Your expert guide to exploring Cholula with the kids
Cholula, in the State of Puebla is a great place to take the kids when you’re in Mexico. Whether you decide to visit for the day while staying in the nearby city of Puebla, or to stay a while in Cholula, I can promise that you’ll all have a great time.
👧🏽 This article, like all of my kid focused articles, is really focused on ensuring your family has the best time. I want to help you find the right balance between the cultural activities and the fun, ensuring it’s really a happy vacation for everyone.
👧🏽 Below, you’ll find that I’ve included a “distraction checklist”, talking points for the kids, playground options and other kid friendly ideas, as well as the regular ‘must visit sites’.
→ If you’re travelling with kids, be sure to open up the MexicoCassie guide to feeding kids in Mexico to take the stress out of mealtimes
So why is Cholula good for the kids?
🌋 Well, it’s a colourful pueblo mágico that’s a delight to explore. Who wouldn’t want to head to a town where you can check out the world’s biggest pyramid (no kidding!) and see three volcanoes?
⭐️ It’s easy to intersperse cultural activities with more active or kid friendly time in this small town
🛝 If you’re travelling with younger kids, it’s extremely handy that Cholula is full of great places to run & play
🌯 There are plenty of great spots to eat, including amazing ice-cream options
🛍️ The colourful souvenir shopping will make the bigger kids hop around with pleasure
🏆 Cholula fully deserves its place on my list of great family spring break vacation ideas
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Where to stay in Cholula with the kids
🏨 MexicoCassie mid-range recommendation – Hotel El Cristo: located right near at the base of the pyramid, this is a great value hotel with a good breakfast, spacious grounds and a huge pool & water slide (this is where we stayed on our first trip)
🏨 MexicoCassie most colourful recommendation – Santa Josefita B&B: this joyfully decorated B&B will wow everyone with its extremely comfortable rooms and gorgeous courtyard – perfect if your kids are into Mexican street art
🏨 MexicoCassie family friendly luxury recommendation – Casa Eve Hotel Boutique & Spa – this affordably luxurious hotel has great sized rooms, includes a delicious breakfast and has a pool on site
🗺️ Or, if none of these are what you’re looking for, you could use the MexicoCassie interactive accommodation finder map to help locate something more in your style
Getting to/from Cholula
Cholula is located in central Mexico in the state of Puebla, south east of Mexico City. These days it’s pretty much an extension of Puebla geographically even if it does feel like an entirely different place once you’re there.
The photo above was taken in THE spot along the road from Puebla to Cholula to get the super famous photo of Popocatépetl behind the church. Sadly, it has been cloudy every single time I’ve passed by. I promise there’s a giant volcano behind all that cloud.
🚘 Check rental car prices now (on Discover Cars, always my broker of choice)
🚌 From CDMX it’s an easy bus ride of around 2 hours – you can check bus timetables here in Spanish or English
🚕 From Puebla I recommend just taking a cab as it’s so close (the buses are more hassle as the bus station is out of town)
👣 If you prefer to take an organised day trip from Mexico City, or Puebla this is also possible.
Cool Cholula facts to share with the kids
🌶️ Even if you haven’t heard of Cholula, I bet you know about the hot sauce named for the town, right? Weirdly, it’s never been made here.
⭐️ Cholula is actually two small towns – San Pedro Cholula and San Andrés Cholula meaning a visit here is a bit of a two-fer. And in fact, its official name is Cholula de Rivadavia although you’re unlikely to ever hear it called that.
👀 The historic town of Cholula is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a pueblo mágico (magic town).
🤯 Cholula was one of the most important cities in pre-hispanic Mexico and at 2,500 years old, it’s also one of the oldest, continuously-inhabited cities in the world. The Olmecs, Teotihuacanos and Toltecs all lived here. At its peak, it was the second most important city in Mexico after Tenochitlan.
🗻 The Great Pyramid of Cholula, Tlachihualtepetl, is the largest pyramid in the world (by volume, 4.45 million cubic meters) and one of the largest structures of its kind in all of the Americas. It was built in the 3rd century BCE.
