Before exploring this magnificent city, we´ve had some nasty assumptions about the capital of Mexico. We thought it would be dangerous on every corner, that the infrastructure and architecture would be quite ugly, and everything would be weathered, grey, and sandy. Boy, did Hollywood screw that image up! Our assumptions quickly got destroyed and we discovered even quicker that we are in one of the best cities in the world!
These are the 10 best things to do in Mexico City (also called CDMX, Ciudad de Mexico City), even if you are just here for a couple of days. Because we were in a hurry to get to Bali, we only stayed for 6 nights and 5 full days. So we set out to make the best of it and see the best highlights, eat at the best places, and enjoy everything it has to offer. And even after 5 days of exploring, we barely scratched the surface of what Mexico City has to offer.
These 10 suggestions are the creme de la creme of what the city center and its best neighborhoods has to offer!
Important safety notice
Imagine yourself walking in New York City at 02.00 am, looking like a tourist, having cash on you and a camera around your neck. Would you walk in the shady parts of neighborhoods like Brooklyn, Harlem, and Queens? Nope. The same accounts for Mexico City and every other big city (Amsterdam, London, L.A, Berlin, etc.).
You should only explore the good neighborhoods of a city in broad daylight, without exposing yourself as a target. Leave the watch and pearls at home, don´t show off with expensive brands and gadgets, and stay indoors after sunset. Always take an Uber or taxi after the sun has set and never leave your stuff out of your sight. Better to be neurotic and a little too careful, than not having your smartphone anymore.
The neighborhoods in Mexico City
The best and safe neighborhoods in Mexico City are: Polanco, Roma, Condesa, and Historico Centro. These neighborhoods are massive, so don´t worry about wanting to see more than these recommendations. Keep following the standard travel safety rules, and you´ll be safe and having a blast in this very worldly city. This city is gigantic (!) by the way. You have about 9 million inhabitants in the main city, and 23 million people living in the metropolitan area.
Final note I wanted to share before spamming you with awesome tips: Mexico City is prosperous, wealthy, awesome, but, also weathered, poor, and wild. It just depends on what area of the city you are checking out. Some places look like a lovely mix of Manhattan´s best, of atmospheric Tel Aviv, and of Tokyo (at night), and some places look and are very worn down. So, stay in Polanco, Roma, Condesa, and Historico Centro, and you´ll have a blast.
Let´s start with the top 10 list of What To do and See in Mexico City!
1. Torre LatinoAmericana
It might be the most touristic thing to down in Mexico City, but this skyscraper is a must-visit. The views from this +- 200m/650ft tall tower are fantastic. You will see all of the city from this vantage point. You will discover that the whole city is actually a flat valley, surrounded by a majestic mountain ridge.
The entrance for Torre LatinoAmericana is about 140 pesos/7 dollars/5,5 euros, and very much worth it. The fast elevator brings you up to multiple floors to chose from. All of them host grand views, so enjoy the time here and just gawk at all the thousands of buildings, roads, and tiny little cars. There are also some kid-friendly options in the building.
The Miralto restaurant is a big tip to have lunch at. It´s a little more on the expensive side, but not too much. A small lunch with some drinks, and getting that amazing view with it, is worth a couple of extra dollars. And if you arrived later at night, like sunset, be sure to check out the cocktail bar and have yourself a fancy little drink.
Salud, to the good life!
2. The bustling neighborhood of Historico Centro
Ready to overload your senses? A lovely day in the city center will help you achieve that. The best highlights can be found quite close to each other in one big walk: go to the Zocalo and check out the cathedral, walk down the main shopping street east towards Torre LatinoAmerica, and check out the outside design of the House of Tiles, the inside of the golden Palacio Postal (old post office, still in use), and gawk at the absolutely beautiful construction of the Palacio de Belles Artes. This magnificent building, with its orange ´roofs´ and its marvelous white marble walls, is just a sight to behold.
The very best views of Palacio de Belles Artes can be found on the 8th-floor rooftop bar of the Sears mall across from it. An Espresso and tea cost about 3 dollars here, so have a drink here and enjoy this amazing view!
If all of this is getting to your head, stay and relax for a while in the Alameda Central park, right next to Palacio de Belles Artes.
3. The vibrant neighborhood of Roma
Imagine an upscale, atmospheric, and green neighborhood in New York City, with nice boutique shops and terraces covered with plants everywhere. That´s what Roma looks like, but way more affordable!
We loved just walking around these streets and imagining ourselves living here. We couldn´t believe our eyes over how many trees, bushes, and plants there are to be found on every street, alley, house, balcony, restaurant, and shop. Who would've thought Mexico City would look like one of the better neighborhoods of New York City!
We recommend having breakfast or lunch at Lardo, one of the most popular places in town. It's a bit busy and therefore hectic and noisy, but the ambiance is just so nice. And you can´t miss out on Blend Station. This lunch spot is a must-visit if you love coffee and working on your laptop. Also, quite busy, but getting some work done here while enjoying great coffee and a great lunch is just so nice.
