Cuernavaca, the capital of the state of Morelos, is located about an hour south of the Mexico City airport, and is one of Mexico’s most historical and fascinating cities. Known as the “City of Eternal Spring” for it’s year-round mild climate, Cuernavaca has much to offer to the traveler. It is also well known for it’s many outstanding language schools. Students of Spanish come here from all over the world to learn and live the language and culture.

Cuernavaca is also host to several world class spas and resorts. Many wealthy Mexico City residents have their second home here, and they escape the congestion of the city for the weekend relaxation of Cuernavaca. Vacationers who like to take advantage of the spas also come here to heal and rejuvenate.

Due to its historical importance, the central part of the city has several noted sites worth visiting: the Alameda plaza and the neighboring Plaza de Armas, together making up the city’s central plaza or Zócalo; the Cortez Palace, which now hosts the Museo de Cuauhnahuac and was built staring in 1530; the Catedral de la Asuncion de Maria, one of Mexico’s oldest convents and completed in 1552; the Jardin Borda, or Borda Gardens which is now a public botanical park. All are are within a few blocks walking distance of each other, making Cuernavaca the ideal place to see and learn about Mexico’s rich past.

Good restaurants can be found both around the central district and throughout the city, as well as cafes and bars, including the newer hangout of La Plazuela. This small, foot only street and plaza has several cafes and bars with nightly music of local talent. There are other attractions nearby as well, such as the hideaway artisan village of Tepoztlan, and the ancient pyramids of Xochicalco, both worth your time for a visit.

Getting here: most visitors to Cuernavaca come here via Mexico City, as it is just about an hour and a half south of there by bus. There is a bus line that can take you directly from the Mexico City International Airport to central Cuernavaca. The first class Pullman Line leaves several times a day, cost is $90 pesos, about US $10. Once in town, taxis are plentiful, cost for most destinations in and around the central part of town is about $25 pesos. Tour operators can take you on guided trips to destinations in and around the city and beyond, cost is based on number of people and travel distance.

Cuernavaca has many unique sites of cultural beauty and scenery that welcome people from all over the world. Cuernavaca is a blend of the old colonial style and modern design, that tend to compliment each other. The historic buildings and the modern structures seem to blend naturally, and the historical buildings are a major attraction for tourists.

One of the main sites to visit is the prominent Hernan Cortes Palace (Palacio de Cortez), built in 1533 as a vacation house for the former conqueror of Mexico. Inside the Cortez Palace is the Cauaunahuac Regional Museum, which tourists can visit Thursdays through Sundays. It showcases a wide variety of artifacts from the colonial era, as well as murals from Mexico’s most well known artist, Diego Rivera, representing dramatic scenes from the conquest to the mexican revolution periods.

Other main attractions are the Robert Brady House, a Museum and Cultural Center, the famous colonial Borda Gardens (displaying a wide variety of plants and fauna in a large garden like setting) or the Casa Borda, the former house of Emperor Maximilian and Carlota. The Borda Garden is also the site for the Cultural Institute of Morelos.

Other notable attractions are:

Church of the Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Cathedral of Cuernavaca
Artisans market in front of the cathedral
Articans market in Cuauhnahuac
Murals of Diego Rivera
Morelos cultural institute
El castillito – Cuernavaca’s museum of photographic arts
Cascada de San Anton
Prismas Basalticos

National Park El Tepozteco
Ex-Convent of Maria Natividad
Museum of Carlos Pellicer
Museum of Amatlan Quetzalcoatl(god of the rain)
Iglesias Barrios
Municipal Palace
The Central Zocalo (plaza)
Vivero de Cactus(greenhouse)

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