MEXICO CITY

The capitol city of Mexico is unlike any other part of Mexico. Typically you think of beautiful beaches, Spring Break, and cheap tacos, but Mexico City is such a special city and very unique in its own way. Mexico City is absolutely massive and there are so many things to see and do that I was a fool to think I could tackle the city and its surroundings in 4 days. The city has a ton of history but it’s also very modern, and within all of that you get a mix of the Mexican culture too.

I did a solo weekend trip for 4 days and 3 nights, and part of me feels like I barely got to see anything! I spent my time visiting pyramids, churches, parks, exploring districts with swanky bars and cuisines, and even got to see a Lucha Libre wrestling match. I packed in a ton during my short time here and feel like I missed out on some pretty big highlights, so if you plan to go I recommend going for a week to really take in the cities culture and its surroundings.

Getting Here

Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world so getting here won’t be difficult. They have a huge international airport that is about 45 minutes from the center of the city. Most major airlines fly into and out of here so it’s a great place to start if you are traveling throughout the rest of the country.

  • Flights SFO -MEX: Aeromexico – $400 Roundtrip/Non-stop

I was traveling solo and was not sure about what public transportation would be like at 6am when I arrived so I booked a transfer through Viator which was not too bad. I knew I could definitely go cheaper by booking Uber (which I heard is super easy to use and very cheap here) or even public transportation but I was being a nervous, solo female traveler and preferred the peace of mind.

  • Private transfer roundtrip: $20

Location

As mentioned before, the city is crazy big and there are tons of districts and areas you could stay in so I recommend doing some research. I decided to stay right in the heart of the city since I was riding solo this trip and thought it would make sense since I also had little time there. I stayed right behind the Catedral Metropolitana next to the Plaza de la Constitucion. Beautiful area near some of the main sites so if you like being in the middle of it all then I’d recommend staying here as lots of the things to see are within walking distance.

Accommodation: Hostel Mundo Joven Catedral

As a solo traveler I always like to stay in hostels as it’s such an easy way to meet people. I would definitely recommend staying here for the location and rooftop bar. The central location makes it very easy to walk to the surrounding sites and it’s also very close to the metro station for when you want to venture further out. By far the highlight is the rooftop bar, Terrazzo, for amazing views of the Catedral and city. The rooms and bathrooms are pretty average compared to other places I have stayed, however they do have breakfast in the morning which is always a nice addition to have.

One thing that is missing is the daily activities. Usually hostels have something each day for guests to do whether its a walking tour or pub crawl, but they do have a tour desk if you want to book something more formal in the city. Otherwise that you are kind of on your own for planning things to do.

  • Cost per night for private room/double bed: $30
  • Website

Activities

Teotihuacan Tour

This tour was all day from 9am-5pm and had several stops throughout the day, but the highlight being the Teotihuacan pyramids. We first stopped at a local church that had a pretty interesting story about a genocide of students protesting in 1968. From there we stopped at a market where we got an explanation of how the locals use a cactus plant, Agave, to make all sorts of things like sugar water for drinks, wax paper, and needle and string. We also saw how they make jewelry and sculptures made of obsidian. And if you are trying to cure the hangover the next day, like I was, you get samples of pulque (made from the agave cactus), tequila, and mezcal.

From there we got to explore the pyramids for a few hours which was pretty cool. Definitely something you should check out if you go. We had plenty of time to explore the area and take photos after our guide gave us a little bit of information on the history of the pyramids. After that we had a buffet lunch (which was not included in the tour price, but I’d say was worth it for the 180 pesos) and then headed back into the city. For the last stop we went to the Guadalupe Shrine where you can see the old and new church that was built for the Virgin Mary. The original painting of the Virgin Mary is quite the site to see, and more so because they have built an entire underground area with a moving walkway so tourists can view the picture without interrupting mass.

 

Overall, I thought the tour was excellent and gave me a little bit more than what I would have found to do on my own. Many travelers advised to do the pyramids on your own since public transportation is so cheap but I like getting a little bit of history while I travel so I think it’s worth the extra dollars.

