Chihuahua – a place not to avoid
How’s that for a compliment?
I really had no idea what to expect on Chihuahua, the internet being surprisingly void of information on this city in Northern Mexico. But it was the starting point of my Copper Canyon adventures and I left myself a day and a half to explore and get a feel for Chihuahua.
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Impressions of Chihuahua
1. Desert landscapes
Chihuahua lies in the Chihuahuan Desert, a dry, desert landscape of plains and mountain ranges – and much hotter temps than Central Mexico (it was 35C or 95F when we landed). This is a new region of Mexico for me and while I’ve seen mountains, cactus, and dry plains in other parts of Mexico, the area surrounding Chihuahua is the real desert characterized by wide open spaces. That’s what struck me. It reminds me of so many cowboy movies I’ve seen.
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2. A city that feels like a town
Chihuahua has a population slightly less than a million and is the 12th largest city in Mexico. You would never know it. It feels like a town. Most of the streets are wide, the buildings low (mostly one storey). Modern buildings (there are not so many) are mostly concentrated next to the historical center, which was a 10 minute walk from my hotel. It felt very quiet, spread out, and – until you reached the area surrounding the Plaza de Armas in the historical center – it felt like there was no one around.
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3. You’re in Cowboy Country
You’ll see men wearing cowboy hats, cowboy shirts, all driving around in pickups. There are lots of ranches all over the area and this area of Northern Mexico is renowned for great steak. Walk around town and you’ll see tons of stores selling cowboy boots, cowboy hats and leather belts. Add to that the low storey buildings and taverns and it really feels like cowboy country.
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Related: A Detailed Guide covering the highlights of Mexico
4. Chihuahua has some interesting attractions
Chihuahua has some surprisingly nice attractions. Like every Mexican city it has a lively main square located next to the main cathedral. In Chihuahua’s case, the main square is Plaza de Armas and it is right next to Chihuahua Cathedral (very impressive). Walking down a few pedestrian-only streets in the area you get to Palacio del Gobierno (Government Palace of Chihuahua – it houses the executive offices of the governor of the state of Chihuahua). Beautiful building and you can walk inside for free. It’s not a large historic center but it is pretty and has a comfortable feel. I like that so much of it is pedestrianized. I walked around the area for the better part of 2 days, sitting in the park in front of the Cathedral in the early evening and watching families strolling around with their kids. Very pleasant.
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A little outside the center, I visited the Historical Museum of the Mexican Revolution which largely concentrates on the role of Francisco “Pancho” Villa as one of the most important figures in the revolution. The museum is housed in what was his private villa and visiting it is as much about stepping back in history as it is about learning about the Mexican revolution. Very much recommended. Also slightly outside the center is the incredible Quinta Gameros, a mansion built in Art Nouveau style by one of the government elites at the time (the grotesque wealth on display is exactly what Pancho Villa fought against). It will make your jaw drop.
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5. People in Chihuahua are friendly
I read that Chihuahuans (I hope I have that right) are friendly. They are. Very laid back as well which kind of fits into the whole décor of the city. I saw very few other western tourists in my two days there – but whenever I walked into a restaurant or café I was always warmly welcomed.
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I’m not going to tell you that you have to visit Chihuahua, it’s not Puebla, Oaxaca, San Miguel de Allende or Guanajuato. It’s not a place to go out of your way for, except if you’re here to take El Chepe. But I quite enjoyed it and you probably would as well.
Related: Why riding El Chepe through Copper Canyon is Incredible
Practical Info
Flights to Chihuahua: You can fly in from a variety of Mexican cities (Mexico City, Monterrey, La Paz, Los Mochis, Guadalajara, Cancun, Tijuana) as well as U.S cities (Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Denver).
Taxi downtown from the airport: the going rate should be 150 Pesos (in 2017). My taxi driver tried asking for 250. There’s no taxi meter so fix the price before you get in the cab.
Where I stayed: Hotel San Felipe el Real. Very nice. Another very nice (slightly cheaper) hotel located right in the center is Hotel Jardin del Centro.
Eating:La Casona for great steak and atmosphere (recommended by a Texan friend who knows steak).
Renting a car: We use Rentalcars for the best rates. You’ll pay about $30 US a day for a car in Chihuahua.
Related: A roadtrip through Mexico’s most beautiful towns and cities (by bus)
Related: On Travel to Mexico – why I’m sick of the ignorance
Related: “Retirement Secrets of Mexico”
PS. Looking to book flights, hotels, tours, or rent a car? Have a look at our Travel Resources page.
My question is: can you ride El Chepe from Las Mochis to Divisadero and back, skipping Creel and Chihuaha? What kind of wait in Divisadero would there be? Thanks.
Yes, you can. In fact Divisadero is the mid-point of the Las Mochis – Chihuahua route. Both trains, from both directions, stop in Divisadero at about the same time and wait about 15 minutes at around 2 pm (Divisadero being 8 hrs from Chihuahua as well as 8 hrs from Las Mochis).
But that doesn’t really give you time and I would never recommend getting off the train just to get on another going back. I would stay a night in Dividadero, taking the train back to Los Mochis the next day.
I live in Mexico and am busy researching a summer trip to the Copper Canyon. I’m finding your articles really useful. Thanks so much.
