Aguascalientes is one of Mexico's smallest and most industrialized states, a compact highland territory in the country's central Bajio region. Named for its thermal hot springs, it centers on the historic, walkable capital of the same name, famous for the exuberant Feria Nacional de San Marcos, Baroque colonial architecture, and the legacy of Day-of-the-Dead cartoonist Jose Guadalupe Posada. Beyond the capital, the state offers the Pueblos Magicos of Real de Asientos and Calvillo, an emerging wine region, and a strong charreria and rodeo tradition.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Calvillo - Guava Country and Pueblo Magico
Calvillo, a Pueblo Magico since 2012, produces the majority of Mexico's guava crop and celebrates it each autumn with the Feria de la Guayaba. Its colonial plaza, shaded by huge laurel trees, and surrounding orchard valleys make it a relaxed half-day or full-day trip from the capital.
Highlights: Walk the laurel-shaded main plaza and the Templo del Senor del Salitre in Calvillo's Pueblo Magico centre · Buy hand-worked deshilado drawn-thread embroidery, the town's signature craft, direct from centre workshops · Taste guava in every form - ate de guayaba paste, dried slices, rolls and preserves - from the plaza sweet shops · Drive out to the Presa de Malpaso reservoir and the Boca de Tunel canyon for afternoon walking and rappelling · Time the trip for the Feria de la Guayaba in October or November, when the harvest and the town are at full tilt
Real de Asientos - Silver Mining Pueblo Magico
Real de Asientos, named a Pueblo Magico for its 18th-century silver-mining heritage, retains cobblestone streets, colonial stone facades, and the ruins of mining haciendas. It is one of the quietest and least-visited Pueblos Magicos in central Mexico, ideal for travelers seeking history without crowds.
Highlights: Tour the catacombs and tunnel system beneath the Templo y Ex Convento de Nuestra Senora de Belen with a local guide · Walk cobbled eighteenth-century streets in one of central Mexico's quietest and least-visited Pueblos Magicos · See the stone ruins of the old silver-mining haciendas on the edges of the town · Take in long valley views from the upper streets above the Plaza Principal · Pair the town with Tepezala or the Rincon de Romos thermal balnearios on a single driving loop
Sierra Fria Protected Natural Area
Declared in 1994 as Aguascalientes' first state-level protected natural area, Sierra Fria spans over 107,000 hectares of pine, cedar, and oak forest across five municipalities. It is home to white-tailed deer, puma, golden eagle, and peregrine falcon, and offers hiking, camping, and cycling far from the desert heat of the valley below.
Highlights: Hike pine, cedar and oak forest across a 107,000-hectare reserve declared Aguascalientes' first protected natural area in 1994 · Watch for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, golden eagle and peregrine falcon in one of the state's richest wildlife areas · Picnic and birdwatch at the Presa El Jocoqui and Presa La Codorniz reservoirs inside the reserve · Take in ridge views over the sierra from the Mesa Montoro rock formations · Add the Cristo Roto statue at the Presa Plutarco Elias Calles in San Jose de Gracia on the return leg
San Juan de los Lagos - Jalisco's Pilgrimage Town
San Juan de los Lagos is one of Mexico's most important Catholic pilgrimage destinations, drawing millions of visitors annually to the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de San Juan de los Lagos. Beyond the basilica, the town has a lively plaza, traditional candy and leather shops, and a strong devotional atmosphere year-round, intensifying around the February and August feast days.
Highlights: Visit the eighteenth-century Basilica de Nuestra Senora de San Juan de los Lagos, one of Mexico's most-visited pilgrimage churches · See the small image of the Virgin credited with the 1623 miracle that made the town a national devotional centre · Browse the pedestrian streets of stalls selling rosaries, religious images and Altos de Jalisco leather goods · Buy regional milk sweets - cajeta, rompope and jamoncillo - from the shops around the Plaza Principal · Time a visit to the February 2 or August 15 feast days to see the town at full pilgrimage intensity
Zacatecas - UNESCO Silver City
Zacatecas' pink-stone colonial center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sits amid the hills of a former silver-mining boomtown. Highlights include the Cathedral's baroque facade, the Museo Rafael Coronel, the Eden Mine tour, and the cable car ride over the historic center to the Cerro de la Bufa viewpoint.
Highlights: See the elaborately carved baroque facade of the Catedral Basilica de Zacatecas on the Plaza de Armas · Ride the teleferico cable car across the historic centre to the Cerro de la Bufa viewpoint · Tour the underground workings of the former Mina El Eden silver mine, entered by a small train · View several thousand Mexican masks at the Museo Rafael Coronel in the ruined ex-convento de San Francisco · Eat Zacatecan asado de boda in the restaurants off Callejon de Cuevas and the Plaza de Armas
Leon, Guanajuato - Leather and Shoe Capital
Leon is Mexico's leather and shoe-manufacturing capital, with the sprawling Zona Piel outlet district drawing shoppers from across the Bajio. The historic center adds the Basilica Catedral de Leon, the Arco de la Calzada, and the Explora science museum and planetarium, one of Latin America's largest.
