Villa de Álvarez travel guide
La Petatera's woven bullring and the February charro fair
The northern twin of Colima city, best known for La Petatera, a bullring rebuilt from wood and palm mats each year for the February fair. Come for the fair, or use it as a base for Colima and Comala; November to February is the most comfortable time.
Villa de Álvarez is Colima's twin. It runs straight on from the north-west side of the state capital with no countryside in between. Together the two form one metropolitan area at the foot of the Colima volcanoes. Only Colima city and Manzanillo are bigger in the state. Most of it is everyday residential suburb.
One event puts it on the map. Each year a crew of local craftsmen builds La Petatera, a bullring made entirely of timber poles lashed with rope and walled with woven palm mats. It serves the town's fair in early February and comes down again afterwards. The festival brings bullfights, charrería and nightly banda concerts. That is the moment to come.
The rest of the year, think of it as a quieter, cheaper base for Colima city, Comala and the volcano foothills, and a good place to eat sopitos, the local snack. Read current travel advice before you go: the Colima metro area has suffered serious cartel violence in recent years, and the UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to the state outside Manzanillo.
Explore Villa de Álvarez by theme
Find your kind of trip: 24 travel themes, each with the packages in Villa de Álvarez.
Villa de Álvarez at a glance
The essentials first-time visitors ask about, in one place.
Explore more of Mexico
Pick a place by travel style: beaches, nature, cities, heritage, islands, desert.
Nothing in that category yet.
Top things to do in Villa de Álvarez
A woven bullring and charro fair in February, local snack stalls and easy access to Colima, Comala and the volcanoes.
No things to do in Villa de Álvarez are listed yet. Browse all things to do
Best time to visit Villa de Álvarez
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of about 32 to 33 C, cool mornings around 16 to 19 C and rain under 30 mm a month; the February fair is the highlight.
The driest, hottest stretch, with highs reaching 35 to 36 C in April and May.
Heavy afternoon storms of 100 to 200 mm a month and green hills; Pacific storms occasionally bring days of rain.
La Petatera goes up in the weeks before the Feria de Villa de Álvarez in early February; arrive a few days early to watch the final stages of the build.
Packages in Demand
A Journey to Remember
Tours, activities and day trips in and around this destination, with the details you need before booking.
No packages in Villa de Álvarez are listed yet. Browse all packages
Create Your Custom-Made Trip to Villa de Álvarez
Traveling to Villa de Álvarez? Chat with a Local Travel Specialist in Villa de Álvarez Who Can Help Organize Your Trip.
START HEREOur Travel Experts are Recommended by
Plan your trip
Practical answers before you go. Pick a topic.
Getting there
Colima's CLQ airport, the Highway 54D toll road and the Colima bus stations
Villa de Álvarez shares its transport links with Colima city next door. The small Colima Airport, about 15 km out, has a handful of domestic flights and a 20 to 30 minute taxi ride in; Guadalajara's airport offers far more routes, with coaches taking about three hours on Highway 54D. First-class and executive coaches use the Central de Autobuses Colima, and regional second-class services to towns in the state use the Terminal Nuevo Horizonte. Neither station is in Villa de Álvarez itself, so finish with a taxi or Uber, usually 15 to 25 minutes depending on traffic. From Manzanillo and its Playa de Oro airport, the drive inland is about an hour and a half.
- Taxi from CLQ
- About 20 to 30 minutes
- Coach from Guadalajara
- About three hours to Colima, then a short taxi ride
- Central de Autobuses Colima
- First-class and executive coaches; taxi to Villa de Álvarez in roughly 15 to 25 minutes
- Car from Manzanillo
- About 100 km inland on the toll highway
- Fair week is the busiest time on the roads and in hotels; book transport and rooms well in advance.
- The Central de los Rojos (El Manchón) terminal serves local peseros only and is run-down; use a taxi or app ride instead.
Where to stay
The Villa de Álvarez centre, Colima's Jardín Libertad or Comala
Villa de Álvarez has few places aimed at visitors, so many fairgoers sleep across the line in Colima, around the Jardín Libertad, and take a taxi over. Choose by the evenings you want: the Villa centre for the fair, Colima for restaurants, or nearby Comala for a quiet village night.
- Villa de Álvarez centre
- Local guesthouses and small hotels, close to the Petatera site and sopitos stalls; very quiet outside fair week
- Colima Centro Histórico
- Boutique hotels in old houses and the bars around the Jardín Libertad, about 15 minutes away; most choice and the best nightlife
- Comala
- Small inns in a white-walled Pueblo Mágico just to the north; peaceful and scenic, but far from the fair at night without a car
Getting around
Taxis, Uber and the rojos peseros between the twin cities
Villa de Álvarez and Colima blur into one, so getting around means crossing between them constantly. Taxis and Uber are simplest, about 10 to 15 minutes from central Villa de Álvarez to Colima's Jardín Libertad outside rush hour, and peseros cover the urban area. Rural buses to the small towns of the state leave from the Terminal Nuevo Horizonte. A car is handy for Comala, the volcano foothills and the coast. During the fair, traffic around the Petatera grinds to a halt in the evenings, so walk the last stretch or arrive early.
- Taxi or Uber
- Villa de Álvarez centre to Colima's Jardín Libertad in about 10 to 15 minutes
- Peseros
- Local buses across both cities; flag down and ask the driver
- Drivers tend to quote higher fares to foreigners; use an app or agree the price before getting in.
