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The off-the-beaten-track towns of Puebla, Oaxaca and San Cristóbal offer authentic south-of-the-border atmosphere, along with old-fashioned romance.

When newlyweds consider Mexico as a honeymoon destination, they may first think of the golf courses of Cabo, the golden sands of Acapulco, the sophisticated hotspots of Mexico City or Cancun's party-centric scene.

Often overlooked amid the favorites, however, are the Spanish colonial cities of southern Mexico, almost-famous places like Puebla, Oaxaca and San Cristóbal de las Cases. They shouldn't be. These charming cities, with their cobblestone streets, colorful plazas and antique churches and palaces around nearly every corner, offer a completely different take on Latin amour and adventure.

And their beauty isn't skin-deep: Each of these cities also has delicious regional cuisine, awesome arts and crafts, fabulous music and the sort of down-home hospitality often lacking in larger cities and big beach resorts. Looking for something special for your honeymoon? Take your pick!

Puebla

A bastion of baroque churches and colonial mansions, Puebla is only about 90 minutes (via modern toll road) from the international airport in Mexico City. Its atmosphere, however, couldn't be further removed from that of the bustling Mexican capital. Founded in 1531 by the conquistadors, this place moves at such a languid pace that you would hardly know it's the country's fourth-largest metropolis.

Like most towns constructed by the conquistadors (including the others in this story), Puebla's streets are laid out in a grid around the zocalo, a grand central square called the Plaza de Armas. Looming over Puebla's town center is the gargantuan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. An architectural mixed bag of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque styles, with no fewer than 14 golden chapels, it's considered by many to be the most beautiful church in Mexico. Another visual trademark in Puebla is Talavera tile: hand-painted terra-cotta squares that are created by skilled artisans in local workshops. You'll see these tiles all around town—on fountains, church domes, even covering entire structures in the center of the city.

Puebla is also renowned for mole, a thick, spicy sauce that’s become a culinary hallmark of southern Mexico. At Fonda Santa Clara, the city’s oldest and most celebrated restaurant, waiters swear the mole recipe is identical to the one concocted more than 400 years ago by the nuns of the Santa Rosa Convent. Whether or not the sauce is exactly the same, the meals there are always divine—featuring various combinations of green chili, red chili and dark brown chocolate mole over enchiladas.

Walk off your meal and wander over to the Plaza de los Trabajos, where the mariachis gather each evening. Clad in black sombreros and snug black suits with silver studs, the musicians are as much a part of Puebla as the tiles or the mole. Needless to say, love songs are their specialty, and for a few bucks they will gladly give you a personal serenade.

The countryside south of Puebla is also worth investigating. You can take a day trip along the Pan American Highway, which cuts through endless fields of golden zempazuchil and scarlet terciopelo, blooms that are used in festivals and in Mexican churches for weddings. There are incredible vistas, too: deep valleys and interminable mountains, as well as glimpses of Mexico’s most famous volcanoes—the snowcapped summits of Ixtaccihuatl and the smoldering cone of Popacatepetl.

In town, stay at the old Hotel Colonial, a Spanish colonial gem just a block off Puebla’s main plaza. It’s a time capsule of bygone charm. Many of the rooms are massive; some even feature balconies overlooking the ancient streets (colonial.com.mx).

Oaxaca City

In all of Mexico there is no place quite like Oaxaca, a city that blends Spanish colonial and indigenous civilizations in its architecture, ambience and cuisine. In Oaxaca, pedestrians are more important than cars, and artistry, rather than net worth, is what people talk about.

The Zapotec and Mixtec Indians occupied the Oaxaca area when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the early 16th century. Despite the creation of a thriving European-style burg, the padres and patróns (the Spanish ruling class) could never quite extinguish their influence, and it remains as much a part of local life today as it was 500 years ago.

Over the last 30 years, Oaxaca City, about an hour’s flight from Mexico City, has undergone an extreme urban makeover; a massive renovation campaign has transformed the area around the zocalo into a pedestrian haven of art galleries, outdoor cafés and cobblestone streets, where strolling magicians and musicians roam each night.