Highlights: Shop hundreds of leather and footwear outlets in the Zona Piel along the Calzada de los Heroes · Photograph the Arco de la Calzada, the triumphal arch framing Leon's pedestrian boulevard · Visit the Basilica Catedral de Leon and the neo-Gothic Templo Expiatorio del Sagrado Corazon with its crypt · Spend an afternoon at Explora, one of Latin America's largest interactive science museums and planetariums · Eat a guacamaya - a chicharron-stuffed roll with salsa and lime - from a street stand for around MXN 25-40
Guadalajara - Jalisco's Capital
Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city and the birthplace of mariachi and tequila culture, offers the monumental Guadalajara Cathedral, the Hospicio Cabanas UNESCO site with Orozco's murals, the Mercado San Juan de Dios, and the nearby agave-covered hills of Tequila. It is the largest and most varied day-trip option from Aguascalientes.
Highlights: See Orozco's Man of Fire murals in the chapel of the UNESCO-listed Hospicio Cabanas · Walk the Plaza de Armas between the twin-spired Catedral de Guadalajara and the Teatro Degollado · Browse the Mercado San Juan de Dios, one of the largest indoor markets in Latin America · Shop ceramics and crafts on the pedestrian streets of Tlaquepaque, a short taxi ride from the centre · Hear mariachi, born in Jalisco, in the Plaza de los Mariachis beside the market
Pabellon de Hidalgo - Pueblo Magico and the Museo de la Insurgencia
Aguascalientes' newest Pueblo Magico, named in June 2023, built around the former Hacienda de San Blas on the UNESCO-listed Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. The hacienda houses the Museo de la Insurgencia, open Wednesday to Sunday 11AM-6PM with free admission, alongside a barrel-vaulted chapel and a botanical garden. The Presa de San Blas nearby is the entrance to a 50-km barranca system.
Highlights: Tour the Museo de la Insurgencia in the former Hacienda de San Blas, free and open Wednesday to Sunday 11am-6pm · Stand where Miguel Hidalgo was stripped of insurgent command by Ignacio Allende in March 1811 · See the hacienda's barrel-vaulted chapel and the botanical garden laid out in the old grounds · Visit the Presa de San Blas, gateway to a barranca system running some 50 km · Combine the stop with the Ruta del Vino wineries and Rincon de Romos thermal balnearios in the same corridor
Ruta del Vino Aguascalientes - Casa Leal and Hacienda de Letras
The state wine route links 16 points, ten of them wineries, across the high plains north of the capital. Casa Leal and Hacienda de Letras are the two most reliably open to visitors for guided tours, with the Casa Leal tour running about an hour through the vineyard and cellar before a tasting. Tours are booked ahead rather than walked into, and cost roughly MXN 300-600 per person (approx USD 18-35).
Highlights: Tour the vineyard and cellar at Vinedos Casa Leal in Jesus Gomez Portugal, about an hour before a seated tasting · Taste at Hacienda de Letras near Pabellon de Arteaga, set in a restored hacienda north of the capital · Follow the old Zacatecas road, part of the UNESCO-listed Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, between properties · Visit during the July-September harvest, when the vines peak and winery events cluster · Pair the route with the Hacienda de San Blas at Pabellon de Hidalgo in the same corridor
Tepezala and the Cerro del Chiquihuite Mining Country
A quiet copper and silver mining town in the northeastern hills, worked since the sixteenth century, with a stone parish church, old shaft headframes on the outskirts and long views across the state from the Cerro del Chiquihuite. Far less visited than Real de Asientos and best paired with it on a single driving loop.
Highlights: Climb the Cerro del Chiquihuite for long views across the state toward the Sierra Fria · See the stone parish church and quiet plaza of one of Aguascalientes' oldest mining settlements · Spot old shaft headframes and tailings from copper and silver workings dating to the sixteenth century · Look for locally made copper pieces from the small workshops in the surrounding area · Loop the trip with Real de Asientos, about half an hour east, for a full day of mining-country history
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- Tours
- Organized day tours from Aguascalientes city to Calvillo, Real de Asientos, or Sierra Fria are limited compared to major tourist hubs; most visitors self-drive or use intercity buses, with a handful of local agencies offering guided outings during the guava harvest (October-November)
- Private
- Private car with driver can be arranged through hotels in Aguascalientes city, typically from about MXN 1,200/half day (about USD 70); useful for Sierra Fria and combining Calvillo with nearby balnearios
- Public
- ETN, Primera Plus, and Omnibus de Mexico run frequent first-class service from the Central de Autobuses to Zacatecas, Leon, Guadalajara, and San Juan de los Lagos; smaller regional lines serve Calvillo and Real de Asientos with fewer daily departures
- Rental
- Car rental from about MXN 600-900/day (about USD 35-53); the easiest option for Sierra Fria, Real de Asientos, and the outlying thermal balnearios, none of which have frequent public transport
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Book ETN or Primera Plus first-class bus seats a day ahead during holiday weekends (puentes) and the April Feria de San Marcos, when routes to Guadalajara, Leon, and Zacatecas sell out
A rental car is the most efficient way to combine Real de Asientos or Calvillo with the thermal balnearios along the way, since regional bus schedules to smaller towns are limited
Federal Highway 45 is the state's main north-south spine, linking Zacatecas, Aguascalientes city, and Leon in a single corridor
Carry cash for toll booths (casetas) on the autopista routes to Guadalajara and San Juan de los Lagos
Sierra Fria's unpaved access roads are best avoided after heavy rain (June-September); check conditions before driving a standard sedan