Mexico City – Travel Guide

Mexico City is the capital of Mexico and has been ranked as the most populous city in Latin America for quite a few years. Being the oldest capital city in America, the city is hosts several cultural and heritage sites.

From the pre-colonial era to the time of Spanish colonization and onwards, the history is preserved inside the walls of Mexico City. Here is also complete Travel guide to Cairo must check!

Unlike some of the other parts of Mexico, Mexico City is very safe and has kept itself away from crimes and the menace of drugs.

Mexico City is a great tourist destination. This metropolis is home to more museums than any other city. Getting around the city is cheap, the food is wonderful, and the accommodation is great – ranging from affordable places to luxurious hotels.

There are so many places to visit and enjoy that you would want to make multiple excursions to Mexico City; you most certainly would after witnessing the city one time. From the places to stay in to transportation and on to the activities and attractions Mexico City offers, here is a complete guide for you if you are planning on visiting Mexico City in 2019.

Airport and airport transfers:

Mexico City International Airport, officially named Benito Juárez International Airport, is the main airport of Mexico City. Akin to the city itself, it is an extremely busy airport and in fact, the busiest airport in all of Latin America. There are daily flights to pretty much every corner of the world, be it USA, Caribbean, Europe, South America, or Asia.

If you are looking for car booking services, Royal Cars and Tours are rated very highly and provide a reliable service. Another taxi and shuttle service that provides excellent transportation is Diamond Transport Adora. Amigo Tours is also a popular transportation service if you want to transfer between the airport and your hotel. All these services can easily be booked online!

You can also choose a Taxi service which is readily available at the airport. A trip to Downtown from the airport costs around 300 pesos. There are hotels that have their own shuttle services, you can contact your hotel beforehand if that option is available. For long distance travel, the airport also offers bus service which can take you to places like

• Toluca
• Pachuca
• Córdoba
• San Juan del Río.

Accommodation in Mexico City:

Better accommodation attracts tourists to come to Mexico City and relish the trip. There are arenas which provide services based on your budget.

There are hotels offering services within the range of $10-70. If you are on a lower budget, you can get a night’s stay for only $14. If you want more enhanced services, then hotels like Holiday Inn Hotel provide you a night’s stay for only $70.

For higher budget, you can get more luxurious services in hotels like Hotel Downtown Mexico that provide you a night’s stay for $134. To get elite services, Marquis Reforma Hotel & Spa offers night stay at $500. These hotels provide services in steady prices so you can get a relish trip! Here is a list containing best hotels and prices in Mexico City.

Mexico City Hotels Price starts from:

• Hotel Universal $14
• Hotel CostAzul $20
• Hotel Castropol $30
• Hotel Bristol $41
• Room Mate Valentina $53
• TRYP by Wyndham Mexico City World Trade Center Area $60
• Courtyard by Marriott Mexico City Revolucion $71
• Radisson Paraiso Hotel Mexico City $80
• Dakota Bed & Breakfast $102
• Suites Amberes $91

Transport plays a vital role in attracting tourists. It provides various bus and metro services to the tourists.

Bus

Mexico Airport offers passengers the chance to travel long distance within Mexico City such as

• Cuernavaca
• Córdoba
• Pachuca
• Puebla
• Querétaro
• San Juan del Río
• Tlaxcala
• Toluca

Bus stops are located at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and bus departs from Terminal 2 near the Gate D.

Metrobus

The public transport provided by the Mexico Government to its passengers. The services operate for Indios Verdes and El Caminero located in Mexico City.
Timing: From 04:30 am to 00:00 am (Monday to Sunday), from 05:00 am to 00:00 am (Sundays and holidays).

Transport Price :

• Taxi from airport to city center 5.40 USD – 17.00 USD
• Metro from airport to city center 0.30 USD
• 3 km taxi ride in Mexico City 1 USD – 1.50 USD
• Metro ride in Mexico City 0.40 USD

Hotel Shuttles:

There are numerous hotels located in the neighbourhood of airport that provide shuttle service from airport to the hotels for their visitors. The service operates from T1– entrance 4 and T2 on ground floor. If you want to avail shuttle service from airport to hotel, you can inquire from the hotel before arrival at Mexico Airport.

Traditional Dishes in Mexico City:

Mexico City is famous for its hospitality and traditional food. If you are going to visit Mexico City then you should try its traditional food which comes up in various flavour combinations. Here are top 10 famous and traditional dishes in Mexico City. Have a look!

