City Guide: Mexico City

Mar 11

El Centro

Free walking tours are a great way to get an introduction to the historic centre of Mexico City. There are a bunch of these; ideally do one on your first day because the guides are helpful for providing recommendations on other things to do. After a tour, you can come back and check out the sights in the Zocalo (the large main square) including the cathedral and the templo mayor. While you’re here, take a peak into the nearby Hotel Gran Ciudad, made famous in the James Bond Spectre movie (they’ll let you in to the lobby although it’s a bit harder to get to the outdoor patio with a great view looking out onto the Zocalo.) Café de Tacuba is a pretty spot to get breakfast/lunch. El Cardenal is a famous breakfast place, but get a reservation; it was packed when I tried to go.

Some restaurants to look into: Café de Tacuba, El Cardenal, Los Cocuyos, El Huequito, El Cuadrilatero, El Moro (famous churro place)

Alameda

The area directly west of el centro features the amazing Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Alameda Park nearby. Right across the street from the Palacio is a Sears - go to the 8th floor with the outdoor café for an amazing view of the Palacio. There is also a popular folklore show a few times a week at the Palacio although I haven’t been. The Latin America Tower is another place to go for great views of city from high up. Skip the observation deck line and just head up to the bar and get a drink (more expensive than other CDMX options but view is worth it).

Reforma

The Reforma is a wide boulevard cutting through the city, full of historic monuments and the central boulevard has many large hotels and office buildings on both sides of the street. The Revolution Monument and Plaza is just off Reforma and is a combination museum/observation deck. On Sundays until 2pm, the street is shut down for cyclists and runners and is another great way to see the city. The Progressa taco stand is close to Le Meridien hotel and great for a local taco joint experience, although there are hundreds of others which I’m sure are just as good.

Chapultepec

The Reforma ends at this huge city park. There are lots of things to see here although I only had time to visit the Castillo (castle) – definitely worth visiting (Note: this and other museums are free to Mexican citizens on Sundays, so avoid this day if you can, as it can get pretty busy). The Anthropology Museum is also supposed to be great.

Polanco

The area around Chapultepec is a district with lots of fancy restaurants and shops. The famous architecture of the Soumaya Museum is here too - I didn’t have time to go in, but the exterior is pretty impressive to see.

Roma/Condesa

This is likely where you will spend most evenings; tons of restaurants, bars, and lots of things are happening here especially on the weekend. Some places to check out include: Mercado Roma (a fancy market), Mercado Medellin (a traditional market, featuring a famous carnitas stand on Saturdays, but all kinds of food every day – try the chapulines/grasshoppers!). Condessa DF has a rooftop bar and Limantour is good place to try mescal. The Parque Mexico, Parque Espana and Amsterdam Avenue, are pretty places to walk around here as well and soak in the greenspace. There are tons of food and drink options here – everything from street taco stands to the fanciest restaurants -make sure to try pulque and mezcal.

Some restaurants/bars to look into: Contramar, El Califa, El Parnita, Neveria Roxy and Helado Obscuro (ice cream), Chilakillers, Tortas de Chiladquies, El Tizoncito, El Pescadito, Mercado Roma, Mercado Medellin Cabrera 7
Bars: Condesa DF, Limantour, La Clandestina, biergarden at Mercado Roma, Pulqueria Los Insurgentes

Coyoacan

This is a pretty little neighbourhood south of the city and nice place to escape the hustle and bustle, while still being in the city. Freda Kahlo House is the big draw here. You either want get tickets in advance, go early, or if you’re there later ask about the combination ticket with the Diego museum – even if you don’t go to Diego, you can skip the line and get right into the Kahlo museum (it’s about the same price for the combo ticket – this might have changed though, so double check.) The rest of the neighbourhood is also really pretty and good place for a stroll, a stop at a coffee shop and getting some churros in the park, etc.

Restaurants to look into: Churreria de Coyoacan, Super Tacos Chupacanras, Mercado de Antojitos, El Koisko de Coyoacan

Xochimilco

Ideally you can combine this with Coyoacan, which is on the way to this area, in the far south of the city. Renting a boat and cruising the canals is a great experience. I would do this on a weekend when the locals come to the canals, bringing a ‘fiesta’ environment celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, etc. You’ll pass by boats with mariachi bands, super friendly boat-hopping locals, lots of music and tequila – definitely recommend; ideally go with a group so you can all share the boat.

Teotihican

This is an easy one to do on your own for much cheaper than doing a tour (although there are many tours if you want). If you go yourself, from Autobuses de Norte (a metro/bus station) just grab a bus going to the pyramids and you’ll be there in under an hour. Monday is a good day for this because most museums in the city are closed but the pyramids are open. It’s a bit of walk outside the pyramid grounds but Restaurante Techinanco is run by some of the nicest neighborhood grandmothers and is a good place to grab some food and drink after exploring the pyramids or for a little break.

Lucha Libre

Do it! Friday is the big night at Arena Mexico (it also happens on Tuesday). Soaking in the energy of crowd is worth it even if you’re not into wrestling – super fun.

Other Notes

Despite the negative stereotypes, all of the neighbourhoods above are quite safe. I never felt unsafe anywhere (the possible exceptions are the centro at night and the famous mariachi square north of the Alameda called Garibaldi Plaza, which borders some sketchy areas). Also avoid Tepito.
Use uber, not cabs. I used Uber with no problems, including to and from the airport. You can also get hotels/restaurants to call you a radio taxi, which are secure.
The metro is cheap (5 pesos or about 25 cents) and easy to use but can get packed at rush hour. Ubers are cheap and plentiful however, so I mostly got around using them if it was too far to go by foot. Trying to get anywhere during the week from about 4-7pm is very difficult with traffic, but otherwise I didn’t find it too bad.
Prices are cheaper for pretty much everything compared to Canada/US. Many smaller places only take cash so bring some around with you.
Try to avoid having too many large bills because it can be hard to find places willing to give you change. You’ll want to keep a few spare pesos for public bathrooms (they are usually about 5 pesos to use).