Things to do

Worth your time, ranked

1. The Great Pyramid tunnels and the hilltop church

This is why you came. Archaeologists dug kilometers of tunnels through the pyramid; a stretch is open to walk, low and dim and genuinely strange — you are inside the largest pyramid on earth by volume. Then climb the hill above it to the Santuario de los Remedios, the yellow church built on the summit, for a wide view over the town and, on clear mornings, the Popocatépetl volcano. Do both. The tunnels and the climb together are the single best thing here.

2. The two zócalos and San Pedro’s arcades

San Pedro Cholula’s main square has one of the longest continuous colonial arcades in Mexico, lined with cafés and restaurants. It is a good, unhurried place to eat and people-watch, and it costs nothing. Worth an hour.

3. The bar and taco scene after dark

Cholula’s student population fuels cheap, lively bars and late-night taquerías, mostly on the San Andrés side. It is not fancy, but it is fun and authentically local — a real part of the town, not a tourist add-on.

4. Churches, if you like them

Cholula is famous for having an enormous number of churches, and a couple beyond the hilltop one are handsome. Worth a look if you are already passing, not worth a hunt.

What is oversold

• “Visit all the churches.” You will see the same thing repeatedly. Pick one or two.
• The on-site museum. Small and skippable unless you are already curious about the digs.
• Making Cholula a full day of sightseeing. The genuine highlights are a half-day. Padding it out means repeating yourself. Pair it with Puebla instead.