Mexico City Bucket List
Twenty-two million people. Three hundred neighborhoods. The best street food in the world, and I'll argue that with anybody. Aztec ruins under Spanish colonial cathedrals. Muralist art around every corner. Mezcal bars that don't close. CDMX never runs out of surprises.
Why Mexico City belongs on your bucket list
The real deal though? No city in the world eats harder than Mexico City. Dollar tacos at a street stall that's spent three generations perfecting al pastor. Restaurants that are in the top 50 best restaurants in the world two blocks away. And in between, a grandmother selling tamales out of a cooler that taste better than any restaurant with a Michelin star. You can have lunch on top of Aztec ruins, visit the contemporary art museum, have a mezcal cocktail in the evening – all in one day. Roma-Condesa is basically Paris with the tree-lined streets. Coyoacan and Xochimilco are basically from another century. Prices? For what you get? Honestly? It's hard to believe.
When to go
March through May. Those are the best months to visit. Warm days, not too humid, and the jacaranda trees go full purple for the entire city – it's basically aggressive in the best way possible. June to October? Rain in the afternoons. Predictable rain that clears up in the evenings. November to February? Nice weather, though mornings can be chilly at 2,240 meters. Semana Santa? Easter week? Unless you love other tourists, don't come.
Must-visit places in Mexico City
Frida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul)
The cobalt blue house in Coyoacan where Frida was born, lived, and died. Her wheelchair is in front of her unfinished easel. Her medicine collection—row upon row of them—speaks louder than any bio. Her garden, which she adored, is still there in all its wild, colorful splendor. Buy timed tickets online weeks in advance. Don't bother showing up without them.
Museo Nacional de Antropologia
Probaby the best anthropology museum in the world. The Sun Stone alone could keep you staring for twenty minutes. The reconstructed tomb of the king of Palenque is utterly unbelievable. Ground floor is pre-Columbian civilizations. Upper floor is the living indigenous cultures. Give it at least three hours. If you're in a hurry, start with the Mexica (Aztec) gallery and work your way outwards.
Templo Mayor
A team of electric workers digging in 1978 accidentally unearthed a huge stone disc. Which turned out to be the main temple of the Aztec capitol of Tenochtitlan buried under the Centro Historico this entire time. Now it sits excavated right next to the Metropolitan Cathedral—conquered civilization and conquering civilization in one neat package. The museum itself has over 7,000 artifacts, including the Coyolxauhqui stone that started it all.
Roma Norte
This is where the city's food and design culture lives and breathes. Stroll down the wide median of Avenida Alvaro Obregon, stop for coffee, browse the vinyl at Retroactivo Records, eat at Rosetta or Lardo—the restaurants that put Mexican haute cuisine on the global map. The buildings tell the story of the city's transformation in one block. Crumbling Art Nouveau mansions alongside shiny new galleries. Old money meets new ideas.
Condesa & Parque Mexico
Circular streets. Art Deco buildings. More dogs per capita than I've ever seen in one place. Condesa might be the most walkable neighborhood in the Americas, and Parque Mexico is in the middle of it all. Lush, oval-shaped, with musicians playing on the weekends and everyone in the park looking like they're in no hurry. The café culture is up there with the best in Europe, and the mezcalerias on Avenida Tamaulipas keep going till the wee hours of the morning.
Chapultepec Castle
The only royal castle in the Americas. That alone is worth the hike up the hill. It sits atop Chapultepec Hill in the middle of one of the largest urban parks in the world. It was the retreat of the Spanish Viceroy, the palace of Emperor Maximilian, and now it's the National History Museum with murals depicting the path to Mexican independence. The views from the terrace over the city are ridiculous.
Expendio de Maiz
No menu. Small space in Roma Sur. Everything revolves around the heirloom varieties of corn that change daily. Chef Norma Listman and Saqib Keval make tortillas, tamales, and tlacoyos that will change the way you think about Mexican food. There are no reservations. Show up early, get on the list, and wait. Every minute is worth it.
Mercado de Coyoacan
A loud, chaotic place that is so authentic it might actually overwhelm you at first. Locals come to eat tostadas piled high with tuna ceviche, gorditas filled with chicharron, and fresh juices in any color of the rainbow. No one is there to entertain the tourists. They're just eating the way the rest of the city eats. Pair it with the Frida Museum and the central park in Coyoacan for a full afternoon in one of the most charming neighborhoods in the city.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
A white marble Art Nouveau palace literally sinking into the old lake bed beneath the city. It shows in the slight tilt. Inside, the work of Rivera, Siqueiros, and Orozco adorns the upper floors. It's a work of art in itself, but catch the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico on a Sunday morning, and you get to see the gilded interior as it was meant to be experienced, full of music and dance.
Xochimilco
What remains of the Aztecs' canal system still runs through here. Colorful trajineras, flat-bottomed boats, glide past the ancient chinampas, the Aztecs' floating gardens that fed the ancient city of Tenochtitlan. Take one of the boats, and within minutes, vendors will glide past selling tacos and micheladas. It's either a floating party on weekends or dead calm on weekday mornings. Either way, it's a window into the pre-Hispanic past that can only be experienced here.
Polanco & Museo Soumaya
The fancy neighborhood. Avenida Presidente Masaryk is lined with high-end shopping, and the Museo Soumaya, Carlos Slim's free aluminum museum full of Rodin sculptures and the works of the great masters, is bizarre and wonderful. Museo Jumex, the contemporary art museum, is just next door. And Pujol, one of the world's best restaurants, is here too. Dress up.
Arena Mexico
This is not a sporting event. It is masked wrestlers flying through the air, screaming fans at ear-shattering decibels, and beer dripping from the rafters. Friday night fights are the main event at the "Cathedral of Wrestling." If you buy a ringside seat, you're close enough to the action to flinch. I've been to a lot of things in a lot of cities. This is one of the most fun nights I've ever had. Period.
Mexico City insider tips
- Getting around: Metro is cheap and efficient but sardine-like during rush hour. Uber/DiDi is great. Don't bother driving yourself. Traffic is crazy, and parking is nonexistent.
- Altitude: 2,240 meters. You'll feel it. Drink plenty of water, skip the tequila on arrival day, and don't freak out when a staircase makes you turn around.
- Street food safety: If there's a line, eat there. It's a good sign the food is safe. Don't drink tap water, but don't worry about the tacos – they won't get you sick if you eat with the masses.
- Neighborhoods to visit: Roma, Condesa, Polanco, Coyoacan – easiest for tourists. Centro Historico is a must but can be overwhelming. Visit it in the morning when it's less crazy.
- Mezcal etiquette: If you're a mezcal shooter, you're a traitor to Mexico. Order it neat in a jicara (clay cup). Sip it slowly. Ask for sal de gusano (worm salt) and a slice of orange.
- Tipping: 10-15% at restaurants. A few pesos for bag packers at the supermarket or gas pump. It's a real thing; it matters.
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