MexicoCity
5
Day Itinerary •
Mexico
Five days in Mexico City lets you explore the full extraordinary depth of the greatest city in Latin America. From the Aztec pyramids beneath the Zocalo and the Diego Rivera murals to the Blue House of Frida Kahlo, the ancient chinampas of Xochimilco, the finest contemporary restaurant scene in the Americas and the extraordinary colonial city of Puebla just two hours away. This route moves from the historic centre through Coyoacan and Xochimilco to the pyramids of Teotihuacan, then into the extraordinary neighbourhood culture of Polanco and Roma before finishing with the Cholula Great Pyramid and Lucha Libre. Five days in a city that rewards every hour of exploration with something extraordinary.
Best Time To Visit
November to April
Getting There
Fly into AICM (MEX), served from all continents
Getting Around
Metro, Uber, day trip buses to Teotihuacan and Puebla
Budget Per Day
Approx 45 to 200 USD per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and public transport
DAY 1
CENTRO HISTORICO
MORNING
THE ZOCALO AND THE TEMPLO MAYOR, HEART OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE
The Zocalo is one of the largest public squares in the world, the historic centre of both the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan and modern Mexico City. The Templo Mayor, the great pyramid of the Aztec empire discovered beneath the city in 1978, rises from the ground metres from the cathedral. The extraordinary on-site museum contains the most important Aztec artefacts in the world. Entry approx 85 pesos. Drive/Travel: 10 min walk
MIDDAY
THE PALACIO NACIONAL AND THE DIEGO RIVERA MURALS
The National Palace on the east side of the Zocalo contains Diego Rivera's extraordinary mural cycle depicting the entire history of Mexico from the Aztec empire to the Revolution. Painted between 1929 and 1951, the murals cover 1,200 square metres of wall space and are the finest work of the most important muralist in Latin American history. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 10 min walk
AFTERNOON
PALACIO DE BELLAS ARTES AND THE ALAMEDA CENTRAL
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is the finest Art Nouveau and Art Deco building in Latin America, its extraordinary Tiffany glass curtain depicting the Valley of Mexico and its interior containing murals by Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros. The exterior dome of Italian marble and Hungarian tile is extraordinary from the Alameda Central gardens below. Entry to murals approx 90 pesos.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The underground ruins of the Aztec sacred precinct extend far beyond the visible Templo Mayor site. The extraordinary Calle de Argentina excavations two blocks north reveal Aztec temples, skulls and ceramics visible through glass panels set into the pavement of the modern street. The scale of what lies beneath modern Mexico City is astonishing. Entirely free to observe from the street level.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: El Cardenal, Centro The finest traditional Mexican breakfast in the city. Extraordinary tamales and atole. | Lunch: Limosneros, Centro Outstanding modern Mexican cuisine in a 17th-century colonial mansion. Outstanding mole negro. | Dinner: Bar La Opera, Centro Historic 1876 cantina with a bullet hole in the ceiling from Pancho Villa. Outstanding enchiladas.
DAY 2
COYOACAN
MORNING
THE FRIDA KAHLO MUSEUM, THE BLUE HOUSE OF COYOACAN
The Casa Azul in Coyoacan where Frida Kahlo was born, lived and died is the finest artist's house museum in Latin America. The extraordinary cobalt blue building contains her studio, her collections of pre-Columbian art, her corsets and prosthetics, and the most intimate portrait of an artist's life available anywhere in Mexico. Entry approx 270 pesos. Book online weeks ahead. Drive/Travel: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
COYOACAN MARKET AND THE LEON TROTSKY MUSEUM
The Mercado de Coyoacan is the finest neighbourhood market in Mexico City, extraordinary for tostadas, tlayudas and the finest ceviche in the city. The adjacent Casa de Leon Trotsky, where the Russian revolutionary was assassinated with an ice axe in 1940, is the most extraordinary political history museum in Mexico. The bullet-scarred study is extraordinary. Entry approx 45 pesos. Drive/Travel: 30 min by Metro
AFTERNOON
XOCHIMILCO AND THE ANCIENT FLOATING GARDENS OF THE AZTECS
The chinampas of Xochimilco are the last surviving floating gardens of the Aztec agricultural system, a UNESCO World Heritage network of canals and artificial islands in the southern lake district. A trajinera boat through the extraordinary canal system passes flower farms, pre-Columbian plant nurseries and weekend family parties. Boat hire approx 400 pesos per hour.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The island of Isla de las Munecas on the Xochimilco canals is one of the most extraordinary and unsettling places in Mexico City, a chinampa island covered in hundreds of deteriorating dolls hung from trees by their owner Julian Santana Barrera over 50 years as an offering to a drowned girl. Santana himself drowned in the same spot in 2001. Accessible by trajinera from Embarcadero Cuemanco. Approx 500 pesos for the boat.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Tostadas Coyoacan, market The finest tostadas de tinga and de pata in the city at the extraordinary market stalls. | Lunch: Los Danzantes, Coyoacan Outstanding Oaxacan cuisine on the finest plaza in the neighbourhood. Extraordinary mezcal list. | Dinner: El Hijo del Cuervo, Coyoacan The finest mezcal bar in Coyoacan with outstanding botanas and live trova music.
