Puebla, Cholula & Tonantzintla Day Tour

A frustrating tour - we were the only English speakers amongst a group of Spanish speakers and, even though the tour was billed as Spanish and English, over 80% was in Spanish. The group was very slow, despite the attempts of our guide to keep the slow ones moving, we were not able to see everything. Further, the stops at shops and lunch (meh food!) were a waste of time, other than to load the guide’s pockets. The destinations were well worth visiting, I would just choose a different way of doing so.

Our guide Dante was very knowledgeable and helpful. We had a great day.

Wonderful day trip to Puebla. Driver and tour guide were very kind and considerate. The group was small which was nice. We got to see really cool things considering it was a day trip and the lunch was pretty good. We got back to CDMX in a reasonably good time and the driver was incredible navigating the freeways in the rain and cdmx traffic!!

The trip was fantastic. Our guide Dante was very amusing, and had great knowledge of the sites we visited and the local culture

The trip was unnecessarily long. In Puebla one hour for lunch and a one-hour guided tour should have been enough. Our driver did well considering the 4-hour delay on the way back. Our guide dutifully delivered the mandatory info and answered our questions. He was decent, but he could have been great if he'd put more effort into it. Three hours is a pretty long journey on the bus. A great guide would fill it with interesting facts about this country and everyday life. An average guide would say: Let's take a nap. Huge difference! I guess this time we were not so lucky...

Excellent your. Visited several places, tour of Puebla included. Also, lunch was included, and it was great. Bus was comfortable, guide and driver were friendly and knowledgeable. We paid about half for the same tour travel agencies were offering. I recommend this tour.

This is going to be a long review since reviews are lacking for this tour on Viator. If you want a shorter version, scroll to the end for the pros and cons. We had a previous tour cancel the day before, and scrambled to find an alternative. This was 1 of 2 companies that offered it, both had less than 20 mixed reviews. Even though this one only had 9 reviews, they were more positive overall so we went with this one. We booked this tour the night prior, around 19:00. There was no communication from the company. We messaged the morning of, about 2 hours prior to pickup and they responded fast, confirming and asking us to arrive at the pickup point between 8:10-8:30 (pickup time is listed as 8:30). We messaged at 8:40 confirming where we were, they responded almost right away for us to stay where we were as the van is looking for us. It was probably another 10 mins before the van showed up. When we approached the van, we weren’t really greeted, we had to confirm it was the right van and the answer was a head nod. I know my name stands out, but we still expected the tour guide to confirm which tour they were with. First stop was a tourist trap store. The small store across the way was better with a sweet and talkative shop owner from Oaxaca. Tip: either pack a lunch or snack up for the drive. After stopping for gas and bathroom to Cholula, we arrived around 13:30. The guide led us up to the church and we explored the area for maybe 30-45 minutes by ourselves. No explanation given. We were given a 20 minute heads-up to meet back at the van. We were then driven to a buffet and had lunch around 15:00. 300 Mxn per person for the buffet. Tip: order from the menu. Neither choices are great food options but we ordered a soup and a main dish (a sandwich of flank steak, sweet plantains, mole, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream- pretty good!), a soda and a beer and the total was less than 500 Mxn for the two of us and the food looked better than what was offered at the buffet. Tip: The town has a lot of cute coffee shops, restaurants, and sweets shops. We were then dropped off at the center plaza and given about 1.5 hours to explore. The guide explained a little bit about Alley of the Frogs but we got more from our conversation with one of our fellow tourists. We arrived back in Mexico City just before 20:00. Pro - [ ] Cheaper than uber from Mexico City - [ ] Last minute booking- the night prior - [ ] Fast response when contacted through the app - [ ] Good driver - Driver Alex spoke some English and was eager to answer any questions the tour group had was knowledgeable. Con - [ ] The Viator posting isn’t comprehensive - [ ] Lack of communication before the trip on confirmation by the company (though this was a last minute booking) - [ ] Lack of English guide - we are okay with this as we understand enough with the help of another group on the tour. The 2 other groups were both Spanish Speaking and since we booked so last minute, we did not expect them to change the scheduled guide. - [ ] No guide on tour - [ ] Multiple tourist trap shops - [ ] Mediocre lunch - [ ] The tour was more 11-12 hours total. Not 8 as listed on the description.

Long trip Tour guide without microphone Difficult to hear Puebla was pretty We were taken to eat in a buffet ( bad ) instead to give us one hour to pick us were to eat

This tour was very well organized. Our guide, Mathias, was excellent with communication and took care of each of us in his van. Puebla is so charming and full of history. It was a wonderful tour.

It was a good way to see more that just Mexico City but it was a big day. The tour was well organised and Enrique was a helpful guide. The lunch venue was very average food and overpriced - I would have appreciated some other options.

