October, and the ramp up to Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) might be our favorite time of year in Mexico City.

You find the flowers of the season—vibrant orange marigolds—everywhere, from the thousands of blossoms on Paseo de la Reforma to little pots in storefronts and windows.

An 💜 Eternal Spring subscription is a smart investment in your Mexico City experience. For just $7/month or $49/year, you get access to all of our paid content, plus our archive of more than 100 articles covering neighborhood walks, what to pack, safety considerations, and more.

Subscribe now

Festive skeletons stand in entryways and brightly colored papel picado (punched paper) flags hang above the sidewalks.

Ofrendas honor those who have passed away with flowers, photos, and items they loved. Some are huge, like the big display in the Zocalo, and others are intimate, honoring a parent, grandparent, or regular customers in a bar or restaurant.

Close to the end of the month, you’ll see kids trick or treating, but Día de Muertos isn’t Mexican Halloween. It’s a tradition that celebrates the lives of loved ones with everything from quiet remembrances to parades that draw millions.

If you’re in town for Day of the Dead, it can be overwhelming. Our guide to navigating the events and the city can help.

🎉The big parades on Paseo de la Reforma

• Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos (Saturday, October 31, 2 pm): This is the massive parade inspired by the opening scene of the James Bond movie Spectre. It runs from the Glorieta de la Diana Cazadora to the Zócalo. You’ll see huge floats, acrobats, giant puppets, indigenous dancers, and tributes to Mexican cultural icons.

• Mega Procesión de las Catrinas (Sunday, October 25, 6 pm): This parade celebrates José Guadalupe Posada’s elegant skeletons, a key symbol of the season. Participants march from the Ángel de la Independencia to the Zócalo dressed in costumes ranging from traditional Oaxacan dresses to steampunk skeletons. Face painters set up tents along Reforma if you want to get festive yourself.

• Paseo Nocturno Muévete en Bici (Saturday, October 24, 7 pm – 11 pm): Cars are off limits and cyclists, rollerbladers, and walkers take over for 19 kilometers, from the Fuente de Petróleos through Reforma into the Centro Histórico. You can rent an Ecobici city bike to join in on the fun.

Planning a Mexico City trip? Download Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City 2026 ($9.99) for neighborhood maps, daily itineraries, and curated restaurant lists right on your phone.

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

🎨Altars, art, and festivals

• Ofrenda Monumental del Zócalo (October 29 – November 2): Head to the Zócalo to see this year’s centerpiece, a giant Catrina surrounded by beds of marigolds. Visit at night if you also want to see the facades of the Zócalo lit up with Día de Muertos symbols. (The lights are on display until November 4.)

• Megaofrenda UNAM (October 31 – November 2, 11 am – 9 pm): UNAM’s professors, students, and artists display this year recognizes the school’s 475th anniversary with altars centered on sustainable design as well as poetry and theatre.

• Monumental Alebrijes Exhibition (October 17 – November 8): More than 200 fantastical papier-mâché creatures line the sidewalks of Paseo de la Reforma between the Ángel de la Independencia and Glorieta de la Diana Cazadora.

• Mexicráneos on Reforma: (October 17 – November 16): Massive fiberglass skulls painted and sculpted by Mexican and international artists line the sidewalks of Paseo de la Reforma.

• Festival de Día de Muertos del Bosque de Chapultepec (October 30 – November 1): A nighttime event in Chapultepec’s second section featuring altars and ofrendas, a drone show, food stalls, and water lanterns.

• La Llorona en Xochimilco (October 18 – November 24, 6 pm, some performances at 9 and 11 pm): This live performance features La Llorona, a soul trapped between the living and the dead, 50 other actors, a giant pyramid, and sculptures lining the canals. You board a trajinera (flat-bottomed boat) at Embarcadero Cuemanco, Xochimilco, and travel through the canals to reach the open-water stage.

• Festival de Flores de Cempasúchil (October 18 – November 1): More than 140 flower growers and producers sell potted marigolds, honey, crafts, and more along Paseo de la Reforma.

• Festival Cacao Para Todos (October 29 – November 1, 10 am – 7 pm): This celebration of chocolate features small-batch chocolate bars, hot drinks, live music, and artisanal crafts. It’s held inside Diego Rivera’s Anahuacalli Museum in Coyoacán.

• Memorias del Mictlán (October 30, noon, and November 1, 8 pm): If you’re heading to Coyoacán, check out the artisanal craft and food items here, where you can talk to the creators about their work.

✔️Practical tips

• Pay attention to parade days and routes: If you don’t plan on attending the big parades, be careful you don’t get stuck in crowds and traffic (it’s happened to us).

• Pick smart Uber destinations: Expect total gridlock extending out from parade routes. Your best bet is to walk to the parades, but if it’s too far, pick a destination a few blocks away. Do the reverse after the parade—walk several blocks toward your destination before calling for a pickup.

• Watch for Metro and Metrobús changes: Metrobús Line 7 suspends service or detours during major parades. If you take the Metro, expect crowds that get bigger as you get closer to the parade stops. We recommend getting off a few stops before your destination and walking.

• Claim your parade spot early: It’s a good idea to get to the Gran Desfile and Mega Procesión ahead of time. Vendors often sell small, foldable stools you can sit on while you wait and stand on to get a good view during the parade.

• Carry change and small bills: Expect to pay cash for face painters, food stalls, and street vendors. Keep 20, 50, and 100 peso bills on hand. Sellers usually can’t break a 500-peso note.

• Be smart about your money and possessions: Day of the Dead draws crowds, and crowds attract pickpockets. Keep your cash, credit cards, and phone out of reach so you’re not an easy target.

• Dress in layers, especially if you go to Xochimilco: Mexico City evening temperatures can drop into the 50s, and the 40s at the canals.

Does your health insurance include coverage outside the US? Ours does not, so we buy health insurance through IMG for when we’re in Mexico.

I choose a high deductible, which brings down the premium cost, and a high total coverage amount, because you never know what could happen.

