Flying into Queretaro Intercontinental Airport in Queretaro puts you in a great spot, surrounded by cities, towns, and attractions close by. Queretaro is a polished colonial capital with a UNESCO-listed center, tidy plazas, and a prosperous, easygoing feel. The 18th-century aqueduct marches across the eastern edge of town on 74 stone arches, and the pedestrian streets around the Plaza de Armas fill up with families and cafe tables in the evening.

Standout experiences around Queretaro: - Photograph the aqueduct from the Mirador de los Arcos, especially when it is lit at night - Step inside the baroque Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo and the Convento de la Cruz - Walk the Andador 5 de Mayo and the Plaza de Armas, the heart of the old city - Visit the Cerro de las Campanas, where Emperor Maximilian was executed in 1867 - Follow the Wine and Cheese Route through Ezequiel Montes and Tequisquiapan - Climb the lower slopes of Pena de Bernal, one of the tallest monoliths on earth - Snack on enchiladas queretanas and gorditas de migajas from a market stall - Tour the Freixenet cellars, where sparkling wine ages underground

Queretaro makes a tidy base for the Bajio region. Bernal and Tequisquiapan are each about an hour away, and San Miguel de Allende is close enough for a day of galleries and rooftop bars. Guanajuato sits a little farther west, right at the edge of a two-hour drive. The conspiracy meetings that set off Mexican independence took place here in 1810 in the house of La Corregidora on the main square, and the city still celebrates that history every September. Come for the food, the calm, and the easy pace of a town that does not need to shout.