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    The Palacio Municipal on the main square of Almoloya de Juárez, with its arcade and clock gable, Estado de México

    Photo by Brenda Selena Medina, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Almoloya de Juárez

    Village Almoloya de Juárez, Estado de México Toluca Valley

    A small seat near Toluca with a sacred spring and pool, old haciendas and a horseback ribbon race at the September fiestas.

    From Toluca: 20 min by car (19 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Tours to Almoloya de Juárez

    Day trips and guided outings from Metepec often include Almoloya de Juárez; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Tours from Mexico City Teotihuacan pyramids morning or afternoon without tourist traps ★ 4.9 (10,252) · From US$59
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Almoloya de Juárez

    • From Toluca: about 20 min by road (~19 km)
    • Nearest airport: Toluca (TLC), 17 min by car to Metepec
    Rent a car at TLC Flights to TLC

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Tours from Mexico City, near Almoloya de Juárez

    Teotihuacan pyramids morning or afternoon without tourist traps ★ 4.9 (10,252) 5 h 30 min From US$59
    Balloon flight + Breakfast in cave + Pyramids + Pick up CDMX. ★ 4.9 (8,169) 2–8 h From US$149
    Xochimilco, Coyoacan and Frida Kahlo with Optional Lunch ★ 4.5 (8,387) 9 h From US$40
    Balloon flight + pick up in CDMX + Breakfast in Cave + Pyramids ★ 4.9 (7,664) 4–7 h From US$157
    Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon Flight from Mexico City / Volare ★ 4.8 (4,438) 3–9 h From US$144

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    About Almoloya de Juárez

    Northwest of Toluca, inside its metropolitan area and at around 2,600 m, Almoloya de Juárez gives both its name and its seat to the municipality. The town is small, just over 3,000 people in 2020; the whole municipality has 174,587. The name comes from the Nahuatl Almoloyan, "place where the spring wells up", and the spring is still the main draw: the Ojo de Agua, in the middle of town, is on record from 1570 and was declared a sanctuary in 1881. Beside it stand a chapel of the Immaculate Conception and a hermitage of St Peter; visitors toss coins into the basin and look for the "raya", a visible line across the water that locals say divides the spring's water from other currents. It now doubles as a bathing spot, with a pool and green areas, and stalls around it sell huaraches, gorditas and tacos.

    The parish of San José was founded in 1568, and its feast day is 19 March. The haciendas that made the district prosperous include La Gavia, which began in 1539 as the Hacienda de la Candelaria and took its present name in 1663, as well as Las Llaves, San Miguel and La Galera. The municipality also holds the Ignacio Ramírez reservoir with its Isla de los Patos, and Cerro del Molcajete, where families climb every 12 October to picnic. Sunday is market day, with carnitas, cecina, barbacoa and tecui.

    September brings the independence fiestas: the grito on the night of the 15th, and on the 17th a ribbon race in which riders on horseback try to catch a ribbon made by their madrinas. One thing worth knowing: the federal Altiplano prison, which gives the municipality's name national fame, lies about 6 km north of town and cannot be visited.

    How to get to Almoloya de Juárez

    Drive from Toluca: 20 min, 19 km

    Almoloya de Juárez is about 20 km from Toluca according to México Desconocido (Uber estimates 17 km and around 33 minutes; allow 30 to 35 minutes, approx., and more at rush hour). By car, the Toluca-Zitácuaro toll road (A7D) runs through the area, and the town is entered by state road EM 253, signed "Carretera a Almoloya de Juárez"; another road comes in from San Luis Mextepec. Visitors from the capital enter Toluca first and carry on from there.

    Public transport runs from Toluca by bus and combi; the guides give no lines or timetables, so ask at the terminal. The Ojo de Agua sanctuary is on Prolongación Manuel Bernal, opposite the Unidad Deportiva Juárez. Metepec lies some 21 km away as the crow flies; by road allow 25 to 30 minutes (approx.).

    Directions to Almoloya de Juárez on Google Maps

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

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    From the nearest cities to Almoloya de Juárez

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

    Before you go to Almoloya de Juárez: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    The Ojo de Agua is open every day of the year, 9:00 to 18:00. México Desconocido · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    Entry to the Ojo de Agua is around 30 pesos and may change with the season or the administration. México Desconocido · checked Oct 2026
    Best time of day
    Sunday is market day in town, with regional food. Wikipedia (es) · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    Feast of the Immaculate Conception at the Ojo de Agua on 8 December; San José on 19 March; independence fiestas with the ribbon race on 17 September; the climb to Cerro del Molcajete on 12 October. Wikipedia (es) · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting Almoloya de Juárez: what to see and do

    The Ojo de Agua: a sanctuary spring with its "raya" line in the water, the Immaculate Conception chapel and the pool.
    The parish of San José, founded 1568, in the centre.
    Hacienda La Gavia, begun in 1539.
    Cerro del Molcajete, climbed and picnicked on every 12 October.
    The Ignacio Ramírez reservoir and Isla de los Patos.
    The Sunday market: carnitas, cecina, barbacoa and tecui.
    The horseback ribbon race on 17 September.

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    Places to stay in Almoloya de Juárez

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Metepec often include Almoloya de Juárez; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

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    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at TLC (Toluca): about 17 min by road to Metepec, then 21 km more to Almoloya de Juárez, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Toluca (TLC), about 17 min by road from Metepec, the base for Almoloya de Juárez.

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    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Metepec: download a map of the way to Almoloya de Juárez before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

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    When to go to Almoloya de Juárez cool

    Almoloya de Juárez shares the climate of Metepec, 21 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Metepec

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Metepec

    Red Calvario chapel at the top of its long stairway, Metepec, Estado de México cool
    Estado de México Metepec

    Metepec is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Almoloya de Juárez, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near Almoloya de Juárez

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

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.