Aguascalientes travel guide
Posada's skeletons, the San Marcos fair and railway-workshop museums
Aguascalientes is a tidy highland state capital with Mexico's biggest annual fair, the José Guadalupe Posada museum and an easy-going old centre. Visit in the dry months from October to April (or for the April-May fair if you want the crowds) and allow two or three days. Costs are moderate, and the stay length is stamped on arrival.
Aguascalientes is the compact capital of one of Mexico's smallest states, set at 1,880 metres on the high plateau between Zacatecas and Jalisco. Most visitors arrive for one reason: the Feria Nacional de San Marcos, which takes over the city from mid-April into May. The rest of the year it is a calm, orderly place with a walkable centre and a strong line in Mexican folk art.
Spanish families from Lagos de Moreno founded the town in 1575 as a guard post on the silver road, naming it after the thermal springs that still feed bathhouses on the east side. Three centuries later the Mexican Central Railway put its main workshops here, and the railway decided how the modern city grew.
The old core divides into five traditional barrios. San Marcos holds the fairground and a stone-walled garden beside its 18th-century church. El Encino has the museum devoted to engraver José Guadalupe Posada, creator of the skeletal Catrina. La Estación grew up around the tracks. Plaza de la Patria, where the cathedral faces the red-stone Palacio de Gobierno, ties them together.
Death is a recurring theme. Posada's calaveras, the Museo Nacional de la Muerte and the October Festival de Calaveras give the city a strong claim on Day of the Dead imagery, without the crowds of Oaxaca or Pátzcuaro.
Plan two days for the city, three with a trip to Calvillo or Real de Asientos. October, November and February to April are dry and sunny; the summer rains fall mainly between June and September.
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Top things to do in Aguascalientes
Folk art museums, five old barrios on foot, Mexico's biggest fair in spring and Pueblos Mágicos within an hour or two.
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Best time to visit Aguascalientes
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Rain drops below 35 mm a month and days run 23-30°C; December and January nights fall to about 6°C, so pack a jacket for evening walks.
Highs of 30-32°C coincide with the San Marcos fair, when hotel prices and occupancy climb and the barrio around the fairground stays loud into the small hours.
July is the wettest month at around 137 mm, mostly in afternoon storms; mornings are usually clear and the hills around the city turn green.
During the San Marcos fair schools and some offices close and rooms within walking distance of the Jardín de San Marcos sell out weeks ahead; book early or stay near Plaza de la Patria and walk over.
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Getting there
Jesús Terán airport, the Convención bus terminal and Highway 45
Aguascalientes' Licenciado Jesús Terán Peredo International Airport (AGU), about 16 km south of the city, has domestic flights and links to Houston and Dallas. With no rail link, take an authorised taxi or ride-hail car, roughly 25 minutes to Plaza de la Patria outside rush hour. When fares to AGU are poor, León-Guanajuato (BJX) is the usual alternative, with San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas as further options. By road, the Central de Autobuses sits on Avenida de la Convención de 1914 Sur, about 5 km south of the main square. Mexico City is about six hours away by coach, and an overnight departure around midnight gets you in near 6am. Drivers from the capital follow Highway 57 to Querétaro, then Highway 45; allow five hours or more.
- Airport taxi
- Authorised desk in arrivals; about 25 minutes to the centre
- Central de Autobuses
- ETN and Primera Plus first-class coaches; city buses marked Centro run downtown
- North-side coach stops
- Omnibus de México near the university and Turistar on Highway 45
- From Mexico City
- About six hours by coach or five-plus by car via Querétaro
- Book first-class coaches early for the fair weeks, when every seat from Mexico City and Guadalajara goes quickly.
- Ride-hailing apps pick up at the bus terminal, a simple alternative to the taxi rank.
Where to stay
Plaza de la Patria, the San Marcos barrio or Avenida Universidad
Most of Aguascalientes' sights are within a 20-minute walk of each other, so a central base saves taxi rides. Plaza de la Patria suits colonial streets, the San Marcos barrio puts you beside the fair, and Avenida Universidad has modern business hotels near the malls.
