Tuxpan

Tuxpan (officially Túxpam de Rodríguez Cano) is a city of 90,000 people (2020) in Veracruz on the banks of the Tuxpan River, which reaches the Gulf of Mexico 11 km (6.8 mi) downstream. Being the nearest port to Mexico City, Tuxpan is an important commercial link for Mexican imports and exports and home to a naval base.

Understand

Tuxpan from the river

There is a big PEMEX terminal hereː imagine that behind you while you're sipping on a beer at the beach. And a thermoelectric plant at the north end. But Tuxpan is also known as part of the Costa Emeralda, the Veracruzan Emerald Coast. Just put your blinders on and all should be okay.

In the 1870s, a small colony of some hundreds of former Confederate officers, soldiers and diplomats from the Southern U.S. was established. Tuxpan was also the port of departure for the yacht Granma that was used to transport Fidel Castro, his brother Raúl, Che Guevara and other fighters of the Cuban Revolution from Mexico to Cuba in 1956 for the purpose of overthrowing the regime of Fulgencio Batista. A small museum near the river has photographs and other related memorabilia.

Get in

Tuxpans is 191 km south of Tampico, 60 km north of Poza Rica and 320 km from Mexico City.

By bus

From Veracruz, it is a 6-hour trip to Tuxpan and you will probably need to change buses in Poza Rica. From Mexico City, it's about a 4½-hour trip and you will also likely need to change buses in Poza Rica. In Mexico City, buses depart from Autobuses del Norte (Futura), or Indios Verdes (Autotransportes San Pedro Santa Clara).

From Poza Rica, it is a 1-hour trip to Tuxpam. ADO buses depart hourly and cost as little as M$100. Omnibus de Mexico also serves this route, but with fewer buses (about 4 daily departures).

Each bus company has its own bus stations in Tuxpan. It is a chaotic mess instead of being intelligently centralized like it is in most Mexican cities and towns.

• 1 ADO Terminal Tuxpan (Bus station), Calle Genaro Rodríguez, Centro. Grim little bus terminal with uncomfortable seating on concrete benches (and so few of them), inadequately staffed ticket counter (and only 1 of them). Fortunately, ADO buses come along frequently. 

• 2 Omnibus de Mexico Terminal (Bus station), Carr. Tuxpan-Mexico y Av. Cuahtemoc. Nicer terminal than ADO with free bathrooms. No parking area. 

• 3 Terminal Estrella Blanca (Conexion y Futura), Av. Cuahtemoc 10. Very small bus station serving Conexion and Futura buses. 

Get around

Tuxpan is a fairly large town and the beaches are not close to the centro, so you'll probably want to use a taxi to get around. There are several sitios around town and your hotel will have numbers to call for a radio taxi.

See

• 1 Parque Reforma. With fountains, occasional events, snack vendors and intriguing municipal buildings around, it's not a bad little town square. And you can walk over to the Pantepec River path a block south for a pleasant view there. (updated Oct 2020)
• 2 Museo De La Amistad Cuba - México, Álvaro Obregón 1, Santiago de la Peña (across the Pantepec River from Tuxpan), ☏ +52 783 834 0597. Tu-F 09ː00-17ː00, Sa Su 09ː00-14ː00, closed M. Here is a curiosity on ties between these two Latin American countries. Through writings, paintings, sculptures, and other items, one stands to learn a lot about the relations over the years through this museum. (updated Oct 2020)
• 3 Iguana Sanctuary (Santuario de la Iguana), José Adem Chahín, Jardines de Tuxpan. Small greenspace next to the river where iguanas and garrobos stroll around freely, just waiting for someone to snap their picture so they can become Instagram stars. (updated Jul 2023)

Do

Many miles of sandy beach stretch along a Gulf of Mexico barrier island east and north of Tuxpan. The Laguna de Tampamachoco lies between Tuxpan and the Gulf. The lagoon is lined with mangrove swamps but is not a popular nature destination, the lagoon and river being used mostly for industrial purposes (refining and shipping). You can drive north for several miles, finding your perfect secluded spot of sand to stretch out with a beach blanket and a cooler of beer.

• 1 Tuxpan Beach (Tuxpan Playa). Ahh, surf and sand and offshore oil tankers. (updated Oct 2020)
• 2 North Beach (Playa Norte). Ahh, surf and sand and offshore oil tankers, plus a nearby electric plant. (updated Oct 2020)
• 3 Galindo Beach (Playa Galindo). Ahh, secluded surf and sand and offshore oil tankers. (updated Oct 2020)

Buy

Mercado de Tuxpan

• 1 Mercado Municipal de Tuxpan (Mercado Enrique Rodriguez). M-Sa 07:00-20:00, Su 07:00-16:00. This is the town's main marketplace with aisles of stalls for fruits, vegetables, spices, household wares, clothing, artesanias and more. The second floor is where you'll find the prepared food. Taste the most authentic regional cooking by women who've had their recipes passed down for generations. 

Eat

• 1 Mar del Plata (on the beach, along the beachfront road), ☏ +52 783 124 5454. 08:00 - 18:30. Classic Mexican beachfront restaurant with lots of seafood, including shrimp cocktails, buckets of beer on ice, and fruity drinks like their Piña Loca, served in a hollowed out pineapple. Sit on the beach for hours, eating, drinking, and soaking up the sunshine and atmosphere. (updated Jul 2023)
• 2 Restaurante el Mar, Ribera del Pescador 15, La Mata, ☏ +52 783 837 0478. M-F 08:00-20:00, Sa Su 08:00-21:00. Very popular seafood restaurant with waterfront location next to the lagoon. Fish filets prepared however you like, a variety of shrimp dishes, large cocktails. Live music on weekends. M$300. (updated Jul 2023)
• 3 La Choza de Achoval, Carretera a la Barra Norte (next to the bridge), ☏ +52 783 837 0682. Tu-Su 09:30 - 18:30 (closed M). Casual, family friendly seafood restaurant with a kids play area. Classic fish dishes as well as shrimp however you prefer (the fried coconut shrimp are tasty, with a lightly spicy habanero sauce). M$300. (updated Jul 2023)
• 4 El Deportista, C. Heroico Colegio Militar, Rosa Maria, ☏ +52 783 835 2095. Daily 09:00 - 23:00. Casual popular place for grab-and-go food. Try the torta de cuerito and the timbakey. M$200. (updated Jul 2023)

Sleep

• 1 Hotel Playa Azul Tuxpan, Carretara a la Termoeléctrica Km. 2.5 Ejido, ☏ +52 783 136 3875. Beach hotel. Pet-friendly. (updated Oct 2020)
• 2 Hotel Río Paraiso, Carr. Tuxpan, Carr a la Barra Nte Kilómetro 7, ☏ +52 783 837 0292. This hotel has a pool with a walkway over it; moreover, you can watch behemoth oil tanker and other marine traffic on the river all day to your heart's content. (updated Oct 2020)
• 3 Holiday Inn Express Tuxpan, Km. 6.5 Carretera A la Barra S/N Col. la Calzada Col, ☏ +52 783 102 3800. Another river resort, good if you like a modern, concrete bunker feel. Free breakfast. (updated Oct 2020)
• 4 Crowne Plaza Tuxpan. (updated Oct 2020)
• 5 Hotel Reforma, Av Benito Juárez 25 (right in town, a couple of blocks east of the zocalo). This hotel has a nice colonial feel. Restaurant/bar. (updated Oct 2020)

Go next

• Poza Rica
• Huachinango
• Tampico