Mexico City is likely the most European-looking capital in the Americas. It is also America’s largest metropolis, with almost 26 million people calling it home, and while Spanish is its official language, English is widely spoken and understood there.

There is so much to see in Mexico City that even a week won’t be long enough to it all in. I have spent about two weeks there in total now and I feel I just scratched the surface. Museums, food, coffee, neighborhoods – there is enough to do for an entire year (and you can learn some Spanish along the way).

Things to do in Mexico City – Know before you go

My favorite app, Foursquare, which I use to sniff out local secrets, only worked to an extent in this city, as the locals seem to like almost every place and rate them all well. So it’s not easy to navigate the inflated reviews.

Mexico City is as much a city of contrast as Los Angeles – artsy, lush neighborhoods give way to grimy and outright dangerous districts all the time. Try to stay within the neighborhoods listed below, or if you do venture beyond them, you should do so with a local or at least during the day.

Is Mexico City safe? The short answer is that it depends… You can read the longer version here.

Uber is now active in the city and was my primary way of transport there. While the city has its share of gridlock, it isn’t as bad as, say, Nairobi or Jakarta. Taxis are even cheaper than Uber, but I found it not worth the hassle of negotiating and giving the GPS directions. Uber worked like charm for me and most rides in the city are under $5.

I did not find pollution a big issue (unlike I did in Bogota) and it seems that this city is inhabited by hard-working and very friendly people who don’t try to take advantage of tourists, although luckily there aren’t too many tourists around either.

Things to do in Mexico City – Condesa

Mexico City is such a big place and its neighborhoods are so different to each other. I explored neighborhoods on foot and suggest that you do the same to avoid being stuck in traffic for hours.

Parque Mexico and Parque Espana are the center of Condesa and are the places to be on a Sunday afternoon.

Tacos Gus

Tacos Gus serves some of the best tacos I’ve ever had – the fillings are more like strong curries and are full of strong flavors. It’s really cheap as well, so highly recommended!

Cafe B

This trendy coffee shop on a leafy street serves delicious coffee and espresso drinks. It’s a great place to do some work or just enjoy the afternoon.

El Parnita

El Parnita is likely my favorite Mexican food place on the planet! The tacos are out of this world, the restaurant has outstanding, fast service and – you guessed it –  it is also very affordable.

It is only open for lunch, which is 1.30PM – 6PM daily. Unless you can get there right at 1.30PM, make an advance reservation or be prepared for a long wait.

Nómada

This picturesque ice cream place is just what’s needed on a hot day and it’s easily of the best ice cream/dessert shops in the city.

Mercado Roma

If you have been to Seville, then you will know how this works; it’s a number of different food stalls in one big hall.

Plaza Villa de Madrid

Plaza Villa de Madrid is an outdoor food heaven. It’s a pretty roundabout that plays host to the outstanding Cancino Cibeles pizza place, as well as several other excellent eateries. However, in this area and towards the Hippodrome, things get a bit more posh and expensive.

Centro Café

This cafe is not centrally located at all, but actually south of the action. It’s still a great place to be, with friendly staff, delicious and cheap coffee and a lovely, quiet, outdoor patio.

Things to do in Mexico City – Reforma

Reforma is where you can see office buildings and skyscrapers, as it’s the business district, but it is also a historical area that plays host to a lot of tourist attractions that will keep you busy for days.

Museo Nacional de Antropología

This vast museum houses an enormous collection of artifacts from the Mayan and Aztec cultures. The exhibits are very well-organized and the displays are top-notch. Plan at least two hours for this excellent, cheap attraction (~$4 per adult). To my surprise, it was quite empty on a Saturday afternoon.

Museo de Arte Moderno & Museo Tamayo

A modern art museum is usually a must-do for me, as it was this time. Unfortunately for me, the Mexico City variant impresses more with the building and location than the art it houses. This was just OK and I was equally disappointed by the Museo Tamayo.

Centro de Cultura Digital

I stumbled upon this little gem by accident. It’s more a work in progress than an art exhibition. I liked the main ‘sound room’ (a fascinating art installation) a lot, although it’s so easy to get disoriented there.

Bosque de Chapultepec

This is Mexico City’s biggest park and it is indeed quite massive. I tried twice, but could not walk the entire length of it. It comes complete with kids attractions and ice cream vendors abound. If you are a fan of workouts, then this is where your morning run should take place.

