San Cristobal feels a little like a well kept secret. We had met many who had visited, and many who loved the city, but we knew little about it when we arrived. Knowing it was a popular tourist destination brought back nightmares of Cancun, and we were pleased to find that it’s anything but.

Check out more photos of San Cristobal

Don’t get us wrong, however: tourism runs the Centro Historico (Historal Center) of San Cristobal, with three pedestrian streets all meeting at the main Zocolo (Park or Plaza), each lined with restaurant after bar after cafe after gift shop. And the tourists in San Cristobal are a diverse group. At times, on Real de Guadalupe, don’t be surprised if you hear just as much French or Italian as Spanish being spoken. English, actually, doesn’t seem to figure as prominently into the mix here, which for a native English speaker, can make San Cristobal feel even slightly more intriguing and interesting.

Besides wining and dining in San Cristobal, there are at least ten temples/churches that are within walking distance in the City, and a handful of museums as well. There are also several sites nearby that are popular destinations for day-trips, such as the Sumidero Canyon, Lagos de Montebello, and the nearby villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan.

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