I can’t help but say that San Cristobal de las Casas has been one of the places where I have said “I could live here”. The magical town of Chiapas is beautiful and cold at the same time.
It is a wonderful place, a must-see in Chiapas that for many travelers has become a trap that detains them for a long time during their trip, and for good reason.
If you are wondering what to do in San Cristobal de las Casas? To help you plan your trip, we decided to share with you, in addition to the things you can do, a list of the must-do’s so you can better manage your time.
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Top 10 Things to do in San Cristobal de las Casas
Take the Cocoa Tour
This activity is definitely one of the things to do in San Cristobal de las Casas. This cocoa tour will take you on a journey to learn about the history of a product that is a symbol of Mexico.
You will visit Kakaw Cocoa Museum and Cultural Chocolate Factory and learn all about cocoa and chocolate making.
You will be able to taste and taste up to 10 varieties of cocoa.
If you like Chocolate this is an activity you must do.
You can book this activity here
Having a chocolate at Cacao Nativa
San Cristobal is a place that has grown a lot in terms of tourism, because of this and because of globalization, finding something that is unique to the place that you can’t find elsewhere is difficult.
Cacao Nativa is that place where you will find those products that you can’t find anywhere else and that’s why we have decided to place it among the best things to do in San Cristobal.
Have a chocolate at this place and choose the level of bitterness you want!
Go to the Amber Museum
Amber jewelry is typical and native to San Cristobal, for this reason you will find beautiful pieces all over town, the bad thing is that much of what you can find in the markets and stalls is fake.
That is why it is interesting to go to the Amber Museum because here they will teach you how to identify real pieces from fake ones and you will learn all about this type of jewelry.
If you are interested in buying amber related products, then visiting the museum is one of the things you must do.
Visiting San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan
Although it does not belong to San Cristobal, it is one of the most interesting things to do in the magical town.
These are two towns known for preserving their customs and remaining loyal to their culture, the best and easiest way to visit them is from San Cristobal de las Casas.
To visit San Juan Chamula we suggest you use this tour: Excursion to San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán.
Create your own Chocolate Bar
The experience we enjoyed the most was creating our own chocolate bar, you literally make it from scratch and learn a lot about cocoa along the way.
From selecting the seed to getting your bar, truly one of the best activities in San Cristobal.
To do so, you must go to Kakaw, the cocoa and chocolate museum.
Stroll along the tourist walkways and tour the Main Square.
Strolling through the center and the tourist walkways is a must because the town has its beauty.
San Cristobal is a colorful place with pleasant surprises if you decide to explore and take the time to get to know it.
Here are some points of interest that you should consider during your visit:
- The Temple of Santo Domingo (located in the main square)
- The Cathedral of San Cristobal
- The municipal palace (located in the main square)
- The Church of Guadalupe
- The Cerrillo Church
The church of Guadalupe and the church of Cerrillo are in an elevated location so they could be considered viewpoints or points from which you can see a part of the magical town.
You can book this activity here
Take a Mexican Cooking Class
With this activity you will learn the secrets of the coleta cuisine, a fusion between pre-Hispanic and Spanish gastronomy.
In this class you will learn how to use the ingredients of ancestral Mayan, colonial and contemporary dishes while learning about the gastronomic rituals that the cooks rescue, trying to avoid the loss of their culture and traditions.
If you like Mexican food and cooking, don’t miss this activity.
- You can book your class here
Go to the Cocoa Museum
Interesting but short, perhaps not for all types of travelers, although I must admit that Danny and I found it interesting.
Something that we found interesting was learning that the commercial companies that sell you chocolate are not actually selling you chocolate – crazy, right?
Go to the candy and handicrafts market
This market is a good place to buy typical Mexican sweets and all kinds of handicrafts.
To fly over just to look at the stalls becomes a colorful experience.
I must admit that it is difficult to resist buying some handicrafts or typical clothing in this place.
Visit the museum of regional costumes
Another of the things to see in San Cristobal de las Casas are the typical costumes of the museum of regional costumes. If you have the time we recommend that you take a tour of the museum to see the variety of traditional dress that exists in Chiapas.
Visiting the Jade house
As is the case with amber, jade jewelry has a strong Mayan background. Visiting the Jade house is one of the things that should be on your list of things to do in San Cristobal.