💜 More Mexico City with Eternal Spring

Need dinner plans during your visit? Read our Mexico City reservation cheat sheet to book top tables like Pujol, Contramar, and Handshake Speakeasy.

Ready for more Mexico City? Make the most of your time with our itineraries for Centro, Alameda Central, Chapultepec, Condesa/Roma Norte, and Coyoacán.

This post contains one or more affiliate links. We only recommend products and services that we believe are of high quality and helpful to readers. Making a purchase through an affiliate link is one small way you can support💜Eternal Spring, and there’s no additional cost to you.

The Museo Nacional de Antropología is one of the top sites in Mexico City. It’s worth a visit even if you aren’t in CDMX for long. Don’t expect to see everything in a single visit—there’s too much to take in.

Here’s what to know.

📅When should you visit the Anthropology Museum?

The best days to visit are Tuesday through Friday. Saturdays are busier but still manageable.

• It’s closed on Mondays.

• It’s busy on Sundays because it’s free for Mexican citizens and residents on Sundays.

We’ve found that the security checks and ticket lines can be long on Sundays, but once you’re inside, the museum isn’t very crowded. It’s really big, so there’s plenty of room to spread out.

🚃How do you get there?

We recommend rideshare (Uber or Didi). You’ll be walking a lot inside the museum, so don’t walk there unleass you’re already nearby. Save your legs for the exhibit halls.

Other options:

• Metro: Line 7 to Auditorio station or line 1 to Chapultepec station

• Metrobus: Line 7 to Antropología stop (closer to the museum than the Metro)

🎟️How do you buy tickets?

• You can walk up and buy tickets at the door for $210 MXN ($12.40 USD). We’ve never heard of it being sold out, but there might be a line.

• You can also buy tickets online ahead of time, as long as you know what day you want to visit.

We don’t recommend buying tickets from a third party site unless they include a guide or other attractions. The markup doesn’t get you any value.

Planning a Mexico City trip? Download Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City 2026 ($9.99) for neighborhood maps, daily itineraries, and curated restaurant lists right on your phone.

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

⏲️How much time should you plan to spend at the Anthropology Museum?

That depends on your interest level and stamina. There’s a lot to see, and you could spend a full day or even longer.

But we find that after two to three hours, our energy starts to fade.

The restaurant Sala Gastronómica is inside the museum, so you can divide up your visit with breakfast, lunch, or a sweet snack. Reservations recommended.

👀What should you see?

The museum’s 11 first-floor exhibit halls surround a central courtyard with a fountain and a decorative pool. They focus on different cultures and time periods in pre-Hispanic Mexican history. Many of them also have garden exhibits that continue outside and are worth a look.

Don’t miss these three halls:

• Teotihuacán: Hall 5

• Mexica/Aztec: Hall 7

• Maya: Hall 9

Be sure to see:

• El Paraguas (The Umbrella) fountain: It’s right past the entrance. You can’t miss it.

• The Aztec Sun Stone: Impressive for its sheer size and intricate detail.

• Olmec heads: There are replicas of these heads all over the world. Two of the 17 that have been discovered are here.

• Replica temples: Life-sized reproductions provide context and scale.

🚶‍➡️Do you need a guide?

We’ve never toured with a guide, and you can get a lot of information from the signage, much of which is in English.

That said, many people find that a guide gives them a better understanding of the exhibits and their significance.

If you’d like to tour with a guide, the museum offers tours Tuesday through Saturday. Ask about availability at the visitors’ desk.

👎What should you skip?

The first three halls (on the right as you enter) cover anthropology going back to the earliest days of humans. They mostly aren’t specific to the cultures of Mexico. You could start with the fourth hall, or start on the left and go through the halls clockwise.

And as much as I love the cultural exhibits on the second floor, like costumes, tools, and musical instruments, I’d skip that floor entirely on a first visit. I probably visited the museum a half-dozen times before I made it up there.

🌳What’s close by?

Right outside the museum, there’s a row of food stands inexplicably selling mostly hot dogs and hamburgers. They were among the worst we’ve ever had, and it’s tough to screw up a hot dog.

If you’re in this area and you need lunch, you’d be better off heading over to one of the stands or restaurants in Chapultepec Park.

But we saw two interesting performances in the immediate area:

• Los Voladores/The pole flyers: Five men in traditional clothing climb a tall pole, bringing ropes with them. One stays at the top and plays music, while the others swing through the air attached to the ropes, circling the pole until they reach the ground. Some places say they perform hourly on the weekends, but I can’t confirm that for sure.

• Aztec fire dancers: Nearby, we saw these dancers, dressed in large feathered headdresses, performing a traditional dance.

You could pair your visit with:

• Chapultepec Castle: The castle is a fascinating site to see on its own, plus the hilltop locations means you have great views of Mexico City. Just keep in mind that pairing this with the Anthropology Museum means you’ll be walking a lot.

• Chapultepec Park: Explore the pathways, green spaces, lakes, and stands selling everything from Lucha Libre masks to cotton candy.

• Modern Art Museum: A museum with a much more contemporary focus, the Museo de Arte Moderno, is a short walk away.

• Paseo de la Reforma: This major thoroughfare has some significant monuments, like the Angel of Independence and the Diana the Huntress fountain.

💜 More Mexico City with Eternal Spring

🍷 Need dinner plans after your museum visit? Read our Mexico City Reservation Cheat Sheet to book top tables like Pujol, Contramar, and Handshake Speakeasy.

The first time I took a hot air balloon ride over the Teotihuacán pyramids near Mexico City, I called it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

But over the years, I’ve managed to find more opportunities to float over the pyramids at sunrise. I’m up to five balloon rides, and I’d do it again tomorrow.

✨Is a Mexico City hot air balloon ride worth it?

Yes, we think so. A hot air balloon ride itself is a magical experience, and a trip above the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon makes it unforgettable.

