Morelia

With a consistent colonial style throughout, Morelia is one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico. It is not really on the well-trodden path of the leisure tourists and so you can walk around in comfort without fear of the bermuda shorts crowds. Morelia is the capital of the state of Michoacan in Mexico and it is a registered UNESCO World Heritage site. Almost all attractions lie within walking distance of the historical center, making the city exceedingly convenient to get around. Morelia can be an outstanding base for exploring natural destinations and small towns throughout the region because it is a large city (almost 750,000 as of 2020) with good hotels and restaurants, and modern transportation facilities including a busy regional airport and a large bus station with frequent service to Mexico City and colonial cities throughout Central Mexico.

Understand
Morelia is the state capital of Michoacan. Its beautiful historical center, a, is very clean, safe and walkable. It has a pleasant climate, nice parks to relax in, and plenty of shops and markets to browse. Due to Morelia's location off the beaten travel paths of Mexico, as well as it being a university town and center of government, tourists are not as common here as in some other areas of Mexico, yet the people are very friendly. As a gringo in Morelia, prepare to be somewhat of a novelty—in a good way.

If you stay in the historical center, most of the attractions like the cathedral, the square, museums and shopping, are within walking distance. Credit cards are widely accepted, although you may want to load up on pesos before ordering food or trying to make a purchase at more budget locations, as foreign currency is generally not accepted. In the central business district, drivers use their horns 24 hours a day to excess, prodding other drivers and giving notice at the numerous blind intersections. You will get used to it, but request a hotel room away from the street if you want to get some rest.

Morelia is more than just its historical center. Its outlying areas feature modern housing developments, shopping centers and parks. Tres Marias and Altozano are among its ultra-modern residential areas.

By bus
Deluxe buses serve Morelia from all parts of the Republic. Morelia's state-of-the-art bus station is located in the northern part of the city and consists of separate terminals for first-class and second-class buses. The cost of a taxi going from the bus station to downtown is about M$70 (Dec 2021), you can buy a ticket from the kiosk inside the station and then give it to the taxi driver. It is easy to reach Morelia from Mexico City or Guadalajara. The bus trip from Guadalajara is about 4½ hours and from Mexico City is 4 hours, depending on the company. You can also reach Morelia from the United States by way of Greyhound.

By car
Morelia is accessible by a modern toll road and is located about equidistant from Guadalajara and Mexico City, about 3½ hours driving. There are plenty of gas stations along the way with restrooms and food. Be prepared with change/pesos to pay tolls. The cost varies depending of the route you take; from Mexico City the cost is about M$500 (pesos) one way. It is a very scenic trip, to say the least.

Get around
Buses, combis and taxis form Morelia’s public transportation system.

Combis (also called colectivos or peseros) are small vans that run nearly continuously along popular routes throughout the city. Combis are a good way to see the smaller roads and backstreets of the city. Various destinations are usually indicated on the windshield of these mini-vans. As of February 2024, a ride within the city costs 9 pesos. Get in, grab a handle and sit down before the driver speeds off, and then give your money directly to the driver, or to someone else to pass to the driver for you (you can ask the person “Si no le molesta, por favor”, basically, “thanks, if you don’t mind”). Above your head you will find a buzzer to get out at the next corner, or you can simply ask “en la próxima ezquina, por favor” (next corner please). It is very common for people to greet other passengers when boarding, according to the time of day (“Buenos días”, “buenas tardes” or “buenas noches”). Combis are very popular in Morelia with several dozen routes available. Moovit provides current information about routes and schedules.

Taxis are also plentiful and inexpensive, operating on zone fares. As elsewhere in Mexico, make sure to determine the price before getting into the taxi. Sitios are located throughout the city and hotel staff will be happy to call a radio taxi for you. Uber is available in Morelia and rides can be scheduled in advance through the app.

Driving in the city is not easy but, with patience, it is doable. Drivers use their horns to excess, to prod others and at the numerous blind intersections. The Centro Histórico suffers from a severe shortage of parking spaces. That said, driving in and around Morelia differs little from driving in any urban area. However, there is an “uno y uno” protocol in place. Drivers are actually quite respectful and obey this “one and one” rule, where — in stark contrast to Mexico City — at an intersection, you do not simply charge into any space larger than 5 cm, but fall into line, with one vehicle at a time from each direction driving through the intersection.

See




There are a lot of interesting and beautiful colonial buildings to see in Morelia, most of them are open to the public for at least part of the day. There are at least two "information" booths in the area of the square. They are staffed with students who are very helpful. Highlights of a Morelia city tour will include:



Do
Take some time to stroll around Morelia, particularly near the Cathedral. You'll stumble on to one gorgeous colonial building or plaza after another. Be sure to find out about other local festivals. Morelia frequently hosts outstanding events, like a regional foods festival in late fall, and music or cultural festivals at other times of the year.