The jade house is actually a jewelry store; however, it has a small museum where pieces used by the Maya are exhibited.
The reason why we recommend this place as one of the must-see places in San Cristobal is precisely because of the beauty of the pieces on display and the explanation they give you about how this type of jewelry is made.
Visit the market and buy some tamales
One of the places to visit in San Cristobal de las Casas is the food market. I can tell you once and for all that in my perception it is one of the markets with the most Mexican folklore.
If you decide to visit it, we recommend you try the saffron tamales.
Places to visit in San Cristobal de las Casas
Here are the places you should consider visiting if you are staying in San Cristobal. These places are not specifically in the magical town; however, they are close by or there is a tourist service that can take you to visit them.
Sumidero Canyon
You have probably heard of this, one of the most famous tourist destinations in the state of Chiapas.
The canyon is a beauty of Chiapas that amazes by its nature, its viewpoints and its incredible natural walls. It is not located in San Cristobal but due to its proximity to the magical town it is best to visit it from there (approximately 1 hour).
To visit the Sumidero Canyon from San Cristobal de las Casas we recommend using this Sumidero Canyon Excursion.
The Montebello Lagoons
The Montebello lakes are truly amazing, the blue color they have and the experience they offer is unique.
It is a beautiful park that extends over 6022 hectares in which it is possible to find up to 59 lakes.
The impressive thing about this place is its turquoise blue waters and the different shades that can be appreciated. Its beauty convinced UNESCO to declare it a Biosphere Reserve in 2009.
Definitely a must stop and one of our favorite places in Chiapas and Mexico.
To visit the Montebello Lakes from San Cristobal we recommend using the Montebello Lakes + Chiflón Excursion.
El Chiflón Waterfalls
The Chiflón Waterfall is another place you must visit if you are in San Cristobal de las Casas. This is an impressive natural attraction and is one of the classics of Chiapas.
This destination is somewhat removed from San Cristobal; however, visiting it from the magical town is one of the best ways to visit it due to the great number of tourist services it offers.
We recommend that you use an excursion from the magical town that takes you to the Chiflón waterfall and the Montebello lagoons in the same day.
This is the option we suggest: Montebello Lagoons + Chiflón Excursion.
Chiapa de Corzo
This place is a magical town in Chiapas that is located near San Cristobal.
It is a good idea to combine it with the sumidero canyon, it is a small place and easy to walk in a couple of hours.
Agua Azul, Misol Ha and Palenque
These 3 tourist sites are classics of Chiapas but are quite far from San Cristobal de las Casas, for example: Palenque is 5 hours away.
If you want to visit them from San Cristobal there is the Agua Azul, Misol-Há and Palenque Excursion in 1 day.
The disadvantage of this tour is that you will spend 10 hours of pure transfer (5 going and 5 coming back), the tour is fast paced and very tiring.
The advantage is that you will be able to visit all 3 places in 1 day and the price for doing so is excellent.
If you are not going to use the excursion we recommend, then you may want to check it out:
What to do in 1 day in San Cristobal de las Casas
Watch our video and find out.
Where to Sleep
Here are our lodging recommendations after having evaluated hotels in San Cristobal de las Casas:
Hotel Bo
This hotel has an excellent location in the historic center of San Cristobal de las Casas.
It features a fitness center, business center and elegant Mexican cuisine restaurant.
Ideal for couples and travelers looking for a luxury option
Mansion del Valle
La Mansión del Valle is located in downtown San Cristóbal de Las Casas.
This hotel is home to La Mechita restaurant, which serves traditional Mexican cuisine and wines from the region.
The price-quality ratio is quite good.
We highly recommend it for couples, families and tourists in general.
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Tips for your trip
What to wear to san cristobal de las casas
We recommend wearing a mix of warm and cold clothing, light clothing for the daytime and warm clothing for the evening.
- Cap/Hat
- Blocker alone
- Sunglasses
- Comfortable walking shoes or tennis shoes in
- Pants, jeans
- Waterproof
- Long and warm pajamas
- A good sweater or jacket
What to eat
There are a lot of things you can try in San Cristobal; however, this is our Top 3 dishes you should try:
- Chipilin Soup
- Mole Coleto
- Tachilhuil
If you are one of those who like to try different cuisines when traveling, here we share with you the 14 typical dishes of Chiapas that you must try.
Find more destinations here: Chiapas Tourism
