Chiapas itinerary: 1 to 2 days
Plans for one and two days in Chiapas, day by day: San Cristóbal de las Casas with the church of San Juan Chamula, the cathedral and Zócalo, the Santo Domingo craft market, Casa Na Bolom, the Andador and the Cerro de San Cristóbal first, then the Maya medicine museum, Zinacantán, the Sumidero Canyon by boat and an evening in Chiapa de Corzo as you add a day. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 2 days
Chiapas in 1 day
Day 1
Templo de San Juan Chamula
The Tzotzil village church where pine needles cover the floor and families pray among candles; there are no pews and photos are forbidden.
San Cristóbal Cathedral and Zócalo
The town's main square, with the yellow-and-red baroque facade of the cathedral and a central garden where locals gather in the evening.
Templo de Santo Domingo and craft market
Dominican church with an ornately carved baroque facade, surrounded by an open-air market of textiles and crafts from the highland villages.
Centro de Textiles del Mundo Maya
Museum in the former Santo Domingo convent showing woven and embroidered clothing from Maya communities of Chiapas and Guatemala.
Casa Na Bolom
Former home of archaeologist Frans Blom and photographer Gertrude Duby-Blom, now a museum on the Lacandon Maya with a garden and library.
Andador Real de Guadalupe (pedestrian street to the Templo de Guadalupe)
Lively pedestrian street of cafes, craft shops and bars running east from the Zócalo up to the hilltop Templo de Guadalupe.
Cerro de San Cristóbal viewpoint (Church of San Cristóbal)
Hill on the west side of the centre topped by a small church, reached by a long flight of steps, with views over the town.
Chiapas in 2 days
Day 1
Casa Na Bolom
Former home of archaeologist Frans Blom and photographer Gertrude Duby-Blom, now a museum on the Lacandon Maya with a garden and library.
Andador Real de Guadalupe (pedestrian street to the Templo de Guadalupe)
Lively pedestrian street of cafes, craft shops and bars running east from the Zócalo up to the hilltop Templo de Guadalupe.
San Cristóbal Cathedral and Zócalo
The town's main square, with the yellow-and-red baroque facade of the cathedral and a central garden where locals gather in the evening.
Templo de Santo Domingo and craft market
Dominican church with an ornately carved baroque facade, surrounded by an open-air market of textiles and crafts from the highland villages.
Museo de la Medicina Maya
Small museum run by Maya healers on traditional medicine, with a garden of medicinal plants and displays of healing ceremonies.
Cerro de San Cristóbal viewpoint (Church of San Cristóbal)
Hill on the west side of the centre topped by a small church, reached by a long flight of steps, with views over the town.
Day 2
Templo de San Juan Chamula
The Tzotzil village church where pine needles cover the floor and families pray among candles; there are no pews and photos are forbidden.
Zinacantán (Church of San Lorenzo)
Tzotzil village known for its flower greenhouses and bright embroidered clothing woven in family workshops, around the church of San Lorenzo.
Sumidero Canyon boat tour
Boat trip from Chiapa de Corzo through a deep canyon with walls up to about 1,000 m high, spotting crocodiles, monkeys and birds.
Historic centre of Chiapa de Corzo (La Pila fountain)
Colonial river town with the Moorish-style brick fountain of La Pila on its main square, the starting point for Sumidero boats.
Watch: Chiapas
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Chiapas
November to April is the dry season, with sunny days, cold nights in San Cristóbal and the clearest skies. May to October brings afternoon rain, greener hills and muddier trails. Semana Santa and Christmas are busy, and the Fiesta Grande of Chiapa de Corzo, with its masked Parachicos dancers, fills the town in January.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Chiapas on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Chiapas on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Chiapas on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Mexico from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Chiapas
- Base yourself in San Cristóbal de las Casas: Chamula and Zinacantán are a short colectivo or tour away, while the Sumidero Canyon and Chiapa de Corzo, down near Tuxtla Gutiérrez, need a tour or a car.
- Inside the church of San Juan Chamula photos are strictly forbidden, and people should be photographed only with permission; going with a local guide helps.
- San Cristóbal lies at about 2,200 m: days are mild but nights are cold, so bring a warm layer, and a rain jacket from May to October.
- Chamula's market is busiest on Sunday mornings, when people come in from the surrounding villages; plan 1 starts there, so go early.
- The Centro de Textiles del Mundo Maya is closed on Mondays; in the evenings, try highland coffee, tamales and pox, the local cane spirit, around the Andador.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Andador Real de Guadalupe (pedestrian street to the Templo de Guadalupe): self., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Casa Na Bolom: Leogeograph, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cerro de San Cristóbal viewpoint (Church of San Cristóbal): self., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Historic centre of Chiapa de Corzo (La Pila fountain): Nacasma, CC BY 3.0
- Museo de la Medicina Maya: StellarD, CC BY-SA 4.0
- San Cristóbal Cathedral and Zócalo: self., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sumidero Canyon boat tour: Jan Harenburg, CC BY 4.0
- Templo de San Juan Chamula: Raymond Ostertag, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Templo de Santo Domingo and craft market: self., CC BY-SA 4.0
- Zinacantán (Church of San Lorenzo): user:Cuxlejal, Public domain
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
