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Great Pyramid of Cholula

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How to Visit the Cholula Pyramid in Cholula, Mexico

Posted by Di Minardi | Last updated Nov 6, 2022

This post contains affiliate links.

The Cholula Pyramid is the most popular tourist site in the state of Puebla for a reason.

Even though it may not look it – because most of the pyramid is buried underground – it’s the biggest pyramid in the world with an impressive base spanning 1,300 ft. on each side.  

The town of Cholula itself is a worthwhile day trip from Puebla as well because it’s an artsy college town with good food and lots to do after you check the Cholula Pyramid off your bucket list. 

So, are you ready to go?

This article has everything you need to know to visit the Cholula Pyramid, including:

• How to get to the Cholula Pyramid (by Uber, bus, train, and colectivo)
• The basic info you need to know before you go
• The four main sites of the Cholula Pyramid
• How much does it cost to visit the Cholula Pyramid?
• What else is there to do in Cholula?

And so much more!

Let’s dive in. 

View of Popo Volcano on the stairs up the side of the pyramid

How to get to the Cholula Pyramid

There are four ways to get to the Cholula Pyramid from Puebla, so even the pickiest travelers will find something that works for them.

Puebla to Cholula by Uber

This is the best way to get to the Pyramid of Cholula and what I did. From central Puebla, an Uber to the base of the pyramid costs 100 mxn and takes about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Puebla to Cholula by Train

This option is more fun than the Uber, but definitely not as flexible.

The Puebla – Cholula tourist train between the two towns runs twice in the morning and once in the afternoon on weekdays, but more on weekends and holidays. 

It’s completely free and will drop you off right at the base of the pyramid. Click here to see the exact schedule (I don’t want to publish it here because it’ll probably change) and then catch it at 1 1 nte esq 18 pte in the city center.

Puebla to Cholula by Bus or Colectivo 

If you miss the train and don’t want to spend money on an Uber, there are also cheap buses and colectivos that run pretty much constantly between Puebla and Cholula. 

The colectivos cost 10 mxn per person and I’d assume the buses are about the same. Because Cholula is so close it’s on the city bus route (you don’t need to take one from ADO) and you can find the bus stops on the route here.  

I don’t know where exactly the colectivo station in Puebla is, but I know it’s in the center, so if you’re staying there I think it’d be easy to ask around to find it. (If you do, can you comment below with the address so I can update this?)

Because the buses and colectivos stop to pick up and drop off people along the way, this option will take longer than the 20-minute Uber we took to Cholula. 

Colorful side street in the Cholula city center

Pyramid of Cholula: Know Before You Go

The Cholula Pyramid is centrally located and basically looks like a hill in the middle of the city with a church on top. 

The church on top is called Our Lady of Remedies and it’s free to visit. It’s open from 7 am to 7 pm and all you’ll have to spend is some effort climbing the steps to the top (but it’s really not that bad). 

I recommend going early to photograph the site in the morning light because that classic Mexico smog will roll in and obscure the views pretty fast. From the church on top of the pyramid, you can see Popo Volcano erupting with adorable puffs of smoke and his neighbor Izta, a dormant volcano nicknamed ‘the sleeping lady’. 

Read more: How to Hike Among Active Volcanoes in Izta-Popo National Park

On the other side you also get views of Cerro Zapotecas. It looks similar to Izta, but you can tell them apart because Cerro Zapotecas stands on its own. 

By the way: if you go wanting to catch that iconic shot of the Pyramid fo Cholula you see alllllll over the internet – the one with the yellow church in front of the snow-covered volcano peak – temper your expectations. That was either done by a done or a super-zoom camera, because the site, while beautiful,  honestly looks nothing like that in real life. 

The golden interior of the church at the peak of the Cholula Pyramid

The Four Main Sites at the Cholula Pyramid

The Pyramid of Cholula is made up of four main sites: the church, the ruins, the tunnels, and the museum.

This was mostly covered above. The Our Lady of Remedies church was built in the early 1600s and has sweeping views of Puebla and the surrounding volcanoes. It’s free to visit and open from 7 am to 7 pm. 

The Cholula ruins are located at the base of the pyramid and cost 80 mxn per person to visit

The Cholula Ruins

The ruins of a ceremonial site have been excavated at the base of the pyramid.  So, how do you get to the Cholula ruins?

When you exit the church, go back down the stairs – about half-way – until you reach the open field. This has a pleasure path running to the left – follow it down and you can enter the ruins on your right.

The Cholula ruins cost 80 mxn per person but the ticket includes entrance into the Cholula tunnels and the museum as well. The ruins are open from 9 am to 5:30 pm and have info in both Spanish and English about the inhabitants that settled here more than 2,500 years ago.

