Puebla

Puebla was laid out on a grid in the sixteenth century as a Spanish city built from scratch rather than on top of a conquered one, and its historic centre carries a World Heritage listing for the density of what followed: some two thousand colonial buildings, many faced in the blue-and-white talavera tiles the city still makes, and a run of extravagantly decorated churches. The Rosary Chapel at Santo Domingo is covered in gilded plasterwork of such density that contemporaries called it the eighth wonder of the world. The city gave its name to mole poblano, the long-cooked sauce of chillies and chocolate, and to chiles en nogada. Behind it rise Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, one of them an active volcano that steams on clear days.

What you actually see

• The Rosary Chapel - the gilded baroque chapel at Santo Domingo.
• Talavera facades - blue-and-white tiled buildings across the centre.
• Mole poblano and chiles en nogada - the city's two famous dishes.
• The volcano view - Popocatépetl steaming behind the city on a clear day.

When to go

October to May is drier; the city sits high so evenings are cool year-round. Chiles en nogada are seasonal, made when the walnuts and pomegranates are in, roughly August and September. Volcano views are clearest in the winter mornings.

Honest expectations

It sits at over two thousand metres, so visitors arriving from the coast feel it. The centre is compact but the wider city is large and traffic-heavy. Talavera is protected by denomination of origin, and much of what is sold cheaply is not the real thing, so buy from certified workshops. Popocatépetl is active and access to the mountain itself is restricted.

Nearby

Cholula and its great pyramid are 20 minutes away; Mexico City is two hours northwest.