Mexico City Travel Guide
Mexico City is one of the most densely populated citites in the world. A city well known for its anthropological history and Latin American art, a new wave of travelers are flocking to experience the irresistible culinary scene and innovative public architecture that keep this, the oldest city in the Americas, at the top of everyones travel list.
Getting to Mexico City:
Being based most of the year in Southern California I like to fly into Mexico City from the small Mexican city of Tijuana. You can of course fly into the Mexican Capital from any international airport, and all United States Citizens get a 6 month travel visa when flying into Mexico City.
Using the CBX Bridge to the Tijuana International Airport:
The cross border express allows anyone with an departure from Tijuana to cross directly from San Diego, California into the International airport via a connecting bridge. The process is very easy to figure out, and you can book your passage across the bridge in person or make a reservation in advance.
Transportation from the Mexico City International Airport
Transportation from the airport to your hostel or air b&b can be stressful depending on the country. I found myself worried a bit as I walked off the plane my first time to CDMX, mostly because it is such a large city and I was unsure how far I actually needed to go to get to my next destination. After researching options, I found the best one to be UBER.
Uber: The ride sharing application is very popular in CDMX and you will find the prices to be very competitive and fair for even the budget backpacker. The only trick to taking an Uber is actually locating your driver. I suggest you wait until you walk out of the main terminal and into the arrival pickup area. If you need Wi-Fi you can stay inside the airport and use the free 30 min Wi-Fi they provide.
Once booked you will want to confirm on the application that you pick up location matches the number of the terminal you are in. If not, you can always walk to the right number. Each time I have flown to CDMX I arrive in Terminal 1.
Once outside the pickup is curbside but the traffic can be intimidating. You will be standing with a lot of other people looking for ride so be prepared to find a spot with a clear view of the incoming cars. Luckily Uber provides you with the license plate number and make and model of your driver’s car. In addition, you can text the driver if he passes you or seems lost. It takes a bit of getting use to but go with confidence and you will be fine.
Historical Center
Home to historic landmarks dating from as far back as the Aztec era, Centro Historico is the city's beating heart, all centered around the massive Zócalo plaza.
Accomidations
The historical area of Mexico City offers all kinds of hotel and Air B&B options. For solo budget backpackerers I recommend Casa Pepe Hostel.
This is a video from travel youtuber Jay Palfrey. Funny enough when he was shooting this video when he was staying in the same dorm as me at Casa Pepe, in the bed below mine. You can see him leaving the hostel as the video begins. I helped Jay get some much needed items the night he arrived since as he mentions his luggage was lost.
As I am suggesting to you this hostel, so it was suggested to me before leaving for my first trip to Mexico City. Casa Pepe is located just steps from the Zocalo, as well as some of the best tacos and food options in the entire city. Here you can book a private room, or stay in a dorm room. Each dorm bed has a privacy curtain, locker, light and outlets available.
The hostel is also well known for its rooftop and happy hour drink specials. In fact, each guest gets one free drink just for checking in. Also included in your room is a decent breakfast each morning that is served on the rooftop lounge. It’s enough food and coffee to start you day and get you out into the city to enjoy your adventure.
Casa Pepe also a great tour desk that can arrange many different activities for you, with a very knowledgeable English-speaking staff.
Free Walking Tour
A great option to explore more of the historical center of the city is to take a free walking tour. Casa Pepe has a free walking tour that leaves from the hostel or you can join one of the many independent tours that are available. Not only are these tours extremely interesting, this also serves as a great way to meet to people.
Here is a link to Strawberry Walking Tours, which is more of the more popular tours in the area.
Food
If you are doing any reading into where to eat street tacos in CDMX then I am sure you have heard about Los Cocuyos. Hands down this is my favorite street taco in the city, and going to eat here late night is an experience on its own. I actually did not do any research before traveling to Mexico City, and luck would have it that after a night of bar hopping with some new friends from the hostel that we stumbled across this place on our way home.
Calle de Bolívar 57, Centro, 06000 CDMX, Mexico
Mercado de San Juan
The food markets in Mexico City are a great place to try some real authentic food, as well the more off-the-beaten path type of foods you won’t find at most restaurants that are popular with tourist. San Juan Market is probably the most well-known food market in the historical center of Mexico City. Inside you can find local shopping for fish, meats, and fruits. Here you can also get a hot meal at one of the many food stands, but it is the ediable insects and other exotic foods that attracts most tourist to this market. Keep an eye out fot stands selling beetles, crickets, scorpions and even centipede.
Calle Ernesto Pugibet 46-48, Colonia Centro, Centro, 06000 Centro, CDMX, Mexico
Things To Do
Zocalo is the common name for the main central square in Mexico City. Prior to the colonial period, it was the main ceremonial center in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. The square is bordered by the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral to the north, the National Palace to the east, the Federal District buildings to the south and the Old Portal de Mercaderes to the west, the Nacional Monte de Piedad building at the north-west corner, with the Templo Mayor site to the northeast, just outside view. In the centre is a flagpole with an enormous Mexican flag ceremoniously raised and lowered each day[1] and carried into the National Palace.
A prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It has hosted notable events in music, dance, theatre, opera and literature in Mexico and has held important exhibitions of painting, sculpture and photography. The Palacio de Bella Artes is a stunning building, and the surrounding park area is used as a gathering space by locals.
https://palacio.inba.gob.mx/ Av. Juárez, Centro Histórico, 06050 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Just outside the center of Mexico City sits the UNESCO World Heritage site of Teotihuacan. The holy city of Teotihuacan ('the place where the gods were created') is situated some 50 km north-east of Mexico City. Built between the 1st and 7th centuries A.D., it is characterized by the vast size of its monuments – in particular, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, laid out on geometric and symbolic principles. As one of the most powerful cultural centers in Mesoamerica, Teotihuacan extended its cultural and artistic influence throughout the region, and even beyond.
