Mexico has dozens of pyramids and Mesoamerican ruins throughout the country, so any trip to Mexico can easily include a pyramids tour. The most famous Mexican ruins are probably Chichen Itza, near Cancun and Tulum. Before visiting Mexico City, I had no idea there are pyramids here, too. Whenever I travel, I always like to plan at least one trip out of the city to see the countryside. As it turns out, a Teotihuacan pyramids tour is one of the best day trips from Mexico City. I haven’t visited many ancient pyramid sites, but in the US I love visiting Native American sites and learning about that culture and history, so I knew I wanted to visit the Teotihuacan pyramids.
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Mexico City to Teotihuacan
This UNESCO World Heritage site is only about 50km from Mexico City, so there are many ways to visit it. You can rent a car, take a bus from the city, or even take an Uber ride from Mexico City to Teotihuacan. I chose to book an all-day tour that included transportation from Mexico City to Teotihuacan, guided commentary, and a stop for lunch. With an early morning departure, we were sure to beat most of the crowds; having an archaeologist as our guide was priceless!
Book Early Morning Teotihuacan Pyramids Tour with a Private Archaeologist
Teotihuacan Pyramids Tour
The day before the tour, I received an email from Amigo Tours, the local tour operator, letting me know that my pickup time would be at 5:50 the following morning. (Keeping my travel tradition of waking up way earlier on vacation than I ever do in my real life.)
The tour bus arrived before dawn, and I was the first one to be picked up. I snoozed on the bus while we picked up the other 20 or so tourists all over Mexico City and then headed out of town towards Teotihuacan. We stopped for gas and snacks about halfway there, and I took the chance to snap a photo of some of the neighborhoods lining the hills along the route from Mexico City to Teotihuacan.
When you arrive at Teotihuacan, there is a small plaza area with shops and restrooms. The shops were all closed this early, and our bus met us at the other end of the pyramids, so the shoppers in our group were disappointed we didn’t come back this way. (As if there is a shortage of souvenir shops in the touristy areas!) I had to laugh as one girl in our group was dripping in Mexican clothing and turquoise and silver jewelry; she made a great decoy for the rest of us as all the peddlers aggressively followed her around.
Browse Teotihuacan Pyramid Tour options
Teotihuacan Pyramids
We quickly made our way to the first temple area, where our guide explained the history of the area, as well as how the pyramids were built in layers and how those layers were exposed upon excavation. Teotihuacan was once the largest pre-Colombian city, with a population estimated at 125,000.
Pyramid of the Sun
Next, we approached the Sun Pyramid, the largest at this archeological site, and had plenty of time to climb to the top, catch our breath and enjoy the views. As you can imagine, the top of this pyramid afforded excellent views of the ancient city, including the Pyramid of the Moon, which was our next and last stop on the Teotihuacan pyramids tour.
Agave Demonstration & Tequila Tasting
While we were strolling through the ruins, our van drove to meet us at the other end, and we headed off to a nearby restaurant and store. Before we sat down for lunch, we had some demos on how the plants of the area are used and sampled some tequila and pulque, the sweet fermented juice that becomes tequila.
If you are in the Guadalajara area, be sure to take a day trip to the town of Tequila!
Lunch had a menu option, and a buffet option, with performers to entertain us, and of course, another gift shop on site. I had to partake in the cheesy tourist photo op. At least they don’t try to sell you a photo.
With full bellies, we all slept most of the way back to Mexico City, where we arrived just in time for rush hour. The younger folks jumped out of the van to continue their adventurous day rather than sitting in traffic, but I already felt like I had a full day. I waited out the traffic and got dropped off at The Red Tree House, where I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing with my new roommate, April.
For less than $40, this Mexico City pyramids tour is a really good value. We had a fantastic private guide, who was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. The best part of this particular Teotihuacan pyramids tour is that we missed the most crowded part of the day – always a bonus in my book!
Browse day trips from Mexico City with Viator
Mmmmm…I’ve heard that the tequila there is amazing and so different than what is typically sold in stores!
I’m not a big tequila fan, so I really can’t compare, but it was interesting to try that mescal.
I’ve never heard about the Teotihuacan Pyramids before. But it seems like a great tour to take from Mexico city to escape the crowds)) I want to go there one day, but I don’t like when there are too many people around, so taking a tour outside of the city could be a great option))
Even this place gets crowded in the late morning, which is why I chose the early tour. It was worth getting up at 5am to avoid the crowds!
Looks like you had a great time! I love that there is a new found fur baby in your room!
She was the sweetest! I always miss my pup while I’m traveling, so it was nice to have a dog around!
Wow, the pyramids are incredible! I honestly didn’t know that Mexico had pyramids like that, so I definitely want to check them out now the next time I’m there!
I didn’t know these existed until I booked my trip and started looking for things to do!
II’ve never heard of those pyramids, or realise that tequila came from the juice of plants. Sounds like a great trip from Mexico City.
Wow this looks amazing! Whenever I get to Mexico City, I will definitely check these pyramids out!
This was so useful, I’ve always wanted to see those pyramids 🙂 Thank you for writing this!
I had no idea there were pyramids so close to Mexico City! I’ll definitely book a tour next time we go visit.
That sounds like a great tour! I’m always curious what types of things there are to do outside of cities so this is very helpful! The pyramids looked really interesting and its cool that you were able to climb them!
I visited the pyramids about two summers ago. We climbed the pyramid of the sun and it began to thunder. It was an interesting experience. I thoroughly enjoy Mexico City though.
Ahh I have been hearing so much more about Mexico recently!! These pyramids looks insane. Such an awesome piece of history you got to explore.
I’m going there in December and look for a place where demonstrates tequila. Could you please tell me the name of the restaurant you went there?
thank you