Querétaro · Mexico
Santiago de Querétaro travel guide
Santiago de Querétaro is a city in Querétaro, Mexico, home to about 795,000 people.
- Best months
- October to March
- Nearest airport
- QRO21 km · Querétaro Intercontinental Airport
- Currency
- MXNpeso
- Time zone
- America/Mexico City
- Language
- Nahuatl, Spanish, Yucatec Maya
About
About Santiago de Querétaro
Santiago de Querétaro, most commonly known as Querétaro, is the capital and largest city of the state of Querétaro, located in central Mexico. It is part of the macroregion of Bajío.
The city's full name is "Santiago de Querétaro", and although it is spelled out fully on the doors of every taxi in the city, nobody uses the full name in conversation. The city is a strong business and economic center and a vigorous service center that has experienced high levels of migration from other parts of Mexico. The city is growing fast because of IT and data centers, logistics services, aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, call centers, the automotive and machinery industries, and the production of chemicals and food products.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Santiago de Querétaro
See
The Centro Histórico (Downtown area) is considered a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, and it includes the Cerro del Sangremal (Hill of Sangremal), crowned by the Convent of the Holy Cross and the flat area on the east that extends into the Cerro de las Campanas (Hill of Bells). There are also tour trolleys available.
- Teatro de la República
- Palacio del Gobierno del Estado
- Palacio Municipal
- Templo de Santa Clara
- Templo y Convento de la Santa Cruz
- Templo de Nuestra Señora del Carmen
- Templo y Exconvento San Francisco de Asisi
- Jardin Zenea
- Jardín Guerrero
- Plaza de la Corregidora
- Acueducto
- Cerro de las Campanas National Park
Do
- Parque Ecologico Joya-La Barreta
- Estadio Corregidora
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Santiago de Querétaro to stay in
The budget sleeps are in the centro in Calle Juarez between Av. Reforma and Av. Zaragoza. Some of them are incredibly basic.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Santiago de Querétaro
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Santiago de Querétaro are October to March. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; July is the wettest, with about 115 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Santiago de Querétaro: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Querétaro Intercontinental Airport (QRO), about 21 km from the city centre in a straight line; General Francisco J. Mujica International Airport (MLM, 106 km) and Guanajuato International Airport (BJX, 122 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Querétaro is 213 km northwest of Mexico City, 63 km southeast of San Miguel de Allende and 200 km south of San Luis Potosí.
Getting around
The historical center of town is very compact. It's easy to walk around once you get there. Uber, Didi and Cabify cover the city. Google Maps and Moovit show you connections to your destination. Bus routes are extensive and frequent. Use a QroBus card, the local transport card to tap to pay. You can buy these at any OXXO, SuperQ, or many major bus stops have ticket machines to buy and reload a card. The card costs M$38, a single ride costs M$11 (August 2026). There are many privately operated buses on the main roads. If you like, you can buy a route book on any newspaper stand.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
QRO · Querétaro Intercontinental Airport
MLM · General Francisco J. Mujica International Airport
BJX · Guanajuato International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Santiago de Querétaro
Eat
Typical food is the Gordita Queretana. It's round and bigger than usual gorditas. You can find it e.g. in some street food stalls. There it costs M$30 (Jan 2022) filled with meat or cheese. Filled with both it's M$45 (Jan 2022). Food stalls on the plaza in front of the Iglesia De La Santa Cruz. They are open daily in the afternoon and evening. One stall has a big variety of what you want on your taco. On Friday to Sunday in the afternoon and evening there is also a stall serving Gorditas Queretanas. The budget eats are along the street C. Corregidora around the Hotel San Francisco.
Drink
Querétaro has many nightlife districts where you can enjoy all kind of music and people, everything for everybody.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Santiago de Querétaro: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Santiago de Querétaro?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Santiago de Querétaro are October to March. May is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; July is the wettest, with about 115 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Santiago de Querétaro?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Querétaro Intercontinental Airport (QRO), about 21 km from the city centre in a straight line; General Francisco J. Mujica International Airport (MLM, 106 km) and Guanajuato International Airport (BJX, 122 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Santiago de Querétaro?
peso (MXN).
Nearby
Destinations near Santiago de Querétaro
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.