This guide is for you if you have already seen Teotihuacan, or want an ancient site with fewer people on it. Tula and Tepotzotlán sit on one road north of Mexico City. It helps you pick the day, understand what you are looking at in Tula, and decide how to split your time between the stone warriors and the gilded church.
Two places, about seven centuries apart
Tula was the capital of the Toltecs. Its full name, Tollan Xicocotitlan, is usually translated as the place of the reeds near the hill of the wasps. INAH dates its height to roughly 900 to 1100 AD, when its influence reached across Mesoamerica, and it was in decline by the twelfth century. Even then, neighbouring peoples kept borrowing its symbols to present themselves as Toltec.
Tepotzotlán belongs to the colonial era. Jesuits arrived in the area in the sixteenth century, opened a school for indigenous languages in 1580 and a college for novices, named after Saint Francis Xavier, in 1586. The college now houses the Museo Nacional del Virreinato, the national museum of the colonial period, and has done since 1964. The church beside it is a masterpiece of the Mexican baroque style known as churrigueresque.
Seeing both on one day gives you a pre-Hispanic capital in the morning and a colonial college in the afternoon.
Which day to go
Avoid Mondays. The museum at Tepotzotlán is closed that day and opens Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 18:00. Tula is open every day from 09:00 to 18:00, so a Monday only works if you are happy to see the church from outside and give the extra time to Tula.
Tula has little shade, so in the heat of the year the morning slot on the tour suits it well. Our arrival at 09:00 coincides with the gates opening. Check the official site before you go, since INAH can change the hours or put on special events, such as early-morning visits to see the sunrise from the site.
What you are looking at in Tula
The Atlantes are why most people come. They are four basalt figures of Toltec warriors, each more than four metres tall, standing on top of the main pyramid, known as Pyramid B. Give yourself time on the platform with them.
Look for three more things on the site:
- The Coatepantli, or wall of snakes, with reliefs of serpents devouring skeletons.
- The Burnt Palace, also called the Palace of the Columns, linked to the ritual and political life of the ruling elite.
- The ball courts, which you pass on your way through the site.
The site museum, named after the archaeologist Jorge R. Acosta, is worth twenty minutes before or after the walk. Acosta explored Tula between 1940 and 1963, at a time when some scholars still doubted the city had existed. The museum opened in 1982, closed for a period, and reopened in October 2023, telling the rise and fall of the Toltecs in five sections.
The ground is still giving things up. In June 2026, INAH archaeologists working about 100 metres outside the site wall found two carved slabs probably taken from Pyramid B, one showing the god Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, a form of Quetzalcoatl, the other a feline like those on the pyramid itself.
How the day fits together
You are collected at 07:00 and drive north on the motorway towards Querétaro. Tula is about two hours away. You have two hours on the site, then drive about an hour back towards the city to Tepotzotlán, arriving at around 12:00. An hour and a half there covers the church of San Francisco Javier and the museum's main rooms. Lunch on the main square follows at 13:30, at your own expense, and you are back at your hotel at about 16:00.
The driving is about three hours in all, on the motorway. Because the car is yours, the split can change. A family with children might want longer at Tula and a shorter museum. Someone who loves altarpieces will want the reverse. Tell your driver.
On your own, or with a driver
Tula is reached from Mexico City by federal highway 57 towards Querétaro, then a toll road east. Tepotzotlán lies on the way back, so the two fit naturally into one run by car.
A private day gives you the hotel pick-up, both places in the right order and a car waiting at each one. Entrances and lunch are paid on the day. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring
- A hat, sun cream and water for Tula, which is an open site with little shade.
- Comfortable shoes for the climb to the Atlantes and the walk across the site.
- A light layer for the early start and for the museum rooms.
- Clothing that suits a church for San Francisco Javier.
- Local cash or a card for two entrances, lunch and small purchases.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits repeat visitors to Mexico, people who have seen Teotihuacan and want more, and anyone interested in both the ancient and the colonial past.
- It is your first visit to Mexico. Start with our Teotihuacan and Guadalupe day. You cannot add Teotihuacan to this tour on the same day.
- Your only free day is a Monday. The museum is shut, and Teotihuacan opens every day.
- You prefer art to archaeology. Our Coyoacán and Frida Kahlo day stays in the city.
To compare all five of our days, read our guide to day trips from Mexico City.
Questions people ask
Is it a long drive?
About three hours in total, on the motorway, split into a longer morning run and two short ones.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Pick a day from Tuesday to Sunday, pack for sun at Tula, and leave room for lunch on the square. The stops, timings and what is included are on the Tula and Tepotzotlán private day trip page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