- Plaza de la Patria
- Cathedral square and pedestrian streets; best all-round base, some old hotels have thin walls
- San Marcos
- Steps from the garden and fairground; great in April and May if you want to party, noisy then
- El Encino and La Salud
- Quieter colonial barrios near the Posada museum; fewer rooms, mostly small guesthouses
- North (Avenida Universidad and Campestre)
- Chain hotels near malls and offices; needs a taxi to reach the centre
- Ask for a room off the street if you stay near the Jardín de San Marcos in fair season.
Getting around
On foot through the barrios, CMOV buses and the Tranvía
Walking is the natural way to see central Aguascalientes, comfortable by day and in the evening around the plazas. For longer trips, the CMOV city buses run 48 routes, many now card-only with the Yo Voy card, with Moovit showing the routes, and metered taxis are reasonable. Taxis are metered and reasonable, and street cabs usually cost less than a hotel-booked one, so just check the meter is running. Uber and Didi both operate. For a first orientation, the Tranvía, a tour vehicle styled as an old streetcar, leaves from beside the main square with a guide on board and loops past the main sights.
- CMOV buses
- 48 routes; plan with Moovit, and get a Yo Voy card as some routes no longer take cash
- Taxis
- Metered and plentiful; most city trips are short
- Uber and Didi
- Both operate across the city
- Tranvía tour
- Guided loop from Plaza de la Patria past the barrios
- Combis, small shared vans, also run along the main avenues and are useful once you know the route number.
Know before you go
What makes Aguascalientes worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Museo José Guadalupe Posada, where the original Catrina engravings hang beside the 18th-century Encino church.
- An evening at the Jardín de San Marcos, a walled garden with stone balustrades that fills with families after dark.
- The Museo Nacional de la Muerte, a large collection of objects about death in Mexican art and ritual.
- Murals in the Palacio de Gobierno, painted across the arcaded courtyard of the red-stone state house.
- Ladrillos from a downtown bakery, flaky brick-shaped pastries best eaten still warm.
Good to know
- Fair season changes everything. From mid-April to early May hotels fill, prices rise and some offices close.
- Nightlife starts late. Bars stay quiet until around 11pm and clubs keep going until dawn.
- The bus station is out of the centre. Allow 15 to 20 minutes by taxi or city bus to Plaza de la Patria.
- Nights are cold in winter. Lows near 6°C in December and January surprise people who expect Mexican warmth.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Aguascalientes, month by month
Aguascalientes is dry and sunny for most of the year, with rain concentrated in summer afternoons. Tap a month for long-term averages.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Aguascalientes (Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, via Wikipedia).
A weekend walking Aguascalientes's barrios and old railway yards
Aguascalientes weekends start at Plaza de la Patria, with the cathedral and the Palacio de Gobierno, whose two floors of arcades carry murals of the state's history. A few blocks south-west, the Museo José Guadalupe Posada in the Jardín del Encino shows the engraver's skeletons, including the original Catrina that shaped the look of the Day of the Dead.
Look into the Encino church next door, then buy a snack from the vendors in the garden.
Afternoon. Head back through the centre to the Museo Nacional de la Muerte, then on to the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo No. 8 if you have energy for one more collection. Late in the day, walk west to the San Marcos barrio and its church, and stay for dusk in the Jardín de San Marcos, when the stone garden is at its most sociable.
Sunday. Go east to the old railway district. The workshops of the Mexican Central Railway now form the Tres Centurias cultural complex, where locomotive sheds and repair halls house exhibitions and open space. From there, families can carry on to the Descubre science museum and its IMAX screen by Parque Héroes Mexicanos. End with dinner near Plaza de la Patria, and if it is a Saturday night, join the locals who only drift into the bars after eleven.
Barbacoa de olla, biznaga tamales and Calvillo guava sweets
Aguascalientes cooks like the Bajío highlands, with slow-cooked meat, corn and a serious sweet tooth. Weekend breakfast means barbacoa de olla, meat steamed for hours in a sealed pot with chillies and spices and served with its broth; find it at Mercado Juárez and Mercado Morelos near Calle 5 de Mayo, or eat cheaply at Mercado Terán.
Sweets deserve their own afternoon. Tamales de biznaga are made with candied cactus, and the guava orchards of nearby Calvillo turn out ate de guayaba paste, candied guavas and guava rolls sold in shops around the centre. Bakeries make ladrillos, brick-shaped flaky pastries, alongside cajeta (goat's milk caramel) sweets. Look out too for the embroidered textiles and pottery the city has long produced, sold near the markets.