🌋 From Cholula it’s easy to both see & visit the twin volcanoes, Popocatéptel (pronounced poh-poh-kah-TEH-peh-til) and Iztaccihuatl (Iz-tak-tzil-watl). The smaller Malinche is also visible.
😡 The church, Our Lady of Remedies (Nuestra Señora de los Remedios), sits atop the pyramid. The church was built in the sixteenth century after Hernan Cortes ordered the conquering Spanish to build a church on top of every Indigenous temple in the region.
➕ This is a great place to take the opportunity to talk to your kids about Mexican history, the actions of the Conquistadores and Cortes, colonialism and how we view this history through our twenty-first century lens.
What to do in Cholula with kids
By now, you might be getting worried that Cholula isn’t a super kid friendly place as it’s probably already obvious that this is a town overflowing with churches and history. Are you concerned that I’m having you on?
I’m not, I promise. This really is a cool place to take the kids. You just have to know how to approach it all.
Let’s be honest, if your kids are like my kids then they don’t give a ***** (insert your own word of choice) about Cholula’s many churches and they’re only going to want a cursory glance around the museums. They will, however, want to climb things, run, skip, leap and try all the candies and fun street-foods.
I promise that as with all the MexicoCassie kid centred guides, this is a real and true look at what there is to do in Cholula that the kids can actually appreciate.
Cholula Pyramid + museum
Of course, the best place to begin is with the massive pyramid in the centre of town.
As you can see in the photo above, the enormous Cholula Pyramid isn’t a picture-perfect pyramid like El Castillo at Chichén Itzá; it’s more of a giant rubble/grass hill because it hasn’t been entirely excavated or renovated with some renovated sections. However, exploring this archaeological site is most definitely still fun.
❌ The underground tunnels were closed during COVID and as of yet, they have never reopened, 🤞🏾they open them at some point (we had fun exploring them on our first trip).
Once you’re done exploring the pyramid and the Courtyard of Altars and have checked out the murals (under tin roofs), head to the Museo de Sitio de Cholula to see some of the artefacts found on the site.
👣 If the kids are interested in history (I’ve heard some exist), you could take a short tour of the site with a professional archaeologist
⭐️ While you stroll around the base of the pyramid why not share some of these great facts with your kids ⭐️
✅ The pyramid’s name, Tlachihualtepetl, means “Made-by-hand Mountain” in Nahuatl. It was originally a temple to the god Quetzalcoatl (the Aztec god of Culture and Literature).
✅ This pyramid is the biggest in the world. It’s bigger even than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, and all the other enormous pyramids in Mexico including the most famous of them all, Chichén Itza.
✅ This pyramid is 25 m (82ft) tall, which is actually a lot shorter than Egypt’s Great Pyramid so when we say it’s bigger, we are talking about its final size. At their bases, the Cholula pyramid is 300 m x 315 m and the Great Pyramid is 230 m x 230 m.
✅ Archaeologists unearthed 8 km (approx 5 miles) of tunnels inside the pyramid between 1931 and 1954. They also discovered altars complete with offerings, walls with murals and even human remains from around 900 CE. Over 400 bodies have been found thus far.
✅ An altar to Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain was established here during a period of severe water shortages and ceremonies in which children were sacrificed to Tlaloc were held. It was thought that the children, after death, would ask the god for water.
Head UP: visit the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios & enjoy the views
Let’s make this fun for the kids so that you don’t have to miss out on the amazing views from the top of the pyramid. Yup, you’re climbing up to the famous yellow church built on top of the Cholula Pyramid (photo earlier in the article is of this church).
⏱ If your kids are young enough, I highly recommend getting them to do timed running up and down sections of the steps up the pyramid. Mine love to be timed and it always helps con them into moving encourage them.
Edit: apparently you don’t need to be young for this to work:
🍻 😆 Last time I visited (with Puebla based, female owned Unlimited Experiences tour company) I was ‘tricked’ into speed climbing when they offered a beer to the first to reach the top – yes it was an adults only group and yes, I won!
Once you’re up here, there are really two things to do: admire the view, and check out the church. Kids can also run around if they’re not exhausted from the climb up.
