Monterrey City is definitely, not on everyone’s itinerary when it comes to Mexico. The city is heavily Americanized, with poor public transportation, a vast number of drive-through restaurants, and enormous malls. No wonder. Monterrey is located in northeastern Mexico (a 3-hour drive to Texas) and thus close to the USA.
Each semester, Tec and UDEM, two major universities in the city, attract many exchange students. In addition, the city has significant economic importance. Car part production, breweries, and juice production are the biggest contributors to the city’s GDP. Not surprisingly the cities motto is “Work Tempers the Spirit“ (El trabajo templa el espíritu).
However, Monterrey also proved that you cannot always be working. Allow yourself a break and discover fun activities in Monterrey. Whether you are traveling to Monterrey for leisure, work, or education: These are 13 enjoyable things you shouldn’t miss while visiting Monterrey.
Discover the Fundidora Park in Monterrey on a bicycle
Fundidora is a huge park in Monterrey. With its size of 144 hectares, it offers multiple recreational activities as well as art and historical sites. For instance, the Museum of Steel. A fun and popular activity to do in Fundidora Park is to rent a bicycle and explore. At Todos en Bici you can rent your two-wheeled vehicle for only a few Dollars. Make sure you check out Lake Fundidora and be aware that the park holds events and closes some paths from time to time. Escape the bustling city of Monterrey and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of Fundidora Park.
Hike the empty river in La Huasteca
Coming from a very water-rich country like Austria to Mexico to discover multiple dry rivers was an experience for me. The entrance to La Huasteca national park is from Santa Catarina. Once you pass the gate, a breathtaking view stretches out in front of you.
One of my most memorable experiences in Mexico was the Guitarritas hike in La Huasteca Park. The starting point of the hike is only reachable by car. The hiking path begins with a broad empty riverbed. Further along the way, the riverbed becomes narrow and the landscape more interesting. And all of a sudden, you find yourself in a waterless canon—water-deformed stones around you and a unique atmosphere present.
The hike takes around 3-4 hours. You can even extend your hike and walk to the town La Candelaria, from where you can reach back to Monterrey.
Evening Hike Cerro de Chupon
This hike is also at the top of my all-time favorite hikes in the Monterrey area. The starting point is easily reachable by bus. You can do this hike any time of the day, but I highly recommend doing it in the evening hours. You will be hiking back in the dark. Therefore, a headlamp is required!
You can have the most amazing views at night with the light-up city at your feet. The path is narrow and leads you through a bush landscape. Until you reach the first viewpoint, from there, the small paths lead down to the famous rock formation. Take your pictures and have a snack while enjoying the magnificent view of Monterrey.
Take a golf lesson
Playing golf in Monterrey? It’s probably nothing you associate the northern Mexican metropolitan with. However, a few options exist to learn how to play golf in Monterrey.
You can either visit Top Golf, which is an amusement center or visit Tee de Practica Sierra Madre. There you can take golf lessons.
Don’t worry. They also have English-speaking trainers. The course takes around 1 hour, and it is considerably cheap. You learn how to stand, operate the bat, strike out, and hit the ball. Drop all the prejudices you have about the sport and give it a try! It is a truly fun activity in Monterrey.
Visit the mash club
A rather unusual activity. While Escape the Room activities pop up in cities around the world, a rage room is less popular but definitely not less fun. Do you sometimes wish to have a veil to let out all these stuck emotions? Whether you had a stressful week or pent-up anger from a past relationship. This activity in Monterrey is for you, then!
The Smash Club is a rage room where you can destroy tableware, computers, printers, and beer bottles. This is a truly unique experience! Bring friends, smash up things together, and have fun in Monterrey’s rage room.
Discover the richest area of Latin America
The Monterrey metropolitan area consists of multiple different cities. One of them is San Pedro Garza García, considered one of Latin America’s wealthiest areas.
Dive into the neighborhoods of San Pedro. Walk around this neighborhood and see one villa after another, clean streets, huge shopping malls, and gorgeous parks. On Sundays, a small street festival is held around San Pedro de Pinta. The streets are closed to traffic. You can find booths with art, food, and activities for kids. And, of course, sports activities and live music.