  • Tour cost: $30

Lucha Libre Night Tour

This was probably my favorite tour of the weekend mainly because of how random the wrestling match was! We met our tour guide at the Palacio de Bellas Artes and from there we walked to a common square where Mariachi bands perform which was kinda a random thing to see but very cool to see all the different outfits of the performers. We then went to a local bar nearby where we got to have pitchers of pulque (the alcoholic drink made from the agave cactus) and learned about how they make it. It was definitely a great way to kick off the evening before the Lucha Libre match.

 

Before the wrestling match we got masks to wear during the event which was absolutely hilarious. At first I thought it was ridiculous but once inside we saw a lot of other people wearing them too so I guess it’s sort of a thing! There were multiple different matches throughout the night and the whole thing lasted about 2 hours. They served food and alcohol there so it made for an awesome night!

  • Tour cost: $25

Chapultepec Park

This place is like the Central Park of Mexico City. It is absolutely massive and you can spend a whole day exploring the park which consists of museums, a zoo, botanical gardens, a lake, and the castle. There’s no way we could have fit it all in so we ended up doing the Chapultepec Castle and lake. Entry for the castle was about $3 and oddly they do not allow water/drinks inside so be weary of that. I definitely advise to get there early to avoid the crowds but the castle serves as a museum and has stunning views of the city as it sits on top of a hill. The lake nearby was also nice to go for a stroll around. There are tons of food vendors there so you won’t ever go hungry and if you are up for it you can go on the paddle boats too.

 

La Roma District

There are tons of cute and quaint districts around Mexico City, and unfortunately I only had time to explore one but it was definitely a good one! This district is only a couple of metro stops from Chapultepec and has a lot to offer. The streets are lined with trees and almost every other street has a park with a fountain the middle. There are tons of bars and restaurants to choose from that have great outdoor patios to sit and people watch. There is also art everywhere around here so we spent a lot of our time exploring different graffiti art as well as paintings and photos that were displayed within the parks. Absolutely loved it here! Highly recommend it if you want to go for a nice lunch or dinner and drinks.

Hop on Hop off Bus

Because I didn’t have much time left on my trip I thought the fastest way to see the city would be the hop on hop off bus. It was a great way to see things in a short amount of time but to be honest there were so many other areas I thought would be worth my while that I would have preferred to just have stayed there longer to experience each area instead of just seeing it from a bus! But if you want a fast, easy way to get a hold of your surroundings then go for it!

  • Ticket for 24 hours: $9

Food & Dining

I have heard nothing but amazing things on the cuisine in Mexico City and I would love to go back as I feel I barely even touched the surface. What I love about the restaurants here is that the food is not only great but the decor and vibe is so vibrant and colorful. It makes your eating experience that much better. Not to mention the cheap prices! Here are some of my favorites:

Cafe de Tacuba

Located within walking distance from the Catedral. Extremely good service here and the food selection was great. Traditional mexican food with tiled walls and historical paintings hanging from the walls. I went here for lunch and got tortilla soup and a tamale.

Yuban

Located in the La Roma district, this place has stellar reviews, however I will say our desired “quick” lunch turned into 2 1/2 hours. We arrived at 2:30pm and didn’t leave until 5pm. Despite the service being horrific the food was great. I wish I could have tried something different since everyone else’s food looked delightful but I had to go for trying something new. We got complimentary appetizers which was a bite size tamale, grasshopper tacos for the main dish, and a concoction of who knows what for dessert.

Puntarena

I had a few people recommend Azul Historico, which is next door, but they didn’t have any available reservations until 1:15pm which I found extremely odd since literally no one was even sitting down in the restaurant and it was 12:45pm so I found Puntarena next door. The setting here was unreal and it made for such an amazing experience for dining alone. One wall was completely covered in grass that made it look like it was a park if you tilted your head. This place is known for it’s seafood and everything on the menu looked amazingly fresh. I ordered shrimp and spicy tuna which came on a crispy mini tortilla. Perfect for a light lunch.

Things I Missed

It kind of makes me sad that I have now made a “things I have missed” section after I travel places, but I think it’s important to give you some insight on things that travelers have told me about that I SO badly wanted to check out. And Mexico City has a ton, but hey another reason to go back!

  • Xochimilco
  • Coyoacan District
  • Frida Kahlo Museum
  • Museum of Anthropology
  • Palanco District
  • El Moro Churros