holidys, so the traffic increases razonably. Our guide tried to fulfill all the program and stablished with all the group the hour to have lunch to take advantage of the time. Puebla and Cholula are beautiful places, we regret you did not have a pleasant experience. Best regards.

Nice, need more time

Noemi_C, Oct 2021

The tour is good, but it was rushed through the cities and lunch took too long. Maybe time change to earlier, so we can really enjoy the tour. Our tour guide Javier really tried to get us to see everything.

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Dear Noemi, Thank you very much for your comments, they are really appreciated. We will consider to begin earlier the tour, above all on Saturdays, since there is more people, so the traffic and the waiting in the restaurants increases considerably. Thank you again for your time, hope see you in a near future, best regards.

On resume, it was a great trip

Agne_R, Aug 2021

Our guide Xavier, thank you :) Maybe too much time driving, less time at objects, but that's the trip.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, we are glad that you had a fantastic time with the assistance of Francisco Javier, our professional guide . Your comments are much appreciated and will help other travelers to choose and experience our tours. Best!

Amazing

svetlana_g, Apr 2021

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, we are glad that you had a fantastic time with the assistance of Jaime, our professional guide . Your comments are much appreciated and will help other travelers to choose and experience our tours. Best!

Cholula ruins are worth it

Carter_H, Dec 2020

Had a great time seeing the Cholula ruins and the Puebla city walk. Jaime was a good guide and he drove us safely.

Response from Host, Dec 2020

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