A tour usually includes:

• A 45 to 50 minute sunrise balloon ride with a celebratory toast after you land

• Round trip transportation

• Full breakfast

• Two hours on your own in the archeological zone at the pyramids

💲How much does a Mexico City balloon ride cost?

Our most recent trip cost $3,250 MXN ($190 USD).

Prices vary depending on your add-ons. You could choose private round-trip van transport, a professional on-site archaeological guide, or custom packages like anniversary toasts or marriage proposals with a mariachi band on the landing field.

❓Is a balloon ride safe?

Safety records are excellent with legitimate operators.

Check with your tour company to make sure pilots are licensed and equipment is certified by the AFAC, which is Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency. Ask them about any health conditions that may make a ride risky for you.

✔️How to make it happen: Step by step

I’ve learned a few things planning and experiencing our balloon rides. Here’s what you need to know.

🏢1. Choose a company

There are dozens of different companies that offer balloon rides. The first time, we didn’t know how to choose and went with a third-party service (Viator) that paired us with Flying Pictures Mexico.

We were so happy with Flying Pictures’ expertise and communication that we’ve used them ever since, booking directly though their site.

What we’re sharing here is our experience with them. We don’t get any compensation or perks for mentioning them, we’re just happy repeat customers. But the process might be slightly different if you go with another company.

📅2. Make your reservation

We’ve been able to get reservations a couple of days ahead of time, but it makes sense to book as early as you can, especially November through April. You should be able to book online.

• Weight estimates: Be prepared to share the approximate weight of everyone in your group.

• Confirmation: You might have to wait 24 hours or so for a confirmation, which will probably come through WhatsApp. (That’s something you should get used to using if you’re spending any time in Mexico. It’s what everyone uses to communicate.)

  You’ll hear back from the tour company confirming the date and pickup time, and they’ll fill you in on any details you need to know. For example, you might need to show them the credit card you used to pay when you made your reservation.

🌄How the morning unfolds

⏰Early wake-up

Balloon rides launch at sunrise because there needs to be a big temperature difference between the air inside the balloon and the outside air. So, you have to get up very early and head out well before dawn. On our last ride, our pickup time was 4:40 a.m.

🕶️What should you wear?

• Dress in layers, especially if you plan to go to the pyramids. It will probably be chilly when you head out in the morning and warmer after breakfast.

• Bring sunglasses and sunscreen for the archeological zone. There’s no shade and the sun will be climbing by the time you get there.

• Wear comfortable shoes that can get dirty. You need to climb in and out of the balloon basket, and your balloon might land in a dusty or muddy field. You’ll want good walking shoes if you plan to climb the Pyramid of the Moon.

• If you want to bring a backpack or tote bag, you should have room to put it next to your feet on the balloon ride.

🚗How do you get to the launch site from Mexico City?

We’ve always included transportation as part of our balloon tour package. As an add-on, round-trip group transportation costs $500 MXN ($29.50 USD) per person.

A one-way Uber costs about the same, so you can decide what works best for the number of people in your group. You can also drive yourself, if you have a car.

I have to admit, the first time, it made me a little uneasy to get into a van with a total stranger in what feels like the middle of the night.

But off you go with your driver, who may or may not speak English. There might be two or three groups sharing a van, unless you’ve reserved private transportation. So, after you get picked up, you might stop by some hotels or short-term rentals.

You’ll drive for about an hour. (The trip back might take closer to two hours, depending on traffic.)

☕Once you get there

We’ve always had English-speaking staff greet us when we arrive at the launch site.

You sign waivers, and you might have time to get a cup of coffee, use the restroom, and take some photos of the balloons being readied for launch. If your balloon is ready, you might need to hurry to get on board.

Either way, someone shows you to your balloon and they take photos of you and your group.

• Climbing in: The sides of the basket are fairly high—maybe four feet—but there’s a stepladder as well as footholds built in to the basket, plus people there to help you.

• Basket layout: We’ve been on flights where it was just our group of four, even when we didn’t reserve a private ride. And we’ve been on flights with groups of up to 12 riders.

You’ll have amazing views no matter what—the balloon and basket gently pivot during the flight, and each group has access to the sides, so you can see everything. We don’t think there’s any need to pay extra for a private flight.

⬆️The launch

Once everyone is on board, the staff shoots a few more photos and explains how you should position yourself for the landing, and then the pilot launches the balloon.

There’s a peaceful feeling when you lift off the ground. It’s not scary. It’s like the ground gently drops away.

You almost don’t notice the motion—you just see the difference when you look down. It’s hard to explain unless you experience it, but it feels natural. It’s nothing like the sensation of a plane taking off.

As the balloon lifts into the air, the views get better and better. You see the sun rising in one direction, the pyramids in another, and dozens of other balloons lifting off all around you.

You’re airborne for 45 or 50 minutes, and your pilot adjusts the balloon higher or lower to take advantage of different wind currents. You might drop down low over the pyramids, and then rise up for an overarching view.

⬇️The landing

Landing isn’t quite as smooth as taking off. The pilot tells you to hold the sides of the basket and bend your knees to brace yourself, as a precaution. The basket might graze the ground for a few seconds until it stabilizes.

A ground crew meets you, rolls up the balloon, and helps you get out of the basket. Some local people might approach you with jewelry or other small items you can buy, so bring some cash if that’s something you’re interested in.

Your group gathers and your pilot leads a champagne (or juice) toast and passes out certificates before you all head back to the launching point together in a van.

📷Photos and videos

You’ll probably take hundreds of photos and videos of the balloon ride—it’s hard not to. You’ll also be able to buy photos and videos from the balloon company.

With Flying Pictures, that includes shots of your whole group, professional drone photos from outside the balloon, and high-quality video. We don’t typically buy this sort of thing, we’ve always opted for the company’s photos and videos, and we’ve never been disappointed.

🥚Breakfast

After meeting at the launching point and reviewing the photos and videos, you board a van to go to the next stop, breakfast.