In that richest area of Monterrey, you can find numerous free activities in parks: from yoga, chess, and dance to ball sports. On the info boards at the parks, you can find the details about the classes.
One of my favorite parks is Parque el Capitan, probably because of the gorgeous views and the hammocks. It’s an ideal spot to relax, have a picnic and enjoy the mountain views of Monterrey.
Another park that is very different is the Parque Arboleda. It is a shopping mall with a green area in the middle—also a lovely place to enjoy a drink or snack with friends.
Visit a Mexican Market – Mercado del Chorro
Away from the modern side of Monterrey back to real Mexico. Although Monterrey is very Americanized, you can still find corners or neighborhoods that reveal Mexican culture. The Mercado del Chorro is such a place.
Located only a few blocks north of the famous Macroplaza, you can find a small square that is turned into an open-air market every Friday evening. Vendors show up with artisan products, zero-waste items, clothing, and food, especially lots of vegan food. Of course, live music also encourages dancing and entertainment. Even though the market starts at 4 pm, it gets livelier when it gets dark.
If you are worried about traveling in Mexico as a solo female traveler, you can read here about my experience.
Rainy days in Monterrey? Cinema or Arcade game
Although rainy days are very rare in Monterrey, it is always good to have a selection of options for indoor activities. The Arcade Monterrey is a food and gaming club. In there, you can play video games from the 80s and 90s.
Another more passive activity in Monterrey is to visit one of the cinemas. To be more specific the Cinemex in Zona San Agustín, San Pedro.
This cinema is a real experience for everyone who is not used to that luxury. The seats are broad, and you can almost lie down in them, and waiters are happy to serve your meal directly to your seat. Take advantage of the luxury Monterrey has to offer.
Macroplaza
The main Plaza in Monterrey is the Macroplaza. Here, there are always some events, food vendors, or music. Just stroll around, take pictures, and admire the huge Mexican flag.
At the plaza’s northern end, you can find the government palace, the history museum, and the Santa Lucia canal, which has a great pedestrian path leading you to Park Fundidora.
At the southern end of the Macroplaza are a contemporary art museum and Van Gogh Museum.
Visit the Mexican History Museum
Visit one of the museums and take advantage of the free admission day, which is usually on Sundays. Monterrey has a few Museums, some already mentioned previously.
One museum that I highly recommend is the Mexican History Museum. It’s ideal if you want to learn more about Mexican history.
Grutas de Garcia
The Grutas de Garcia is a caves complex located at a mountain range in the northwest of the city. Booking a tour is advisable since the caves aren’t easily reachable by public transportation from Monterrey (the tour includes a pick-up).
Once you are at the entrance point, normally the cable car will take you up to the caves. However, the cable car is currently under maintenance, so you must hike up to the caves. It is a steep path that leads up the mountain. Enjoy the gorgeous views and this stunning nature sight of Monterrey. The Grutas de Garcia is pretty big and cool, ideal for escaping the hot summer days of Monterrey.
Also, in the magical town of Bustamante, you can tour caves. Bustamante is north of Monterrey, ideal for a weekend getaway or camping trip.
Adventure time – ATV tour
Ready for a great adventure? Around Santiago, a town south of Monterrey, you can find a lot of ATV tour companies. The tours will take you into the woods surrounding the lake.
One of these places is called El Salto, which is reached by a curvy mountain road from where small paths branch off. This area is very popular for doing ATV tours or to go rock climbing. The adventurous ATV tours not far from Monterrey last from 1-6 hours, depending on the tour.
I hope you enjoy these great activities in Monterrey City.
Bonus: Pool Parties!
For summer: There are a lot of pool parties. You can find gatherings at meet-ups or at internations. But if it gets too hot, there are always mountains where you can escape the city heat.
About the Author
Lisi is an adventurous, mostly solo traveler from Austria. She likes to travel slowly, discover underrated countries/regions, and of course, learn about cultures. She has been traveling the world and creating travel content since 2016. With a degree in tourism management and a passion for travel and cultures, she wants to tell stories that inspire people and help them travel more consciously. Check out her blog escapingworlds.com