Great itinerary, we were lucky to have a small group. Comfortable ride with the van, very nice driver and tour guide. Just like everywhere you go in Mexico, expect long car ride

It was a long day of excursion which I expected. But I'm very disappointed by a couple of things: (1) We didn't visit the Cholula pyramid (2) We only stayed in Cholula for 1 hour instead of 2 hours. Basically, don't advertise something that you can't honor in the actual tour.

Very professional and knowledgeable guide. Very clean and comfortable bus. Punctual. Competent driver.

My trip to Puebla & the 2 churches we went to was an awesome experience. Alan was an awesome tour guide, Alan has great knowledge of the sites we visited & also about CDMX. Alan is also very fluent in English, so don't hesitate to book your travel tours.

Unfortunately this trip was overall disappointing. It was 3 churches, an extended mandatory lunch at a mediocre buffet, and only a rushed half hour of free time in town. Our tour guide Melissa was friendly but less comfortable speaking English so we did not learn very much about the history or culture, and she did not manage our time very well so there was a lot of waiting around. When we finally had time to look around the city, she gave no direction so it took us awhile to even find the parts of the city that were interesting (rather than just a standard mall). I think this tour could be rewarding if you want to focus on churches and are a native Spanish speaker, but we unfortunately did not get much out of it.

The sites we visited were awesome. The tour guide not so much. He was dofficult to hear and understand. He did no more than the minimum to explain each site. Almost nothing inbetween the sites. He led us to a buffet but told us nothing about it or other options except they were 2 blocks away. He didn't speak on the way back to CDMX.

tour was nice but I did not like the restaurant they took us too. Obviously they have some kind of agreement with the tour operator. Poor quality food and pretty much had to take the buffet for a fixed price. I don’t particularly care for that since im a bit skeptical about how ling the food has been sitting out and not in the prooer temperature. just my two cents

We did not get tour of towns or pyramid: guide took us to four churches instead of just one. Very disappointed: only got one hour of free time at the end to walk around Puebla.

Nice initial glimpse of Puebla and 2 nearby sites. Angel our guide made the trip enjoyable and Juan our driver was like a M. Schumacher in the caotic traffic between CDMX and the tour's stops. P.S. : You will need at least 2 days (or more?) to properly appreciate Cholula's attractions, and its surroundings. Thank you.

Trip was great, some of the churches were European quality. Car was new and driver was safe. Only issue was tour guide who was more interested in the time than looking after the group. Like he rushed ahead all the time or he crossed the road when the light was red , the group split as some followed and some waited. Or he didn't keep up updated on basic things like what's happening at the next stop, so we had to ask so we knew what to do with our bags etc. Commentary was minimal and he didn't have a folder with interesting historical information like other tour guides have.

We really enjoyed our guide Juan. He has a really nice personality and his English is very good. The 3 places were interesting and very different from Mexico City

The day started with on-time pick up nearby where I stay per request, it was a good amount of people in our group, 11 pax including me. The guide, Enrique, explained everything in both English and Spanish. There are plenty of Bathrooms around at every spot we stopped. It all went as scheduled and we got back to the city between 7pm-8pm depending on where you stay as we made each drop off. Very well being taken care of and I had a great time and I am very happy with this Tour.

The tour is worth taking and worth its price. It took about 11 hours altogether and we liked each minute about it. The Minibus was comfortable and the atmosphere in the group was great. The cities of Cholula and Puebla are very unique in history and architecture. They have many special churches, but- apart from this - Puebla is so nice, quiet and clean that we could easily have spent several days there. Juan Castro showed us all the best places you should not miss when visiting this area and gave a lot of detailed explanations, especially about the various churches, their different styles and purposes due to regions and centuries of foundation. Thank you for a special experience in Mexico.

Great trip.. other than a long travel time.. thanks to the traffic!! Juan Castro was fantastic and very knowledgeable!! 5 stars to him!!

Read about these places in advance. The guide is more a companion than a tour guide. Nice day trip..

We had a wonderful time! Thanks to Barbara our tour guide and Rafael our driver. We spent the entire day together site seeing the beautiful state of Puebla. The tour was well organized, informative and clear instructions from Barbara helped us to set expectations. As far as improving the itinerary I would suggest to provide tourists with more options and suggestions on what to do in the Puebla town: the city map with local attractions, suggested restaurants and local stores. Instead of sending the entire group to one restaurant and the local market. I totally understand the agency intentions but the company has to do more for customer’s satisfaction.