Cucurucho

The Reforma branch of Cucurucho probably brews the best espresso drinks in the city and serves an excellent carrot and banana cake, too. It’s a tiny outlet; blink and you will miss it.

Maison Kayser

I first became friends with Maison Kayser at its excellent downtown Dakar location. I have since enjoyed it in Lisbon and Hong Kong, but not so much in Mexico City, as this branch isn’t as great, but still serves excellent breakfasts and desserts.

Things to do in Mexico City – Centro Historico

Centro Historico is where Mexico City started out as a city. Somewhat surprisingly, the area is full of car repair and tool shops.

Museo de Arte Popular

This interesting little museum is well worth thirty minutes of your time. Nevertheless, the art there is less modern and more Mexican than I expected.

Palacio de Bellas Artes

One of the main sights in Mexico City – take a picture or two and move on.

Torre Latinoamericana

Right across from Palacio de Bellas Artes, there is a touristy visitor platform within the Torre Latinoamericana skyscraper. I did not venture up there myself, though.

La Quinta Casa de Correos

The main post office is a photographer’s dream come true; the shiny bronze and gold is perfectly restored – don’t miss it.

Museo Memoria y Tolerancia

I admit that to me this always seems like it will be a sad hour spent in this museum. So far I haven’t ventured inside, but I took some pictures around the outdoor pyramid sculptures.

Restaurante Don Toribio

This white tablecloth restaurant sits on the second floor of a pretty, old house. There was quite a wait and I wanted to give up on it, but fortunately I didn’t. You can enjoy huge portions of traditional Mexican food in a great setting, and it’s fantastic value.

Cafe Villarias

Rumor has it that this was only a roasting shop until passing pedestrians insisted on getting a drink since it smelled so good. I think the coffee is just OK, though.

Plaza de la Constitución (Zócalo)

This central plaza was just recently featured in the opening scenes of a big movie franchise. Do you recognize which one?

Things to do in Mexico City – Coyoacan

Coyoacan is often compared to Condesa, but I found it to be much more sleepy and not quite as interesting.

The center of the neighborhood is around the cathedral and this area gets really crowded on an early Sunday afternoon.

Museo Frida Kahlo

Nearby is the Frida Kahlo Museum, which is probably the most well-known tourist attraction in Mexico City. This was the only place I found had huge lines.

Museo Casa de León Trotsky

The late León Trotsky lived just a few blocks from the Frida Kahlo Museum. Trotsky once ruled Russia with Lenin (and then Stalin) but was later alienated and murdered by the Russian regime. The museum and Wikipedia entries I read while there I found to be very interesting food for thought about one man’s incredible but changeable career.

Things to do in Mexico City – Polanco

This Mexico City neighborhood is close to Reforma and looks and feels more like a posh area of Barcelona. It’s incredibly clean and modern, but also less original and yet easily as expensive as Barcelona.

Ojo de Agua

Apparently this excellent eatery started out as an organic grocery store and morphed into a cafe, juice, breakfast, salad & sandwich place. It’s a bit hard to describe, but get there early on a weekend morning and try the juices and salads for yourself. You will be amazed and your credit card will be spared.

Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien is a bakery & cafe chain. This location is actually in a fantastic setting, with lovely outdoor tables under the shade of leafy trees.

Quintonil

This is considered Mexico City’s best restaurant, with modern creations based on original Mexican recipes, but it is very expensive. I skipped it.

Jules Basement

Speakeasy bars are supposed to be hidden secrets and this one takes it to the extreme. The entrance is in the middle of a nondescript taco shop; look for the security guard in front of the underground walk-in fridge. The atmosphere there is classy and the drinks are excellent, but they’re New York City price-level.

Things to do in Mexico City – Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Sun & Pyramid of the Moon

Teotihuacan was an ancient Mesoamerican city. At its zenith, probably in the first half of the first millennium AD, it was the largest city in the Americas in the pre-Columbian era. It is located just 30 miles outside of Mexico City and features some of the largest pyramids in the world.

I used an Uber for the trip from Polanco and paid $40 for the return journey, which included about 90 minutes of wait time at the pyramids; I found this to be great offer. If you take the bus, however, you will pay a much better price.

The structures are impressive, but so are the crowds there. This is a heavily visited site and, unlike most of Mexico City, is discovered by large amounts of bus tourists.

The entrance fee is just about $4. Unfortunately though, there is an abundance of annoying craft salesmen around who make it tough for visitors to just mingle and admire these impressive buildings.

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