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Major city · Mexico

Actopan

Give Actopan one night, or a half-day from Pachuca: the ex-convent murals and ximbo are the reason to come, not the town itself.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
MXN
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
avoid Jun–Sep (rain), late Dec–early Jan (cold nights)
Airports
MEX · NLU
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs …Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but ta…
  • North America ↗Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs your passport even on a day trip; rental cars need the company's written permission to cross, and most US and Canadian rental insurance stops at the Mexican border.
  • North America ↗Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but taking any amount across the US, Canadian or Mexican border is a federal crime — including edibles and vapes.
  • North America ↗The busiest US and Canadian national parks need timed-entry, campsite or lodge reservations in summer; release dates are months ahead.
  • Mexico ↗Check entry rules for your passport with Mexico's National Migration Institute (INM) or your nearest Mexican consulate; keep proof of your entry (stamp or digital record) until you leave.
  • Mexico ↗Security advice differs by state: some governments advise against travel to parts of several states. Check your own government's advice for each region on your route.
  • Mexico ↗Do not drink tap water; use bottled or filtered water and ice from reliable places.
  • Mexico ↗Foreign visitors to Quintana Roo (Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Bacalar, Holbox) pay the state VISITAX online at visitax.gob.mx only; lookalike sites add fees.

Actopan is a small Mezquital Valley city 35 km north of Pachuca, known for a 16th-century Augustinian monastery with indigenous-painted murals and for ximbo, a pit-barbecued pork style found almost nowhere else. The centre is walkable in an afternoon; most travellers pair it with Pachuca or Ixmiquilpan rather than staying long.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Actopan, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or atoleM$25–50 (≈ US$2–3)
  • BeerBeer in a bar / from a shopM$40–70 (≈ US$3–4)M$20–35 (≈ US$2)
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTaxi within the centreM$40–70 (≈ US$3–4) (check)
  • Museum or sight ticketMuseum entry (ex-convent)M$50–100 (≈ US$3–6) (check)
  • Budget bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomMX$450 (≈ US$25)
  • Mid-range bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomMX$800 (≈ US$45)
  • High-end bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomMX$1,100 (≈ US$60)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget MX$500 (≈ US$30) · Mid MX$900 (≈ US$50) · High MX$1,800 (≈ US$100)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Ex-convento de San Nicolás de Tolentino and its 1550s muralsXimbo and barbacoaWednesday tianguis marketFeria Actopan in July
Airports
MEX Mexico City Benito Juárez (Bus from Indios Verdes terminal to Pachuca, then onward to Actopan; about 3–4 h door to door) · NLU Felipe Ángeles (Santa Lucía) (Closer to the north side of Mexico City; onward by bus or car via Pachuca)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Actopan: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

21°C

4°C

2 rd

Feb

23°C

5°C

2 rd

Mar

26°C

7°C

3 rd

Apr

27°C

9°C

5 rd

May

27°C

11°C

8 rd

Jun

25°C

12°C

12 rd

Jul

24°C

11°C

14 rd

Aug

24°C

11°C

13 rd

Sep

23°C

11°C

13 rd

Oct

22°C

8°C

7 rd

Nov

22°C

6°C

3 rd

Dec

21°C

4°C

2 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is flat and walkable; Plaza Juárez, the ex-convent and the market are within about 10 minutes of each other. Use taxis for Grutas Xoxafí or anything outside the centre. Colectivos and taxis run to Pachuca and Ixmiquilpan.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Grutas Xoxafí

go

Door to door: About 30–40 min each way

Taxi or car about 15 km toward Santiago de Anaya

Guided cavern tours with add-on rappel and zip-line; entry from about M$800 (check current rates and hours).

Pachuca

go

Door to door: About 30–45 min

Bus or taxi via MEX 85

State capital with a mining past and its own food scene; the easiest base for Actopan.

Ixmiquilpan

go

Door to door: About 45–60 min

Bus or car north on MEX 85

Another Augustinian convent with murals, plus the Tolantongo hot springs further out.