I would like to first start by thanking Juan Castro. He is such a humble human being who is so articulate in describing everything along with the history and other facts that go with any place we were visiting. Juan gave us an excellent introduction to the pyramids, the anthropology of the place and the churches that came up. He answered all questions so patiently. We were wishing he would be the tour guide on our trip to Teotihuacan the next day, and we were lucky to have him as our guide. We started off with the church in Tonantzintla followed by the pyramid of Cholula which the Spanish mistook for a hill and built a church on. We spent an excellent half day going around the streets of Pueblo, exploring the local market and the colonial style buildings along with the churches and cathedrals that makes Pueblo a historic place. Thanks to Juan, we understand history better. As a tourist, what will strike you most is the cleanliness and pride Mexico has. It is one of the cleanest countries in the world. Tourists should be aware that the journey to Pueblo and back can take time, sometimes even more due to the notorious Mexico traffic. The only negative was the van. It was not comfortable, did not have USB charging ports and no WiFi too. Luckily I did have a power bank but having WiFi would have helped more.

All done very fast. Tonantzintla is a very different church, made by the indigenous people, but the passage there is very fast. In Cholula, the visit is to walk up a very high hill to see the city and the volcanoes from there. On the day we went, the clouds were covering the volcanoes and the guide could have warned that it was not worth the climb: it was better to enjoy the lower part of the city. In Puebla, we visited 3 amazing churches, but we wasted a lot of time on lunch (all in the same restaurant) and then little free time in the city. The company team was very kind and they offer transport door-to-door to hotels and airbnb, that's good.

Great time and experience. The tour guide was so nice, cordial, and pacient. The tour guide has knowledge and great experience. He explained all well with a sense of humor.

I hot to know about the history of Puebla and Cholula, interact with few locals eat Mexican cuisine. Great experience 👍 👏👏👏

I had a wonderful experience with this tour. The staff was very friendly and the guide did a great job explaining to us all the sites we visit and answering all our questions.

The pickup was very punctual, despite unforeseen en route (there was traffic for repairs on the track) our guide Alan was very charismatic. The time was short in Cholula because of the trancon, but we could visit and had time to see something of the center of Puebla. Although I would have liked more time there. Thank you Alan for reminding us that we are in the Jubilee year, I did not know the fact that some doors only open every 25 years. Back the popocatepetl volcano showed itself, which left a nice postcard. Perhaps as a recommendation, it is understood that the traffic is unexpected, but if they know that there are works on the road soon the tour could start earlier, so that in the destinations do not have to run and can be enjoyed more calmly.

Magical experience, spectacular places and views, delicious food and treats , unique architecture, highly recommended

This tour I loved, very interesting, informative, and much to buy , the food I loved. Excellent service very comfortable and clean

Very nice day. Nice visit to Puebla. We would have preferred more time in the city. The guide was nice. It was worth it.

It was a very pleasant tour, lots of history and beautiful landscapes, the guide explained very well the history of Puebla and Toluca, all its culture

Day of visits to interesting and beautiful places. Dario our guide gave information and pace of the day Recommended!

Eu e minha wives we fear more than 65 years old and let's give a muito boa experience, or passeio cumpriu mais we expect. Pontualidade, Seguronça no deslocamento, nos pegou no nosso hotel e trouxe de volta, Or guide Juan e or rider Angel foram always very friendly and attentive. Both não will measure efforts to move us between pontos and inform us about or what we are visiting. We pass through towns and cities, where we can observe peaks in the air (smoking). We recommend to company e em especial essa equipe that you attend us. My wife and I are over 65 years old and had a very good experience; the walk exceeded our expectations. It was punctual, safe in transfers, picked us up at our hotel and took us back. Guide Juan and driver Angel were always very friendly and attentive. Both did their best to make it easier for us to get around the points and to provide us with information about the places we visited. We passed through three cities, made a stop at a viewpoint where we could observe snow peaks and an active volcano (emitting smoke). We recommend the company and, especially, this team that served us. My wife and I are over 65 years old and had a great experience; the tour exceeded our expectations. It was punctual, safe during transportation, picked us up at our hotel, and brought us back. The guide, Juan, and the driver, Angel, were always very friendly and attentive. Both went out of their way to help us move between locations and provide information about the places we were visiting. We passed through three cities and made a stop at a viewpoint where we could see snow-capped peaks and an active volcano (releasing smoke). We highly recommend the company and especially this team who assisted us.

It was a unique memorable trip highly recommended. Excellent don Juan with knowledge History picturesque landscapes countless pretty places 37 village churches wow

Reservamos para ir a puebla y nos tenían en la lista de Xochimilco Tuvimos que ir en la microbús súper incómodos porque el espacio no era suficiente, incluso el guía tuvo que irse de pie todo el camino. Además el restaurante al que llevan a almorzar no tiene variedad de nada y la comida estaba fría

Todo bien menos la comida. Carísimo y el buffet terrible, el peor mole que he comido en la vida parecía solo un chile rebajado con agua