There’s a restaurant called the Gran Teocalli where a lot of the balloon companies offer breakfast. It’s big and touristy, with buffets, a mariachi band, and people dressed in traditional clothing you can take photos with.

We weren’t all that impressed with that place. But Flying Pictures has switched to another breakfast spot, El Jaguar. It’s a buffet with lots of options, plus table service for omelets, eggs cooked to order, and drinks.

If you only book the balloon ride, from here, you head back to Mexico City.

Does your health insurance include coverage outside the US? Ours does not, so we buy health insurance through IMG for when we’re in Mexico.

I choose a high deductible, which brings down the premium cost, and a high total coverage amount, because you never know what could happen.

👣The pyramids

If you include a trip to the pyramids as part of your package, you head there next. It’s only a few minutes away. It’s worth seeing—we recommend adding it to your package.

We’ve never gone on a guided tour, but we would like to try it, since there’s so much history to learn about.

For a self-guided tour, the van driver drops you off and lets you know when to return. You’ll probably have an hour and a half or two hours to explore the site.

• Security and entry: You’ll pass through a metal detector and a bag check. These precautions were added after a shooting on the site.

• Climbing rules: You can walk up to and around the Pyramid of the Sun and you can climb upto the first level of the Pyramid of the Moon.

• On-site museum: The small museum is also worth a visit, although if you’re visiting the Anthropology Museum in Mexico City you may want to focus only on that one.

Once you’re done exploring, the driver will take you back to your pickup spot in Mexico City.

💜 More Mexico City with Eternal Spring

🍷 Need dinner plans after your flight? Read our Mexico City Reservation Cheat Sheet to book top tables like Pujol, Contramar, and Handshake Speakeasy.

Planning a Mexico City trip? Download Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City 2026 ($9.99) for neighborhood maps, daily itineraries, and curated restaurant lists right on your phone.

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

❤️Bonus photo

Thanks for reading to the end! Here’s a photo from our first hot-air balloon ride, balloon ride, in Albuquerque, NM, on our honeymoon in June 1990.

(Things were a bit different the first time we wrote about Mexico City balloon rides, if you want to check out the 2024 version.)

This post contains one or more affiliate links. We only recommend products and services that we believe are of high quality and helpful to readers. Making a purchase through an affiliate link is one small way you can support💜Eternal Spring, and there’s no additional cost to you.

Want to get into Pujol, Handshake Speakeasy, or the Frida Kahlo Museum when you visit Mexico City? You need to plan ahead.

Here are our tips for getting reservations and tickets for Mexico City’s top places.

Planning a Mexico City trip? Download Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City 2026 ($9.99) for neighborhood maps, daily itineraries, and curated restaurant lists right on your phone.

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

🍴Restaurants

Pujol

Pujol and Quintonil (below) are widely considered two of the top restaurants in all of Mexico. They are the only restaurants in all of Mexico with two Michelin stars.

If you want to dine at Pujol, you have two options:

• An eight-course meal in the restaurant

• An eight-course omakase meal at the bar

📅When and how to book

Pujol takes reservations three months in advance, so set a reminder on your calendar to make your reservation.

If you’re open to less-popular days and times, it’s not as hard to get into Pujol as you might think. During one search, I found restaurant tables for two available on weekdays within a week, at 1 pm or 9:30 pm. I had to look two months out to find availability on a Friday or Saturday night at 6:30.

We’ve also had luck messaging Pujol on WhatsApp with a two-week block of dates and asking if they had any availability in that timeframe. We did this about four months in advance.

Read our full Pujol restaurant review.

Things to know

• You’ll need a credit card to make a reservation, but it won’t be charged at the time. You’ll be charged $2,000 MXN ($118 USD) if you don’t cancel at least 24 hours in adviance.

• You can book a table for up to 8 in Pujol’s dining room and for larger groups in a private room.

• You can request to be added to the wait list if there aren’t any available reservations.

• Pujol uses corn, tomato, onion, garlic, chili peppers, and cilantro in all their base preparations and sauces, so you can’t request food without them, even if you’re allergic.

• Reserve at table at Pujol.

Quintonil

Like, Pujol, Quintonil also offers two dining options:

• Bar—Kitchen counter experience: For one to three people, where you sit facing into the kitchen and can watch the chefs prepared their dishes

• Main dining room: For two to six people

Read our full Quintonil restaurant review.

📅When and how to book

• You may find it harder to get a table at Quintonil than at Pujol. When I checked, the first available tables of any type were more than a month out, and they only book reservations two months in advance.

Things to know

• There’s a $3,000 MXN ($176 USD) per person deposit that gets credited to your bill, but it’s non-refundable if your plans change.

• If you can’t find a timeslot, you can choose “Notify” in the reservation system and select multiple dates. You’ll get a message if a table becomes available.

• Reserve a table at Quintonil.

Maximo

Maximo is the place some of our Mexican friends consider a top fine-dining experience in the city.

At Maximo, you can choose a tasting menu like Pujol and Quintonil, or you can select what you want, a la carte, from a traditional menu. You can make your decision at the restaurant—you don’t need to pick one when you make your reservation.

📅When and how to book

You’ll want to make a reservation at Maximo at least a month in advance, and longer if you’re hoping for a weekend dinner. You can book about three months in advance.

Things to know

You have to enter a credit card number to hold the reservation. If you need to cancel, do so more than 1 day in advance, or you’ll pay $500 MXN ($29 USD) per person.

• Reserve a table at Maximo.

Rosetta

Rosetta is housed in a former mansion with some beautiful spaces. At Rosetta, you can choose what you like from a traditional menu that’s focused on Mexican and Italian ingredients and dishes.

📅When and how to book

Rosetta isn’t as difficult to get into as some of the other big-name restaurants in Mexico City. I saw same-day options available for lunchtime, and there were dinner options at reasonable times (not 5 pm or 10 pm) within two weeks.

You can book a table at Rosetta up to three months in advance.