DAY 3
TEOTIHUACAN AND CHAPULTEPEC
MORNING
TEOTIHUACAN, THE GREATEST PYRAMID CITY IN THE AMERICAS
Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas at its peak, covering 83 square kilometres and housing 200,000 people. The Pyramid of the Sun is the third largest pyramid in the world. The Pyramid of the Moon and the extraordinary Avenue of the Dead stretch for 5km through the archaeological zone. Sunrise at the Pyramid of the Sun is extraordinary. Entry approx 90 pesos. Drive/Travel: 1 hour bus back to city
MIDDAY
CHAPULTEPEC CASTLE AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY
The Castillo de Chapultepec on its hill above the forest is the only royal castle in North America, residence of Maximilian I and subsequent Mexican presidents. The National Museum of Anthropology below is the finest archaeological museum in the Americas, containing the Aztec Sun Stone, the jade mask of Pakal and extraordinary collections from every major pre-Columbian culture. Entry approx 90 pesos. Drive/Travel: 20 min walk
AFTERNOON
ROMA AND CONDESA, THE FINEST NEIGHBOURHOODS IN MEXICO CITY
The tree-lined boulevards of Roma Norte and La Condesa are the most extraordinary neighbourhoods in modern Mexico City, their Art Deco apartment buildings and independent coffee shops and restaurants representing the finest urban culture in Latin America. The Parque Mexico in Condesa is extraordinary at sunset. The Mercado de Mediodia in Roma has the finest afternoon tacos in the city. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The tunnel system beneath Teotihuacan, discovered by archaeologist Sergio Gomez in 2003 and still being excavated, runs 103 metres below the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and contains extraordinary liquid mercury pools, rubber balls and miniature landscapes that appear to represent the underworld. The findings fundamentally changed understanding of Teotihuacan society. The surface evidence of the tunnel entrance is visible to the right of the Feathered Serpent pyramid. Entry included in site ticket.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bus food to Teotihuacan Buy tamales at the Autobuses del Norte terminal before the 7am departure. | Lunch: El Mural de los Poblanos, Museo de Antropologia Outstanding traditional Mexican food in the museum restaurant. Extraordinary chiles en nogada. | Dinner: Contramar, Roma The finest seafood restaurant in Mexico City. The red and green tuna tostada is legendary. Book weeks ahead.
DAY 4
POLANCO AND ROMA
MORNING
THE MUSEO SOUMAYA AND POLANCO, MEXICO CITY'S FINEST ART COLLECTION
The Museo Soumaya in Polanco is one of the most extraordinary private art collections in Latin America, housing 66,000 works including the largest collection of Rodin sculptures outside France and extraordinary pre-Columbian, colonial and modern Mexican art. The extraordinary silver hexagonal building designed by Fernando Romero is itself a landmark. Entry completely free. Drive/Travel: 20 min walk
MIDDAY
MERCADO DE MEDIODIA AND THE FINEST TACOS IN MEXICO CITY
The taco culture of Mexico City is the finest in the country. Al pastor tacos from El Huequito in Centro, barbacoa from Mercado Jamaica on Sundays, and the extraordinary tacos de canasta sold from bicycle baskets in every neighbourhood are all essential. The Mercado de Mediodia in Roma opens at midday for the finest tacos de guisado in the city, cooked fresh in enormous clay pots. Drive/Travel: 30 min by Metro
AFTERNOON
TEPITO AND LA LAGUNILLA, THE HIDDEN MARKETS OF OLD MEXICO CITY
The Lagunilla flea market on Sundays is the finest antique and second-hand market in Mexico City, covering three city blocks with extraordinary colonial furniture, vintage posters, pre-Columbian reproductions and the finest selection of Day of the Dead art in the country. The adjacent Tepito neighbourhood, while requiring street awareness, has the most extraordinary street culture in the city. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Paseo de la Reforma at dawn, before the traffic arrives, reveals the extraordinary scale of Mexico City's grandest boulevard. The gold Angel of Independence at the centre of a roundabout, the statues of Cuauhtemoc and Columbus and the distant silhouette of the twin volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl on clear winter mornings are all extraordinary. The best photography light is between 6am and 7am. Entry free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe de Tacuba, Centro The finest traditional Mexican breakfast since 1912. Extraordinary enchiladas and champurrado. | Lunch: Tacos al pastor, El Huequito The finest al pastor taco in the city at its original location in Centro since 1959. | Dinner: Pujol, Polanco Consistently ranked among the finest restaurants in the world. Mole madre aged over 1,000 days. Book months ahead.