🚾 There are facilities up here so if your kids are likely to need a pee, don’t forget your small change
🥟 You can pick up snacks and a few souvenirs at the top too – snacks always help
The view
On a clear day you will be treated to a magnificent view of Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl in the distance. Popocatépetl is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico so you’ll probably get to see it smoking, Malinche/Malitzin (another dormant volcano) and Puebla city can be seen in the other direction.
Get the kids to use this checklist to keep them occupied if they’re bored.
The church
The church is undeniably very pretty to look at. It’s yellow and has lovely domed roofs. However, it’s also important to remember that there was an Indigenous temple here first. Just prior to the Spanish conquest in the early sixteenth century, this pyramid was considered sacred to the rain goddess, Chiconauhquiauhitl (the Goddess of the Nine Rains).
Talking point: is this church a symbol of Spanish conquest over the Indigenous people of Mexico? Do we view it through the lens of the 21st century or the 16th century? Does it change how we feel?
When those those naughty Conquistadors did what they did best and built a Catholic church right on top of an important indigenous temple, they replaced this goddess with an image of their “Virgin of the Remedies” and claimed she had been ‘seen’ in Cholula. Essentially, the Spanish substituted the Aztec goddess with their own to help speed up the ‘voluntary conversion’ to Catholicism.
⚡️ The church has been struck by lightning several times, which was thought, in the early days, to be Chiconauhquiuhitl making clear her displeasure of the Spanish actions.*
*I wonder if this was her version of yelling ‘smash the patriarchy’
Other churches in Cholula
The popular claim is that there is a church for every day of the year in Cholula.
The kids will be relieved to know that there is absolutely not. There’s more like 50 and of these, apart from the one already mentioned, you should visit maybe 2 more (or none, obviously 😉). I’m not a church fan and nor are my kids but these next two are genuinely kinda cool.
Templo de Santa Maria Tonantznitla – older kids might like to see the fabulous blending of Indigenous religion and Catholicism in the intricate carvings in this church. I believe it was the first church in Mexico to be decorated in this fascinating manner (and nearby is the Observatorio Astronomico if your kids are into space gazing).
I don’t have photos of the interior as it’s not permitted to use cameras inside but there are a few floating around on the web if you want to check it out – I followed the rules when I went.
Templo de San Francisco Acatepec – the exterior of this church is breathtakingly beautiful (I have to admit I didn’t go inside this church but that’s mainly because I spent so long admiring the outside but others say it’s lovely – see photo above).
Museo Regional de Cholula
This museum is located right at the base of the pyramid and is a wonderful physical space. The museum is split into a number of rooms, each housing a selection of artefacts relating to Mexican history and culture. It’s a good museum for kids precisely because of its layout. It’s easy to take a breather between each room, and no room is too big or overwhelming.
✅ Kids will adore the alebrijes room here.
Enjoy ALL the sweet foods
🍦 Coyotitla is a fascinating ice-cream shop making interesting, artisan ice.cream that embraces and celebrates Mexican food culture. My favourite thing about the place is that the ice-cream is served in a corn- husk so there’s no waste. There are some great flavours to try here too.
🍦 Cuore Italiano, just down the road from Coyotitla is extremely popular, ethically minded and serves delicious flavours of ice-cream.
🍬 Let the kids stop and admire the street-vendors’ selection of candies. Maybe even let them buy some since it’s clearly a cultural activity (tell them Aunty Cass said so 😉).
Other kids friendly spaces in Cholula
Parque Soria
Just outside the archaeological site you’ll find Parque Soria, which is a lovely green space where you’ll find the Cholula letters (great for photos of the kids), a nice playground, and space for the kids to run around.
On the weekend there’s also a bustling market in this park, full of souvenir sellers and street food vendors. There are often Danza de los Voladores demonstrations here too.
Ferrocarril Station Markets
Let the kids explore the stalls around these markets next to the old tourist train station (Plaza la Estacion), which sadly closed down in 2022 and has never reopened.
Plaza de la Concordia/Zocalo
This is the main plaza of San Pedro Cholula and the kids can run and play on here as it’s pedestrianised and safe. The plaza is surrounded by bars and stores.
