Mexico State travel guide

Mexico State (Spanish: Estado de México), often referred to locally as Edomex, is one of the country's 31 states. It surrounds Mexico City on three sides. The state has several densely populated suburban municipalities near the city, but becomes very rural further away with the western part of the state being particularly mountainous as the peaks of the Sierra Madre dominate the landscape with volcanoes, forests, and small towns. To the northwest of Mexico City is the Valley of Mexico, an industrial engine of Central Mexico.

Cities

• Toluca — capital of the state, known for its botanical gardens and many museums
• Aculco — has been designated a "Magic Town" for its traditional architecture full of alleys and houses with wide patios and corridors, buildings supported by columns and cobbled streets
• Amecameca — small town near the volcanoes Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl
• Ixtapan de la Sal — a small city known for its thermal baths, a designated Pueblo Magico ("Magic Town")
• Malinalco - ancient pre-colombian settlement with many archaeological sites nearby, known for its black Christ figure and for shamans and dark magic
• Metepec — a touristy town known for its pottery
• El Oro de Hidalgo - picturesque historic gold mining town, it is one of Mexico's designated Pueblos Mágicos
• Temoaya - small town that preserves Otomi cultural traditions
• Tenancingo - small town southeast of Mexico City, site of Desierto del Carmen, a national park and 18th century Carmelite convent
• Tepotzotlán - charming small city on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, designated as one of Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos
• Tequixquiac — an important site for Catholic religious tourism and UFO fans
• Tonatico — small colonial town with caverns and natural attractions
• Valle de Bravo — town on the shores of Lake Avondaro, close to butterfly sanctuaries and thermal spas

Other destinations

Feathered Serpent at Teotihucan (Photo: Mike Sharp - User: (WT-shared) 2old at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Teotihuacan — impressive pre-Columbian archaeological site with massive pyramids
• Iztacchuatl-Popocateptl National Park — twin volcanoes east of Mexico City on the border with Puebla state
• Nevado de Toluca National Park — snow-capped volcano near the state capital
• Mammoth Central — the world's largest concentration of mammoth fossils was discovered when the new Felipe Angeles International Airport was constructed at the site of the Santa Lucia Air Force Base between 2019 and 2022. A large paleontological museum, Museo Paleontológico de Santa Lucía Quinamétzin, was built at the airport to display many fossilized skeletons and exhibits about pre-historic conditions of the local area.
• Villa del Carbón — an outdoorsman's playground with numerous rivers and streams feeding into 4 large man-made lakes. Aside from trout fishing, there's plenty of water sports like swimming, sailing, and kayaking. Landlubbers will find miles of hiking trails, camping, rapelling, and opportunities for nature watching.
• Centro Ceremonial Otomí — a ceremonial place of the Otomí people. This modern temple was built in 1981 and was used in the James Bond movie License to Kill, as the villain Sánchez's headquarters. You can walk through the park or enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. There is a restaurant and a market. Access is easy by bus from Mexico City (e.g., Cuatro Caminos, 90 min) to Temoaya and from there a local bus (20 min).

Itineraries

• Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is a historic route through Central Mexico, Bajio, and Northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S. state of New Mexico. The route is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Suburbs of Mexico Citʏ

Many municipalities within about 100 km of Mexico City are regarded as part of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area, the following list is not exhaustive, but represents the largest, closest and most significant to a traveler

Ecatepec — largest suburb of Mexico City

• Huixquilucan — residential and commercial zones west of Mexico City, home of Interlomas
• Naucalpan — upscale suburb on the northwest side of Mexico City, home of Ciudad Satelite
• Nezahualcóyotl — dense residential area
• Texcoco — preserves vestiges of the colonial style, highlighting religious buildings of the 17th century, and remains of structures from pre-Columbian times
• Tlalnepantla — industrial area north of Mexico City, home of archaelogical sites including Tenayuca and the Santa Cecilia Acatitlan pyramids
• Cuautitlán — residential area north of Mexico City, home of several archaeological sites as well as the home where Saint Juan Diego lived from the time he was given the cloak of the Virgin of Guadalupe until his death

Understand

This state is the most populous state (almost 17 million people in 2020) in the country and the most densely populated (720/km2). There are an abundance of activities around the state, but most are concentrated around the Mexico City metropolitan area and Toluca, the state capital.

The nickname used to refer to people and things from the state is mexiquense, distinct from mexicano ("Mexican"), which describes the people or things from the country as a whole.

Get in

Mexico State surrounds Mexico City on three sides, so travelers usually get into the state from outside the country or from more distant parts of the country through Mexico City. Domestic travelers from other Mexican cities and states can fly into Santa Lucia or Toluca.

By air

• Benito Juárez International Airport (usually known as Mexico City International and commonly abbreviated "AICM") (MEXIATA) is the main airport for Mexico City. It serves all Mexican commercial airlines and a wide range of foreign carriers with routes to the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.
• Felipe Angeles International Airport (often known as Santa Lucia Airport and commonly abbreviated "AIFA") (NLUIATA) is a new commercial airport facility opened in 2022, 48km north of Mexico City. It serves as the main cargo airport for Mexico City and is an emerging hub airport for many Mexican carriers, it also handles some international flights to destinations in Latin America.
• Toluca International Airport (TLCIATA) serves the state capital and has often served as a regional focus city for low-cost carriers. The airport is underutilized with infrastructure to handle far more traffic than it receives.

