40 within 3½ hours · 14 under 2 hours
Querétaro is the wine-and-cheese weekend for Mexico City, and the Pueblos Mágicos are the reason. Bernal, under an hour away, has one of the world's tallest monoliths rising straight out of the village; Tequisquiapan, with its thermal spas and wicker market, is just beyond; Cadereyta has its cactus garden. West in Guanajuato are Comonfort, Salvatierra, Mineral de Pozos and Dolores Hidalgo, all under two hours. For a weekend, the Sierra Gorda missions of Jalpan and Pinal de Amoles, or Pátzcuaro in Michoacán.
Best months for the area: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr (when most of these towns are dry with comfortable afternoons)
Day trips (under 2 hours) 14
Close enough to drive there and back from Querétaro in a day. Closest first.
1 h 11 min · 83 km
Best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
Fiestas: Jan, Feb, May, Jul, Sep, Oct
1 h 57 min · 160 km
Best: Jan, Mar, Apr, Nov
Fiestas: Feb, Jul, Sep, Oct, Nov
Weekend escapes (2 to 3½ hours) 26
Worth a night or two. Closest first.
2 h 4 min · 153 km
Best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
Fiestas: Apr, May, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
2 h 14 min · 115 km
Best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
Fiestas: Feb, Mar, Sep, Dec
2 h 25 min · 177 km
Best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
Fiestas: Mar, Sep, Dec
2 h 29 min · 158 km
Best: Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov
Fiestas: Feb, May, Jul, Oct, Dec
2 h 41 min · 206 km
Best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
Fiestas: Mar, Apr, Oct
2 h 54 min · 242 km
Best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
Fiestas: Feb, Jun, Sep, Nov, Dec
2 h 55 min · 235 km
Best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
Fiestas: Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov
2 h 57 min · 221 km
Best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
Fiestas: Feb, Mar, Jun, Jul, Dec
2 h 59 min · 238 km
Best: Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec
Fiestas: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Dec
3 h 25 min · 257 km
Best: Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
Fiestas: Feb, Aug, Sep
On the map
Getting there
Querétaro has its own airport, Querétaro (QRO), so you can fly in and rent a car there.
A car is the easiest way to reach most of these towns; the bigger ones also have direct buses from Querétaro. Each pueblo's page has its own getting-there notes.
Drive times are from OpenStreetMap routing without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the distance and may run longer on mountain roads.