Know before you go
What makes Villa de Álvarez worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Watching the last days of the Petatera build, when crews lash the final sections into place before the fair opens.
- Banda concerts on fair nights, with whole families singing along until late.
- A plate of sopitos at a local stall, the town's favourite snack.
Good to know
- Outside the fair there is little to see; most sights sit in Colima city or up the road in Comala.
- April and May are scorching, with highs around 35 to 36 C; plan outdoor visits for early morning.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Villa de Álvarez, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Villa de Álvarez are being researched.
Charreada afternoons and banda nights at La Petatera fair
Visit the Petatera in Villa de Álvarez in the cool, quiet morning to see the ring up close. Its stands are rough timber poles lashed with rope, its walls and shade panels woven palm petates, and its dimensions found nowhere else; local families pass down the building skills, and raising the ring each year is a point of pride.
Breakfast on sopitos or tamales from the stalls that spring up around the fairground.
Afternoon. Events in the ring start after lunch: bullfights, charreadas with riders roping and horse displays, and traditional rodeo contests. If you prefer not to watch bullfighting, check the programme and pick a charrería day instead. Bring a hat and water; the timber stands have little shade at the start of the afternoon.
Evening. As it gets dark the fair turns into a party. Banda bands play nightly, food and beer stalls fill the grounds, and the crowd stays late. Take a taxi back if you are staying in Colima, but be ready to walk a few blocks to find one.
Next day. Rest, then head north to Comala for its white houses, coffee and bread, with the volcano peaks on the horizon on a clear morning.
Sopitos, tatemado and bate, the snacks of the Villa
If Villa de Álvarez has a single dish, it is sopitos: small, thick corn tortillas fried until the edges crisp, topped with ground beef, shredded cabbage, crumbled cheese and a spoonful of thin tomato broth. They are eaten by the half-dozen in the evening, at plastic tables outside family kitchens and at fair stalls.
The broader Colima kitchen is all around. Tatemado is pork marinated in dried chillies and vinegar and baked until dark, a Sunday and celebration dish. Pozole blanco, the white hominy stew, and menudo blanco are popular weekend breakfasts, and sopes and birria fill the gaps.
For something cold, look for bate, a thick greyish drink of toasted chan seeds sweetened with honey or piloncillo, sold at stands in the metro area, or a michelada on fair nights. In the morning, a cup of hot atole with a sweet roll is the local way to start the day.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about Villa de Álvarez. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Our travel desk answers questions about Villa de Álvarez
How we research our Villa de Álvarez travel guide
Villa de Álvarez's fair dates, Petatera details and transport links are checked against the official municipal website and its Wikipedia record, with entry rules from Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migración.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of Villa de ÁlvarezInstituto Nacional de MigraciónUNESCO World Heritage Centre
Before You Go...
Discover Trips & Info
A Travel Network Connection Travelers and locals
Incredible Event & Festival, Don't Miss!
Most Popular Event & Festival of Villa de Álvarez
Festivals and events in this destination, with dates, venues and ticket details where available.
No upcoming festivals or events in Villa de Álvarez are listed right now. Browse all events
Memorable Experiences
Where to Go (& NOT Go) In Villa de Álvarez!
Roaming the World one Adventure at a Time: Travel Tales, Tips, and Inspiration for wanderlusters.
Subscriber
Popular car hire destinations
Explore more options to hire a car for cheap
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Villa de Álvarez.
General
It is built entirely by hand from poles, logs, rope and woven palm mats, with non-standard dimensions, and it is dismantled and rebuilt every year for the February fair.
They are separate municipalities, but their urban areas have grown together and function as one metropolitan area.
The town's favourite snack: small fried corn tortillas topped with ground beef, cabbage, cheese and a light tomato broth.
Yes. The programme also includes charrería, traditional rodeo events and nightly banda concerts on the fairground.
Colima's centre has more hotels and nightlife and is 10 to 15 minutes by taxi; Villa de Álvarez is closer to the ring but has fewer rooms.
A thick local drink made from toasted chan seeds with honey or piloncillo, sold at street stands around the Colima metro area.
Villa de Álvarez and Colima blur into one, so getting around means crossing between them constantly. Taxis and Uber are simplest, about 10 to 15 minutes from central Villa de Álvarez to Colima's Jardín Libertad outside rush hour, and peseros cover the urban area. Rural buses to the small towns of the state leave from the Terminal Nuevo Horizonte.
Villa de Álvarez is best known for:
- Watching the last days of the Petatera build, when crews lash the final sections into place before the fair opens
- Banda concerts on fair nights, with whole families singing along until late
- A plate of sopitos at a local stall, the town's favourite snack
Villa de Álvarez has few places aimed at visitors, so many fairgoers sleep across the line in Colima, around the Jardín Libertad, and take a taxi over. Choose by the evenings you want: the Villa centre for the fair, Colima for restaurants, or nearby Comala for a quiet village night.
Timing & weather
In early February. Check the municipal programme for the exact dates, as they shift a little each year.
Usually dry and sunny, with afternoon highs around 33 C and cool mornings near 16 C.
Getting there
A short drive north. Comala is the usual half-day trip from the twin cities.
Coaches on the Highway 54D toll road take about three hours to the Central de Autobuses Colima, then a taxi or Uber covers the last stretch.
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.