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By bus

Mexico State is very easy to reach by bus with service to every larger population center by first-class bus and every small town by at least a second-class bus. See the articles for individual cities for details, or see Bus travel in Mexico for further information.

Get around

Route map for the Ferrocarril Suburbano (Photo: Sofree, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Ferrocarril Suburbano train at the Buenavista station (Photo: Sofree, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Bus and car are the most flexible ways to get around in Mexico State, though traffic is heavy and slow near Mexico City and in Toluca and larger cities. Train service is increasingly useful, but the network is limited in range and not always well integrated.

By train

The Ferrocarril Suburbano is a commuter rail system that connects downtown Mexico City with northern Mexico State municipalities. Service is provided on the Buenavista-Teotihuacan line (Blue), and the Buenavista-Cuauhtitlan line (Red). A third line (Green) connects Nezahualcyotl to Chalco. Communities served include Tultitlán, San Rafael, and Tlanepantla. Buses connect rail stations to nearby neighborhoods. In April 2026, a new rail line was opened connecting Ferrocarril Suburbano Line 1 with the Mexico City Felipe Angeles International Airport, commonly referred to as AIFA or sometimes Santa Lucia (NLUIATA). The Ferrocarril Suburbano can get passengers from AIFA to downtown Mexico City (Buenaventura) in as little as 40 minutes.

Fares range from M$6.50 to M$15.50 (Jan 2023), depending on distance. You must buy a rechargable fare card to ride the train and fare cards for the Metro or the Tren Ligero do not work with Ferrocarril Suburbano (you have to buy a separate card). A rechargable card costs M$30, M$17 of which is an initial credit for fares. When you run out of money on your card, use the machines at rail stations to add funds.

El Insurgente train at the Zinacantepec station (Photo: Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Interurban Tren Mexico City–Toluca (universally known as El Insurgente) is an inter-urban rail project to connect the state capital with the nations capital. The 57-km rail line has been in the works since 2012. All of the stations within the State of Mexico opened in 2023. The final leg into Mexico City (terminating at Observatorio) opened in early 2026. Shuttle buses to the Toluca Airport (TLC) are available at the Tecnologico station. The line provides connections to Mexico City's Metro system at the Observatorio station, which is also one of Mexico City's four major bus stations with long-distance buses to cities to the southeast of Mexico City.

See

Butterflies on a tree in Piedra Herrada (Photo: Comisión Mexicana de Filmaciones from México D. F., México, CC BY-SA 2.0)

• The ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan are 40 km northeast of Mexico City. The ruins are Mexico's most popular archaeological site.
• The National Museum of the Viceroyalty is in Tepotzotlán, just outside Mexico City, it is one of the country's best historical museums about Colonial Mexico.
• The Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System, a UNESCO World Heritage site (partially located in Mexico State), the aqueduct is 45 km in length, running between Zempoala and Otumba
• Grutas la Estrella is a magnificent show cave about 2 hours southwest of Mexico City
• Estado de Mexico has 12 small towns that are designated as Pueblos Mágicos for their charming character and historical or cultural preservation, with cozy restaurants and inns and relatively easy access from the capital, these include Tepotzotlán, El Oro, and Malinalco.

Do

• Zacango Ecological Park - large zoo in the town of Calimaya, (near Toluca), rhinos, giraffes, elephants, zebras and more than 170 other species.
• Bioparque Estrella - theme park about 1 hour northwest of Mexico City. Features a Jurassic Park ride, animal safaris, and an underground mine ride.
• Nevado de Toluca National Park - forested mountain slopes on one of Mexico's highest peaks with twin volcanic crater lakes at the summit.
• Valle de Bravo - weekend playground for Mexico City professionals who enjoy watersports on the sparkling lake, cozy restaurants and inns, and adrenaline pumping activities like parasailing and water skiing.
• Piedra Herrada - is the winter home of more than a million butterflies, though less famous than the Monarch Butterfly Reserves in Michoacan (so less crowded)

Eat

Everything about Central Mexican cuisine is true of food in Mexico State, though some dishes are more emblematic of the area than others.

Tlacoyos are similar to huaraches served in other states. It's essentially a thick, flat tortilla topped with stewed meats or vegetables. It can be folded in half and eaten like a big taco, but is more likely to be eaten like a slice of pizza. In Mexico State, tlacoyos are often made with blue corn meal, giving them a unique appearance.

Drink

Beer is the most popular drink in most of Mexico and in Mexico State, the most popular beers are from the Modelo brewery in Mexico City. A number of small craft breweries operate in many cities of the region. Pulque is also popular throughout Mexico State. Local craft breweries and pulquerias will be listed in the various destination (city) articles.

Stay safe

All of the usual advice to be vigilant applies in Mexico State, though the area is not one of the areas known for violent crime. It is generally safe to travel throughout the state with normal precautions and avoiding sketchy areas off the normal tourist routes.

Go next

• Cuernavaca - the city of eternal spring
• Hidalgo - many quaint colonial towns
• Puebla - volcanoes and colonial cities
• Guerrero - mountains, caves, silver, and the beaches of Acapulco
• Michoacan - Purhepecha traditions and famous butterfly reserves

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