For sit-down meals, the restaurants on and around Jardín del Encino are pleasant on a warm evening, and the San Marcos area is lined with places that feed the fair crowds. During the feria, street stalls offer everything from gorditas to grilled corn, and the food is half the reason to go.
Feria de San Marcos weeks, plus trips to Calvillo and Real de Asientos
The Feria Nacional de San Marcos, about three weeks from mid-April to early May, is Mexico's oldest and largest fair of its kind and the time Aguascalientes changes completely. Concerts, charreada, bullfights at the Plaza de Toros Monumental, rides and nightly fireworks fill the San Marcos barrio and fairground, and nights end at sunrise.
Millions come, so book early. The weather helps: April and May are almost rainless, with highs around 30-32°C.
In late October and early November the Festival de Calaveras honours Posada with altars, parades of Catrinas and events around the Day of the Dead. It is a good alternative for anyone who wants a festival atmosphere at a gentler pace, and the dry autumn weather (around 26°C by day) suits it.
For day trips, Calvillo, about an hour west, sits in a warm valley of guava orchards and has a large parish church on its plaza. Real de Asientos, a former mining town north-east of the city, has quiet stone streets and an old parish church. On the road to Calvillo, the Cristo Roto statue at San José de Gracia stands on an island in a reservoir, reached by boat. Mountain lovers can camp or walk in the oak and pine woods of Sierra Fría and El Pinal. A hire car makes all of these easier, though coaches serve Calvillo.
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How we research our Aguascalientes travel guide
Aguascalientes' feria dates, museum details and airport links are checked against the official Aguascalientes website and the city's Wikipedia record; entry rules come from Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migración.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of AguascalientesInstituto Nacional de MigraciónUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Aguascalientes.
Getting there
Take an authorised taxi from the arrivals desk or call an Uber or Didi; the drive is about 16 km and usually takes around 25 minutes.
About an hour's drive west. It is a Pueblo Mágico surrounded by guava orchards, and the Cristo Roto reservoir at San José de Gracia is on the way.
General
It runs for roughly three weeks each year from mid-April to early May, centred on the San Marcos barrio and its fairground.
Yes. It holds the engravings of José Guadalupe Posada, including the original Catrina, and sits on the Jardín del Encino next to an 18th-century church.
About six hours on first-class lines such as ETN or Primera Plus. An overnight coach leaving around midnight arrives at about 6am.
The San Marcos barrio puts you next to the action but is very loud. Plaza de la Patria is a short walk away and quieter at night.
A regional dish of meat slow-steamed in a sealed pot with chillies and spices, served with its broth. Downtown markets and weekend breakfast spots serve it.
Yes. The centre and its barrios are walkable, the CMOV buses cover the city and Uber and Didi operate. A car only helps for day trips.
December and January lows average around 6°C because of the 1,880-metre altitude, even though afternoons reach about 23°C.
It is the city's Day of the Dead festival in late October and early November, honouring Posada with altars, Catrina parades and cultural events.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Aguascalientes is Oct to Nov, Feb to Apr. Dry, sunny highland weather with cool nights, outside the June to September rains.
- Dry and bright: October - April (Rain drops below 35 mm a month and days run 23-30°C; December and January nights fall to about 6°C, so pack a jacket for evening walks)
- Fair season: Mid-April - early May (Highs of 30-32°C coincide with the San Marcos fair, when hotel prices and occupancy climb and the barrio around the fairground stays loud into the small hours)
- Rainy months: June - September (July is the wettest month at around 137 mm, mostly in afternoon storms; mornings are usually clear and the hills around the city turn green)
May is the warmest month in Aguascalientes, with average highs of 32°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 6°C. July is the wettest month, at about 137 mm of rain; April is the driest. Aguascalientes is dry and sunny for most of the year, with rain concentrated in summer afternoons.
Booking
Visit in the dry months from October to April (or for the April-May fair if you want the crowds) and allow two or three days.
Visa & documents
Tourist stays in Mexico are visa-free for citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and many other countries. Immigration officers decide how many days you can stay (up to 180) and stamp your passport or issue a digital record. Holders of valid US, UK, Canadian or Schengen visas may also be exempt.
Health & safety
Most tourist areas are visited without problems, but violent crime linked to organised crime is high in some states. Governments advise against travel to parts of several states. Petty crime and scams occur in tourist areas.
