Mexico City had a bad rap for years.
But today, visitors who confront the bustling megalopolis are in for a satisfying shock.

Travel Guide For Mexico City

Top 5 For Mexico City

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Historic Center

Crowds bustle among sinking building in Mexico City’s historic center, the origin of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. It’s got it all – museums, churches, temples, art and, to end your day, cantinas.

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Coyoacan

This once separate village is testament to the city’s colonial takeover and expansion, with grand and colorful architecture. It is also home to Frida Kahlo’s blue house.

Chapultepec

Take a breath in the city’s green lungs, before ascending a hill to the city’s castle with a varied past. This is also a great viewpoint to see Mexico City’s urban sprawl.

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Condesa and Roma

These trendy neighborhoods show the city’s modern and hip side, with boutique designer shops, fusion restaurants and swanky bars. Many foreigners stay here.

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Teotihuacan

An hour outside of the city is one of the country’s grandest and best preserved historical remnants of its indigenous past: the pyramids and city of Teotihuacan.

 

About Mexico City

Expect to be jolted by the juxtaposition of expectation and reality. Mexico City is the energetic sibling of great cities like New York or London, with art on every corner, a cosmopolitan vibe, sinking churches jostling pagan temples, and a pumping party scene. And that’s just scratching the surface of this 22-million-people metropolis.

Dig deeper and you’ll discover the city’s 150 ultra-niche museums, the best gourmet dining scene in Latin America, and pockets of colonial neighborhoods that feel as if you fell through a timehole.

When you need a time-out, in the middle of the city’s organized chaos is one of the largest parks in the Americas – Chapultepec – which is double the size of New York’s central park. One look at the sky-rise street of Reforma gives you the first clue that Ciudad de Mexico – CDMX as you will see everywhere – is going to reveal many secrets you weren’t expecting.

 

Mexico City At A Glance

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Like any capital city, CDMX serves up almost all regional specialties. A few of its own include pambazos, and make sure you specify you want your quesadilla with cheese!

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Mexico’s iconic artisanal crafts hail from regions around the country but you can find almost everything in the city. You can get it all at La Ciudella, which has the widest range of goods.

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The city’s only airport serves domestic and international flights – Benito Juarez. But its two terminals are at separate locations, so check your ticket.

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Uber, Cabify and Beat are some popular apps, with low prices ($15 between the airport and center). There is a decent metro and bus system but watch your pockets and bags. 

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The city sits at 2,240m/7,350ft, which means warm and pleasant days, but cool nights year-round (average 5-10oC or 50–60F). June to September is rainy season; April, May and October tend to be the nicest months to travel.

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An impressive spectacle is the eve of Independence Day (September 15) in the city center (the zocalo), when thousands gather for ‘el grito’ at midnight, a chant to which the crowd replies ‘viva’ to celebrate Mexico’s revolution.

Things To Do In Mexico City

Chapultepec Castle

From the balcony of the opulent ‘Castillo de Chapultepec’, you get a bird’s view of Mexico city and its green lungs, Chapultepec Park. The Castle (Tues–Sun, 9am–5pm) sits on what the Aztecs considered a sacred hill, named after the Nahuatl word chapoltepēc, meaning ‘grasshopper’s hill’. The Castle is most known for being the residence of Mexican Emperor Maxmilian I from 1864, whose renovations you mostly see today. It was the reason Paseo de la Reforma was built, ordered by Maximilian to replicate Europe’s great boulevards and to better connect the castle, which was isolated on the outskirts of the city at that time. It also served as a stronghold during the Mexican-American war, military college, gunpowder warehouse, presidential home, and as an observatory and official guesthouse for foreign dignitaries. You can discover its history at the Museo Nacional de Historia (take a virtual tour). You may even spot some scenes of the Capulet Mansion from Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet film. The castle is reportedly haunted with ghostly footsteps and translucent figures. If you enter via the Reforma entrance, you’ll pass by the Monument to the Niños Héroes (Hero Children), who died defending the castle when US forces took it during the Battle of Chapultepec, also honored with a large mural above the castle’s main entrance. While you’re in Chapultepec park, check out the oasis of Audiorama, a no-talking zone with chairs and chill-out music (closed Mondays). On the other side of the park you can find the free Botanical gardens, and a small lake where you can hire a paddle boat.

