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    The white stone Reloj Monumental clock tower rising over Pachuca's main plaza under a blue sky, Hidalgo

    Photo by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Pachuca

    City Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo Municipality of Pachuca de Soto Hidalgo Mountain Corridor Comarca Minera Geopark

    Hidalgo's windy capital, 'la Bella Airosa': an old silver town with the 1910 Monumental Clock, Cornish-born pastes and football.

    From Tulancingo: 45 min by car (48 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

    Plan your visit to Pachuca

    Where to stay near Pachuca

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Pachuca.

    Hotels in Pachuca Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to Pachuca

    Day trips and guided outings from Real del Monte often include Pachuca; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Pachuca

    • From Tulancingo: about 45 min by road (~48 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), 1 h 6 min by car to Real del Monte
    Rent a car at NLU Flights to NLU

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    About Pachuca

    Pachuca, officially Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of Hidalgo, about 90 kilometres north of Mexico City, with a population of almost 300,000 in 2020. It fills a narrow valley ringed by steep hills covered in brightly painted houses, and its nickname, "la Bella Airosa", comes from the strong winds that funnel down the canyons to the north. The old centre keeps its crooked colonial streets, while warehouses, malls and the football stadium spread out across the flatter ground to the south.

    The city grew on silver. Mining began here in the mid-16th century, and in 1554 Bartolomé de Medina worked out the patio process for extracting silver with mercury at a hacienda in Pachuca, a method that spread across the Americas. After independence, from 1824, miners from Cornwall arrived with steam pumps to drain the flooded mines, and they left a mark that is still easy to find: a Methodist church, British-style houses, the paste (the local version of the Cornish pasty, now filled with mole, beans or rice pudding) and football. Cornish miners founded the Pachuca Athletic Club in 1900, and the city calls itself the cradle of Mexican football.

    The heart of town is the main plaza and its Reloj Monumental, a 40-metre stone clock tower inaugurated on 15 September 1910 for the centenary of independence, with a mechanism from the makers of Big Ben's clock. Nearby are the 16th-century Asunción church, the Cajas Reales where the Crown collected its fifth of the silver, the Museo de Minería with mining archives from 1556 to 1967, and the former Franciscan convent of San Francisco, now home to the INAH's national photography museum. On the hills above stand a giant Cristo Rey and the Macromural of Las Palmitas, a whole hillside neighbourhood painted as one mural. Pachuca is also the gateway to the mining towns and forests of the Comarca Minera, Real del Monte and El Chico among them.

    How to get to Pachuca

    Drive from Tulancingo: 45 min, 48 km

    Pachuca is about 90 km north of Mexico City on the México–Pachuca toll highway (federal 85), a flat road in good condition. First-class buses leave frequently from Mexico City's Terminal del Norte, and from the Felipe Ángeles airport (AIFA) Futura and ADO run buses that take about 90 minutes (156 pesos in April 2026). From Pachuca's big bus station, take a taxi or a combi to the centre; inside the city the Tuzobús rapid bus costs 10 pesos with a prepaid Tuzocard.

    Directions to Pachuca on Google Maps

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

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

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    From the nearest cities to Pachuca

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

    What to see in Pachuca 10

    Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.

    Nature reserves

    Lakes

    Landmarks and museums

    Mountains

    Viewpoints

    Map of Pachuca

    Neighbourhoods and villages of Pachuca

    Part of Pachuca or just outside it, closest first.

    Day trips and tours from Pachuca

    The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Pachuca and tours that leave from it.

    Pachuquilla Town · near Hidalgo 10 min · 8 km Tours on Viator GetYourGuide
    Parque Cultural Hidalguense Nature reserve · near Hidalgo 10 min · 6 km Tours on Viator GetYourGuide
    Real del Monte Pueblo Mágico · Hidalgo 14 min · 12 km Tours on Viator GetYourGuide
    Mineral del Chico Pueblo Mágico · Hidalgo 20 min · 16 km Tours on Viator GetYourGuide
    Zempoala Pueblo Mágico · Hidalgo 26 min · 26 km Tours on Viator GetYourGuide
    Huasca de Ocampo Pueblo Mágico · Hidalgo 29 min · 26 km Tours on Viator GetYourGuide
    Mirador Peña del Cuervo Viewpoint · near Mineral del Chico 30 min · 22 km Tours on Viator GetYourGuide
    Presa San Antonio Lake · near Huasca de Ocampo 30 min · 29 km Tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    All 54 Pueblos Mágicos within a weekend of Pachuca →

    Times marked ~ are estimated from the distance. Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    Before you go: getting to and around Pachuca

    • The nearest airport is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU).
    • The best months to go are February, March, April, and May.
    • 4 of the places on this page are more than 3 km from the centre: take a taxi, a ride-hailing app or a local bus.
    • For day trips a rental car gives the most freedom; the tours above leave from Pachuca.

    Before you go to Pachuca: hours, prices and tips

    Best season
    The big Feria de San Francisco runs from late September to mid-October (24 September to 18 October in 2026), with concerts, crafts from 53 Hidalgo municipalities and food. Most rain falls from May to September. Uno TV; Wikivoyage · checked Oct 2026
    What to bring
    A windbreaker or warm layer: the city is famous for its wind, and winter nights drop to around 3 °C even when days reach about 20 °C. Wikivoyage · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting Pachuca: what to see and do

    See the Reloj Monumental, the 1910 clock tower on the main plaza that chimes like Big Ben.
    Visit the Museo de Minería and its archive of four centuries of silver mining.
    Tour the former convent of San Francisco and the INAH photography museum, with works by Guillermo Kahlo and Tina Modotti.
    Eat pastes, the turnovers the Cornish miners brought, filled with mole, beans or sweet fillings.
    Look up at the Macromural of Las Palmitas, a hillside of houses painted as one artwork.
    Stop at the football-shaped Salón de la Fama del Futbol, the hall of fame of the sport.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Pachuca

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Pachuca.

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
    Vacation rentals on Vrbo Airbnb

    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Real del Monte often include Pachuca; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at NLU (Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles)): about 1 h 6 min by road to Real del Monte, then 8 km more to Pachuca, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), about 1 h 6 min by road from Real del Monte, the base for Pachuca.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    Medical and trip cover for Mexico, by the week or month.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Real del Monte: download a map of the way to Pachuca before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    When to go to Pachuca cool

    Pachuca shares the climate of Real del Monte, 8 km away. The best months to visit are February, March, April, and May.

    See the month-by-month climate of Real del Monte

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Real del Monte

    Colorful houses and the parish church climbing the hills of Real del Monte, Hidalgo cool
    Hidalgo Real del Monte

    Real del Monte is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Pachuca, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Also close to

    Near Pachuca

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

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.