Read our Rosetta restaurant review.

Things to know

• You can choose from indoor or outdoor seating at Rosetta. I’d suggest indoor, because the setting is so stunning. (Outdoor is nice too, but Mexico City is full of places where you can eat outside.)

• You need to contact Rosetta directly for a group of 5 or more: reservaciones@rosetta.com.mx or Whatsapp (+52 55 3931 4702). You need to leave a credit card number to make a reservation for a group of this size.

• Rosetta also accepts walk-ins when tables are available, so you might get lucky.

• Reserve a table at Rosetta.

Other options

These restaurants might not have the same level of name recognition, but we think they’re worth considering for a fine-dining experience in Mexico City.

You have a good chance of getting a table at these places the same day, even if you’re looking for a popular time on a weekend evening. They’re nice options if you want to have a nice restaurant experience in Mexico City without planning your whole trip around that meal.

Sud 777

Sud 777 earned a Michelin star, and it has a nice prix fixe menu with a feature we’ve never seen anyplace else—you can add another meat, fish, or vegetable course at no extra cost.

We’ve visited twice. We loved it on the first visit; we thought creativity and presentation were getting more attention than flavor in some dishes on the second.

You’ll need to travel a bit to get to Sud 777. It’s is about 30 minutes south of the city center by car, which may be part of the reason it’s easier to get in.

• Reserve a table at Sud 777.

Baldio

Baldio is a zero-waste, farm-focused, sustainable restaurant with a creative menu. They’ve earned a Michelin green star for their eco-friendly focus.

They offer the “Baldio experience” if you want to try a prix fixe meal, or you can choose what you like from their traditional menu. We’ve been to Baldo twice and had great meals both times.

• Reserve a table at Baldio.

🍸Cocktail bars

These top-rated Mexico City cocktail bars all use Open Table for their reservations, and on that site you can usually make reservations about three months in advance.

Open Table tip: The site won’t let you make multiple reservations within two hours. So, if you want to make a cocktail bar reservation for drinks before dinner and then a dinner reservation in an hour or an hour and a half, have someone else make one of the reservations with their account.

Informally surveying Mexico City bartenders, which we like to do, most of them name Bijou, Hanky Panky, and Handshake Speakeasy as the best bars in the city.

Baltra Bar

Baltra is one of the “big-name” Mexico City cocktail bars. It feels comfortable, where some of the other well-known bars feel pretentious. We were disappointed the last time we visited though, because they’ve taken some of their classic cocktails off the menu. You might be able to get a same-day reservation, or even walk in.

• Reserve a spot at Baltra Bar.

Bijou

We’re fans of Bijou’s sister bar, Ruby, so we were cheering them on when they were nominated for North America’s Best Bars and celebrating when they made the list in 2025.

• Reserve a spot at Bijou.

Hanky Panky

We’re getting a little tired of the whole speakeasy concept. (“Are we at the right place?” “What’s the street number”?” “Should we just ask someone?”) But we’ll make an exception for Hanky Panky, since they are now the longest-running speakeasy in the city. Plus, it’s terrific.

• Reserve a spot at Hanky Panky between 5 and 8 pm. After that, it’s walk-in only.

Handshake Speakeasy

You have to plan ahead to get into Handshake. It was on the top of the list for The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2024 and North America’s Best Bars in 2024 and 2025, and everybody wants to see what it’s all about.

Read our full review of Handshake Speakeasy.

• Reserve a spot at Handshake Speakeasy. (Up to two weeks in advance.)

Licoreria Limantour

When you go to some of Mexico City’s up-and-coming cocktail bars and talk to the people working there about where they worked before, you hear Limantour’s name come up a lot. It’s a popular place, but you still might get lucky and walk in and get a table or a seat at the bar.

• Reserve a spot at Licoreria Limantour. (Two locations, Polanco and Roma Norte.)

🎨Sights

Museo Frida Kahlo

The Frida Kahlo museum is located in her former house and dedicated to her life and her art.

It’s not that difficult to get tickets to the Frida Kahlo Museum. But it seems like many people don’t realize they need to buy tickets ahead of time, so they show up at the door and get shut out.

Read our guide to Museo Frida Kahlo.

The website offers tickets for about six weeks out, and you can probably find some available within 10 to 14 days.

Tip: If you can’t get tickets on your own, you can check online tour groups. We’re not adding any links here, because some of these sites just buy up tickets and sell them at a big markup without adding any value. But if you really want to go, you should know this is an option.

• Buy tickets for Museo Frida Kahlo.

Also consider: Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo. This underrated gem contains lots of examples of artwork from Kahlo and Rivera in their former studio space.

Honestly, it’s not clear to us why this place flies under the radar compared to Kahlo’s former home. We’ve visited this studio museum couple of times and walked right in to get tickets.

Lucha Libre

Lucha Libre is an iconic Mexican sport that’s part wrestling, part choreography, part spectacle and 100% fun.

It’s fairly straightforward to get tickets to Lucha Libre but you want to pick your event, especially if you’re only in Mexico for a few days.

At the main arena, Arena Mexico, they host events on Tuesday nights, Friday nights (the main event) and Sunday afternoons (for families, although plenty of families go on Fridays).

If you know you want to go to Lucha Libre—you definitely should see it—you might as well buy your tickets early and get the best possible seats.

Read our guide to Lucha Libre.

• Buy tickets for Lucha Libre.

Teotihuacan hot-air balloon ride

If you search for “Balloon rides” online, you’ll find third-party resellers and you won’t know which balloon company you’re booking with. Plus, you’ll pay about 25% more, and these balloon rides aren’t cheap to begin with. (Totally worth it, though.)

We recommend searching on Google Maps. First, search for “Teotihuacan.” That’s the area northeast of Mexico City where the balloon rides start. Zoom in on that area, and search for “Balloon rides.” You’ll zero in on the companies that offer them and you can compare packages and ratings.

