Tepic

Tepic is the capital city of Nayarit. Nestled in a verdant valley with vestiges of the Sierra Occidental here and there, Tepic can be a little muggy and wet from April to November but otherwise offers lots of sunshine and can be an interesting destination or embarkation point to the Nayarit Riviera.

Understand
It was established in 1531 after Hernando Cortes and his sidekick Nuño de Guzmán claimed the area as Nueva Galicia for Spain while ravaging the Uto-Aztecan peoples like the Cora and Huichol. Guzman spared no opportunity in whetting his bloodlust while going here and there trying to uncover the fabled Cibola, that is, Seven Cities of Gold. The savagery led to revolt by the indigenous people with the Mixton War a few years later. When things settled, Tepic became an agricultural center for commodities like peanuts, citrus, and even coffee, though it remained a restive area.

While there isn't a whole lot to see or do in Tepic, it is a perfectly pleasant medium-sized Mexican city.

By car

 * Carretera_federal_15.svg & Carretera_federal_15D.svg Federal Highway 15/Tollway 15D extends from Mazatlan to Guadalajara, passing through Tepic about halfway. Several highways connect Tepic to San Blas and the Pacific Coast/Riviera Nayarit, but particularly useful is probably the new Tepic-San Blas expressway (enter either via the Guatemala-Tepic Hwy or Insurgentes Avenue). It used to be that the regular highway between Mazatlan to Tepic was considered quite dangerous for driving and using the toll road instead was advised; this may still be wise.


 * Carretera_federal_200.svg La Carretera Tepic-Puerto Vallarta continues south as the Pacific Highway (Caretera Pacifico) from Tepic along the Pacific coast through Xalisco towards Puerto Vallarta and beyond, while MX Hwy 15D turns inland toward Guadalajara. Hwy 200 begins/ends at its junction with MX-Hwy 15D on the south side of with a sign reading "Tepic Centro/Puerto Vallarta".  Going north into town it becomes Blvd Tepic-Xalisco.


 * Carretera_federal_76.svg De los Insurgentes goes west from town to Santa Cruz de Miramar at the coast.  It goes across as a two road most of the way.

Get around
The centro is small and walkable. For farther flung destinations, the ride hailing services Uber and Didi are available.



Buy
You can find a large and varied collection of ATMs inside the, but note the building is only open on weekdays from 8:00-16:00.

Eat
You're not exactly spoiled for choice of eating options in Tepic, although what there is is usually quite good.

Drink
There isn't much nightlife in Tepic, and most drinking establishments and discotheques are located well away from the city center. For a simple beer or cocktail with a lovely view of the zocalo, head to the Restaurante La Gloria Bar & Grill mentioned in the Eat section above.

Connect
Telcel provides 5G coverage throughout the city.

Stay safe
As of January 2024, the Canadian government advises avoiding non-essential travel to Tepic due to violence and organized crime. The town of Xalisco, just south of Tepic, is a narcotics trade epicenter and probably isn't wise to go poking around in.

Go next

 * San Blas – 55 km in the west with a beach. It is only about an hour away by car via the San Blas-Tepic Expressway. Or alternatively a bus service, Grupo Estrella Blanca, has almost hourly service there.


 * San Francisco (Mexico) – 120 km in the south-west. At a beach, surrounded by a jungle and notable for its floral diversity.
 * Sayulita – 125 km in the south-west. You can do hiking into the jungle. The water at the beach is shallow.
 * Bucerias – 145 km in the south-west. A small coastal village with a long uninterrupted white sand beach
 * Puerto Vallarta – 165 km in the south
 * Guadalajara – 205 km in the south-east. From there further to San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende or Querétaro
 * Mazatlán – the popular resort city to the northwest