Morelia's zoo is located 2.5km south of the Plaza de Armas and is surprisingly pleasant, with most critters in decent habitats. Animals include sea lions, giraffes, elephants and lots of winged creatures. Gravel paths make it hard for strollers, but kids will love the playground. There are additional charges for the aquarium, reptile house and little train.
Parque Zoológico Benito Juárez
Morelia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.23 MILES
Morelia’s cathedral, considered by many to be the country's most beautiful, dominates the city center, where it flanks rather than faces the central plaza…
Antiguo Convento Franciscano de Santa Ana
25.43 MILES
South of the lake and just west of Hwy 120 lies this enormous religious compound built partly with stones from the Purépecha yácatas (temples) taken from…
Museo de Artes e Industrias Populares
29.38 MILES
Highlights among the well-curated exhibits of this impressive folk-art museum include a room set up as a typical Michoacán kitchen, cases of gorgeous…
1.27 MILES
This 18th-century palace, originally a seminary and now housing Michoacán state government offices, has a simple baroque facade. Inside, its soaring…
1.32 MILES
From 1660 to 1767, the Palacio Clavijero, with its magnificent minimalist main patio, imposing colonnades and pink stonework, was home to the Jesuit…
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud
29.29 MILES
Built on a hill atop a pre-Hispanic ceremonial site, this cathedral-cum-pilgrimage site was intended to be the centerpiece of Vasco de Quiroga’s utopia…
29.52 MILES
Pátzcuaro’s leafy main square – more commonly known as 'Plaza Grande' – is Mexico’s largest plaza after the Zócalo in Mexico City and the only one in the…
Museo Antiguo Convento Franciscano de Santa Ana
25.43 MILES
House in the former Franciscan Monastery of St Anne, this fascinating museum showcases Purépecha culture and history and documents the arrival of the…
Nearby Morelia attractions
0.82 MILES
Some 3km south of the city center and near the convention center is the Orchid House, which exhibits nearly 3000 species of wild and hybrid orchids. Best…
1.06 MILES
This museum, arguably Morelia's best on the subject of José María Morelos y Pavón, resides in the former house of the independence hero, who bought the…
3. Museo Casa Natal de Morelos
1.11 MILES
Independence leader José María Morelos y Pavón is king in Morelia – after all, the city is named after him. He was born at the site of this one-time casa…
4. Antiguo Palacio de Justicia
1.17 MILES
Facing the leafy expanse of Plaza de Armas, the Antiguo Palacio de Justicia is in fact two buildings rebuilt in 1884. Its intricate facade blends French…
1.17 MILES
Housed in a dozen rooms of a renovated late-18th-century baroque palace, this museum contains an impressive array of pre-Hispanic artifacts, including a…
1.23 MILES
Morelia’s cathedral, considered by many to be the country's most beautiful, dominates the city center, where it flanks rather than faces the central plaza…
1.27 MILES
This 18th-century palace, originally a seminary and now housing Michoacán state government offices, has a simple baroque facade. Inside, its soaring…
8. Colegio de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
1.27 MILES
This building is now part of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, which produced such scholars as Morelos, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and…