Charming Towns

 Visit the small towns and cities close to the city of Morelia, it will be a great experience to the past. Some of the finest handcrafts in Mexico are found in these places. Colonial places, national parks, lakes and inactive volcanoes are some of the things these places have to offer.

Patzcuaro, 53 kms southeast from Morelia. The magic town of Patzcuaro A beautiful place with excellent architecture from the colonial era, famous for the festivity of Day of the Death,  its indigenous markets and natural richness. The outskirts of the Lake of Patzcuaro are inhabited by indigenous communities that conserve great part of its costumes and traditions. Its fishermen are worldwide known due to the butterfly-form nets, that they use to fish the delicious white fish found only in Patzcuaro.

Tzintzuntzan. The archaeological ruins of  Tzintzuntzan are fond next to the Patzcuaro lake, 3 kms from Patzcuaro, which were the antique capital city of the Purépecha. The ruins consist on five temples from the XIII century.

Monarch butterfly sanctuaries. Every year millions of monarch butterflies migrate from Canada to the green mountains close to the town of Angangueo (175 kms east of Morelia, close to the city of Zitácuaro). Scientists believe that the butterflies have done this trip for 40,000 years. They congregate in the mountains with such intensity that trees turn into orange flame color. The butterflies start arriving in November and leave on April back to the north. The Mexican government created eight special sanctuaries; three are open to the public. The sanctuaries are open year round with tour guides available.

Uruapán.  Uruapán is a city from the colonial era, located 125 kms southeast from Morelia. The area has been classified as ‘the place where everything flowers’. The area is famous for its delicious avocados and coffee plantations. Mansions, plazas with flower decorations and palaces remark the times of colonization from Spain to Mexico. We recommend to visit: the historic monuments of the Franciscans, La Huatapera, San Francisquito, Market of the ‘antojitos’, Plaza de los Mártires and the Museum of Eduardo Ruiz.

Paticurí Volcano. West to Uruapán, 35 kms is the town of Angahuan. The world witnessed the “birth” of a volcano in 1943. It started in a corn plantation and grew for almost eight years before it came inactive.

Zitácuaro. 140 kms from Morelia. This is the entrance to the country of the monarch butterflies sanctuaries, the door of the region of Tierra Caliente and of the Independence City. It was heroic three times, first it was set on fire on January 12, 1812 at the Independence War, then on April 1855 by Santa Ana troops and on April 1865 during the French Intervention. We recommend to visit: El Cerrito de la Independencia, Iglesia (Church) de los Remedios, Municipal Palace, Public Library Melchor Ocampo, Templo (Temple) de los Remedios, Jardin de la Mora del Cañonazo.

Lazaro Cardenas, the Coast. 310 kms from Morelia. There is no better place than the Coast of Michoacan to have some unforgettable vacation enjoying the sun, beach, adventure, ecology , culture and tradition. There are beaches fro everyone, from soft and hugging water, to turbulent waves of open sea for surfers. The coast of Michoacan has the privilege of being one of the most visited by the three species of turtles that are known in this region (Laud, Golfina and Negra). One of the most incredible phenomenons is the birth and liberation of the baby turtles, which starts at the beginning of October. We recommend to visit Playa Azul to watch the turtles, Barra de Pichi close to Playa Azul, La Soledad, La Manzanillera, Ixtapilla, Pichilinguillo, among other beautiful beaches.

Zamora. 144 kms from Morelia. Zamora is one of the most important cities of the state of Michoacan. The city is famous for the delicious zamoran “chongos” (chunks of bread pudding) and the unbeatable strawberry, this last one considered as the best in the work because of its flavour and consistency. We recommend visiting: Sanctuary of Guadalupe, cathedral, Temple of St. Francis, Chapel of Juan Diego.

Quiroga, 40 kms southeast from Morelia. Quiroga is a town renown in Mexico for its wood and leather products. This is an excellent place to go shopping.