Things to do in Puebla

Culture · Centro Histórico

A seventeenth-century chapel finished in gilded plasterwork so dense that contemporaries called it the eighth wonder of the world. It has to be seen rather than described.

Local tip: Go on a weekday morning when the light comes through the upper windows and the church is nearly empty. Sit at the back for ten minutes before you look at anything closely — the room only makes sense as a whole first.

Culture · Centro Histórico, Calle 5 Oriente

The first public library in the Americas, founded in 1646, with its original carved shelving and thousands of early printed books still in place.

Local tip: It is small, it costs very little, and almost nobody stays more than fifteen minutes. Ask the staff about the chained books and the Nuremberg Chronicle — they know a great deal and are rarely asked.

Landmark · San Andrés / San Pedro Cholula, 10 km west

The largest pyramid in the world by volume, grassed over into a hill, with a colonial church on top and the two volcanoes behind it.

Local tip: Do the tunnel through the pyramid's interior first — it is claustrophobic, strange and usually quiet — and then climb to the church at the end of the afternoon, when Popocatépetl is most likely to be clear of cloud.

Food · Centro Histórico, near the Templo del Carmen

Where the city eats cemitas: sesame rolls the size of a plate, filled to order with milanesa, quesillo, avocado leaf and chipotle.

Local tip: Order pierna or milanesa with quesillo and ask for it 'con papalo' — the herb is the thing that makes a cemita a cemita, and stalls leave it out for people they assume are visitors.

Neighborhood · Centro Histórico, south-east of the zócalo

A cobbled antiques quarter with a weekend market, next to a small square of open painters' studios.

Local tip: The Saturday and Sunday antiques market on Los Sapos is the good version; the weekday bars are the tourist version. Come Sunday morning, then eat at a fonda rather than on the square itself.

Nature · Valsequillo, 20 km south-east

A serious drive-through conservation park on the reservoir, dating from the 1970s and far better regarded than the format suggests.

Local tip: Go on a weekday morning in your own car with the windows up and the roof clean. It is the single best thing to do here with children, and locals treat it as a routine outing rather than a one-off.