We like Flying Pictures. We’ve taken friends and family members on balloon rides several times. We ended up with Flying Pictures at random the first time, and we were so happy with the experience, we’ve booked directly with them ever since.

Read our guide to Mexico City hot-air balloon rides.

• Buy tickets for a balloon ride with Flying Pictures.

Thanks for exploring Mexico City with 💜 Eternal Spring! Consider becoming a subscriber so you never miss our exclusive tips and guides. — Paul and Steph

Subscribe now

We’ve walked past La Once Mil lots of times without giving it much thought. But in 2026, the Michelin Guide gave it a star.

Only 11 of the thousands of restaurants in Mexico City earned one or two stars, so when some friends were visiting we gave it a try.

📅 Do you need reservations for La Once Mil?

They don’t take reservations, so they’re one of the easier-to-get-into Michelin-starred restaurants. When we walked by on a Tuesday night there was a 30-minute waitlist and we were too hungry to wait.

We tried again at mid-afternoon on Wednesday. The place was packed, but we only waited about 10 minutes for a table.

They pour you a small glass of beer (Modelo) to drink while you wait, and there’s an area with some tables, chairs, and benches, so waiting isn’t bad. You don’t have to just hover outside the door.

The staff writes the wait list on a board next to the door, visible to everyone, so there’s no question about how many groups are ahead of you.

🌮 What’s the menu like at La Once Mil?

La Once Mil specializes in tacos. You can choose from:

• Black angus prime trompo

• Suckling pig and pork belly

• Snapper al pastor

• Wood-fired prime skirt steak

• Mushroom barbacoa

• Squash blossom quesadilla

• Charcoal-grilled steak with bacon crust

These delgaditas (thinly sliced prime cuts:

• Ribeye chairman’s reserve

• center-cut filet mignon choice

• Japanese A5 wagyu

Two tostadas:

• Spicy tuna

• Avocado with vegan ceviche

They serve five different salsas that range from mild to spicy you can add to your meal.

We each ordered two plates, and that felt like the right amount of food.

La Once Mil also offers a few side dishes and desserts, as well as beer, wine, soft drinks, and aguas frescas.

🍽️ What was the food like at La Once Mil?

Everything we ate was delicious and prepared well, with balanced flavors and decent-sized portions.

The meat was moist and tender, and it was worth saving room for the tres leches cake, which got rave reviews from people who know how it’s made and how it can go wrong.

The salsas packed great flavor, and the range of heat levels meant even hot food wimps like me have solid options.

The tortillas had great flavor, although the blue corn variety got a little soggy and crumbly.

We were underwhelmed by the drinks. We expected full bottles of beer, not glasses. And the rose was fine, but nothing special.

Thanks for exploring Mexico City with 💜 Eternal Spring! Consider becoming a subscriber so you never miss our exclusive tips and guides. — Paul and Steph

Subscribe now

💲How expensive is La Once Mil?

Prices are high by taqueria standards, and about what you would expect for interesting dishes made with quality ingredients in a well-appointed place.

• Tacos/tostadas: $125 to $205 ($7.20 to $11.75 USD) with the exception of the Wagyu beef tacos, which clock in at a rather pricey $335 MXN ($19.20 USD)

  Beer and nonalcoholic drinks: $75 to $85 MXN ($4.30 to $4.90 USD)

• Wine (glass): $125 to $135 MXN ($7.20 to $7.80 USD)

• Desserts: $120 to $165 MXN ($6.90 to $9.40 USD)

🎵 What’s the vibe like at La Once Mil?

La Once Mil feels trendy and fun. The free beer you get while you wait sets the welcoming atmosphere, and that carries through with the solid service.

• The indoor/outdoor space is decorated in neural tones, with a water feature running alongside the outdoor tables.

• The small but mighty open kitchen and bar/prep area makes it feel like you’re part of the action.

• The music is loud enough to enhance the vibe but low enough to carry on a conversation with the people at your table.

Our verdict?

✅ Solid food options, great service, fun atmosphere. An easy, affordable way to say you ate in a Michelin-starred restaurant.

✖️ Not for you if you’re looking for cocktails, an expansive wine list, or a dinner where you want to linger.

A few years ago, we almost canceled a trip we had planned to Mexico City in August.

The rainy-season photos and videos we saw as we were planning made it seem like we’d be trapped indoors, facing a nonstop deluge, with no hope of exploring the city’s charming streets and green spaces.

Those photos and videos aren’t wrong, exactly. But they’re sensationalized. They capture a snippet of a day that probably started with hours of clear skies and sunshine.

Here’s the truth: If you plan a trip to Mexico City in the summer, there’s a good chance you’re going to face rain. Maybe a lot of rain. But that doesn’t mean you should reschedule, and it doesn’t mean you’re going to have a lousy trip.

💧Does it rain all day during the Mexico City rainy season?

No, it does not rain all day. A typical summer day in Mexico City starts with clear, beautiful skies and warm sunshine in the morning. Clouds roll in by mid-afternoon, and, some days, you can expect heavy thunderstorms in the late afternoon or evening.

The rainy season usually runs from late May through late September, and July and August are the wettest months.

Think of it like Florida rainy, not Seattle rainy.

📅Planning your days during Mexico City’s rainy season

The rainy season isn’t all bad. We like it because:

• The rainfall clears the air, reducing pollution

• Daytime high temperatures are comfortable

• Cool, rainy nights are great for sleeping

• The rain keeps a lot of locals home in the evenings, which makes it easier to get into restaurants and cocktail bars

Here’s what we recommend:

• Plan your walks, visits to parks like Chapultepec, and outdoor dining for mornings and early afternoons.

• If you want to walk and the weather is iffy, head to Condesa. The trees give you some protection, and you’ll find shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants to duck into while you wait out a storm.
  

• Schedule museums, concerts, and indoor dining for the late afternoons and evenings. Most museums are open until 5 pm. Here are a few later options:

  • Palacio de Bellas Artes (Centro Historico): Open until 6 pm. Ideal if a downpour strikes when you’re downtown.

