Papantla - A magical town in Veracruz with no tourists

 


Papantla is one of the Pueblos Mágicos, the "magical towns" of Mexico, and it is indeed very pretty. But the main reason most tourists visit it is either because of the nearby archaeological site El Tajín, or the annual festival. At festival times, I was told, the town gets jampacked, but I didn`t see any foreign tourists in the two days I stayed there. 

Map of Papantla


1. ADO Terminal (long distance coaches); 2. Bus station (local areas); 3. Station of colectivos to El Tajín; 4. Zócalo / Plaza Menor; 5. Mercado Miguel Hidalgo; 6. Mercado Benito Juárez; 7. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción; 8. Monumento al Volador.

Getting to El Tajín by colectivo

Papantla was the only place during my whole Latin American journey where colectivo drivers didn`t tell me the truth - the ones I talked to all denied there is a service to El Tajín. But there is! All the colectivos are taxis in Papantla, not minivans, and they all depart from different locations of the town depending on the destination. The colectivo "station" to El Tajín is quite hidden and chances are you won`t be told where it is. But I tell you. It is in an alley behind the white government building seen in the top left corner of the photo below.


The main street next to the government building.


The alley is between the green building and the electronic shop.


You have to walk a little in the alley...


... until you reach the parking lot on your left. Price for a one way trip was 20 MXN in 2023.



Glimpses of Papantla






















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