You can take public transportation, taxi or Uber all the way out to the site, or arrange a tour through your hostel or Trip Advisor that leaves from Mexico City’s center.
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Basilica is is a Roman Catholic church, basilica, and National shrine of Mexico which houses the cloak containing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Here you can walk around the massive church grounds and take in the sweeping views of Mexico City from above.
Fray Juan de Zumárraga No. 2, Villa Gustavo A. Madero, Gustavo A. Madero, 07050 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Chapultepec Park
Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest city parks in the Western Hemisphere
Getting Here
I like to walk here from the Roma and Condesa area, but you can easily take a public bus or Uber to the park’s entrance. Depending on where you want to go inside the park (museums etc.) you may want to look up the proper entrance to start from.
What To Do
The National Museum of History is the site that holds the memory of the history of Mexico, from the conquest of Tenochtitlan to the Mexican Revolution. The museum is located in the Castillo de Chapultepec, whose construction began in 1785 during the government of the Viceroy of New Spain, Bernardo de Gálvez.
National Museum of Anthropology
This place just may be one of the most popular and immpresive museums in the world. Out of all the things one can do while in CDMX, a visit iot the Anthropolgy museum is A MUST VISIT. The museum contains significant archaeological and anthropological artifacts from Mexico's pre-Columbian heritage, such as the Stone of the Sun (or the Aztec calendar stone) and the Aztec Xochipilli statue.
Roma & La Condesa
The Condesa and Roma district of Mexico City is a residential and restaurant area on both sides of Insurgentes avenue (Condesa on the west side, Roma on the east side) between Viaducto Miguel Alemán in the south and Avenida Chapultepec in the north. It's a large area with mostly Art Deco architecture, large parks, and a relaxed atmosphere.
Accomidations
So, after staying in this part of town many times, I have discovered it is just about impossible to recommend one hostel or hotel in this area. That is because all the options are really great, and of course a lot has to do with your budget. I would suggest you book an Air B&B, so that you can get a better feel of the neighborhood life and you will also get a whole lot more bang for your buck. Since I am a solo budget traveler I will give you my favorite hostel in the area to stay at.
This hostel is really clean and in a good part of town really close to the bars and restaurants. I stayed in the dorm room here, and each bed has a privacy curtain with a light and charging station. You also get a locker, and the rooms have multiple showers and toilets in the room. The only strange thing is that the sing for brushing your teeth is located right in the middle of the room near the dorm beds.
Upstairs you will find a really nice lounge space that is equip with a full kitchen for your use. What I came to notice is that a lot of travelers in hostels around Condesa and Roma are digital Nomads. So, expect to find a lot of people in the common spaces working during the day.
Avenida Mazatlán 190, Colonia Condesa, Cuauhtémoc, 06170 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Food
The tree lined streets of the Condesa and Roma neighborhood are filled with cozy cafes and restaurants that each bring a unique touch to cuisenes from around the world. Although I do love to try new foods, when in Mexico I prefer to keep things traditional and eat food from the local culture. So instread of me making any reccomidations I will just leave a great blog bost from Culture Trip here so you can plan to check out some of the top spots. Top Restaurants in La Condesa
If you are more like me and dont like to plan a whole lot, I found a lot of success in just a simple google map search for good food in the area I was in.
Things To Do
Lucha Libre @ Arena Mexico
Wrestling (Lucha Libre) has quickly become an essential stop while traveling in Mexico City. The most well-known matched and popular with the locals takes place at Arena Mexico in the Roma Norte neighborhood.
In the Arena Mexico, Tuesdays and Fridays are the nights for Mexican wrestling. You can buy Lucha Libre tickets in advance on ticketmaster, or just turn up to the Arena Mexico & buy tickets on the night. If you want the best seats then buy them in advance, but if you’re happy just to get involved then a reasonable ticket on the raised section will cost around 100 pesos.
I suggest you avoid going to the matches on any organized tour. These tours are overpriced and you end up sitting in a “gringo” section with all the other tour groups. If you just go on your own in an Uber you can get a GA ticket and sit among the Mexican people and really get the entire experience.
Parque Mexico
The Parque México, officially Parque San Martín, is a large urban park located in Colonia Hipódromo in the Condesa area of Mexico City.
Ok so this is by far my favorite place in in Condesa. This park is the central hub to life in this neighborhood. Here will will see people walking dogs, playing music, taking dance classes, boxing classes, and much more. One of my favorite things to do each morning is to get a cup of coffee and head over to the Foro Lindbergh and sit under the pillars to watch people gather in the stage area. You will find a crowd of locals playing frisbee, soccer, roller skating, dancing, chasing dogs, and passing a football. All of this is going on right in the center of the space almost harmonisly happening witout anyone getting in the way of each other.
So Much To Do
Mexico City is so large and some of the attractions can take a full day to get there and back, so dont plan to see everyting on your first visit to CDMX. Here are some more things to keep on your list.
Xochimilco
Xochimilco is characterized by a system of canals. These canals, and the small colorful boats that float on them among artificially created land called chinampas, are internationally famous. These canals are popular with Mexico City residents as well, especially on Sundays.
The Blue House - Frida Kahlo Museum
The Frida Kahlo Museum, also known as the Blue House for the structure's cobalt-blue walls, is a historic house museum and art museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo: Timeless offers two types of tickets: Untimed Entry Tickets ($40) and Timed Tickets ($10-$25). With Untimed Entry Tickets ($40), visitors select a date and have the flexibility of entering the exhibition at any time during that day's regularly scheduled exhibition hours.
Tickets and more info: https://www.atthemac.org/events/cleve-carney-frida-kahlo/
