Michoacán is a highland state in western Mexico built around Purépecha culture, colonial stonework, and one of the planet's great wildlife spectacles. Morelia's UNESCO-listed pink-stone centre, the lakeside town of Pátzcuaro, the avocado orchards of Uruapan, and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve sit within a compact touring circuit, while a quiet, little-developed Pacific coastline runs along the state's southern edge.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Pátzcuaro
The colonial heart of the Purépecha lake country, built around two vast plazas of red-tiled portales and whitewashed adobe. Pátzcuaro's Plaza Vasco de Quiroga is one of the largest and most intact colonial squares in Mexico, and the surrounding streets hold the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud, the Casa de los Once Patios craft workshops and a daily market of Purépecha textiles and lacquerware.
Highlights: Plaza Vasco de Quiroga, one of Mexico's largest intact colonial squares · Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud · Casa de los Once Patios craft workshops · Daily Purépecha textile and lacquerware market · Biblioteca Gertrudis Bocanegra and its mural
Janitzio Island
The largest of Lake Pátzcuaro's islands rises from the water as a cone of steep lanes and fishing houses, crowned by a 40-metre statue of independence hero José María Morelos. A spiral staircase climbs through the interior past murals of his life to viewing openings in the raised fist. The island's butterfly-net fishermen and its candlelit cemetery vigil on the night of 1 November are among the most photographed images in Mexico.
Highlights: 40-metre statue of José María Morelos with interior mural staircase · Lake-wide viewpoint from the statue's raised fist · Traditional butterfly-net fishing demonstrations · Candlelit Noche de Muertos cemetery vigil on 1-2 November · Lakeside seafood restaurants serving pescado blanco and charales
Tzintzuntzan and the Yácatas
The former capital of the Purépecha empire, where five semi-circular stepped platforms known as yácatas line a terrace above Lake Pátzcuaro. The archaeological site is unlike anything in central Mexico, and the village below adds a sixteenth-century Franciscan monastery, a courtyard of ancient olive trees planted by the first friars, and workshops selling straw figures and green-glazed pottery.
Highlights: Five semi-circular stepped yácatas platforms above Lake Pátzcuaro · Sixteenth-century Franciscan monastery of Santa Ana · Courtyard of centuries-old olive trees planted by the first friars · Village workshops selling straw figures and green-glazed pottery · Wide lake views from the archaeological terrace
Santa Clara del Cobre
A Pueblo Mágico where the sound of hammers on copper carries from open workshop doors along every street. Smiths here still beat cauldrons, basins and sculptural vessels from single sheets over charcoal fires, a tradition dating to pre-Hispanic Purépecha metalwork and formalised under Vasco de Quiroga. The Museo del Cobre displays prize-winning pieces, and the surrounding pine country leads on to Lake Zirahuén.
Highlights: Open copper workshops lining the streets around the plaza · Museo del Cobre's collection of prize-winning copper pieces · Feria Nacional del Cobre copper fair each August · Pre-Hispanic Purépecha metalworking tradition still practiced by hand · Easy onward route to Lake Zirahuén through pine forest
Quiroga
Michoacán's carnitas capital, a market town at the north end of Lake Pátzcuaro where the main avenue is lined end to end with copper cazos of slow-cooked pork. Beyond the food, Quiroga is a major craft market for painted wooden masks, lacquered trays and leather, and it sits at the junction that makes it an easy stop between Morelia, Tzintzuntzan and Pátzcuaro.
Highlights: Carnitas stalls with copper cazos lining the main avenue · Craft market for painted wooden masks and lacquered trays · Leather goods stalls around the central plaza · Central location for combining with Tzintzuntzan and Pátzcuaro · Colonial church and plaza at the town centre
Cuitzeo del Porvenir
A Pueblo Mágico set on a causeway across Lake Cuitzeo, Mexico's second-largest freshwater lake. The town is dominated by the Augustinian monastery of Santa María Magdalena, begun in 1550 over a former Purépecha temple, whose plateresque facade mixes Spanish royal arms with Augustinian and indigenous imagery and carries the signature of the Purépecha craftsman Juan Metl. Basketry woven from lake reeds is still the local trade.
Highlights: Augustinian monastery of Santa María Magdalena, begun in 1550 · Plateresque facade combining Spanish and Purépecha imagery · Causeway crossing Lake Cuitzeo, Mexico's second-largest freshwater lake · Traditional reed basketry woven by local families · Migratory waterfowl gathering on the lake in winter
Angahuan and Paricutín Volcano
Paricutín erupted out of a cornfield in 1943 and grew into a 400-metre cinder cone within a year, burying the village of San Juan Parangaricutiro and leaving only its church tower and altar standing above a black lava sea. The Purépecha village of Angahuan is the access point, where local guides lead riders and walkers across the malpaís to the half-buried church and on to the summit climb.
