Mexico City is the capital of Mexico and has a lot to offer. Before visiting Mexico City I had no idea just how big the city is and how much there is to see. These 10 things to do in Mexico City are barely just scratching the surface of things to do in this huge city. There are a bunch of different neighbourhoods, which each have their own vibe and are almost like little towns within the city. My favourite thing about Mexico City was just that, how diverse it is. The center reminded me a lot of Europe, and then there were all the other different neighbourhoods that were all so different.
As one of the world’s largest cities, getting from one part to another can more than an hour of driving. Luckily, getting around is relatively easy – Uber is available throughout Mexico City and is very cheap. For reference, a 20 minute ride from the airport to our hotel in the center, cost me 90 pesos, or 4.5 USD. Public transport, which consists of buses and trains, is an even more affordable option.
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How many days do you need in Mexico City
We spent four days there, which I thought would be plenty, but turns out it was just about enough time to see the highlights. I would recommend spending a week in Mexico City if you want to be able to explore it properly. I even would have loved to spend a few weeks in Mexico City to discover the city and eat my way through all the cafés & restaurants.
Best time to visit Mexico City
There is really no bad time to visit Mexico City, as both weather and prices tend to be relatively stable throughout the year. The most popular times to visit are from March through May and from September to November. March-May is the warmest time of the year, while the period from September-November is popular due to the various celebrations that take place at this time of year. The most popular celebration is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which takes place at the beginning of November. The rainy season lasts from June through October, the rain usually hits in the afternoon or evenings, so don’t let that stop you. The coldest months are December, January and February. So the best time to visit just depends on your preferences.
Due to its high elevation (2240m, or 7200ft) above sea level, the nights are usually chilly throughout the year, so make sure to bring some layers, regardless of which time of the year you’re planning to visit.
Where to stay in Mexico City
I would recommend staying either in the center or in the Roma Norte neighbourhood. The center is conveniently located when it comes to exploring Mexico City, and has a lot of interesting places to see. Roma Norte is the arty/boho type of neigbourhood, it feels a little upper class with all the stylish, and often fancy, cafés and restaurants. Rome Norte is very up-and-coming, so you will most likely find that staying in the center is more affordable.
We stayed at Hotel Flamencos in the centre, it’s an amazing hotel I’d highly recommend. We paid around 50USD per night for the room, which had breakfast included. For a hostel in the city center, I’d highly recommend this one, located right in the heart of the city center and has amazing reviews.
If you want to stay in Roma Norte, I’d recommend this hotel or this hostel if you’re looking for something more budget friendly.
10 Things to do in Mexico City
With all the basic information out of the way, now it’s time for the 10 things to do in Mexico City!
1. Visiting Palacio de Bellas Artes
Palacio de Bellas Artes is a beautiful building in the center of Mexico City. It’s a cultural center that hosts all sorts of art events and exhibitions. The entrance to the building’s first floor is free of charge, but if you want to visit the upstairs exhibitions you will need to pay a small fee.
2. Enjoying the views from Finca Don Porfirio
Located across the street from Palacio de Bellas Artes, this café has stunning views of the Palacio de Bellas Artres and its surroundings. It’s located inside the department store Sears, on the 8th floor. I would recommend being there for sunset, but note that this is a popular time to go, so I’d suggest getting there an hour before sunset just in case there is a line. We went there twice, the first time around 6pm on a Friday, there was no line but we didn’t manage to get seats with a view. We went back the next day around 4.30pm, this time it was a lot busier and we had to wait around 30 minutes downstairs before being allowed to head up.
3. Exploring the Roma Norte neighbourhood
This was absolutely my favourite neighbourhood in Mexico City. Not surprisingly, it was named a Barrio Mágico, which would translate to magical neighbourhood, in 2011. It’s a very trendy and hipster neighbourhood, with lots of upscale restaurants and stylish cafés. To me, the buildings and architecture felt like a mix of the US and Europe. Kinda fun. There are also lots of plazas and green spaces, which might be why Roma Norte seems to be popular among dog owners. We ran into a lot of dogs during our day in Roma Norte, so that’s a plus :))) I would recommend exploring Plaza Luis Cabrera and the area around it, getting churros at Churrería el Moro and having lunch at Pan Comido.
Plaza Luis Cabrera in Roma Norte – photo edited with the travel blogger preset pack/photo filters, available here
Churrería el Moro – photo edited with the coffee preset pack/photo filters, available here
photo edited with the exotic presets/photo filter, available here
4. Take a walk down Paseo de la Reforma (Reforma Avenue)
The wide and bustling avenue, known simply as Reforma, is Mexico City’s Champs-Élysées. It runs through the main financial district, from the downtown area to the Chapultepec Park. Reforma is lined with trees, allowing for some shade on those hot days! There are plenty of benches, fountains, statues, historical buildings, skyscrapers, modern architecture as well as all kinds of cafés and restaurants. On Sundays, the middle part of the avenue is closed to cars, instead you can bike, skate or rollerblade down Reforma along with hundreds of other locals and tourists.
