6 Days: CDMX and Its Best Day Trips

Six days buys you the same four day trips as the 5-day plan , Teotihuacan, Puebla and Cholula, Tepoztlan and Cuernavaca, Taxco, but with the extra day going straight into Taxco, turning a rushed 2.5-3 hour-each-way single day into a proper overnight. That’s the one change worth making the moment you have a 6th day. Tighter on time, drop back to the 5-day version ; want a flex day on top of this one, the 7-day plan adds it.

Book these before you go

Day 1: Land, settle in, adjust to the altitude

Buy your official Sitio taxi ticket in Arrivals, or use the airport’s marked Uber/Didi pickup zone. Roma Norte or Condesa keep you within reach of Central del Norte, TAPO, and Taxqueña. At 2,240m, keep the first evening light, hydrate, and skip a demanding first night out. Mexico’s federal tourism office posts current advisories worth a quick check before you fly.

Day 2: Teotihuacan, early and on foot

Terminal Central del Norte (Metro Linea 5 to Autobuses del Norte), Sala 8, buses run every 15-30 minutes from around 6am, roughly 55-60 MXN one-way, about an hour each way. Entry is 210 MXN for foreign visitors; arrive by the 8am opening for the Pyramid of the Sun before the 10am tour buses. INAH’s official listing has current hours and closures.

Day 3: Puebla and Cholula, the trip that earns a full day

TAPO terminal, Estrella Roja or ADO, every 10-30 minutes, roughly 2h10 direct, fares 198-280 MXN one-way; booking 30+ hours ahead saves 20%. Puebla’s UNESCO historic center is the birthplace of mole poblano; Cholula, 13km further, holds the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the world’s largest by volume.

Day 4: Tepoztlan and Cuernavaca, a hike then eternal spring

Terminal Taxqueña, Pullman de Morelos, Tepoztlan about 82km and 1-1.5 hours, fares 140-200 MXN; Cuernavaca about 85km, similar drive time, fares around 155 MXN. Climb El Tepozteco before 10am, then continue to Cuernavaca’s Palacio de Cortes. visitmexico.com lists current hours for both towns.

Day 5: Down to Taxco, no rush this time

Terminal Taxqueña again, Estrella de Oro, a genuine 2.5-3 hours on Highway 95D’s mountain switchbacks, fares around 230 MXN one-way. Leave mid-morning rather than at dawn, since you’re staying the night; check into your Taxco hotel, then spend the afternoon and evening in the hillside streets and silver workshops around the Santa Prisca church, when the day-trip crowds have already left.

Day 6: Taxco at its own pace, then back to CDMX

Spend the morning shopping the silver workshops properly, without a return bus schedule pressing on you, then catch an afternoon bus back to Taxqueña. INAH’s archaeological zones list is useful background reading if the colonial architecture has you curious about the deeper history. You’ll land back in Roma or Condesa in time for a full dinner.

Is an overnight in Taxco actually worth the extra day?

Yes, more than any other change you could make to this itinerary. A single rushed day trip gives you maybe 3-4 hours on the ground after 5-6 hours of driving; the overnight roughly doubles that, and lets you see the town in the evening light the day-trip crowds never get.

What if you’d rather have a 6th day trip instead of a Taxco overnight?

There isn’t a fifth real one. The options this itinerary draws from cover exactly four genuine CDMX day trips; anything beyond that starts either repeating a site or padding with in-city sightseeing this itinerary deliberately skips. Turning Taxco into an overnight is the better use of a 6th day.

Your four day trips, side by side

Day trip Distance from CDMX Bus time What it costs
Teotihuacan (Day 2) ~50km NE ~1h each way 210 MXN entry + ~55-60 MXN bus
Puebla and Cholula (Day 3) ~130km SE ~2h10 each way 198-280 MXN bus
Tepoztlan and Cuernavaca (Day 4) ~82-85km S ~1-1.5h each way 140-200 MXN bus
Taxco (Days 5-6, overnight) ~170-180km SW ~2.5-3h each way ~230 MXN bus

Book your Taxco hotel before the bus ticket. Rooms near the Santa Prisca church fill up faster than the Estrella de Oro seats do.