• Tacos

This is the most famous and traditional dish of Mexico. It consists of wheat tortilla, corn and topped with onion and coriander. It comes up with a combination and variety of fillings such as

1. Beef
2. Seafood
3. Chicken
4. Cheese
5. Pork

You can order or dine street side to relish while eating tacos.

• Tamales

Tamales means wrapped and is a traditional Mesoamerican dish and made up of masa i.e., corn dough. It is steamed in a banana leaf. It can be replete with cheese, meat, fruit, vegetables and also chillies, making it a delicious food.

• Tortas de Tamales

Torta means cake, flatbread and sandwich. It comes up with the bread and spicy fill combo with tamales results in a delightful flavour.

• Quesadillas

It is made up of 2 flat circle cooked tortillas and comes up with corn or flour filled with meat, vegetables, cheese, fruits and spices then it is cooked on griddle. You must stipulate that you want cheese with quesadillas otherwise you will be disappoint because in various parts of the country it is presented without cheese.

• Gorditas

It is the pastry made up of dough and filled with cheese, meat and fried beans. The famous representative of this dish is “gordita de chicharrón“. In central Mexico, gorditas normally range from small to medium and in northern parts, it is big in size and flatter. Gorditas is offered with spicy salsas that can make your meal delightful.

• Tlacoyos

Tlacoyos is an oval shaped Mexican dish made up of dough filled with chicharrón (pork crackling), bean paste and cheese. Sometimes it is served and accompanied by soup and also as an appetizer at times. Mexican people use traditional way to warm tlacoyos by keeping them in covered baskets.

• Mole

Mole is a classic and traditional sauce in Mexican cuisine. Mole sauce contains fruits, nuts, chili pepper and spices i.e. black pepper, cumin and chocolate that make its flavour delicious. Moles comes up with seven different varieties but brown chili-chocolate mole has excellent and recognizable flavour that makes you come again and try it once more!

• Pambazos

Pambazos is the name of white bread in Mexican cuisine. It is made up of white bread dipped in red guajillo pepper sauce and filled with potatoes, chorizo, queso fresco and crema. White bread for pambazos is made up of flour, eggs and lard. You can find pambazos in Mexican bakeries.

• Chiles en Nogada

It is a traditional Mexican cuisine. It is made up of poblano chillies filled with picadillo i.e. mixture of meat, fruits, aromatics and spices and topped with walnut-cream sauce known as nogada and also with pomegranate seeds. Because of its featuring colours i.e. red, green and white, it becomes more popular around the time of Mexican Independence Day.

• Camotes

Camote means sweet potato. It is served piping hot with strawberry jam and condensed milk. It is syrupiest street food and perfect to share with the family.

Mexico City Food and Drinks:

Here is a list of food and drinks available in Mexico City.

Food Type and Price

• Budget breakfast

If hotel services don’t contain breakfast then you can get street food for cheap prices. 2.50 – 5.00

• Budget lunch

You can find small restaurants and food streets from where you can get food at affordable prices. 3.00 – 6.00

• Budget dinner

Dine-in to the small restaurants which offer you to get delicious food at low prices. 5.00 – 10.00

• Beer (.33l bottle)

You can find beers at cheap prices at bars and in restaurants. 1.50 – 2.50

Top Restaurants in Mexico City:

Finding a good restaurant is really a time-consuming task because you really don’t know the quality of food they are using. Here is the list of top restaurants in Mexico City.

• El Turix–

This restaurant is located at “Calle Emilio Castelar 212, Polanco, Polanco III Secc, 11550 Ciudad de México CDMX, Mexico”. The best meal of this restaurant is cochinita pibil. It consists of meat topped with red pickled onion and served on fried tortillas filled with beans and tacos. Contact: +52 55 5280 6449

• Restaurante Nicos – 

It is located at “Av. Cuitláhuac 3102, Claveria, 02080 Ciudad de México CDMX, Mexico”. It provides quality food with great flavours, making its customers come back to it again. If you are on a trip to Mexico City, then you must visit it. It serves most important meals i.e. comida, filete nicolasa and appetizers.  Contact: +52 55 5396 7090

• Cantina La Mascota –

It is located at “Calle de Mesones 20, Centro Histórico, Centro, 06080 Ciudad de México.CDMX, Mexico”. La Mascota provides free snacks with drinks. They provide food in steady stream and host. They serve delicious food and a few ones are: sea food, appetizers, prawns with rice and oysters. Contact: +52 55 5709 785