  • Museo Soumaya (Polanco): Open until 6:30 pm and admission is free, so it’s a good option for a day with a high chance of storms.

  • Museo Jumex, next door to Museo Soumaya: Open until 7 pm on Saturdays.

• The last Wednesday of every month is Noche de Museos (Museum Night). Lots of the city’s museums are open late and have free or discounted admission. So that’s an excellent rainy day option if it coincides with your trip.

• Taking Ubers will minimize the amount of time you’re out in the elements. Just keep in mind that when it rains, lots of people who would otherwise walk or bike take Ubers, too. So build in some extra wait time for the Uber and expect higher fares. Plan for travel time in traffic, too.

• The Metro is another transit option, though it will probably be crowded when it’s raining, too.

Thanks for exploring Mexico City with 💜 Eternal Spring! Consider becoming a subscriber so you never miss our exclusive tips and guides. — Paul and Steph

Subscribe now

⛈️Here’s what you should bring

Don’t expect any light sprinkles or drizzle when it rains in Mexico City. The thunderstorms bring the kind of downpours that mean you’ll get drenched in seconds, even if you’re just crossing the street.

🛍️Shop for your gear before your trip

Don’t plan to buy a raincoat or shoes during your trip, especially if you’re taller than average.

Most visitors are bigger than most Mexicans, so you might have a hard time finding clothes or shoes in your size.

Plus, if you only have a few days in the city, you’re not going to want to spend them shopping for necessities.

Here’s what you’ll want to bring:

🧥A raincoat

You can’t manage the Mexico City rainy season without a raincoat. Keep it lightweight—it’s usually not that cold when it rains, and you can always layer a light sweater under it if you need to.

We have Eddie Bauer (Paul) and Land’s End (Steph) raincoats that are about mid-thigh length. They work well, although if I were buying something new, I’d get something knee-length or longer, like this one. (Option for men)

👞Waterproof walking shoes

It’s pretty much a guarantee that your feet will get soaked, so keep them dry with the right footgear. Otherwise, you’ll be spending your valuable vacation time blow-drying your wet shoes.

I love these waterproof On sneakers because they’re comfortable, and I can wear them all day, whether it’s raining or not. (Option for men) These highly rated waterproof sneakers are more affordable. (Option for men)

🌂An umbrella

Even with a raincoat, your pants will probably end up wet unless you add some coverage from a good umbrella.

This umbrella is big enough for two people and still folds up to a relatively small size.

👜A tote bag or day bag

When you’re out all day, you’ll need a way to carry around your raincoat and umbrella so your hands are free for taking photos, looking up addresses, and, of course, planning your days with our digital guidebook.

This tote is affordable, durable, and can fold up to keep on hand as a shopping bag when you don’t need it for your rain gear.

If you want something more secure where you can keep your wallet, passport, phone, or anything else valuable, this expandable, waterproof day bag is a nice option.

📱A phone wrist strap or lanyard

I got caught in a downpour with my phone in an open pocket on my purse. I thought it got protected but the charging port got wet and never quite worked properly again.

With a phone wrist strap or lanyard, you can tuck your phone in your sleeve or under your raincoat.

It can also help keep your phone safer from pickpockets and from the risk of dropping it if you’re taking photos from a rooftop, hot-air balloon, or boat ride.

🧥Layers

Did you see all those low temperatures in the 50s in the forecast? It won’t be much warmer than that in the early mornings and after storms comer through in the evenings.

In Mexico City, life happens outside, so I usually bring a light sweater so I’m comfortable sitting outside at a restaurant or bar.

👎What not to bring

Don’t pack flip flops or sandals. You’re visiting a big city, not a beach resort, and you’ll want to keep your feet clean and protected. Save the swimwear for Cancun or Puerto Vallarta.

This post contains one or more affiliate links. We only recommend products and services that we believe are of high quality and helpful to readers. Making a purchase through an affiliate link is one small way you can support💜Eternal Spring, and there’s no additional cost to you.

🛍️Other shopping options

I’m a fan of more affordable and climate-friendly shopping options, so I buy quite a bit of what I need from these two retailers. These aren’t affiliate links; I’m just a fan. With both, you’ll want to check the sites frequently because the inventory changes all the time.

• Relay Goods: They sell returned but unworn, previous season, and damaged-box running and walking shoes, including some waterproof options. I got my On waterproof sneakers here for $35 less than full price. Shipping has been quick, in my experience.

• ThredUp: They sell all kinds of secondhand clothing, accessories, and bags. They’re a great place to shop if you need affordable travel gear in a climate that’s different from where you live. You can sort by “new with tags” if you’re not into used clothing. Shipping can take a while, so give yourself plenty of time before your trip to shop.

If you found these rainy season strategies helpful, our complete digital guidebook, Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City, contains more than 500 pages of neighborhood breakdowns, curated restaurant guides, and real-world logistics designed to work seamlessly on your phone, e-reader, tablet, or computer. Click below to download your copy.

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

💧More Mexico City rainy-season tips

Here are a couple of early morning activities we think are worth it. Book them for early in your trip so there’s time to reschedule in case you hit some rare inclement weather early in the day.

Mexico City: What we’re reading this week

CDMX through the eyes of Mexican-American . I’m especially liking her shopping selections.

Sad Mami

how to experience mexico city: a no sabo guide

I made my fourth visit to Mexico City this week. Visiting Mexico (and CDMX) in particular is always a surreal experience as a third/fourth gen Mexican American. Originally known as Tenochtitlan, the center of the Aztec Empire, Mexico City has lived rent free in my imagination since my early Chicano Studies days when I learned the legend of the eagle, s…

Read more

4 months ago · 14 likes · 5 comments · Dayna Cobarrubias

This collection of sounds of Mexico City, complete with cultural and historical background, by .

