WikiClimateForecast

Pachuca - capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo

Pachuca (also Pachuca de Soto) is a city of almost 300,000 people (2020) in the state of Hidalgo, that draws visitors with its well-preserved historical center and mining heritage.

Understand

Historical center The capital of Hidalgo State, its history is intrinsically entwined with mining since the Aztec days. After the conquista, the Spanish hired Cornish labor and innovation to help with further mining. But due to political instability and wild fluctuations in the price of precious metal values, Pachuca eventually diversified into other areas, including tourism.

The city occupies a small valley and is almost completely surrounded by large hills, which are also covered in colorful houses. The city centre has maintained most of its colonial-era structures, with narrow winding streets. Away from the centre is the modern part of Pachuca, with warehouses, factories, supermarkets and a large football stadium called El Huracán (The Hurricane).

In addition to its role as a regional center, Pachuca may be known to some as the site where much of Club of Crows, a Netflix series, was shot. It is also fortunate to be close to a mountainous natural getaway known as Parque Nacional El Chico.

Many of the descendants of the Cornish miners who immigrated here in the 19th century remain in Pachuca and nearby Real del Monte. Two heritages define the city: football and a dish called "pastes".

Get in

By plane

Pachuca is serviced by Mexico City International Airport. There is a comfortable shuttle bus which can be boarded directly from the airport, giving hourly service to and from Pachuca. Depending on traffic conditions, it takes about an hour or two to arrive at this town.

By carpooling

You can have a look on Blablacar for shared rides. From Mexico City it's around M$70 (Jan 2022) and from Puebla approx. M$130 (Jan 2022).

By bus

Pachuca is easy to reach by first class bus from several cities in the region, including from Mexico City's North station and Puebla's CAPU station (~2 hr, M$200). From the bus station, take a taxi or one of the combi minivans (M$7.5) to get to the old city center.

By car

Pachuca is about 90 km (56 miles) north of Mexico City. The road is flat with very few curves. Because it is a toll-highway, it's usually in good condition.

By train

There is no passenger train service.

Get around

See

Reloj Monumental, Pachuca, Hidalgo, México, 2013-10-10, DD 06

Do

  • Bioparque Convivencia Pachuca, Av Benito Juárez, 20.11671°, -98.74603°. 10ː00-17ː00 Tu-Su, closed M. Animal conservatory that is pretty dilapidated. Come here if you want to see a sad lion. 2020-11-01
  • Tuzoofari, Camino Rural Rancho San Pablo (in Epazoyucan) (about 25 km southeast of Pachuca), 20.0225°, -98.6474°, +52 771 189 6600. 09ː00-17ː00 daily. A pretty dynamic safari experience with chances to feed the animals with supervision and tram car rides thru the park, etc. 2020-11-01

Buy

"Pastes". Derived from the Cornish pasty (but pronounced with a short "a" and "e",) this foodstuff is close to a baked empanada and was popularized by Cornish miners who took them as ready to eat treats for their lunch inside Hidalgo's silver mines. The original ones were filled with a mixture of leek, potatoes and ground meat, however the variety has now grown into a somewhat larger assortment. While there are literally hundreds of establishments selling pastes in Pachuca, "Kiko's" and "El Duque" are strongly recommended. Inquire about chilli pepper content before tasting.

Eat

Budget

All these are in the city center:

Mid-range

Splurge

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

  • Privada 400 Casas & Suites, Dr Espinoza Arteaga 400, 20.11337°, -98.72828°, +52 771 713 7688. Kind of like staying in an apartment but without the lease. M$ 614 2020-11-01
  • Holiday Inn Express Pachuca, Blvd Luis Donaldo Colosio 220 Fracc, 20.11031°, -98.77484°, +52 771 273 0900. This is good if you want to stay in a concrete block franchise sort of place out in the suburbs that has a full breakfast and indoor pool. M$ 762 2020-11-01
  • Hotel los Baños, Matamoros # 205 Colonia Centro. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Cheap and nice looking colonial style hotel. For luxury, you're probably better off in one of the other options nearby; while the rooms are clean, many things don't work well (windows, locks, internet), but it does come with TV access. Renovated in 2015. For the breakfast you have to pay additional M$60, which it probably is not worth it. Better option is to take breakfast in one of the many nice places nearby. M$ 400 for a single room

Splurge

Stay safe

Connect

Cope

Go next

Mineral del Monte – 17 km

Parque Nacional (National Park) El Chico – 25 km. Not bad, monolithic escarpments rising up out of an alpine forest-type topography. Come prepared for some potentially cold weather while hiking though.

Mineral del Chico – 35 km. A pristine town that sort of functions as a service center or at least interesting respite before or after visiting Parque Nacional El Chico.

San Miguel Regla – 40 km

Santa Maria Regla – 40 km

Thermal baths, for example the Grutas Tolantongo – 120 km. Breathtaking hot springs. Featuring grottos, a water tunnel, river, bridge, waterfalls, pools and trekking. The admission is M$150 (Jan 2022), only payable in cash. The attractions in the park are open daily up to 20:00. You can also do camping there.

Xoxafi Caves – 50 km

Tolantongo Caves – 120 km

Prismas basalticos – 40 km

Pachuca

pachuca.gob.mx
Postal code:42000Date Time:Please wait...Timezone:America/Mexico_CityPopulation:297,848Coordinates:20.12, -98.74

Pachuca de Soto

2nd-order administrative division

Hidalgo

Primary administrative division

Mexico

visitmexico.com/en
Population:126.2 MDial code:+52Currency:Peso (MXN)Voltage:127 V, 60 Hz