• Pastelería Ideal – 

It is located at “Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 42, Centro Histórico, Centro, 06000 Ciudad de México CDMX, Mexico”. This is a giant bakery at Mexico Downtown which provides bakery items i.e. bread, pastries, jello molds, cookies, cakes and much more. The bakery consists of two floors. First floor contains bakery items and second floor contains variety of cakes. They provide tons of variety to customers. This restaurant is a must-visit place on your trip.
Contact: +52 55 5130 2970

• Churrería El Moro – 

Churrería El Moro located at “Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 42, Centro Histórico, Centro, 06000 Ciudad de México CDMX, Mexico”. The restaurant is famous for the churros they serve to the customers. Not only the food they provide but the place is also pleasant. If you are on a trip to Mexico then you should go there and try hot chocolate with churros.
Contact: +52 55 5512 0896

• Café Villarías – 

Café Villarías located at “Calle López 68, Colonia Centro, Centro, 06000 Centro
CDMX, Mexico”. It is famous for the coffee they provide. The bean grain they are using is harvested in the state of Chiapas. Café Villarías provides two types of coffee: caracolillo and planchuela, perfect for arabica as they use grains belonging to the Arab family of coffee.
Contact: +52 55 5512 8688

• El K-Guamo – 

It is located at “Ayuntamiento, Colonia Centro, Centro, 06000 Ciudad de México
CDMX, Mexico”. This is a street shop that provides the best seafood. If you are on a ride to Mexico City then you must visit and try some tostada with meat topped with cilantro and chopped onion and avocado slices. Contact: +52 55 5915 5495

• Las Duelistas – 

It is located at Aranda 28, Colonia Centro, Centro, 06000 Ciudad de México CDMX, Mexico. This place is famous for the graffiti done on its wall which captivates Mexican culture. The restaurant provides various meals but you must try pulqueria which comes up with five different flavours.Contact: +52 55 1394 0958

• Bósforo – 

Bósforo located at Luis Moya 31, Colonia Centro, Centro, 06000 Centro
CDMX, Mexico. If you’re looking for one place to explore the incredible world of mezcal and tequila, go there. They offer a wide variety of options. Contact: +52 55 5512 1991

• La Casa de La Abuela –

 It is located at Calle Río Lerma 59, Col. Renacimiento, Cuauhtémoc, 06500 Ciudad de México CDMX, Mexico. You can find Tacos de canasta on every street but Arnulfo Serafín Hernandéz owned La Abuela and his aunt created all off the recipes. The restaurant provides large Mexican quality food and also vegetarian food.
Contact: +52 55 5672 6055

Attractions and Places:

Mexico City is famous for its beauty and historical places. An Average of 20 million people visit Mexico City on their vacations and visit various places. Here is the list of top places you must visit.

• National Museum of Anthropology – 

This is the national museum of Mexico and located in Chapultepec park between the “Mahatma Gandhi” street and “Paseo de la Reforma”. It is one of the most visited places. The museum contains anthropological and archaeological artefacts from cultural heritage. It contains many collections such as Sun Stone, stones of Olmec civilization, and treasures of Mayan civilization.
Location: “Museo Nacional de Antropología, Av. Paseo de la Reforma s/n, Polanco, Bosque de Chapultepec I Secc, 11560 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico””.

• Teotihuacan – 

Teotihuacan is Mesoamerican city situated in the mid of “Valley of Mexico”. It is anthropologically significant and known for complex residential composites, Avenue of Dead and its vivacious murals that are well-preserved. It lies 30 miles away from the Mexico City.
Location: In the State of Mexico 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of modern-day Mexico City.

• Frida Kahlo Museum – 

It is known as “Blue House” because of its wall structure and shade. This is the art museum devoted to the work of Frida Kahlo (Mexican Artist). It is also the birthplace of Kahlo. It is located in the neighbourhood of “Coyoacán”. It contains collections of artworks and representatives by Diego Rivera, Kahlo and other artists. It also contains photographs, artefacts and folk art.
Location: “Frida Kahlo Museum, London 247, Del Carmen, 04100 Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico”.

• San Angel –

It is located in the Southern district of Mexico City. It contains many of cultural and historical buildings that reflect the culture because it was a rural community. It is full of artwork and craft. If you want to buy beautiful jewellery and crafts related items then you must visit this place on Sundays.
Location: “located in Álvaro Obregón borough along with Avenida Insurgentes end”.

