Monterrey

Introduction

Cathedral Spire

© All Rights Reserved soupatrvlr

Monterrey is the capital of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon and is the thrid largest city in the country. The city itself has somewhere between 1 and 1,5 million inhabitants, but the total metropolitan area has about 4 million people living there! It's located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental and it's sometimes also called the 'oven of Mexico' because of the steaming temperatures during summer. It never gets cold for that matter, even during winter.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

• The Cerro de la Silla (Saddle Mountain).
• Faro del Comercio (Lighthouse of Commerce).
• Barrio Antigua, the old neighbourhood
• Museum of Modern Art

Events and Festivals

Day of the Dead

Although the Day of the Dead is also celebrated in many Latin American countries except Mexico (and also in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa), the Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is most intensily celebrated in Mexciowhere where it is equal to a National Holiday. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. Although it is about the Dead, it is also a celebration where eating and partying both are common as well.

Weather

Monterrey's climate ranges from warm to hot. Average summer temperatures during the day (late May to September) are around 35 degrees Celsius though it can get much hotter on some days. Nights are mostly around 22 degrees Celsius during this time. From October to March it's a much more pleasant 22 to 28 degrees during the day while nights are between 10 and 16 degrees. December is the coolest month.
Though Monterrey is relatively dry, rain is possible during all months, mostly between 4 and 8 rainy days a year. Most rain falls during the end of the summerseason (September-October).

Getting There

By Plane

General Mariano Escobedo International Airport (MTY) near Monterrey offers a range of flights. Aero Mexico flies to many Mexican cities, including Mexico City, Mérida, Veracruz, Puerto Vallarta, Mexicali, Mazatlan, Chihuahua, Cancun, Tijuana and Guadalajara. Quite a few other airlines offers similar services.
International flights exist to/from Houston, Las Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

There are buses to many Mexican destinations, like Mexico City, Chihuahua and many regional services. There are also international buses to places in Texas, United States.

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon
• University of Monterrey

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafe's are widely available and you generally can find one in the direct vicinity. Sometimes photocopy stores or photo processing stores will double as an internet cafe with a couple of computers. Look for signs reading "Acceso a Internet" or "Cibernautica" or "Cibercafe". Charges range from approx. US$1 an hour to US$3 an hour, depending on the location.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Phone cards can be purchased anywhere and are needed for the majority of public phones. To call any number outside your region you have to dial 01 then followed by the area code. If calling a cellphone from a normal phone start with with 044. If calling cellphone to cellphone just dial the 10-digit number. To make an international call dial 00 followed by the country code then the local number. To call to Mexico, also dial 00 (most of the times) followed by the national code 52.

Post

The Mexican postal service is operated by Correos de México. The post service in Mexico is pretty good although not very cheap. It is reliable regarding the sending of postcards, but it takes at least a week to send it to other countries (US/Canada), more so if you send it to Europe or Australia. For packages it is better to use international services like FedEx or UPS. If you are sending a package internationally with the Mexican postal service, take the package OPEN to the post office, they may want to inspect it. Seal it up at the post office. Post offices typically open from 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday, and 9:00am to 1:00pm Saturday. You will find post offices (Oficina de Correos) is almost any town or city in Mexico. To buy stamps it is best to go to the post office, although you can also get them at stamp machines, located outside the post offices, at bus stations, airports and some commercial establishments.