The Cholula tunnels wind through the interior of the pyramid and are not for the faint of heart

The Tunnels under the Cholula Pyramid

The Cholula tunnels wind through the base of the pyramid and are the highlight of the site in my opinion.

The entrance is on the opposite side of the ruins (exit them and turn right at the train station and you’ll find the tunnels) and you can just show you ruins ticket to enter for free. 

There are guides offering their services outside or you can go on your own. The Cholula tunnels are dark and small and not suitable for people with claustrophobia because with groups in front of you and behind you, it would definitely be difficult to get out in a hurry. 

Walking through the tunnels takes about 15 minutes and then you can head to the last stop at the Cholula Great Pyramid: the museum!

This aerial view of the Cholula ruins in the Cholula Pyramid Museum gives a better sense of scale of the ancient site 

The Museum of the Pyramid of Cholula 

The Museum of the Pyramid of Cholula is located across the street from the entrance to the tunnels. It has some pottery from the site and a pyramid reproduction so you can see it from above and get a sense of scale. 

The museum is small, so unless you’re super into history, it’ll really only take about 15 to 20 minutes to go through.

How much does it cost to visit the Pyramid of Cholula?

If you take the train there and back for free, you can visit the Cholula Pyramid, tunnels, ruins, and museum for only 80 mxn per person on a day trip. 

Lunch will run you another 100 to 150 mxn more per person for a sitdown meal (Dan and I got breakfast sandwiches, fresh orange juice, and coffee at Divara after our pyramid visit). 

Finally, there are a few more things to see and do in Cholula before you leave – listed below – but almost all of them are free as well!  So, for us, the Cholula Pyramid ended up being a super budget-friendly day trip from Puebla. 

Brunch at Divara restaurant

What else is there to do in Cholula, Mexico?

Cholula is a town of 60,000 people and has lots of college students, so it’s pretty lively and there’s plenty more to fill your day trip itinerary, like…

Puebla is an underrated foodie destination in Mexico, so there’s lots of good food in next-door Cholula. Check out the 101 Mexican foods you need to try before you die and see how many you can cross off while you’re there! 

The Franciscan Convent of Saint Gabriel was built in 1549!

Visit the San Pedro Zocalo and Franciscan Convent of San Gabriel 

The San Gabriel Convent is built next to the San Pedro Zocolo (Cholula’s central square) so you can visit them both in one go. While there, make sure to:

• Step inside the San Gabriel church. Built in 1549, it’s one of the oldest in Mexico.
• Get nieve (Mexican ice cream) in the square
• Snap a photo of the Plaza de la Concordia, where 46 arches make up the longest stretch of portals in the country.  

A peaceful moment in the Cholula Botanical Garden

Visit the Cholula Botanical Garden

This was a surprising highlight of Cholula for me. We walked from the Zocolo to the Francisco Palaez Roldan Ethnobotanical Botanical Garden and it took 35 minutes in the afternoon sun, so the fresh air and shade of the tranquil botanical garden was extra relaxing. Plus, entrance is free!

Volunteer at the Refugio Blamis Dog Shelter in Cholula

We stumbled on this shelter on our walk to the Botanical Garden because it’s only a few minutes down the street. 

We stepped inside for a few minutes to learn more about it and met the manager, Pablo. He told us they’re always looking for volunteers to walk the dogs and give them some much-needed love (just make sure you contact them first to set up an appointment before you go).

Bar in Cholula’s Container City. We stopped by out of curiosity, but it’s mostly for nightlife and was completely empty during the day.

Get a Drink in Container City 

If you stay in Cholula after dark, go back up the pyramid for sunset photos of Puebla and the surrounding volcanoes, then reward all your hard work with a drink in Container City , a group of bars built into a maze of stacked shipping containers. 

Take a Tour

There are tons of food, culture, and nature tours in Puebla on Airbnb and a few of them will take you to Cholula, like this guided Cholula bike tour and this Cholula tour with an archeologist.

Ready to go?

Explore unique accommodation Airbnb – like this rooftop glamping spot or this sustainable home with an indoor pool – and the top-rated hotels in Puebla to book your stay.

This article is part of the Puebla Planner series. Read the rest below:

Puebla Travel Guide: Plan Your Trip to Puebla, Mexico

Where to Stay in Puebla

5 Tasty and Cheap Restaurants in Puebla

17 Best Instagram Spots in Puebla

4 Step-by-Step Guides for Hiking in Puebla

Then, explore the complete  Mexico guide for 50+ articles on what to see, do, eat, drink, and discover in the country!

