A region of Veracruz
The flat, hot Gulf coast around the port of Veracruz, the first town the Spanish founded in Mexico and still one of the country's main ports. Boca del Río continues it to the south; La Antigua and the ruins of Cempoala lie to the north, where Cortés first landed; and down the coast are the fishing town of Alvarado and riverside Tlacotalpan. This is the home of son jarocho, the harp, jarana and dance music of southern Veracruz.
32 places to visit
Map
Places to visit in Veracruz port and the Sotavento 32
32 places with their own page, grouped by kind.
Villages · 10 Towns · 7 Landmarks and museums · 6 Cities · 2 Islands · 2 Archaeological sites · 2 Beaches · 1 Lagoons · 1 Nature reserves · 1
Villages
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Acazónica · Village · Veracruz
Former Jesuit sheep hacienda in Paso de Ovejas, an insurgent refuge of Guadalupe Victoria and the municipal seat until 1870. -
Antón Lizardo · Village · Veracruz
Fishing village south of Boca del Río, home of Mexico's naval academy and the beach where boats leave for the reefs and Isla de En Medio. -
Huixcolotla · Village · Veracruz
Tierra Blanca village on the Papaloapan plain, about 7 km off Highway 145 near the La Tinaja junction; its Nahuatl name refers to scorpions. -
Jamapa · Village · Veracruz
A cattle-country seat on the Sotavento plain, half an hour from the port of Veracruz, with a May carnival, a community museum and coyol atole. -
Joachín · Village · Veracruz
Railway congregación in Tierra Blanca, in the Papaloapan basin, with an 1893 station and pre-Hispanic finds now held in museums. -
La Tinaja · Village · Veracruz
Highway junction in Cotaxtla where Highway 150 (Mexico City–Veracruz) meets Highway 145, the start of the road to Mexico's southeast. -
Las Remojadas · Village · Veracruz
A farming village in Soledad de Doblado that gave its name to the Remojadas culture and its famous smiling clay faces. -
Medellín · Village · Veracruz
Seat of Medellín de Bravo, south of the port of Veracruz, founded on Cortés's orders and home to one of Mexico's oldest churches. -
Paso del Toro · Village · Veracruz
Medellín de Bravo town on Highway 180, 25 minutes from the port of Veracruz, between the Jamapa and Cotaxtla rivers and beside the railway. -
Villa Rica · Village · Veracruz
Small fishing village on a calm bay below Quiahuiztlan, where Cortés set up the Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz in 1519; beach, dunes and sea cliffs.
Towns
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Actopan · Town · Veracruz
A small town in the Actopan river valley below Xalapa, one of Mexico's big mango producers, with a May mango fair and the Descabezadero springs nearby. -
Alvarado · Town · Veracruz
Fishing port where the Papaloapan meets the Gulf, known for seafood, its malecón, May crosses festival and famously salty language. -
Ignacio de la Llave · Town · Veracruz
A small lowland town in the Mixtequilla of the Papaloapan basin, with a March carnival and the Totonac site of El Zapotal nearby. -
José Cardel · Town · Veracruz
Sugar and railway town on Highway 180, seat of La Antigua municipality and the crossroads for Chachalacas, Cempoala, La Antigua and Xalapa. -
La Antigua · Town · Veracruz
Riverside village where Veracruz stood from about 1525 to 1600: the root-wrapped Casa de Cortés, the Ermita del Rosario and an old ceiba tree. -
Manlio Fabio Altamirano · Town · Veracruz
The old railway stop of La Purga, 35 minutes inland from the port of Veracruz, with a Porfirian-era station and a Guadalupe fair in December. -
Tlacotalpan · Town · Veracruz
Arcaded, colour-washed river town on the Papaloapan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its Candelaria festival and son jarocho.