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Mexico City’s Center – ‘Zocalo’ – and Cathedral

Mexico City’s main Cathedral (Sun–Sat, 8am–8pm) epitomizes the religious struggle between the indigenous paganists and the Catholic church, the latter building on top of the former’s temples. It is said that Hernan Cortes laid the first stone himself, after destroying and reusing the stones from the adjacent Templo Mayor. It is one of the largest cathedrals in Latin America, standing over the city center and Aztec temple remnants, which are shown through glass panels in the ground. It took 300 years to reach its present-day structure, and you can see distinct styles from the 16th to 19th centuries: Baroque, Neo-Classic and Neo-Renaissance. Much like the rest of Mexico’s historic center, the cathedral is slowly sinking into the soft ground, the consequences of building on top of a lake. You can also climb the bell tower, and try to spot where the “Piedra del Sol” was placed outside the cathedral’s left tower. Mexico City’s historical center can easily take a full day. Also take a peek at the post office, the intricate glass ceiling of Hotel Mexico, the monuments in Alamaeda park, and the Revolution Monument.

Templo Mayor

The Templo Mayor – Great Temple – reveals the human need to improve and out-do those before us. Today, you can see six temples built on top of each other, each leader out-doing their predecessor. A seventh template – the original – still hides underground, dating to around 1325. Legend says the temple is located exactly where the god Huitzilopochtli gave the Mexica people a sign that they were in the promised land: an eagle with a snake in its mouth, perched on a nopal cactus – the symbol on today’s Mexican flag. The Spanish destroyed the temple in 1521 to build a cathedral, and the ruins stayed buried until the 1970s. Archaeologists searched for it for years, especially under the cathedral where the temple was thought to be. It wasn’t until construction workers struck a 10-foot monolith, 2m underground that full excavation began. It required demolishing 13 buildings but the reward was some 7,000 artifacts, which you can see in temple’s museum (Tues–Sun, 9am–5pm; virtual visit here). From the cafes behind and the viewing platform you can see some parts for free, or pay a small fee to enter and see the museum, plus learn about the capital of Tenochtitlan that once dominated Mesoamerica.

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On the Muralist Trail 

Diego Rivera used epic murals to educate the world about Mexico’s rich history, politics and culture. You will especially find his mark in the Secretary of Public Education at the Palacio Nacional – the government headquarters – next to the zocalo. Entrance is free and you will need to leave a photo ID at the gate; the lines can get long. You can find 120 fresco panels by Riviera and several other Mexican artists (take a virtual tour). There is much to unpack and many famous figures to look for in Rivera’s murals. Diego’s most famous work, Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central), is located across the Alameda park in the Museo Mural Diego Rivera. You will find more murals on the top floor of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum), including Rivera’s El Hombre en la Cruce de Caminos (Man at the Crossroads), the mural originally commissioned for New York City’s Rockefeller Center. Rivera repainted it in Mexico after the original was destroyed for its communist and anti-capitalist themes. Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, a Jesuit college turned into a museum, is dominated by Rivera’s first mural, La Creación, which depicts the creation of science and art.

Get Lost in Mexico’s Museums

Mexico City has a museum for almost everything you can think of – the hardest decision is deciding which museums are worth your time. Many have changing exhibitions which may sway your decision, while others are small enough that they’re worth the 10-minutes it takes if you happen to stumble across their door. Otherwise, some of the best museums are:

  • Fine Art Museum  – the murals on the top floor are a side-dish to the exhibitions and art deco architecture.
  • National Art Museum – a historical journey through Mexican art and a grand staircase that will impress you.
  • Modern Art Museum – see one of Frida’s most famous works; the Chapultepec castle and botanical garden are nearby.
  • National Anthropology Museum – see the famous Aztec calendar that ended in 2012.
  • Franz Mayer Museum – take a coffee in the shady courtyard and admire the historical building.
  • Tamayo Museum – an art museum blending light and space, with a great restaurant and shop.
  • Soumaya Museum – this “beehive” architectural feat hosts Carlos Slim’s personal collection, Rodin and Dali included.
  • Jumex Museum – designed by David Chipperfield, with a restaurant by famous Mexican chef Enrique Olvera; it’s next to Soumaya, so you can tick off two museums in one go.

Shop at Ciudella

You can fulfill all of your shopping urges when you visit this market. It has hundreds of stalls selling the typical Mexican artisanal goods you see all over the country – in fact, some shops buy from this very market themselves. Browse hand-made rugs and pillows, ceramic skulls, tequila glass sets, dresses and shirts with embroided flowers, artworks, metal works and so much more. Prices used to be a lot cheaper and bargaining was expected, although this is changing. If it has a price tag, that’s the final price. Although, some vendors may still offer you a discount for multiple items. Shop around to gauge general prices so you know when you’re getting ripped off.

