City Uruapan, Michoacán Municipality of Uruapan Meseta Purépecha
Michoacán's second city and the world's avocado hub, where the Cupatitzio river rises in a forested ravine a few blocks from the main plaza.
From Pátzcuaro: 45 min by car (57 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to Uruapan
Where to stay near Uruapan
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Uruapan.
Tours to Uruapan
Day trips and guided outings from Paracho often include Uruapan; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Uruapan Tour
★ 5.0 (8) · From US$107
How to get to Uruapan
- From Pátzcuaro: about 45 min by road (~57 km)
- Nearest airport: Uruapan (UPN), 42 min by car to Paracho
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Popular tours to Uruapan
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
About Uruapan
Uruapan sits at 1,620 m on the western edge of the Purépecha highlands, where the plateau starts dropping toward the Tierra Caliente, and with about 300,000 people in the city (2020 census) it is the second-largest city in Michoacán. The Franciscan friar Juan de San Miguel laid out the colonial town in the 1530s around nine barrios, each with its own chapel and patron saint, and several of those neighbourhood fiestas still fill the calendar, from San José on 19 March and La Magdalena on 22 July to San Miguel on 29 September. The city was the state capital during the French Intervention, and the Mártires de Uruapan, General José María Arteaga and four officers shot by the imperialists in 1865, give the main square its name.
The long Plaza de los Mártires and the adjoining Plaza Morelos form the centre, lined with arcades. On the north side stands La Huatápera, the 16th-century hospital founded by Fray Juan de San Miguel, now a museum of the state's indigenous peoples, next to the San Francisco parish church with its Plateresque doorway; behind them, the Mercado de Antojitos serves carnitas, corundas, churipo and other regional food. A short walk west, the Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park protects the spring where the river is born, with fountains, small waterfalls and stone bridges. Outside town are the 40 m Tzaráracua falls, about 10 km south, and the villages of the Meseta Purépecha, including Angahuan, the gateway to Paricutín volcano.
Uruapan calls itself the world capital of the avocado: the orchards around it lie in Mexico's most productive avocado region, and the packing houses here ship the fruit across Mexico and abroad. It is also a crafts centre, known for maque lacquerware, masks and textiles, and every Holy Week it hosts the Tianguis Artesanal de Domingo de Ramos, a crafts market of some two weeks that brings more than 1,300 artisans from all over Michoacán to the centre. Around the Day of the Dead the Festival de las Velas lights thousands of candles in the plazas and streets. In April 2026 the city opened an 8.4 km cable car with six stations running east to west across town.
How to get to Uruapan
Drive from Pátzcuaro: 45 min, 57 km
Uruapan is about 110 km west of Morelia by the 14D toll road via Pátzcuaro; the Siglo XXI toll road (37D) continues south to Lázaro Cárdenas on the coast. Frequent buses link the two cities: Parhikuni takes about 1 hour 45 minutes from Morelia (220 pesos in November 2022). The bus station is on the Uruapan–Pátzcuaro highway at Avenida del Cerro, a taxi or Uber ride from the centre. The small Uruapan International Airport, inside the city, has a daily Volaris flight from Tijuana. The US State Department rates Michoacán "Do not travel" and does not include Uruapan among its exceptions for government employees, so check the current advisory before going by road.
Directions to Uruapan on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Uruapan
- Pátzcuaro · 57 km by road, 45 min
- Morelia · 107 km by road, 1 h 20 min
- Apatzingán · 105 km by road, 1 h 25 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in Uruapan 4
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
Landmarks and museums
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La Huatápera (Museo de los Cuatro Pueblos Indios) · Landmark · 1 km from the centre
A hospital founded in 1533 by Uruapan's Franciscan founder, now a free museum of Michoacán's indigenous peoples and their crafts on the main square. -
Barrio de San Pedro · Landmark · 2 km from the centre
One of Uruapan's nine founding barrios, with a 16th-century chapel, an 1890s textile mill and a lacquerware tradition. Barrio Mágico since 2023.
Nature reserves
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Parque Nacional Barranca del Cupatitzio · Nature reserve · 3 km from the centre
The ravine where the Cupatitzio, the 'singing river', springs from the rock, with fountains, falls and stone bridges inside the city of Uruapan.
Waterfalls
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La Tzaráracua · Waterfall · 7 km from the centre
Michoacán's best-known waterfall, where the Cupatitzio River drops some 40–60 meters into a canyon south of Uruapan.
Map of Uruapan
Neighbourhoods and villages of Uruapan
Part of Uruapan or just outside it, closest first.
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Capácuaro · Town · 15 km from the centre
A Purépecha woodworking town on the Paracho–Uruapan highway, lined with furniture workshops and roadside showrooms. -
Angahuan · Town · 23 km from the centre
Purépecha-speaking village and base for Paricutín, with an early colonial church and guides with horses for hire.
Day trips and tours from Uruapan
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Uruapan and tours that leave from it.
All 20 Pueblos Mágicos within a weekend of Uruapan →
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 Uruapan
- The nearest airport is Uruapan (UPN).
- The best months to go are January, March, April, and November.
- 3 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 Uruapan.
Before you go to Uruapan: hours, prices and tips
- Best time of day
- Holy Week, for the Tianguis Artesanal de Domingo de Ramos: about 15 days of crafts from more than 1,300 Michoacán artisans in the city centre, with a parade and traditional-dress contest. Wikipedia (es) · checked Oct 2026
- Best season
- The Festival de las Velas runs from 24 October to 1 November in 2026, lighting candles in the plazas and streets of the centre around the Day of the Dead. Crónica · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Uruapan: what to see and do
Walk the Plaza de los Mártires and Plaza Morelos, with their arcades and monuments.
Visit La Huatápera, the 16th-century hospital that is now a museum of Michoacán's indigenous peoples.
Follow the river paths, fountains and bridges of the Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park.
Eat corundas, churipo and carnitas at the Mercado de Antojitos behind La Huatápera.
Browse maque lacquerware, masks and textiles, especially at the Palm Sunday crafts market in Holy Week.
Ride the new cable car across the city, opened in April 2026.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Uruapan
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Uruapan.
Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Paracho often include Uruapan; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at UPN (Uruapan): about 42 min by road to Paracho, then 26 km more to Uruapan, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Uruapan (UPN), about 42 min by road from Paracho, the base for Uruapan.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Paracho: download a map of the way to Uruapan before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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Photos
When to go to Uruapan cool
Uruapan shares the climate of Paracho, 26 km away. The best months to visit are January, March, April, and November.
See the month-by-month climate of Paracho
Weather in Uruapan now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Paracho
Paracho is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Uruapan, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Santa Clara del Cobre · Michoacán · 43 km away
- Pátzcuaro · Michoacán · 48 km away
- Tzintzuntzan · Michoacán · 55 km away
- Tacámbaro · Michoacán · 66 km away
Near Uruapan
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.