Toluca
Toluca, officially Toluca de Lerdo, is a state capital and municipality in the State of Mexico.
Toluca has a population of 223,876 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Greater Toluca metropolitan area, which with a combined population of 2,347,692 forms the fifth most populous metropolitan area in the country. Located 63 kilometres (39 mi) southwest of Mexico City, the city's rapid growth stems largely from its proximity to the capital.
Getting to Toluca
- 01Toluca International Airport
- 02Toluca Centro
- 03Terminal de Toluca
Large, very busy bus station with a lot of eateries and shops.
Worth seeing
The place to be is the Portales downtown, then you are in walking distance of many interesting parks, gardens, museums, churches, theatres, stores, restaurants, hotels and government offices. Another interesting location is Parque Urawa and the library.
Things to do
Avoid coming to Toluca on Fridays. Some guide books talk about a "quaint Indian market" but it is a flea market that clogs many streets. Also, when the afternoon comes, many Mexico City families come through Toluca to get into the countryside.
- 01Zacango Ecological Park
Here is your standard zoo with representative animals like pachyderms and the cats.
- 02Metropolitano Bicentenario Park
This wooded park offers a place for jogging or just experiencing some tranquility around one of the water basins with fountains.
- 03Parque Alameda 2000
Another greenspace with "lakes", jogging trails, and soccer fields.
- 04Parque Ambiental Bicentenario
Another park with woods and a lake, in case you are hankering for urban outdoor recreation.
- 05Estatal Sierra Morelos Park
State park type of place in the hills north of Toluca, where more rugged hiking awaits.
- 06Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.