Landmarks and museums
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Acuario de Veracruz · Landmark · Veracruz
Big public aquarium on the Veracruz waterfront, open since 1992: a 1.25-million-litre reef tank, sharks, manatees, jellyfish and penguins. -
Baluarte de Santiago · Landmark · Veracruz
The only surviving bastion of Veracruz's colonial walls, finished in 1635; an INAH museum known for the Fisherman's Jewels, currently closed. -
Catedral de Veracruz · Landmark · Veracruz
The white cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption on the Veracruz zócalo, finished in 1731, with a Puebla-tiled dome and Baccarat crystal chandeliers. -
Malecón de Veracruz · Landmark · Veracruz
The harbourside promenade of Veracruz, with the Carranza lighthouse, La Parroquia café, crafts stalls, port views and harbour boat trips. -
Museo Naval México · Landmark · Veracruz
Mexico's largest naval museum, in the old Naval School building in central Veracruz that cadets defended against the US in 1914. -
San Juan de Ulúa · Landmark · Veracruz
The coral-stone fortress guarding Veracruz harbour: last Spanish stronghold in Mexico until 1825, later a feared prison, now an INAH museum.
Cities
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Boca del Río · City · Veracruz
Veracruz's southern neighbour at the mouth of the Jamapa river: hotel towers and calm beaches like Mocambo, seafood, and river trips by boat. -
Veracruz · City · Veracruz
Mexico's oldest port city, founded by Cortés in 1519: a lively zócalo with danzón, portal cafés, a busy harbour and the country's biggest carnival.
Islands
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Isla de En Medio · Island · Veracruz
Small reef island with a lighthouse off Antón Lizardo, reached by a 30-minute boat ride; snorkelling, turtle nesting beaches, no services. -
Isla de Sacrificios · Island · Veracruz
Small lighthouse island off Veracruz, named by Grijalva in 1518; closed to the public, but kayak and boat trips circle it to snorkel the reef.
Archaeological sites
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Cempoala · Archaeological site · Veracruz
The walled Totonac capital where Cortés met the "Fat Cacique" in 1519: pyramids, round temples and stone rings in a grassy plaza, run by INAH. -
Quiahuiztlan · Archaeological site · Veracruz
Totonac hillside city and cemetery above Villa Rica bay, with 78 tombs built like tiny temples; here the Totonacs allied with Cortés in 1519.
Beaches
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Chachalacas · Beach · Veracruz
Beach village at the mouth of the río Actopan, known for about 550 hectares of dark sand dunes used for sandboarding and ATV rides.
Lagoons
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Laguna de Mandinga · Lagoon · Veracruz
Mangrove-lined lagoons south of Boca del Río, known for boat rides through the mangroves and oysters and seafood in the village of Mandinga.
Nature reserves
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Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano · Nature reserve · Veracruz
Coral reef national park off Veracruz, Boca del Río and Antón Lizardo: reef islands, wrecks and the best-known diving in the Gulf of Mexico.
Top tours in Veracruz port and the Sotavento
Acazónica
Private Sunrise Taj Mahal Tour from Delhi By Car -All inclusive
From US$14
Acazónica
Aquatico Inbursa Waterpark: Veracruz - Ticket
From US$25
Acazónica
Full Day Tour to Catemaco and Los Tuxtlas with Transportation
From US$92
Acazónica
Tajín and Papantla Tour from Veracruz or Boca del Río by Highway
From US$112
Acazónica
6-Day Private Tour of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Varanasi from Delhi
From US$802
Veracruz
Tajin And Papantla Tour From Veracruz Or Boca Del Rio. Fast way
From US$127
Veracruz
Panoramic Sightseeing Bus City Tour of Veracruz
From US$8
Veracruz
Tour to Orizaba and Cordoba from Veracruz or Boca del Río
From US$106
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
Getting around Veracruz port and the Sotavento
Fly into Veracruz (VER).
Cities to start from: Veracruz
Most of the region is reached by road: a rental car is the easiest way to see several places in a day, and buses link the larger towns.
Also by boat or on foot (each page says from where): Isla de En Medio, Isla de Sacrificios.
When to visit Veracruz port and the Sotavento
Most of Veracruz port and the Sotavento is at its best in February, March, April, and December.
Month-by-month climate on each Pueblo Mágico's page: Córdoba, Coatepec, Coscomatepec