"MONTERREY - City of Mountains" Monterrey by TinyTuck

Monterrey Travel Guide: 299 reviews and 536 photos

Serro de la Silla - Monterrey
Serro de la Silla

I spent one month in Monterrey, doing an internship for my studies, and I definately had a great time!!

Monterrey, capital of the State of Nuevo León, is located in the North of Mexico just 300km from the Texas border. It´s a modern industrial city (very americanized) of about 4 million and growing. Monterrey is a great valley, surrounded by mountains, the most famous one being the "Serro de la Silla" (=horse saddle mountain).
The temperatures here are extreme: either very hot or very cold, really weird. I can´t say that it´s the nicest place I´ve seen in Mexico, but it sure has its charming places.

Barrio Antiguo - Monterrey

Barrio Antiguo

The Macroplaza is the place in the city center where you can find most of the sights of Monterrey packed in a small area: the cathedrale, the government buildings, interesting statues, parks, ... It's a great area to stroll around, relax and watch people. You won't starve either considering all the street vendors offering delicious food!

The Barrio Antiguo, the older colonial part of the city, is located right behind the Macroplaza area. It´s kinda dead during day time but famous for it´s nightlife on Thursday through Saturday. It offers a great variety of bars and discos for every taste.

The Zona Rosa is NOT only for gays, but it's the name of the city´s modern shopping area.

Monterrey is not real Mexico?!
Traditional dancers - Monterrey

Traditional dancers

That's what you often here from dissapointed tourists (who usually don't even waste their time here), Americans on business travels (this group of visitors is far more frequent, for this reason every Caucasian will be taken for a "Gringo" if not stated otherwise), Mexicans from other parts of the country, and even from locals!
I have to say, of course Monterrey is Mexico, even if in this area you won't find remains of acient Indian cultures. Monterrey is a modern and wealthy business city and doesn`t miss out on any shopping center or fast food chain (except for maybe Taco Bell ;-) ) which will make an American feel at home.
Still it has retained much of its Mexican charme. You will see taco stands and street venders en masse, hear Mexican music, especially Norteño (Northern Mexican's answer to US country music), and see true Mariachis. The traditional instrument is the acordeon.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Almost tourist free, around the city there are national parks and other beautiful spots for relaxing, hiking and other outdoor activities
  • Cons:Pretty Americanized, extreme temperatures, relatively expensive!
  • In a nutshell:Modern business city which offers quite a lot of sights and activities
  • Last visit to Monterrey: Mar 2002
  • Intro Written Sep 11, 2002
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Reviews (17)

Grutas de García - Monterrey Grutas de García Off The Beaten Path (4)

Grutas de García (caves) Go by bus and then take a taxi or hitchhike. An old rail car takes you up the mountain to the... more travel advice

Waterfall: Cola de Caballo - Monterrey Waterfall: Cola de Caballo Off The Beaten Path (4)

Waterfall Cola de Caballo Buses leave at the central bus station and go about an hour, then a mini bus will take you up... more travel advice

Packing List - Monterrey Packing List What to Pack (1)

The weather in Monterrey is quite extreme, so try to consider this when packing. It´s either very hot or very cold,... more travel advice

Monterrey has got an airport... - Monterrey Monterrey has got an airport... Transportation (1)

Monterrey has got an airport for inner Mexican and US flights. From other Mexican cities you can get there by one of the... more travel advice

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