Festivals

 * Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe - Visit the Santuario de Guadalupe between the last week of November and December 12. For two weeks, Mexico celebrates the Virgin of Guadalupe, and Morelia's celebration is a classic!


 * International Music Festival - Performances featuring international artists of different musical genres, takes place the last week of July and the first week of August.


 * Organ Festival - Spotlights music performed on the beautiful pipe organ in the city's main cathedral, which is an impressive instrument consisting of more of 4,600 tubes. The festival happens the first two weeks of May.


 * Guitar Festival - Features guitar performances by both international and national artists, and draws audiences from around the world. The festival is organized in the spring each year, but dates vary, so check local calendars for details.

Buy
Numerous department stores as well as local markets dot the city center. Artworks from local artists are often sold throughout the various plazas. Markets in the center include:

Eat
Morelia is one of the most exciting places in Mexico for innovative yet traditionally based cuisine. Avoid chain restaurants in Morelia because the wealth of outstanding restaurants not only offer unique regional flavors found nowhere else in Mexico, they are shockingly affordable for the quality they deliver.

Regional dishes unique to Morelia and surrounding Michoacan include:
 * Sopa Tarasca: Smoothly pureed bean soup base spiced with dried pasilla chiles and swirled with a touch of slightly soured creme mexicana, it’s a bean soup that will change the way you think of bean soup. Similar to Sopa Azteca.
 * Enchiladas Morelianas: Enchiladas in Morelia are nothing like enchiladas in any other part of Mexico. In Morelia, they’re based on chicken and potatoes, but they explode with rich flavor from a slow, deep-seated chile spiciness and deep red color that comes from the careful use of guajilla chile.
 * Uchepos: A staple of the breakfast table in Morelia, uchepos are small, soft tamales made with sweet ground creole corn. They taste of sweet tender corn with cream and fresh cheese.

Budget
Some chains like Subway and Burger King are present on the square and throughout the city, for those who prefer to avoid culinary adventure. The dining room on the 3rd floor above the department store on the square is interesting to visit and has very good food. In the tourist and historic centre, many restaurants may have an English menu available. Be prepared to pay in pesos.

Historical center
There are several Taquerias in the centro histrorico.



Mid-range
Outdoor patio dining under the city’s historic portals is casual, fun and affordable. There are also numerous cafes and restaurants situated along the gorgeous Jardín de las Rosas, just northwest of the cathedral.



Drink
Although not a premier nightlife destination in Mexico, the historical center and its immediate surroundings have an interesting and lively bar scene. As with most of Mexico, venues in Morelia tend to come to life around 23:00. Before then, grab a drink at one of the many bars and cafes located along the lovely Jardín de las Rosas, just northwest of the cathedral.



Nude table dance bars cluster on the outskirts of the city along the Perinorte.

Sleep
Morelia has a very large selection of rooms in all classes and is a very affordable city with many moderate hotels charging about M$1000 per night as of early 2024. Hostels at M$400 can be found as can ultra-splurge super luxury at around M$4000. Spending more than that generally doesn't buy you better quality or even a better location.

Connect
Internet speed is good, if not perfect. You can acquire a SIM card for your phone at the large Telcel store on the main street through the historical center, Av. Francisco I. Madero. Walk west from the cathedral until you hit C. León Guzmán. You can't really miss it. 5G cell service is available in town.

Stay safe
Although Michoacan state has a deserved reputation for cartel violence, the drug cartels operate mostly in rural areas in Michoacan.

Morelia is a world apart from the cartel violence and is quite safe by Mexican standards. Travelers are unlikely to have any security issues in Morelia, though the usual precautions apply, as they do in any large Mexican city: avoid walking alone late at night, and be more wary in some of the far-flung suburban areas outside of the city center (you likely won't find yourself there anyway). One nice thing about Morelia is that, although the traffic noise can be infuriating, drivers are usually exceedingly courteous to pedestrians and usually obey traffic laws and act courteously toward their fellow drivers (albeit with a honk of the horn for the inattentive).

Go next
Morelia is an excellent gateway city for cultural and outdoor adventures throughout the state of Michoacan.


 * Monarch Butterfly Reserves: Millions of monarch butterflies descend on the forests of Michoacan each November and leave for their northward migration around March. There are at least 10 designated butterfly reserves within a 4-hour drive of Morelia. Tours can be arranged through hotel concierges. Hiring a private guide with a late-model sedan for an individual trip will cost about M$2,000 for a full day for up to 3 people.
 * Patzcuaro: The quaint, tranquil, artistic town of Patzcuaro is an easy 1-hour bus ride from Morelia. It is worth spending quite a bit of time getting to know. It is the center of Mexico's "Day of the Dead" tradition, and is one of the great centers for finding authentic popular art pieces produced in quaint indigenous towns surrounding Lake Patzcuaro.