For dinner, we recommend Pasillo de Huma for tasty authentic Oaxacan dishes. For a healthy, and very colorful vegan lunch or dinner, be sure to check out La Pitahaya Vegana.
As you can conclude from these suggestions, Roma is the place to be to walk around, eat, and repeat.
5. The classy neighborhood of Polanco
The most classy of all the neighborhoods is definitely prosperous Polanco. You will find many office buildings, shopping malls, expensive cars, impressive restaurants, terraces on the streets, and museums everywhere you look. And they even built many green man-made routes through Polanco. Walking down these routes, and all its streets is (another) delightful activity to do in Mexico City.
If you into fashion shopping, go to Antara Polanco mall. And especially if you are into luxury shopping and awesome wannahaves, go to the very impressive El Palacio de Hierro Polanco. Do or do not bring your wallet 😉
For lunch or dinner, we loved the atun tostadas at Del Mar Polanco. This lovely street is also a gem, filled with many terraces and restaurants, and made for people watching.
For drinks, a visit to Limantour is a must. This little streetside cocktail bar is rated one of the very best cocktail bars in the world. The surrounding streets look also very cozy and fun. We suspect we were expecting a bit too much of Limantour because the drinks and the ambiance weren´t that special. The snacks were excellent though!
6. Soumaya Museum
A must-visit is definitely the Soumaya Museum in Polanco. The outside of this creative museum looks like a spaceship. Even Tony Stark would be impressed by this beautifully designed building. I´m still suspicious that Soumaya is just a cover-up and could eject into space any time soon…
You can enter the museum for free and enjoy some nice artworks from all over the world. Cool!
7. Anthropological Museum
Another must-visit is the extremely interesting Museo Nacional de Antropología. This gigantic building houses many exhibitions about the history of mankind, and also about the history of the Maya, the Zapotecs, and many other indigenous tribes.
You will encounter hundreds, if not thousands of objects from these fascinating times. Learning more about Mexican culture, its history, and its people is more interesting than it sounds. And we found that the history of mankind, in general, was even more fascinating. You will learn, in great detail, how we evolved from silly apelike creatures in the African plains to the silly homo sapiens who build cities, museums, the internet, and rocketships to take us to the moon.
We have made a couple of awesome Instagram Stories about CDMX and the museum as well!
8. The green neighborhood of Condesa
Another great neighborhood is Condesa, right next to Roma. You wouldn´t believe how green this area is, you really have to see it for yourselves to believe it. And it looks like everybody who lives here has a dog. We didn´t see too much of the area, and we really will when we come back soon, but we can highly recommend lunch or diner at Freims.
Personal tip: Mexico City is huge, and walking everywhere is just too far. Take a Uber instead. We can´t believe how cheap it was to take an Uber here. We paid about +- 4 dollars, every time, for a 30-minute ride.
9. The many wonderful parks
My goodness, Mexico City has so many beautiful well-kept parks, and some of them are even bigger than Central Park! And all of these parks seem to be designed to keep kids, dogs, parents, lovers, and athletic people very happy.
Parque Mexico, Parque Delta, and Parque Espana are cute, but the winner of the trophy is definitely Bosque the Chapultepec. This massive area is amazing! It has many lakes, monuments, 1001 food stands (try the tortas sandwiches!), a zoo, museums, and all sorts of fun activities. Vibrant would be an understatement here. Cycling, skating, or just walking around this park is such a delight.
And be sure to visit the beautiful Chapultepec Castle, which gives you a grand view of the city!
10. But wait, there´s so much more!
We didn´t have enough time to visit all hotspots, but if we could, we would also have gone to the Frida Kahlo Museum, the Monument of Revolution, and to the lakes where the colorful Xochimilco boats can be found.
Also, we would have done two day excursions outside of the city, and that is the unique looking hot water springs of Grutas de Tolantongo (an hour north of Mexico) and the very impressive Teotihuacan Piramides (an hour northeast of CDMX). We really need to come back soon! 🙂
Let´s book that trip!
Feeling inspired to see Mexico City for yourself? Great! Let´s book a flight and hotel here, and let's turn dreams into memories. And be sure to stay as long as you can. A minimum of 8-14 days is recommended. But maybe moving there for good would also be a solid option 😉
These are the four most popular and recommended hotels in the city with all excellent locations:
Personal tip: Don´t stay at Selina Downtown. We had the worst nights in all of Mexico here (see Stories). We even got a full refund and extra tokens as an apology from Selina. Their hotels are awesome normally, but the CDMX branch should be shut down. We stayed at Kali Escandon in Condesa after that nightmare.
Personal tip 2: And last but not least; don´t forget one of the most essentials things for this amazing trip: the right travel insurance! Consider World Nomads or Safety Wings!
So, chicos, now you know what to see and do in wonderful and surprisingly green Mexico City, have fun!
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