Things to do

Worth planning your days around

Mina El Edén. The old silver mine tunneled straight into the hill under the city, and going inside it is the thing that makes Zacatecas make sense. You walk through damp rock passages where the whole city’s wealth came from, on a guided route. It is the single best thing to do here, and it links up with the cable car, so do them together.

Teleférico to Cerro de la Bufa. The cable car strings across the canyon from the mine area up to the rocky hill above town. The ride is short and the view over the pink-stone city packed into its ravine is the money shot. Go on a clear morning. Up top there is a chapel, a plaza and long views over the sierra.

The cathedral. The facade is the reason it is on every postcard, some of the most densely carved churrigueresque stonework in Mexico. You can stand in front of it for free and it is worth ten slow minutes just reading the carving.

Walking the center itself. Honestly this is half the trip. Steep cobbled lanes, pink quarry stone, small plazas. Just wander.

Good if you have the time

Museo Rafael Coronel in a ruined convent, with a huge collection of Mexican masks, and Museo Pedro Coronel for a strong art collection. Both are excellent and reward an art-minded traveler, but skippable if you only have museum energy for one.

What is oversold

The general “colonial Mexico” nightlife pitch is thinner than in bigger tourist cities, and the callejoneadas (roving band-and-donkey street parties) are fun but touristy and don’t run every night. Don’t build a day around them. And don’t come expecting big attractions beyond the center, the appeal here is the concentrated downtown, the mine and the view, not a long checklist.