Mexico City Travel Guide
The Metropolitan Cathedral on the Zocalo, Mexico City. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Mexico City is the country's political and cultural capital, a high-altitude metropolis of over 20 million people built on the lakebed of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. At 2,240 metres above sea level, the air is thin, the light is sharp, and the layers of history are stacked directly on top of each other: Aztec temple stones sit beneath the colonial cathedral on the main square.
For travellers the city divides into walkable worlds. The Centro Historico holds the Zocalo, the cathedral and the Templo Mayor. Chapultepec park anchors the museums, including the National Museum of Anthropology. Roma and Condesa are the food and nightlife quarters, Coyoacan is the village-like south with the Frida Kahlo museum, and Xochimilco's canals carry the famous trajineras.
Teotihuacan, the great pre-Aztec city with the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, lies about 40 km northeast and makes the essential day trip.
Destinations in Mexico City
Museo Nacional de AntropologiaMexico's greatest museum: the Aztec Sun Stone, the Maya rooms and the whole pre-Hispanic story in one building.
TeotihuacanThe City of the Gods: the Pyramid of the Sun and the Avenue of the Dead, about 40 km northeast. Arrive at opening time.
Zocalo and Metropolitan CathedralOne of the world's largest public squares, flanked by the cathedral and the National Palace with Rivera's murals.
Palacio de Bellas ArtesThe white-marble art nouveau palace with murals by Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros, and a Tiffany glass curtain.
Templo MayorThe excavated Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec sacred precinct, with its museum of offerings.
Coyoacan and the Frida Kahlo MuseumThe Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo's blue house and studio, in the cobbled village-like south of the city. Book tickets ahead.
Chapultepec CastleThe hilltop castle that was an imperial palace, with city views and the National History Museum.
Roma and CondesaArt deco streets, parks and the densest restaurant scene in the country: the city's eating-out quarters.
Angel de la IndependenciaThe 1910 victory column on Paseo de la Reforma, the city's most photographed monument.
Xochimilco canalsThe floating gardens: hire a colourful trajinera boat, bring food and mariachis, and drift the ancient canals.
Torre Latinoamericana viewpointThe 1956 skyscraper's observation deck: the classic panorama over the historic center.
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Top Cities & towns in Mexico City
Regional food
- Tacos al pastor at El Tizoncito or El Vilsito: the Mexico City classic
- Chilaquiles for breakfast, pozole on Thursdays, tamales from street steamers
- Fine dining in Polanco and Roma: the city anchors Mexico's modern restaurant scene
Getting there
Benito Juarez International (MEX) is the country's main hub, about 30 minutes east of the center by metro or authorized taxi; the newer Felipe Angeles airport (NLU) serves low-cost carriers. The metro is cheap and extensive, Metrobuses cover Reforma and Insurgentes, and ride-hailing works everywhere. Teotihuacan is reached by bus from the Autobuses del Norte terminal.