Fundidora Park in Monterrey, Mexico.

© Dario Tamez/Shutterstock

Parque Fundidora

Monterrey


Formerly a vast steel-factory complex, this once-blighted industrial zone has been transformed into a huge urban park. Designers cleverly retained the iconic smoke stacks and industrial relics to give a surreal and, at times, apocalyptic feel, but also a vibe very much in keeping with Monterrey’s heritage. You can jog the trails, rent bikes (from M$40 per hour), paddle a rowboat (M$50 per hour), and visit the cultural sights, of which the Horno3 museum is the undoubted star of the show.

Four other disemboweled red-brick factories comprise the Centro de las Artes, two galleries with high-class rotating exhibitions, a theater and a movie house that screens independent and foreign films.

The metro stops within a 10-minute walk of the park, but the most enjoyable way to get here is to walk or take a boat along Paseo Santa Lucía.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Monterrey attractions

1. Centro de las Artes

0.11 MILES

Four disemboweled red-brick factories compose the Centro de las Artes: Nave Generadores and CONARTE feature rotating modern-art exhibitions; Nave Dos is…

2. Horno3

0.18 MILES

Blast Furnace No 3 in the former industrial site of the Parque Fundidora has been converted into Horno3, an exceptionally impressive high-tech, hands-on…

3. Paseo Santa Lucía

1.6 MILES

The stunning 2.3km promenade of Paseo Santa Lucía is a world-class example of urban regeneration. This (artificial) river forms a turquoise ribbon through…

4. Museo de Historia Mexicana

1.61 MILES

This sleek modernist museum on the Plaza 400 Años presents an extensive but easily manageable chronological history of Mexico. In the heart of the museum…

5. Museo del Noreste

1.62 MILES

Technically this is a separate institution from the Museo de Historia Mexicana, but, practically speaking, it's galleries on the culture and history of…

6. Plaza 400 Años

1.63 MILES

This plaza, graced with fountains and pools, forms an impressive approach to the sleek, modernist Museo de Historia Mexicana and the Museo del Noreste. It…

7. Antiguo Palacio Federal

1.69 MILES

Overlooking little Plaza Cinco de Mayo is the grand facade of the 1928 Antiguo Palacio Federal, an art deco beauty that was once the tallest building in…

8. Palacio de Gobierno

1.71 MILES

Inaugurated in 1908, the stunning neoclassical Palacio de Gobernio is the longtime seat of state politics. Located on the Macroplaza, It's also home to…