 

Brunch and the San Angel Art Market

The restaurants San Angel Inn and Cardenal are weekend brunch institutions in the classy San Angel neighborhood, both in grand historical houses. It’s then a quick walk to Diego Rivera’s and Frida Kahlo’s studios (take a virtual tour); these 1930s modernist studios by Juan O’Gorman were ahead of their architectural time. Get a small glimpse into the artists’ lives together, watched over by Mojigangas (giant papier mache puppets). These studios featured in the Hollywood movie “Frida.” The neighborhood buzzes on Saturday with a giant art market in the central plaza, and the artisanal Baazar opens (Sat, 10am–7pm) off San Jacinto Street. The Baazar courtyard is a leafy stop for an affordable meal to the otherwise classy establishments on the plaza. A couple of blocks from the plaza, peek into the Parroquia de San Jacinto, or see exhibitions in the 17th-century Temple and Ex-Convent of Carmen. You can get inside one of the grand colonial houses by visiting Museo Casa del Risco, with 17th and 18th art, or see Carlos Slim’s personal art collection in the first of his three museums, Museo Soumaya Plaza Loreto. Nearby is the art museum of Museo Dolores Olmeda Patiño, set in a 16th-century estate with lush gardens, peacocks and, on occasion, the pre-Hispanic, hairless species of Xoloitzcuintle dogs.

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Frida Khalo Museuem

You’ll spot Frida Kahlo’s Museum – ‘Blue House’ – by the cobalt splash in the vibrant neighborhood of Coyoacán. It was the birthplace and final residence of Frida, who left a distinct mark on Mexican art and fashion. The lines snake around the block, so pre-book a ticket online and show the digital barcode; you can also buy a joint ticket to visit Diego Rivera’s art-deco temple Anahuacalli Museum, 4km south, which houses his pre-Hispanic art collection and some artworks. A short walk from the Blue House is Leon Trotsky’s home, where his bathrobe still hangs where he left it before being killed with an icepick. Follow in Frida’s footsteps at Cantina La Guadalupana, where she used to knock back tequilas with her husband Diego. Coyoacán itself deserves a half or full day, with cobbled streets and colonial charm. In the central plazas, Jardín Centenario and Jardín Hidalgo, you’ll spot the ‘coyote fountain,’ the gilded church of San Juan Bautista, and the yellow residence of Hernán Cortés. Tucked away nearby, the Mercado de Antojitos is filled with local food stalls, while the three-storey Mercadoroma offers a gourmet market. Restaurant Los Danzantes offers fine dining on the plaza and its own mezcal. From the plaza, walk the picturesque Avenida Francisco Sosa to see the historic houses of the rich. You’ll eventually reach the Capilla de Santa Catarina and across the road, the Casa de Cultura Jesús Reyes Heroles has changing exhibitions. East of Coyoacán’s main square is Plaza de la Conchita, with one of Mexico’s oldest churches, mixing styles of indigenous Tequitqui and Spanish baroque.

Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe

On the 12 December, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, millions of pilgrims from around Mexico mark their penance by visiting the church of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the country’s patron saint. The night before, a midnight mass is held for some 5+ million believers, who crowd in to get a blessing and glimpse the virgin. Out front, feathered Aztec dancers blend pagan and Christianity beliefs. According to accounts from the 1600s, the Virgin Mary appeared to an indigenous peasant, Juan Diego, in the hills of Tepeyac. Speaking in Nahuatl, the Virgin told him to build her a church where an Aztec Temple once stood. With no-one to believe Diego, the Virgin promised a sign: he collected flowers from Tepeyac hill and when he opened his cloak to show the local priest, her image was imprinted there. Today, this very cloak reportedly sits in the basilica today. the Virgin’s famous scold to Diego are inscribed over the main entrance: “¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu madre?” (Am I not here, I who am your mother?) Pilgrimages started after that first sighting around 1531. Today, the basilica is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, and the third-most visited sacred site in the world.

