Silver, Saints, and Sunsets: What to Do in Taxco for 7 Days Without Going Broke or Crazy

Your Silver-Plated Itinerary: What To Do In Taxco For 7 Days Without Needing Oxygen Tanks

Stretching a Taxco visit across seven days allows travelers to alternate between active exploration and recovery periods – a strategy as essential as bringing comfortable shoes. This silver town rewards those who pace themselves, mixing bustling market days with relaxed viewpoint afternoons and strategic shopping expeditions once you’ve learned the lay of the land.

Day 1: Get Your Bearings (And Your Breath Back)

Begin where Taxco’s social heartbeat thumps strongest – the Zócalo. This main plaza offers prime people-watching opportunities while you acclimate to the altitude and contemplate the vertical adventure ahead. Café Taxco serves respectable espresso for $2-3, while Bar Berta’s terrace provides both coffee and context as locals play chess and exchange gossip below centuries-old buildings.

The unmissable Santa Prisca Church towers over the plaza, its pink stone façade announcing Taxco’s historic wealth as subtly as a neon billboard. Built between 1751-1758 with silver mining profits, its 150-foot towers and gold-leaf altars demand a respectful $3 donation and at least 30 minutes of neck-craning admiration. The church’s baroque excess makes megachurches back home look like storage units with crosses.

Afternoon reconnaissance at the Tianguis de Plata (Silver Market) serves as crucial shopping homework. Window shopping is to Taxco what cardio is to Miami Beach – practically mandatory. Observe pricing patterns and craftsmanship without opening your wallet yet; this discipline will serve you well on day six when serious purchasing begins.

Cap the day with sunset views from Hotel Montetaxco, reached via teleferico (cable car, $5 round trip) or white VW Beetle taxis ($3-5 one way). Watch as the town’s white buildings turn golden, then pink, while you sip a margarita and mentally prepare for tomorrow’s cobblestone conquest.

Day 2: Silver Workshops and Colonial Grandeur

Morning belongs to the Museo de la Platería (Silver Museum, $5 entry) housed in the 18th-century Casa Borda. Here, displays explain how this precious metal transformed a modest hill town into a colonial powerhouse. The museum’s collection ranges from pre-Hispanic ceremonial pieces to contemporary art jewelry, providing context for the silver obsession that permeates every gift shop in town.

For those wondering what to do in Taxco for 7 days beyond shopping, exploring the comprehensive list of things to do in Taxco reveals options like hands-on silver workshops at Taller de Joyeria Spratling ($20-40) where you can create personal souvenirs under expert guidance. Even the most artistically challenged visitors can produce a simple pendant or pair of earrings, though managing expectations remains key – Taxco’s master silversmiths aren’t trembling in fear of new competition.

The afternoon invites a self-guided walking tour of colonial mansions, including Casa Humboldt and Casa Figueroa. Most can only be viewed from the exterior, but their elaborate doorways and balconies tell stories of silver barons and their flamboyant displays of wealth. It’s the architectural equivalent of Instagram flexing, just 250 years before social media.

Evening brings dinner at La Parroquia ($15-25 per person), where the revoltijo (a scrambled egg dish with local ingredients) provides fuel for tomorrow’s explorations. Request a table on the balcony for prime viewing of the evening promenade below, as Taxqueños emerge for their evening paseo through the plaza.

Day 3: Market Day and Hidden Corners

If your week includes a Saturday, the massive weekend market transforms several streets into a sprawling bazaar of everything from farm-fresh produce to knockoff designer handbags. Should you miss this spectacle, Tuesday offers a smaller version with equally aggressive grandmothers wielding better negotiation skills than Wall Street brokers. These matriarchs in aprons can extract an extra $5 from your wallet with nothing more than a disappointed head shake.

Market street food deserves special attention, with most antojitos (snacks) priced between $1-5. Seek out Doña Lucha’s quesadillas filled with flor de calabaza (squash blossoms) or the gorditas stand that’s been serving the same families for three generations. The reliable rule: if locals are waiting in line, join them – your stomach will thank you later.

After the market frenzy, schedule an “oxygen break” at Parque Guerrero with its shade trees and benches perfectly positioned for recovering dignity and calf strength. This local park rarely sees tourists, offering a glimpse into everyday Taxco life as seniors play dominoes and teenagers pretend not to notice each other.

Late afternoon brings exploration of the city’s less touristy silver shops in Callejón del Arco and Callejón de la Luz neighborhoods. Here, prices drop 15-30% below main plaza rates for nearly identical merchandise. Shop owners in these areas expect negotiation but aren’t yet suffering from tourist fatigue, creating the sweet spot for both fair pricing and pleasant transactions.

Day 4: Day Trip to Cacahuamilpa Caves

A week in Taxco allows for strategic escapes, and none proves more dramatic than the massive Grutas de Cacahuamilpa, located 40 minutes away. These cathedral-sized caverns rank among North America’s largest, with chambers so vast you’ll half-expect to find a lost civilization inside. The $8 entry fee purchases access to a 2km underground journey where guides offer creative interpretations of rock formations (“This one looks exactly like my ex-mother-in-law!”).

Transportation options include collectivos (shared vans, $3 each way) departing from near the Taxco bus station or taxi hire ($35 round trip, negotiable with your best friendly-but-not-desperate face) – considerations that become particularly relevant when traveling to Taxco from USA and navigating local transport systems. The driving time provides welcome relief for legs now intimately familiar with Taxco’s vertical challenges.