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Where you catch the bus in Puebla to Cholulu. Autobuses Puebla – Cholula y Anexas https://goo.gl/maps/aAoN1J4oW46NvzAD8

Interesting article. I attended the University of the Americas in 1971, located just down the street from the Cholula Pyramid. I was studying archaeology and excavating a site on the opposite side of Cholula from the University. We often bought tickets to access the tunnels, then dropped off into other tunnels and wondered through the interior with flashlights. The inner chamber with its murals was amazing and I look forward to revisiting it again. From the current description, Cholula has blossomed from a small town that wasn’t sure that the presence of a few thousand students was a good thing for the community. We hung out at a local pizza place btwn the entrance to the university and the pyramid. The pizza was ok; the beer cold; and we enjoyed the owners. The pyramid structure is immense and the construction layers, representing centuries of renewal are impressive. The zocolo in Cholula is worth a visit and I imagine that it now caters more toward tourists and students than it did, should I say, 50 years ago. My time at the University of the Americas launched my career in archaeology and I now serve as the president of Jornada Research Institute in southern New Mexico. Enjoy your visit to Cholula and its spectacular scenic views of the volcanoes and the history of the area.

Thanks for sharing David, what a cool experience. I’m sure if you went back today it would hardly be recognizable!

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You can go inside the pyramid - Great Pyramid of Cholula

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You can go inside the pyramid

The whole complex is large, with the smaller pyramids and "roads", the climb to the top of the mountain (which used to be the top of the pyramid), where the Church is. It takes some physical level to do it all. The highlight is going inside the large pyramid. Seeing the tunnels, which are very narrow and dark. NOTE: Be aware if you are claustrophobic. They don't warn you of this when you buy the tickets. But when we were inside two different people had to be rushed outside as they were starting to go into panic attacks.

Although the documentation was not up to usual INAH standards -- many pieces were undated and seemed out of context-- a relatively small anachronistic Olmec head seems to have rolled itself into an section with several stelae and altars. This is a marvelous and very long lived archeological park.. some say it dates from the Formative to the post Classic -500bce to 900+AD It is said to be the largest pyramid in Mexico --- perhaps the tallest..because the Cacaxtla, Tlaxcala site at 10,000m2 certainly sprawls further horizontally.. The underground excavation was not available the day we visited but the vista from the top was spectacular..including an eruption at Pococatpetl. The Feathered Serpent and Teotihuacano style talud and framed tablero testify to the site's influences..Warriors from Tlaxcala ultimately aided the conquistadors and felling this gigantic center.

The tunnels were closed to the sites but there were great museums and exhibitions featuring the volcanos, MesoAmerican history, art and more. The problem was trying to find where everything was located. Not many people to help and definitely not in English. The church above the site gives a great view of the space.

The great pyramid of Cholula shows the amazing capability of Aztec builders. It is accompanied by smaller pyramids and "roads". On top is a monastery, as can be seen in the excavations.

Took me a while to find this on site as i didnt really know what i was looking for as the ticket had a photo of ruins in Oaxaca instead? eventually i found a half pyramid the more i looked at it the more i realized that hardly any looked original 4000-6000 years old and at some point had been rebuilt as they were letting people climb it the ruins further down i believe were original and fenced off The whole site itself is massive and i like the museum cafe with amazing roof and grass garden was really well done but this site is expanding fast with lots of new shop units going up so there was lots of mess on the outskirts.This will be a massive tourist attraction in years to come with train line to puebla already put in. God knows what cholula will become as its already traffic chocked on weekends you cannot move for cars.

Beautiful grounds, they were working on the tunnels underneath the pyramid, but we went up to the church and had a picnic on the grounds.

Puebla, Cholula & Tonantzintla Day Trip

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Make the most of your time in Mexico by embarking on a full-day excursion to Puebla and Cholula from Mexico City. Accompanied by an experienced guide, immerse yourself in the vibrant cultural heritage of both cities, and be captivated by the stunning historical center of Puebla. Indulge in a variety of delectable culinary treats in Puebla (at your own expense), and explore a traditional craft market to find unique souvenirs that will leave a lasting impression.

• Experience a comprehensive full-day sightseeing tour of Cholula and Puebla from Mexico City
• Embark on a captivating walking tour to uncover the historical charm of Puebla’s enchanting district
• Delight your taste buds with a wide array of mouthwatering Mexican specialties (at your own expense)
• Explore a vibrant and colorful craft market, offering a variety of unique artisanal products
• Enjoy a hassle-free day with convenient round-trip transportation from Mexico City