DAY 5
PUEBLA DAY TRIP
MORNING
PUEBLA AND THE CHOLULA GREAT PYRAMID, THE LARGEST PYRAMID BY VOLUME ON EARTH
The Great Pyramid of Cholula near Puebla is the largest pyramid by volume in the world, larger even than the Great Pyramid of Giza. The Spanish built a church on its summit in 1594 believing it to be a natural hill. The 8km of tunnels through the pyramid are accessible on guided tours. The extraordinary view from the church at the summit over the plains with Popocatepetl smoking behind is among the finest in Mexico. Entry approx 100 pesos. Drive/Travel: 30 min drive to Puebla
MIDDAY
PUEBLA CENTRO HISTORICO, THE FINEST TALAVERA CITY IN MEXICO
Puebla is the finest colonial city within day trip range of Mexico City, its extraordinary Centro Historico a UNESCO site of 2,619 historic buildings covered in the distinctive blue and white Talavera tiles for which Puebla is famous. The cathedral on the Zocalo is the tallest in Mexico. The extraordinary Ex Convento de Santo Domingo with its Capilla del Rosario, considered the finest Baroque interior in the Americas, is extraordinary. Entry approx 20 pesos. Drive/Travel: 2 hours bus back
AFTERNOON
RETURN TO MEXICO CITY AND THE LUCHA LIBRE EXPERIENCE
The Arena Mexico in Doctores hosts Lucha Libre wrestling on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday evenings, the most extraordinary and colourful sporting spectacle in Latin America. The masked wrestlers, the extraordinary acrobatics and the passionate crowd create an atmosphere unlike anything else in Mexico City. Entry approx 150 to 350 pesos depending on seat. No booking required, pay at the door.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Mercado de Jamaica in the early morning from 3am to 6am is the largest and most extraordinary flower market in Latin America, supplying every florist, hotel and Day of the Dead altar in Mexico City. The scale of the flower mountain, the extraordinary pre-dawn activity and the colour are unlike anything visible in daylight hours. The market is in full swing at 4am. Entry free. Metro Jamaique, take a taxi from the station.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Terminal TAPO food stalls Extraordinary tamales oaxaquenos and atole at the bus terminal before the 7am departure. | Lunch: La Poblanita de Talavera, Puebla Outstanding traditional Poblano food. The chiles en nogada and mole poblano are the finest in the city. | Dinner: Lucha Libre arena food Eat outside the Arena Mexico before the fight. Street tacos, elotes and aguas frescas are extraordinary.
Where To Stay
Centro Historico, Nights 1 to 3 Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico or Downtown Mexico. Extraordinary rooftop views of the Zocalo. Approx 80 to 200 USD. Roma Norte, Nights 4 to 5 Red Tree House or Casa Goliana. Closer to Pujol and Condesa. Approx 40 to 120 USD. Budget Option Hostel Mundo Joven Centro. Approx 15 to 40 USD per night throughout.
Top Tips
1. Book Frida Kahlo Museum and Pujol weeks ahead. Both sell out completely in high season.
2. Cholula Great Pyramid tunnel tours depart every 30 minutes. Arrive at 9am to avoid queues.
3. Lucha Libre at Arena Mexico: sit in the lower arena seats for the finest atmosphere. Tuesdays are best.
4. Jamaica flower market at 4am is extraordinary. Take a taxi directly from Metro Jamaique.
5. Teotihuacan at sunrise: the 7am opening bus from Norte gets you there before tour groups.
6. Mexico City street food is among the finest in the world. Trust the busy stalls with the longest queues.
Total Budget
43 to 190 USD/day