5. Head to Chapultepec Park
Chapultepec Park is one of the largest city parks in the world. It’s huge. The park is popular to enjoy all sorts of activities and sights – including museums, fountains, monuments, lake, a zoo, green spaces, a castle and whatnot. You could easily spend a day in the park, there’s so much to see. The park can get very crowded during weekends, especially on Sundays, so I’d try to go on another day if you can.
Note that some of the museums as well as the castle and the lake are closed on Mondays for maintenance.
6. Grab a drink at Hanky Panky Speakeasy
This is essentially a “secret” bar in the Juarez neighbourhood. You walk into a local restaurant and then hidden in the back is a door to Hanky Panky. It’s a very cool cocktail bar with their own type of cocktails, it’s not your regular margaritas and mojito kind of place. I’d recommend making a reservation in advance as otherwise they might need to turn you away.
7. Visiting the Palacio Postal (the post office)
It’s not just a regular post office, it’s a cool one. It has some stunning architecture and kinda looks like a palace. A hot tip: you will most likely get into trouble with the security guards if you’re taking photos with a camera as apparently it isn’t allowed, but taking photos with a phone should be fine.
8. Exploring Coyoacán
Coyoacán feels like its own city – perhaps cause it used to be a village. This colourful bohemian neighbourhood that in a way, still feels like a village. With its artisan markets, parks, old historical buildings, museums as well as street performers, it has a very unique arty feel to it. The most famous museum in Coyoacán would be the Frida Kahlo museum, which is definitely worth a visit. I’d recommend getting tickets online as that way you won’t have to wait in line.
there are lots of markets and street vendors in the Coyoacán neighbourhood – photo edited with the film preset pack, available here
Ojo Amulets, an artisans store in Coyoacán – photo edited with the color pop preset pack/photo filters, available here
9. Walk around the center
In the center of Mexico City you will find loads of beautiful buildings, restaurants and plazas. One of my favourite ones was Casa de los Azulejos, it’s a historical building with blue tile walls on the outside and inside there is a restaurant in a very stunning historical setting. I would highly recommend visiting the restaurant, even if it’s just to grab a drink and see the building. Other sights that are not to be missed in the center are Palacio Nacional, Metropolitan Cathedral, Palacio Nacional, Alameda Park, Barrio Chino (Chinatown) – and then of course the already mentioned Palacio de Bellas Artes and the post office.
Templo de Inmaculada Concepcion de Tlaxcoaque – photo edited with the venice preset pack, available here
Casa de los Azulejos – photo edited with the venice preset pack, available here
the restaurant inside the Casa de los Azulejos building – photo edited with the venice preset pack, available here
I would highly recommend having lunch or dinner at Mata Comedor Cantina in the center – photo edited with the food preset pack/photo filters, available here
10. Wander through the markets
Your trip to Mexico City wouldn’t be complete without a visit to some of the many markets. You can find markets selling anything from textiles to jewellery, flowers, food and even antiques. These are some of the best markets in Mexico City:
- Mercado Medellín located in the Roma Sur neighbourfood. Here you’ll find all things food – fruits, vegetables, flowers, nuts, seeds, beers and so on.
- Mercado Roma is a food court located in Roma Norte. It’s great for grabbing some tapas, wine, coffee, meat and vegan food. On the top floor there is a beer garden with a foosball table.
- Mercado de San Juan is located in the centre. The market is split up into two buildings – one selling fruits, vegetables, meats and other food, while the other building has stalls where you can buy full meals. You can even try eating insects if that’s your kind of thing 🙂
- Mercado Jamaica is a colourful one! This is Mexico City’s main flower market and is well worth a visit even if you’re not in need of any flowers.
- La Ciudadela is an artisans market located in the center. With a huge variety of Mexican crafts and souvenirs, it’s a fun market to browse through.
- Mercado Coyoacán is, not surprisingly, located in the Coyoacán neighbourhood. It’s a market where you can find pretty much everything and anything. Fruits, vegetables, textiles, costumes, traditional clothing, toys, accessories, jewellery, tattoo shops – you name it. You will also find full meals, juices, smoothies and stuff like that.
I hope this post helped you plan your trip to Mexico City – or that this list of 10 things to do in Mexico city inspired you to include the city in your travel plans! There is so much more to this city than I thought and it’s definitely one where I’d like to stay for a few weeks and just eat my way through all the restaurants and explore. In case you want to do explore beyond Mexico City, check out these day trips from Mexico City!
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If you are planning a trip to Mexico, you might also want to check out:
- How much you can expect to spend per day in Mexico
- Five must visit places in Mexico
- Where to eat in Bacalar
- Your guide to visiting Isla Mujeres
- Four day Tulum itinerary: Things to do in Tulum
- Visiting Izamal: The yellow city in Mexico
- San Cristóbal de las Casas Travel Guide
- Best cafés to work from in Cancún
- How to get from San Cristóbal to Guatemala
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