Other fun
Just a few blocks from the centre of town is, Balneario Puerto Escondido, an open air water park with water slides, diving boards and play spaces for smaller kids. The nearby mall, Explanada Puebla not only has a cinema but also an ice-skating rink.
Where to eat in Cholula with kids
Honestly, anywhere you like! Mexican food is simply delicious, as I’m sure you already know. I’ve eaten in a number of different places in Cholula and currently would particularly recommend the following two spots but that doesn’t mean other places aren’t also awesome.
One great spot is La Lunita, right at the base of the pyramid. Here, amongst other things, you can try a traditional mole poblano or a cemita (a local sandwich that is a great kid friendly option).
Container City, just outside Cholula is a great place to head in the early evening with the kids but I recommend leaving before it gets to lively if your kids are small. This is a modern and colourful collection of restaurants, and bars.
Family friendly day trips from Cholula
Puebla
→ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to visiting Puebla
Of course, if you’re staying in Cholula, you’re going to want to visit the neighbouring city of Puebla, one of Mexico’s most beautiful cities. Previously there was a free train between the two cities but sadly, it’s closed down now so you’ll either need to take a cab or a bus if you haven’t rented a car.
Puebla is a city full of culture, particularly in the form of beautiful churches and museums. Highlights are the incredible Biblioteca Palafoxiana, the oldest library in the Americas and the Museo Amparo.
👧🏽 For the kids specifically, I highly recommend checking out the Museo Infantil, the Paseo de Gigantes, Museo Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos (Train Museum) and the Estrella de Puebla, the biggest Ferris wheel in Latin America.
For older kids, the Museo Amparo could be a win (I haven’t taken my kids yet but I absolutely would do) because I think it’s one of the most thoughtfully presented and interesting museums I’ve ever visited.
🍬 Let the kids go wild in Calle de los Dulces (Candy Street) – but do not forget to tell them it’s traditional candy though, or they might be disappointed.
Dulces tipicos de Puebla (MexicoCassie’s favourites)
Palenqueta – peanut brittle
Dulce de leche con nuez – a sweet condensed milk candy with a walnut on top
Tortitas de Santa Clara – the most famous and original, this is a cookie with a covering of sweet, condensed milk
Camote – a cigar shaped sweet potato based candy that comes in many flavours, I love it
→ Check out the MexicoCassie guide to candies in Mexico for more information
🛍️ Callejón de los Sapos (Toad Alley) is a fun and lively place to explore, especially at the weekends when the whole area turns into an outdoor market with souvenirs, artisanias and even a flea market. El Parián is another good souvenir shopping option with kids, it’s open all week.
Other pueblos mágicos
Atlixco
Visit for excellent views of the volcano, great food, wonderful ice cream
→ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to visiting Atlixco
Zacatlán de las Manzanas
This small town is a great spot to visit with outdoorsy, adventurous kids. Find ziplines, waterfalls, hikes and more
→ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to visiting Zacatlán de las Manzanas
Parque Nacional Iztaccíhuatl – Popocatépetl
💩 Yes, the name is a bit of a mouthful but most people just call it Itza-Popo (and yes, the kids can laugh at that if they want!)
➡️ Izataccíhuatl “White Woman” – a dormant volcano that has the shape of a reclining woman
➡️ Popocatépetl “Hill That Smokes” – an active volcano that regularly smokes and even belches out fire
✅ Aztec mythology tells that the volcanos represent two lovers upon whom fate frowned, frustrating their efforts to unite in life. Popocatépetl was a fierce warrior who longed for the white princess, Iztaccihuatl. Her father predictably refused to allow their marriage, keeping the two apart, believing the warrior was not worthy of his daughter (yawn). Though their love for each other was frustrated in life, the gods transformed the pair into mountains that would forever lie side by side.
❌ In the early 16th century, the Spanish marched through this area to collect sulphur from the volcanoes for their gun powder. They used this gun powder during the horrific massacre of Cholula in 1519.
👧🏽 Please note that due to the high altitude of some areas of this park, it’s not recommended to take small kids.
🌋 The route up to Paso de Cortes from Cholula/Puebla is filled with truly lovely vistas and you’ll have to stop regularly to take photos.
