Fundidora Park in Monterrey, Mexico.

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Parque Fundidora

Monterrey


Formerly a vast steel-factory complex, this once-blighted industrial zone has been transformed into a huge urban park. Designers cleverly retained the iconic smoke stacks and industrial relics to give a surreal and, at times, apocalyptic feel, but also a vibe very much in keeping with Monterrey’s heritage. You can jog the trails, rent bikes (from M$40 per hour), paddle a rowboat (M$50 per hour), and visit the cultural sights, of which the Horno3 museum is the undoubted star of the show.

Four other disemboweled red-brick factories comprise the Centro de las Artes, two galleries with high-class rotating exhibitions, a theater and a movie house that screens independent and foreign films.

The metro stops within a 10-minute walk of the park, but the most enjoyable way to get here is to walk or take a boat along Paseo Santa Lucía.