Oaxaca’s fortresslike Santo Domingo Convent has been converted into one of Latin America’s best museums: the Museo de las Culturas, a sprawling collection of art and artifacts. The Monte Alban treasure room—with its priceless gold, silver and turquoise artifacts—is the museum’s most popular exhibit, but there are also rooms devoted to tequila making and the rich local heritage of weaving and ceramics (Plaza Santa Domingo; 52-951-516-2991).

The ghostly ruins of Monte Albán, one of Mexico’s most important archeological sites, loom on a high plateau overlooking Oaxaca. Built by the Zapotec people, this ancient city contains stone pyramids and palaces set around immense plazas, plus underground tombs where the treasures housed in Santo Domingo were uncovered.

Farther out of town, the state of Oaxaca is a handsome hinterland that embraces both craft villages and mescal tequila factories. Each village has its own forte: Arrazola is known for its colorful animal figures, Ocotlán for its green-glazed pottery, Teotitlan del Valle for its weaving and so on. You can find all of these things in the craft stalls at the Saturday craft market in Oaxaca City, but the prices are cheaper in the villages—and there’s the added thrill of purchasing an item where it was made.

There are many quaint places to stay around the city center, but one of the more lavish is farther out: the restored Hacienda Los Laureles in upscale suburban Oaxaca. Opened in 2000, this 18th-century ranch house has been converted into an elegant and modern boutique hotel with lush gardens, a gourmet restaurant and a chic little spa. One of the cool things couples can try is a traditional temazcal (steam bath) treatment, based on ancient Indian therapies (oaxacahaciendalaureles.com).

San Cristóbal de las Cases

The black-hooded Zapatistas, a group that once wanted to rule Mexico, have faded back into the jungle, but San Cristóbal de las Cases retains its exotic end-of-the-world atmosphere. Maybe it’s the mountain air, the Mayan mysticism or the European bohemians who flock here, but this ancient city is like nowhere else south of the border.

Founded in 1528 as the Spanish bastion in the southernmost part of Mexico, San Cristóbal bowls you over with subtle beauty—pastel houses along cobblestone lanes, courtyards overflowing with Spanish fountains and subtropical flora and the ever-present Mayans in their colorful garb. San Cristóbal de las Cases is a 90-minute flight from Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutiérrez and then a 90-minute drive through the rugged Chiapas countryside. But isolation has its advantages, as it’s one of the things that keeps San Cristóbal so pristine.

Life revolves around the leafy central plaza and the cobblestone square in front of the Cathedral of San Cristóbal de las Cases, with its shockingly bright yellow facade. There are 22 churches in all to see, ranging from the hilltop San Cristóbal Mártir, with its vertigo-inducing panoramas, to the baroque Santo Domingo, with its gilt altar and ornately carved facade.

The lively textile market, where you can purchase woven wares from all around the Mundo Maya (including animal-inspired prints from San Juan Chamula and floral designs from Zinacantán), is open each day around the church of Santo Domingo. The nearby Na Bolom Museum preserves what’s left of traditional Mayan culture. A “60-minute” tour, with an English-speaking guide, can stretch into several hours of fascinating discourse on Mayan ways.

Sample mouthwatering Mayan cuisine at the atmospheric El Fogón de Jovel, where tamales, butifarras (pork sausages), and cecina chiapaneca (marinated beef) are among the tasty dishes (52-967-678-1153). The following morning, head to the always busy Café Mexicano for chocolate flan, fresh-squeezed orange juice and organic coffee (Calle 28 de Agosto).

Casa Mexicana is the posh place to stay (hotelscasamexicana.com), but scattered around town are colonial mansions converted into cozy—and surprisingly inexpensive—hotels. Take the edge off the chilly highland nights with a blaze in the fireplace of a rustic wood-beamed room at the Hotel Diego de Mazariegos (diegodemazariegos.com.mx).