‘Trajinera’ Boat Trip in Xochimilco

Some say Xochimilco is the ‘Venice of Mexico’ but this comparison will throw you way off. Instead of quaint gondolas and romantic vibes, ‘trajineras’ (a gondola-ish boat) fit 20 people and are filled with loud party-goers and large family celebrations. The boats are garishly colorful and blare out pop music and mariachi bands, which float by on smaller boats and can be rented by the song. The canal system is the last evidence of Mexico City being built on a lake (now buried under urban sprawl). This area was historically agricultural, and you may get a glimpse of ‘floating gardens’ called chinampas. Plant and cacti stores line the shores; you can ask your boat to stop at any you like. There are many docks, but the most common is Embarcadero Nativitas. For a less-touristic trip, head to the freaky doll island. The cost is around 500MXN per hour.

Plaza Garibaldi

This is the mariachi square of Mexico City. Mariachi compete for your attention as you walk through this open space, where bands belt out songs while dressed in silver-buckled suits. Plaza Garibaldi is the place to listen–or rent a band to take home–to this iconic Mexican music. You can visit the Tequila museum at the entrance of the square, although many head to the historic Salon Tenampa, where you can rent mariachi by the song, eat and be merry. The area is a bit dodgy at night – enough to keep an eye on your belongings and avoid wandering around drunk, but not enough to avoid this experience altogether. It is recommended to get a taxi straight there and back if you visit.

Mexico’s ‘Mega Library,’ an Arabic Pavilion, and Santa María la Ribera

While the historic center takes front-stage for short visits, the nearby neighborhoods of Buenavista and Santa Maria are worth a visit if you’ve got time. Mexico City’s Biblioteca Vasconcelos is just a public library but the towering, floating book shelves live up to its name as Mexico’s mega-library. Costing +$1bn and spread over 38,000sqm (409,000sqft), it’s filled with Mexican sculptures, including Gabriel Orozco‘s Ballena (Whale), music rooms, rotating exhibitions and, of course, books. The library is in Cuauhtémoc, where the Buenavista train station, metro and metrobus meet. Nearby in the Santa María la Ribera neighborhood, you can find the underrated pavilion called Kiosco Morisco, or ‘Alameda de Santa María.’ Its geometric patterns feel Arabic, yet it was designed by a Mexican engineer to, ironically, represent Mexico at two US expositions. Once it arrived back in Mexico, it first held National Lottery draws. Today it is used for open-air dance, tai chi, and performances, set inside the rotunda of 44 colorful pillars. Sometimes food trucks line the park, otherwise the area is known for its local Russian eatery.

Day Trips Outside Mexico City

  • Teotihuacan Pyramids: See the official website and consider a night tour as well!
  • Magic Town of Tepoztlan – an hour from Mexico City lies a lush valley that is said to be the birthplace of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec feathered serpent god. The area is considered to have special spiritual energy.
  • Dieserto de los Leones – in the south of the city is a green escape of 1,870 hectares of forests and hiking trails.
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Where to Stay in CDMX

The trifecta of Condesa (hip), Roma (up-and-coming) and Polanco (upscale) tend to get the most hotel occupants. The central neighborhoods of Zona Rosa, Reforma, San Rafael and Juarez are also great bases, although some parts can feel a little sketchy. Farther afield you might get cheaper prices, like in Escandon, Napoles, Navarte, Colonia de Valle, and Doctores, although you’re entering residential territory here with less restaurant options and street life.

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Best Time To Travel Mexico City

April and May are the warmest months, although September to November are pleasant, too. These are the climatic pockets between winter and rainy season. But Mexico City is relatively pleasant year-round; in winter it’s colder at nights but days are sunny and warm; summer is only marginally warmer, as daily rain cools down the city. With mountain-type weather, the temperature can range 15°C / 25°F daily.

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Safety and Travel Tips for CDMX

  • Mexico City is among the 10 highest capital cities in the world. Most visitors only notice the altitude from occasional shortness of breath and extra tiredness, although some may feel more severe effects like nausea, dizziness or flu-like symptoms. The rule is to drink more water than normal and eat carbohydrates; don’t overdo exercise and drinking alcohol, because the effects are increased with lower oxygen.
  • Pollution can be a nasty culprit in Mexico City, especially during the dry months from November to May. Allergy and asthma sufferers may have chronic symptoms.
  • When you arrive to Mexico City Airport, you will see many official taxi companies that offer a fixed price depending on your accommodation’s neighborhood, or use an taxi app.
  • Mexico City is safe if you take the right precautions; don’t take a taxi off the street, be wary at night, leave expensive belongings behind, don’t travel with too much cash. In the event you do get robbed, it’s better to comply; your life is worth more.
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