Highlights: Half-buried Church of San Juan Parangaricutiro rising from the lava field · 400-metre Paricutín cinder cone, the youngest volcano in the Americas · Horseback crossing of the malpaís lava field with Purépecha guides · Angahuan village architecture and Purépecha wood-carving tradition · Summit hike option for the full volcano ascent
Tzaráracua Waterfall
A 40-metre cascade where the Cupatitzio River drops into a forested gorge south of Uruapan. Reaching the base means descending several hundred stone steps through subtropical woodland, or hiring a horse for the return climb. The ecotourism park at the entrance charges a small admission and adds zip lines, cabins, camping and basic facilities, and a second waterfall, the Tzararacuita, lies further downstream.
Highlights: 40-metre waterfall on the Cupatitzio River · Stone-step descent through subtropical woodland to the base · Secondary Tzararacuita waterfall further downstream · Horse hire for the return climb from the gorge floor · Ecotourism park with zip lines, camping and cabins
Uruapan and Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park
Michoacán's second city sits at the edge of the tierra caliente and is best known for the Barranca del Cupatitzio, the second most-visited national park in Mexico. Springs, canals and small waterfalls run through a ravine of centuries-old trees on the western edge of the urban area. Uruapan is also the world capital of avocado production and the home of Michoacán's distinctive lacquered maque woodwork.
Highlights: Barranca del Cupatitzio, Mexico's second most-visited national park · Rodilla del Diablo spring and small waterfalls within the park · La Huatápera museum of Purépecha maque lacquerware · Historic arcaded plaza and covered market · Palm Sunday's Tianguis Artesanal craft fair
Lake Zirahuén
A deep, clear crater lake ringed by pine forest in the municipality of Santa Clara del Cobre, far quieter than nearby Lake Pátzcuaro. The village of Zirahuén on its shore has lakeside cabins, kayak and rowboat hire, and small restaurants serving trout and charales. The road in from Santa Clara del Cobre makes it an easy extension of a copper-town visit.
Highlights: Deep, clear crater lake ringed by pine forest · Kayak and rowboat hire directly from the village shore · Lakeside restaurants serving trout and charales · Quieter alternative to nearby Lake Pátzcuaro · Easy combination with a Santa Clara del Cobre copper-town visit
Morelia Historic Centre
A UNESCO World Heritage city built almost entirely from pink cantera stone, with more than two hundred listed colonial buildings inside a walkable historic core. The twin-towered baroque cathedral, the eighteenth-century aqueduct with its 253 arches, the Palacio Clavijero and the tree-lined Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel are the set pieces, and the surrounding streets hold Michoacán's best sweet shops and gaspacho stands.
Highlights: Twin-towered baroque cathedral on the main plaza · Eighteenth-century aqueduct with 253 arches · Palacio Clavijero and the tree-lined Calzada Fray Antonio de San Miguel · More than two hundred listed colonial cantera-stone buildings · Local sweet shops and gaspacho stands around the centre
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- Tours
- Guided day tours out of Morelia typically cover Pátzcuaro with Janitzio, or Uruapan with Tzaráracua and Angahuan, including transport, entrance fees and a guide. Operators cluster around Morelia's historic centre and the tourist information office on Avenida Madero.
- Private
- A private car with driver from Morelia runs roughly 2,500-3,500 MXN ($147.06-205.88 USD) for a full day, which is good value for groups of three or four covering several lake villages in one outing.
- Public
- Purhépechas and Parhikuni coaches from Morelia's Central de Autobuses serve Pátzcuaro and Uruapan frequently and cheaply, and combis from Pátzcuaro's Plaza Chica reach Tzintzuntzan, Quiroga and Santa Clara del Cobre for a few pesos each way.
- Rental
- Car rental from Morelia airport or the city centre runs about 600-1,100 MXN ($35.29-64.71 USD) per day and is the only practical way to link Cuitzeo, Zirahuén and Angahuan without long waits.
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
The Lake Pátzcuaro lakeshore road links Pátzcuaro, Tzintzuntzan and Quiroga in a single loop that works well as one full day by car
Santa Clara del Cobre and Lake Zirahuén sit on the same road south of Pátzcuaro and pair naturally into a half-day outing
Lanchas to Janitzio stop running around 6pm, so an early start leaves room to climb the Morelos statue without rushing the return crossing
Angahuan sits at high altitude and the lava field offers no shade, so water, sun protection and sturdy shoes matter more than they do at the lake towns
Small towns in Michoacán close down for a long afternoon comida, so craft workshops in Santa Clara del Cobre and Tzintzuntzan are best visited in the morning
Cash is essential outside Morelia, since combi drivers, lancha operators and village workshops rarely take cards
Día de Muertos in the Pátzcuaro basin fills every room for weeks in advance and turns the Janitzio crossing into a multi-hour queue, so accommodation should be locked in months ahead