🌋 If your kids are big enough and you are going for a ‘real’ hike, once you reach the lodge at Paso de Cortes, head inside to register, pay the very small fee and then take a walk around, enjoy the views. Most general hikes begin and end here.
If you’re visiting with smaller kids you may wish to stop at the Parque Ecologico Apatlaco where the kids can run and play and there’s a short hike to a waterfall that’s a delight for the whole family.
🌋 This is a national park that is home to two volcanoes: Izaccíhuatl and Popocatéptl, two of the biggest volcanoes in Mexico. In 2010 it was classed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
🚗 1 hr 30 from Cholula to Paso de Cortes in the national park. You’ll either need to rent a car or take a tour to get out to the national park that’s actually in Estado de Mexico, and Puebla State.
👣 MexicoCassie recommended tour options – take a small group / private tour like this one offered by Unlimited Experiences for a day hike with wonderful views of both volcanoes or you could contact them and ask for something more aligned with your kids’ specific needs.
Africam safari
I must highlight that I have not been to Africam, a safari zoo in Puebla. I’m often hesitant to include zoos in my articles but it gets good reviews so I’m including it as an option for a day trip without giving my opinion.
You can either head in with a private car, hire a jeep/guide, ride the ‘safari bus’ and even ride bikes around (please don’t get eaten by a lion 🦁). Or, of course you can take a tour if you don’t have access to your own transport.
👣 It’s possible to take a cheap tour – it gets great reviews but it’s important to note you explore the safari park in a coach, which may not be to everyone’s taste. A private tour allows for a more personal experience with Unlimited Experiences
Best time to visit Cholula
And finally, let’s take a quick look at when best to visit Cholula. In my opinion it has a pretty pleasant climate for visitors almost all year round.
🔆 Warmest period: March & April – perfect for a Spring Break visit
☔️ Wettest period: June – September
🌼 My favourite time to visit Cholula is in the Spring when the temperatures are good and the jacaranda trees are in bloom
⭐️ Whatever time of year you decide to visit, use this useful kid focused packing list to help you figure out what to take with you
Visiting Mexico with kids – a directory
🧳 Packing for a trip to Mexico with kids
✈️ Spring break in Mexico with kids
🏖 Best family friendly beaches in Mexico
🏝 Family fun in Playa del Carmen
✅ Río Secreto with kids – a review
🏝 Chilling in Cozumel with kids
⭐️ 50+ things to do in Mérida with kids
⭐️ Exploring Valladolid with kids
💦 Best cenotes in Yucatán for kids
⛰ Visiting Mexico’s Copper Canyon with kids
⭐️ What to do in Guadalajara with kids
⛰ Oaxaca’s Sierra Norte with kids
⭐️ Exploring around Queretaro with kids
⭐️ Getting to know Cholula (Puebla) with kids
🎄 Celebrating Christmas in Mexico
✏️ A guide to homeschooling in Mexico
🍭 All your kids need to know about Mexican candy
🍦 Finding the best ice creams in Mérida
2 Comments
Keith Paulson-Thorp · 04/03/2020 at 5:22 pm
Another great read about some of my favorite places. Next time you must leave time to explore Puebla even more, and don’t hesitate to spend a minute in the churches, especially the cathedral, one of the greatest in Mexico. Nothing speaks of the excess and systemized repression of the colonial era quite like these lavish interiors. I was there in 2004 to play the organs at the cathedral (as well as the organ at Nuestra Señora de los Remedios in Cholula, a time pre-earthquake when everything was still open) and I was impressed by the choirs at the cathedral. They are comprised almost exclusively of indigenous people, as they were in colonial times, and have a very unique sound.
But the architecture and expert layout of Puebla (which was the first city modeled on Thomas More’s “Utopia”) are really remarkable, and the Palafoxiana is such a great and unique place. And of course the food. I love reliving fond memories through your travelogues! Thank you again. ?
Cassie · 04/03/2020 at 6:36 pm
Thanks, Keith. I promise to look in on the churches next time. I do generally but with so much to do it was an easy thing to strike off the list given that generally I get riled up by the incredible inequality we so often see in churches. Playing the organ in such a magnificent building must have been incredible, and the choir sounds amazing. That I’d love to hear.
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