We’ve been travelling full-time over the last full years and Copper Canyon was a highlight for me. Let me know if you have any questions 🙂
Wow, I really got impressed about how you talk about my beautiful city where I live in, I just adore the fact that you enjoy it and adore it, I just have to ask you if you came to eat at La Malinche here in chihuahua, this restaurant is so famous and is down street besides the Catedral
Thank you very much for your comment Alanna! No, I didn’t eat at Malinche – I was by myself on this trip so I just went somewhere simple. But I enjoyed everything about Chihuahua 🙂
Love the cowboys and girls.
looks like a great place with few tourists… 🙂
I think I saw one white couple over the course of a weekend. That’s it.
Yippie Ki Yay to the cowboy hats, boots and pickup trucks! Chihuahua sounds beastly hot and, like you said, something out of an old B-movie western. In short, it sounds a lot like south Texas where we lived for 10 years. I loved your photos of the Plaza de Armas and the Chihuahua Cathedral but I think I’d be heading to the Historical Museum of the Mexican Revolution right off the bat. Such a fascinating time in history with larger-than-life heroes and villains. Is it just me or does the fabulous gem, Quinta Gameros look a lot exotic and a little out of place in Chihuahua? Thanks for the intro to this off-the-radar city. If we get a chance to ride the train through the Copper Canyon, I’ll definitely make a stopover in Chihuahua!
Yes, Quinta Gemeros totally out of place.
Speaking of which, I remember watching The Apprentice many years ago and in one episode Trump was showing off his condo (if you can call it that) in Manhattan. I don’t know if I’ve seen anything as kitshy and over the top in my life. Like he was Louis XIV or something. That should have told people a lot about him. And now this guy is American president? unfrigginbelievable.
Anyway, that just came to mind when you mentioned it being out of place.
Met a very interesting man from Marfa Texas on the train who I’m mention on my post on El Chepe. He said the same thing about this region being very much like south Texas (it’s all part of the Chihuahuan desert). My first time to the region and I liked that kind of desolate geography.
Maybe my folks are losing their minds, Idk, I’ve never looked into it. Glad it’s still running. I know they wanted to load their motor home on the train, maybe that’s what they stopped doing. Sounds like fun. I’ll tell my parents to book their trip. Looking fwd to your post it sounds like you had a blast…and I’ll send my parents on over to read it, but they don’t read mine, so don’t hold your breath lol.
It’s a great trip, not just for the sights but you’re also basically crossing half a country, going from desert, to semi-arid, to pine forest, through incredible mountain ranges and then finishing through green flat fields and palm trees. And if they’re interested in history there’s also some incredible history behind the building of the rail line.
I have a background in the transportation industry so for me it was something that really ended up being an educational experience. It’s amazing all the tunnels and bridges, and all the points where the train is basically running along a narrow ledge above a river while high canyons soar above you.
Anyway, I’ll be writing much more about it. But it really was, at least for me, a once in a lifetime experience.
PS. The El Chepe website
Looks like a pretty town that’s a great place to buy cowboy gear…. did you load up on tack Frank? lol. My parents have been wanting to go to Copper Canyon, but they keep putting it off. The train doesn’t run through it anymore,so they told me, that’s a shame. Looking forrward to your post on it.
Hi Paula!
What do you mean the train doesn’t run through Copper Canyon? I’ve just spent the last week riding El Chepe from Chihuahua to Los Michos on the Pacific Coast. Along the way I stopped in Creel for some tours and the Divisadero where you get views over the whole canyon. Incredible. Did some hiking there as well as the longest zipline in the world.
One of the best trips I’ve ever taken and I was amazed by how few foreign tourists there were – mostly Mexicans visiting their own country and they were great.
Fantastic trip and your parents should do it.
I’m pretty sure l would love the city. It sounds great to me. I love the cowboy feel mixed with the colors. Sort of how l feel Texas should be as opposed to loads of subdivisions. I definitely wouldn’t avoid Chihuahua, I might actually go out of my way to see it. The cathedral is gorgeous :-). Hope you’re having fun down there :-).
You used to live in Texas didn’t you Kemkem?
My first experience with cowboy country but kind of liked it as well 🙂
Some of the churches in Mexico stupendous, I was just in Guadalajara yesterday and you wouldn’t believe the incredible churches.
Thanks for the introduction to this Northern spot in Mexico. Love the photo of the blue building and the boots all up for trying. Amazing architecture!
Peta
Is that dog really painted on the building!? How cute is that… though, not my favourite breed…ssshh. I missed seeing Chihuahua, I regret it now after reading your post!
Yes, it’s a HUGE mural. They’re definitely not the most intelligent breed. They had 2 at our hotel in Creel and they would bark at me like I was a stranger every time I came back from somewhere. Unlike in Split where our neighbor has a collie – from after the 1st time she saw us she recognized us and has never barked since.
They are a funny little breed, loyal though. My girls just love them but had to settle (happily) for a Jack-a-Fox (Jack Russell/Fox Terrier cross)!
Jane,
You also don’t know what you are missing with those little dogs. They are true companions.
Hi Arlene,
Have my own story with Chihuahuas in Creel: https://bbqboy.net/tips-visiting-creel-copper-canyon-mexico-really-know/ I left the hotel for a hike and this dog ran out and followed me. We spent the afternoon in the hills together. Very sweet and I can see they would be very loyal companions.
Chihuahua looks like the kind of place I might like, should I ever consider visiting Mexico. It’s not touristy, people live/work there and from your description (low storey buildings), “big city” atmosphere is at a minimum. Yeah, nice.
I think you’d be one of the few Westerners Ted. I’m surprised, after just completing the El Chepe train ride yesterday, at how few non-Mexican tourists I’ve seen. They are so nice though and as a solo traveler on this trip I think I got special attention. Love the Mexicans.