Things to do

What is actually worth your time

The anthropology museum (do not skip)

The Museo de Antropología de Xalapa is the reason to come, and it lives up to it. It holds one of the finest collections of Olmec, Totonac and Huastec art anywhere, including the colossal stone heads. It is often called Mexico’s second-best archaeology museum after the big one in Mexico City, and that is fair. Give it a full unhurried morning. If you do one thing in Xalapa, do this.

The coffee

Xalapa sits in real coffee country, and the cafe culture is not a marketing line. Sitting over a good, cheap cup while the drizzle falls is genuinely one of the best things to do here. Skip the international chains and find a local roaster’s cafe in the center.

The historic center on foot

Parque Juárez with its terrace views, the cathedral, Los Berros park, and the steep old streets are pleasant to wander for an afternoon. It is a walking-and-cafes kind of center rather than a list of monuments, and that is the point.

The Paseo de los Lagos

A green walking path around a chain of small lakes near the center. A nice, low-key stroll when the weather cooperates, popular with locals in the mornings.

What is oversold

• Grand colonial sightseeing. Xalapa is handsome but low-key. If you are expecting a monument-packed colonial showpiece, adjust expectations. Its pleasures are the museum, the coffee and the atmosphere.
• Do-it-in-the-rain outdoor plans. The best nature is around Xalapa, not strictly in it, and it lives or dies by the sky. Keep outdoor days flexible.

Two days covers the essentials without rushing.