• Island of the Dolls – 

Between the Xochimico canals in the South of Mexico, there is an island known for the dolls hanging down form trees. There is saying that a girl was found hanging down from a tree and the dolls are in spirit by the soul of that girl. If you have an interest in horror movies then this spooky place is not to be missed out!
Location: “located in Álvaro Obregón borough along with Avenida Insurgentes end”.

• Templo Mayor – 

It is the main temple of Mexican people and situated beside the Zocalo. The place was uncovered in early 1978 when a company found ancient monolith under the mud. The place reflects the historical structure of Mexican place. If you love to explore the history of Mexican people then this place might pique your interest.
Location: “8 Seminario St, Cuauhtemoc”.

• House of Leon Trotsky – 

It is the museum made in the honour of “Leon Trotsky” who spent his last days here as he was hiding from “Russian Stalinists” and later on was found dead in office with an axe and also in the honour of an organization that works to encourage political asylum. There are some rooms displaying pictures of Trotsky with his friends and family.
Location: “Circuito Interior (Avenida Rio Churubusco) 410, Del Carmen, Coyoacan”.

• Antique Toy Museum – 

The strange museum contains 2,000 toys from around the world. It contains toys from the start of 19th century. It consists of four floors with toys displaying in the cabinets. If you are on a trip to Mexico City. Then you must visit this place as it is fun and a great place for the kids too.
Location: “Dr. Olvera 15, Colonia Doctores”.

• Chapultepec Park – 

It is the largest park in Mexico and also known as “Bosque de Chapultepec”. It consists of a large area, i.e. 1600 acres. In its surroundings, there is a zoo, Chapultepec castle and various museums. There are trails, trees and lakes in the park where you can sit down and enjoy the pleasant weather. You can visit the park with your family and enjoy the ice-cream in a pleasant weather.
Location: “Metro Chapultepec”.

Price

Historical places, attractions and beautiful buildings always attract tourists to come and explore the world. Here are few attractions as per travel price (USD).

• Chapultepec Castle –

The castle is located at Chapultepec hill top and is famous for its beautiful and engaging interior designs. You will get free entrance on Sunday. 3.43 USD

• National Museum of Anthropology –

This is the national museum of Mexico and located in Chapultepec park, situated between the “Mahatma Gandhi” street and “Paseo de la Reforma”. 3.50 USD

Bus Tour You can get a standard tour of bus at cheap price but on the weekend you will face high prices. 7.50 USD

Climate and Weather:

Mexico City faces a high plateau and 7000 feet elevation which results in mild and pleasant weather. The annual average temperature follows 64°F or 18°C. Its summers are warm but winters are cooler than summers and are mild. The average temperature in winters is always around 20 degrees and above in various parts of Mexico while the average low temperature in Mexico City follows 7°C. The average temperature of summer season is high 25°C. If you are on a walk at early morning or late night then you must wear a jacket or a sweater.

From October to May, the city follows dry season and from June to September it is the rainy season. On average there is a little rain in summer, once a day, but it does not last for more than a few hours.

There is a problem of air pollution in some areas of Mexico City. If you are on a trip to Mexico City, then you might consider keeping a face mask along with you. The city has average greater rainfall in summer and visitors enjoys rainfall while walking in the streets of Mexico City.

Nightlife in Mexico City:

The best places to party and amazing nightlife in Mexico City makes you want to visit it again and again! The beautiful and dazzling nights in Mexico are a treat!

The Jules Basement located in Mexico City. It is rich with cocktails and a chic venue that adds to the comfort level. You can also enjoy live music there. Patrick Miller is a dance hall where you can enjoy music, disco, costumes and dancing with people. Auditorial Nicole is the biggest concert place and hosts the biggest names in the music from around the world.

U.T.A bar is situated in Mexico from where you can link or communicate with the goth community. You can really feel the dazzling night here. La Bipo Pasagüero contains a concert hall where all local and domestic brand performs. In the Centro Cultural España terrace situated beside Zócalo which is main square of Mexico City. It is famous for DJ and beautiful lights.

Club Social Rhodesia is the best place for youngsters to enjoy the vibrant nightlife. AM Local is the place that stays open till the early morning hours with house beats. Mono is the nightclub where people mostly visit on the weekends to entertain themselves with the night style of the club.