When temperatures exceed 80F, extend the excursion to include the nearby Pozas Azules natural pools ($3 entry). These turquoise swimming holes offer refreshing dips in limestone-filtered water, though brace for the initial chill – these pools ignore Mexico’s otherwise reliable warmth. The combination of caves and swimming creates an easy day trip that justifies an evening splurge at El Refugio del Vino ($20-30 per person) back in Taxco, where surprisingly good Mexican wines accompany local cuisine.

Day 5: Artisan Villages and Local Cuisine

By mid-week, what to do in Taxco for 7 days might seem challenging, which is why planning a trip to Taxco with detailed itinerary considerations helps identify fresh perspectives in surrounding villages. Taxco el Viejo (the original settlement before silver was discovered) and Tlamacazapa (known for intricate palm weaving) provide glimpses into rural Mexican life largely unchanged by tourism’s influence. Transportation costs range from $25-50 depending on whether you choose public transportation or private arrangements.

These villages spotlight crafts rarely seen in Taxco proper, with artisans working in open-air workshops where generations of knowledge transfer through demonstration rather than formal instruction – experiences that prove especially enriching when traveling to Taxco alone and seeking authentic cultural connections. In Tlamacazapa, even small children weave palm fronds with dexterity that would make neurosurgeons envious, creating baskets so tight they can hold water.

Return to Taxco for a late-afternoon cooking class at La Casa Taxqueña ($40-60 per person), where the mysteries of mole rosa (pink mole sauce) and chalupas taxqueñas reveal themselves under patient instruction. These hands-on culinary experiences typically conclude with participants consuming their creations, eliminating the awkward moment when someone must judge your culinary prowess.

Day 6: Silver Shopping and Museo Guillermo Spratling

With knowledge accumulated over five days of reconnaissance, today marks strategic silver shopping. Quality pieces range from $30-300 depending on craftsmanship and weight, with first-offered prices as fictional as a politician’s promise. The art of negotiation in Taxco involves friendly persistence, walking away at least once, and understanding that discounts below 15% rarely materialize unless purchasing multiple items.

Between shopping expeditions, visit Museo Guillermo Spratling ($5 entry) honoring the American who revitalized Taxco’s silver industry in the 1930s. This architecturally significant building houses pre-Columbian artifacts that Spratling collected, demonstrating the design influences that transformed Taxco’s silver work from commodity to art form.

By mid-afternoon, celebrate successful purchases with a reward at Los Arcos Bar, home to Taxco’s best margaritas ($5-7) and a terrace offering views worth every peso. For those seeking investment-quality silver pieces, the higher-end galleries of Emilia Castillo or Los Castillo display museum-worthy creations ($100-1000+) representing the pinnacle of Mexican silver craftsmanship.

Day 7: Panoramic Views and Farewell Feast

Crown your week with a morning pilgrimage to the Cristo Monumental statue overlooking the city. This mini-version of Rio’s famous Christ offers Taxco’s most dramatic panoramic views, though reaching it requires a 1.5-mile uphill trek that tests even the strongest legs. Alternatively, one final white Beetle taxi ride ($5 one-way) delivers the same views without cardiovascular drama.

Dedicate remaining hours to final silver purchases or emergency gift shopping for those who would be unimpressed by stories of “experiences” rather than tangible souvenirs. By now, shopkeepers recognize you as the discerning traveler who’s done research rather than the day-tripper susceptible to inflated prices.

Conclude your Taxco adventure with a farewell dinner at Las Delicias or Rosa Mexicano ($20-35 per person), ordering local specialties like cecina (salt-cured beef) that rarely appear on menus outside this region. These final meals often spark discussions of return visits, as seven days in Taxco manages to feel simultaneously sufficient and insufficient – enough to understand the city’s rhythm but not enough to tire of its charms.

Where To Stay: Accommodation For Every Budget

Taxco’s accommodation options reflect its varied visitor base, from backpackers to silver collectors with platinum credit cards. Budget travelers find honest value at Hotel Los Arcos or Posada de la Misión ($40-70/night), where central locations compensate for basic amenities and occasional plumbing surprises. These properties deliver authentic experiences, including street noise that serves as an unintentional alarm clock.

Mid-range options including Hotel Agua Escondida or Pueblo Lindo ($80-120/night) balance colonial charm with modern necessities like reliable WiFi and water pressure that exceeds a garden hose trickle. Their rooftop terraces provide Instagram-worthy views that make followers wonder how you discovered such photogenic accommodations.

For luxury seekers, Hotel de la Borda or Monte Taxco ($150-250/night) offer swimming pools and expansive city views that justify higher rates. When booking any property, request “valley view” rooms, as “cliff view” often translates to staring at a rock wall close enough to touch – atmospheric for spelunkers perhaps, but disappointing for most.

Getting Around: Physics-Defying Transportation

Understanding what to do in Taxco for 7 days requires mastering its unique transportation ecosystem. The ubiquitous white VW Beetle taxis ($2-5 per ride) navigate streets seemingly designed by mountain goats, using a combination of precise driving and apparent magic. These vintage bugs, maintained through mechanical ingenuity and prayer, represent the most practical way to ascend the steepest sections.

Walking remains inevitable for exploring Taxco’s narrowest streets, though strategic planning can minimize the most punishing climbs. Local buses ($1-3 per ride) connect to outlying neighborhoods and day-trip destinations but require basic Spanish to navigate successfully. For those wondering if newer, larger vehicles serve the area – they don’t. Taxco’s streets maintain strict size requirements that modern vehicles simply cannot accommodate.

The teleferico (cable car) offers both transportation and entertainment value, delivering riders to Hotel Montetaxco with views that context-explain why early Spanish settlers considered the region worth the considerable trouble of mineral extraction. For those tracking daily steps, Taxco easily delivers counts that trigger fitness app congratulations, though these achievements come with a side of respiration challenges.