Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México

August 20, 2014|Posted in: City

Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the largest city in Chiapas as well as its capital. If you fly in to the state, your point of entry will most likely be this city of over half-a-million people.

We found the city to be more interesting and attractive than we were led to believe after reading the summary of the city in the Lonely Planet guide to Mexico. There are numerous plazas and parks to enjoy, including the gigantic principal Plaza Cívica with Tuxtla’s main cathedral in sight; el Parque de la Marimba lined with restaurants and coffee shops (some of them serving organic coffee, including Café Biomaya) and featuring live Marimba music, dancing citizens, and crafts for sale on weekend evenings; and the Parque Bicentenario with a giant monument and extensive view of the surrounding city.

The city is also home to large botanical gardens that provide for a tranquil walk or sit-down conversation (there are benches scattered about). Even the path outside the botanical gardens that ultimately leads to el Teatro de la Ciudad, Emiliano Rabasa, el Museo de Palentología, and a public swimming pool around the corner, is pleasant and peaceful. Across from the entrance to the botanical gardens is a building that houses orchids on display.

If you need to do any clothes shopping for your trip or otherwise, the Avenida Central Poniente is your avenue. You can find inexpensive mens’ and womens’ clothing in the various shops lining this street.

Collectivos (smaller vans that are really a cross between bus and taxi but operate as public transportation in the place of buses) run all over the city. There is also the orange Camión Conejo, the only proper bus you’ll see, which travels the length of the city along Avenida Central Poniente. You can always take a taxi as well to get around (you’ll hear them double-tapping their horns at you as you walk around in an attempt to get your business – don’t worry, they do this to locals to, it’s not a “hey tourist!” thing), but really the city is very walkable.

From Tuxtla Gutiérrez you can access el Sumidero national park and its viewpoints by car. We even saw taxis taking folks from viewpoint to viewpoint inside the park.

Accommodations-wise, we can recommend Hotel el Roble for those more on a budget and Hotel del Carmen for those looking for a step up without paying entirely out the nose. Hotel el Roble is a ceiling-fan kinda place, dated, fixtures a bit loose, Hotel del Carmen more an air-conditioned kinda place, more up-to-date and put together. Booking.com usually has decent pricing on accommodations in Mexico and is a good place to begin your search.

{Last Visit: May, 2014}