Mineral del Chico

overnight

Door to door: About 1.5 h

Car via Pachuca

Cool pine-forest village inside a national park; better with a car and a night.

Tula de Allende

caution

Door to door: About 2 h

Car or bus via Pachuca and MEX 85

Toltec ruins with the Atlantes columns; a long half-day from Actopan.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Centro Norte (around Plaza Juárez)

Hotels within a 2–5 block walk of the plaza and the ex-convent; the only area worth booking for a short stay.

Near the bus station (Efrén Rebolledo)

Practical for a late arrival or an early bus out; a 10–15 min walk to the centre.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
M$400–700 (≈ US$25–40) excl. bed
Mid
M$700–1,300 (≈ US$40–75) excl. bed
High
M$1,300 (≈ US$75)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Mid-range double room1 × 1 night × MX$800MX$800
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × MX$900MX$1,800
Taxi Pachuca → Actopan, one way1 × MX$200 · checkMX$200
Bus Pachuca → Actopan, one way2 × MX$100 · checkMX$200
eSIM, about a week of data2 × MX$250MX$500
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeMX$350
Trip total≈ MX$1,925 per person per day, bed includedMX$3,850≈ US$250

2026 estimate in pesos; long-distance buses and flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or atoleM$25–50 (≈ US$2–3)
Plate of barbacoa or ximbo with tortillasM$120–250 (≈ US$7–14)
Aguas frescasM$25–45 (≈ US$2–3)
Beer in a bar / from a shopM$40–70 (≈ US$3–4) / M$20–35 (≈ US$2)
Taxi within the centreM$40–70 (≈ US$3–4) (check)
Bus Actopan → PachucaM$100 (≈ US$6) (check)
Museum entry (ex-convent)M$50–100 (≈ US$3–6) (check)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Actopan is a working small city, not a resort: the centre is fine by day and early evening, but take taxis after dark, keep to lit streets, and treat the highways at night as a no.
  • The area sits in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and tremors happen: know your exit in any building you sleep in.
  • The ex-convent museum closes Mondays; the church may be shut outside service times.
  • Ximbo and barbacoa places sell out and often close by mid-afternoon, and several shut Monday–Thursday.
  • Most of Hidalgo's highlands are above 2,000 (≈ US$110) m: the sun is strong and nights are cold, so bring a layer.

Emergency numbers

All emergencies
911
Tourist assistance (SECTUR)
078
Green Angels roadside help
078

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

ActopanActopan

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

A esta dirección, por favorTo this address, please

Emergency

  • All emergencies911
  • Tourist assistance (SECTUR)078
  • Green Angels roadside help078

Embassy

No embassy in Actopan; the US, UK, Canada and most others keep embassies in Mexico City. Nearest consular help is in Pachuca or Mexico City (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Taxi Pachuca → Actopan: about M$200 (≈ US$11), 30 min (check)
  • Bus Pachuca → Actopan: about M$100 (≈ US$6), about 1 h (check)
  • Grutas Xoxafí entry: from about M$800 (≈ US$45) (check)

Say or show

  • Disculpe / Perdón — Excuse me / Sorry (dees-KOOL-peh / per-DON)
  • Gracias — Thank you (GRAH-syahs)
  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much is it? (KWAN-toh KWES-tah)
  • ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? — Can I pay by card? (PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah)
  • ¿Dónde está el baño? — Where is the toilet? (DON-deh es-TAH el BAH-nyoh)
  • Sin chile, por favor — Without chile, please (seen CHEE-leh por fah-VOR)

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Actopan. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Mar–May, Oct–Nov · avoid Jun–Sep (rain), late Dec–early Jan (cold nights) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 2 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 5 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for MEX and NLU: last bus from Indios Verdes, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Three walking clusters with rescue anchors: Plaza Juárez and the ex-convent, Mercado 8 de Julio, the bus station strip.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (ex-convent and museum, aqueduct, Grutas Xoxafí) and eat pages with last orders for ximbo and barbacoa.
  4. Feria Actopan and Day of the Dead fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Mexico

Sources