DETAILED GUIDE WITH THE BEST OF México City
- by Andreea Prodan
- in TRAVEL
Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico, CDMX) is the capital of the state of Mexico & the entire republic. It definitely took me a few days to completely fall in the love with the city. You need to discover the city before falling for it, or at least this is what happened to me. The first few days I felt a bit lost, didn’t know exactly how things worked (which is obviously normal when you visit a new country). I always like to feel like a local when I travel. I love to walk everywhere (if possible), eat street food or from local cantinas, take the metro, do groceries (I like to stay in an AirBnb, especially if it’s a family holiday). I love to have the luxury of making myself a tea or to get food delivered to my place if I am too tired to go out for food.
First time I was in CDMX I stayed in Colonia Juarez, and the second time I stayed really close to the Angel de la Independencia. Other neighbourhoods I recommend are: San Ángel, Roma, Condesa, Coyoacán, Santa Fé, Polanco & Zona Rosa. CDMX is really big and with a lot of traffic, so the closer you are to the local attractions the better it is. Uber is really cheap in Mexico, and if you speak Spanish the drivers are really willing to give you loads of advices with the best things to see, where to eat and a lot of valuable information you can only find from the locals.
WHAT TO SEE IN MEXICO CITY?
This is the type of list I wish I would have found when I was planning my stay in Mexico City. I gave you the address, opening hours, prices and directions on how to get there.
Angel de la Independencia
The Angel of Independence, most commonly known by the shortened name El Ángel and officially known as Monumento a la Independencia, is a victory column on a roundabout on the major thoroughfare of Paseo de la Reforma in downtown Mexico City. It is one of the most emblematic landmarks of CDMX. Also, it is very close to tour bus stops.
Paseo de la reforma
Paseo de la Reforma is a wide avenue that runs diagonally across the heart of Mexico City. It is the largest avenue of CDMX. The entire avenue is bordered by massive trees, which make it even more enjoyable to explore.
Museo Nacional de Antropología:
Address: Av. Paseo de la Reforma s/n, Polanco, Bosque de Chapultepec I Secc, 11560, Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Opening hours: 9am — 7pm (closed on Mondays)
Price: General entry $75.00 MXN (£3)
Free guides free Tuesday to Saturday at 10:30, 12:30, 13:30, 15:00 y 17:00.
Shop: 10am – 7pm
How to get there in public transportation: Metro Auditorio (Línea 7) y Metro Chapultepec (Línea 1)
Palacio de las Bellas Artes:
Address: Av. Juárez, Centro Histórico de la Cdad. de México, 06050 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Opening hours: 10am — 5pm (closed on Mondays)
Price: 60 MXN (£2.40) Free entry on Sundays + 30MXN (£1.20) for photography
permit
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe:
Address: Fray Juan de Zumárraga No. 2, Villa Gustavo A. Madero, Gustavo A. Madero, 07050 Ciudad de México
Opening hours: The basilica is opened daily from 6am — 9pm; The museum is open from 10am to 6 pm Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Mondays).
How to get there in public transportation: easy access both by bus and metro.
Museo Frida Kalho
Address: Londres 247, Del Carmen, 04100 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Opening hours: Tuesdays: 10:00 a 17:45, Wednesdays: 11:00 a 17:45, Thursday to Sunday: 10:00 a 17:45
Price: 267 MXN(£10.70)
Bosque de Chapultepec & Castle of Chapultepec
Castle Address: Bosque de Chapultepec I Secc, 11100 Mexico City,
CDMX, Mexico
Opening hours: 9am-5pm (closed on Monday), Free on Sundays
Price: 75MXN (£3)
Xochimilco
Price – 40MXN for a collective boat, 350MXN for a private one. I recommend to book a boat for at least one hour. We booked it for 2 hours and it was amazing. You can get marriachi to serenade you (you have to pay them), and you can also buy food.
Teotihuacan – One hour away from Mexico City
By public transportation – The bus to Teotihuacán is comfortable, it takes about an hour depending on traffic, and a round-trip ticket costs 100 pesos/$6 per person.
How to make it there by bus even if you don’t speak Spanish.
1. Take the metro to Terminal Central del Norte also known as the Autobuses del Norte metro station. (or just take an UBER – way easier especially if you wanna go early in the morning).
2. Walk across the street to the North Central Bus Terminal.
3. Once you’re inside the bus terminal, go left and walk towards Gate 8 at the end of the hallway. Look for the bus company called Autobuses Teotihuacán.
4. Buy a return ticket (100 pesos/$6 USD) or a one-way (50 pesos/$3 USD) to Las Piramides. Busses leave every 20 minutes and your seat is assigned on the ticket.
Opening hours: 9am-5pm
You can bring your own food as well. It is not prohibited, however you will find few restaurants outside the pyramids and they have really good food there at regular prices.
Mexico City has become one of my favourite city that I’ve visited so far. I loved that I could wake up, get out of the house and at the next corner I could get freshly made coffee, a tamal, and a concha. The city is full of greenery, buzzing with energy and as every other city in Mexico it’s extremelly welcoming. Considering, it is one of the most populated metropolis in the world, I expected it to be quite overwhelming. That was definitely not the case. The Mexican people have the gift of making everyone feel welcomed and at home. Of course, the traffic is crazy, so I was stuck many time in an Uber. The weather feels like experiencing 3 seasons in one day ( autumn, spring and boiling hot summer). Early in the morning and late at night it feels like an early autumn, then about 10am it moves into spring and by 2pm is a boiling hot summer day. However, besides the trafic and the changing weather, Mexico City is a gem and I cannot wait to visit it again.
I could get going on and on, about the beauty of México in general and specifically Ciudad de Mexico. You have to go and experience los tacos al pastor, los mariachis and the gondolas along Xochimilco’s canals.
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