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    Plaza Garibaldi on a sunny afternoon, with people sitting on colourfully painted planters and the plaza's old buildings behind, Ciudad de México

    Photo by Armando Olivo Martín del Campo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Plaza Garibaldi

    Landmark Cuauhtémoc, Ciudad de México Municipality of Cuauhtémoc Valley of Mexico

    Mexico City's mariachi square since the 1920s: bands in charro suits play by the song, plus the Salón Tenampa and a tequila and mezcal museum.

    From Toluca: 1 h 5 min by car (64 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Where to stay near Plaza Garibaldi

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    Tours to Plaza Garibaldi

    Look for tours of the area around Tepotzotlán that stop at Plaza Garibaldi.

    Private Night Tour of the Historic Center and Plaza Garibaldi ★ 4.5 (2) · From US$110
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Plaza Garibaldi

    • From Toluca: about 1 h 5 min by road (~64 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), 48 min by car to Tepotzotlán
    Rent a car at NLU Flights to NLU

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    Popular tours to Plaza Garibaldi

    Private Night Tour of the Historic Center and Plaza Garibaldi ★ 4.5 (2) 6 h From US$110
    Garibaldi Night Tour ★ 3.2 (30) 3 h From US$60
    Teotihuacan Pyramids & Basilica of Guadalupe All-Inclusive ★ 5.0 (10) 9 h From US$38
    Garibaldi Nights Tour ★ 5.0 (3) 4 h From US$100
    Mariachi Night in Garibaldi and Dinner at Bellini ★ 4.7 (3) 6 h From US$206

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Plaza Garibaldi

    Plaza Garibaldi is the square where Mexico City goes to hire a mariachi. It lies on Eje Central a few blocks north of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, on the northern edge of the Centro Histórico by the Lagunilla and Tepito neighbourhoods. Day and night, groups of musicians in charro suits wait around the plaza with their violins, trumpets, guitars and big guitarrón basses, ready to play a song for whoever pays, or to be hired for a serenade, a birthday or a quinceañera. Norteño bands, romantic trios and Veracruz groups work the plaza too.

    The square was once called the Plaza del Baratillo, after a flea market, and before that Plaza Santa Cecilia. Around 1920 it was renamed for José "Peppino" Garibaldi, grandson of the Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, who fought in the Mexican Revolution. The music came a few years later: around 1923 a man from Jalisco opened the cantina Salón Tenampa on the plaza, the Mariachi Coculense played there, and other bands followed until Garibaldi became the city's home of the music. The Tenampa is still open, its walls painted with the plaza's musical history. In 2011 UNESCO added mariachi to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and every 22 November the plaza celebrates Saint Cecilia, patron of musicians, with thousands of performers.

    After decades of decline, a renovation plan from 2007 brought new lighting, police posts, an agave garden and new attractions, among them the Museo del Tequila y el Mezcal (MUTEM), with a first-floor exhibition on how both spirits are made, on the origins of mariachi and on the plaza's history, a cantina and a rooftop bar. The Paseo de las Luminarias honours music idols with statues of Pedro Infante, Javier Solís, José Alfredo Jiménez, Lola Beltrán and Juan Gabriel. The price of each song is agreed with the band before it starts. Drinking in the street is not allowed, so people drink inside the cantinas and restaurants around the square. The area has a history of crime (in 2013 a grandson of Malcolm X was killed after a bar-tab dispute), so at night stay in the busy part.

    How to get to Plaza Garibaldi

    Drive from Toluca: 1 h 5 min, 64 km

    Garibaldi/Lagunilla Metro station (Lines 8 and B), one stop north of Bellas Artes on Line 8, is close to the plaza. On foot, it is a few blocks north of the Palacio de Bellas Artes along Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas.

    Directions to Plaza Garibaldi on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Where to stay Hotels in Plaza Garibaldi Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Plaza Garibaldi. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to Plaza Garibaldi

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Plaza Garibaldi: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    MUTEM (tequila and mezcal museum): opens at 11 am daily, until 9 pm early in the week and until midnight Thursday to Saturday. Ciudad de México (turismo) · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    The plaza is free; you pay the musicians per song, usually 200 to 250 pesos, or about 3,000 pesos for an hour with a seven-piece group. Agree the price first. Chilango · checked Oct 2026
    Best time of day
    Lively every day, but weekends are the most festive; the cantinas fill up after 6 pm. Time Out México · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    On 22 November the plaza celebrates Saint Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, and thousands of performers come. Time Out México · checked Oct 2026
    Rules
    Drinking in the street is not allowed; order tequila, mezcal or pulque inside places like the Salón Tenampa. Time Out México · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Plaza Garibaldi: what to see and do

    Hire a mariachi for a song or two, agreeing the price before they play.
    Have a drink and a plate of birria or pozole at the Salón Tenampa, the plaza's cantina since about 1923.
    Learn how tequila and mezcal are made at the MUTEM, then taste a few in its cantina or on the rooftop.
    Find the statues of Pedro Infante, José Alfredo Jiménez, Lola Beltrán, Javier Solís and Juan Gabriel.
    Come on 22 November for the Saint Cecilia festival of musicians.
    Go on a Friday or Saturday evening, when the plaza is at its liveliest.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Plaza Garibaldi

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Plaza Garibaldi.

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    Tours & activities

    Look for tours of the area around Tepotzotlán that stop at Plaza Garibaldi.

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    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at NLU (Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles)): about 48 min by road to Tepotzotlán, then 32 km more to Plaza Garibaldi, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), about 48 min by road from Tepotzotlán, the base for Plaza Garibaldi.

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    Travel insurance

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    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Tepotzotlán: download a map of the way to Plaza Garibaldi before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

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    When to go to Plaza Garibaldi cool

    Plaza Garibaldi shares the climate of Tepotzotlán, 32 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Tepotzotlán

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tepotzotlán

    Churrigueresque facade and tower of San Francisco Javier with its atrium cross, Tepotzotlán, Estado de México cool
    Estado de México Tepotzotlán

    Tepotzotlán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Plaza Garibaldi, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near Plaza Garibaldi

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.