Marcelo's Substack: Silva (de Varia Lección)

Mexico City: The Acoustic Version

This is an English translation of my original Spanish text. I hesitated to post it because I did not want to clutter your inbox, but I wanted to reach out to the English-speaking readers…

Read more

3 months ago · 1 like · Marcelo Castro Salinas

Two new museums we want to try, thanks to .

Leslie Brenner (Home of Cooks Without Borders)

Six delectable days in Mexico City

Become a paid subscriber and enjoy full access to the full archive, including the Cooks Without Borders Recipe Collection…

Read more

3 months ago · 9 likes · 4 comments · Leslie Brenner

The dining scene in Mexico City showcases cuisines from around the world, brought from people who have made the city their home over the decades.

explains how these restaurants live alongside the traditional Mexican restaurants you expect to find here, so we’re sharing his guest post with you.

Find more of his work at goodfoodmexico.

Subscribe now

When I came to live in Mexico City in the late 1990s, I was obsessed with finding the best Mexican food. There were no restaurant guides for outsiders—I would later write the first one. Street food was still regarded with suspicion by most foreign visitors. The only indispensable guidebook I found was the mythical, spiral-bound Guía del Pleno Disfrute de la Ciudad de México, produced by a circle of writers and intellectuals and as rare as a three-peso bill. It became my bible.

In his introduction, the essayist, urban chronicler and bon vivant Carlos Monsiváis posed a question that has stayed with me ever since:

“What does a city offer? What are its mysteries, its hidden corners, its underground paradises? And what mechanisms does it provide for pleasure?”

For years, I thought the answer lay entirely in local food. I chased late-night taquerías, weekend barbacoa, mole made by anonymous women in hole-in-the-wall kitchens, forgotten fondas and bustling market stalls. I was still captivated by that troublesome word “authentic”—a concept I have long since abandoned. I believed that understanding Mexico meant eating nothing but Mexican food. But Mexico City has changed; so have I.

One of the most rewarding ways to understand the city today is by eating everyone else’s food. That may sound like a contradiction. Why fly halfway around the world only to eat Chinese noodles or Korean barbecue? Because those meals are just as much a part of contemporary Mexico City as tacos al pastor.

One of the great misconceptions about “eating local” is that it assumes a city’s identity can be reduced to its traditional cuisine. But cities aren’t museums. They evolve with the people who live in them.

Mexico City was cosmopolitan long before anyone coined the phrase “digital nomad.” Chinese immigrants founded the cafés de chinos more than a century ago. Spanish, French, Lebanese and Jewish communities have all left lasting marks on the city’s culinary landscape. More recently, Indians, Koreans, Japanese, Venezuelans and, increasingly, Chinese immigrants have added entirely new chapters.

Contrary to what one occasionally reads in newspaper trend pieces, none of this has diluted Mexican cuisine. During the thirty years I’ve lived here, I’ve witnessed precisely the opposite. Regional Mexican cooking has flourished. There are more excellent taquerías, seafood restaurants, fondas and fine-dining venues than ever before. The city’s table hasn’t become less Mexican; it has become bigger.

So when people ask me what I miss most about New York, I usually answer: family, friends… and good Chinese food.

For years, finding it in Mexico City felt like searching for the Holy Grail. Every so often someone would whisper about a place above a shopping arcade or hidden behind an office building where nobody spoke much Spanish, the menu wasn’t translated, and every table seemed occupied by people who clearly hadn’t come because the restaurant had five stars on Yelp or appeared in a guidebook. Half the time, the rumors proved disappointing. Then, every once in a while, I’d strike gold. Those discoveries thrilled me every bit as much as finding an extraordinary taco stand. Eventually I realized why. The best foreign restaurants in Mexico City are the ones that don’t really care whether you come or not. That isn’t meant as criticism. Quite the opposite. Their purpose isn’t to introduce Chinese food to Mexicans or Indian food to tourists. They exist because someone misses the food they grew up with. They serve homesick students, engineers, factory managers, visiting relatives and families who simply want dinner to taste like home. The rest of us are welcome, of course. We’re just not the intended audience, and that’s precisely what makes them so exciting.

There is something deeply satisfying about eating another person’s comfort food. Food that hasn’t been adjusted, translated, sweetened or explained. Food that assumes you already know what it is and if you don’t, you’ll learn.

In the last few years, that world has expanded dramatically in Mexico. A growing Chinese community—driven in part by investment in the electric vehicle and technology sectors—has brought with it a new generation of restaurants serving regional cuisines that would have been unimaginable here a decade ago. Some don’t even have Spanish menus, requiring Google Translate and a willingness to take chances. The dining rooms are filled largely with Chinese customers. Exactly as they should be.

I find myself increasingly drawn to these places—not because I’m tired of Mexican food, but because they reveal another Mexico City. The same is true of Korean restaurants crowded with Korean families, Japanese noodle shops serving Japanese office workers, or even American-style cafés feeding brunch to homesick digital nomads. These aren’t “ethnic restaurants,” they’re neighborhood venues serving neighborhoods most of us never knew existed.

Carlos Monsiváis asked what hidden pleasures a city proposes. After almost three decades, I’m still answering that question. Some of those hidden pleasures are still found in tiny taquerías and market stalls. Others arrive in bowls of hand-pulled noodles, sizzling Korean grills, or plates of food whose names I still can’t pronounce.

That’s one of the great pleasures of living in a city that never stops becoming itself.

If you’re curious to explore this other side of Mexico City’s dining scene, I’ve written about many of these discoveries—including outstanding Chinese restaurants and other immigrant cuisines—on Good Food Mexico.

Consider it the beginning, not the end, of the treasure hunt.

Subscribe now

Quick guide: San Ángel walk details

• Starting point: San Ángel Inn

• Ending point: Plaza del Carmen

• Distance: About a half mile

• Time: 1 to 2 hours, depending on shopping and photo stops

• Best time to visit: Saturdays, when the parks are filled with Mexican artists selling paintings, sculptures, and fabric art.

With its tree-lined streets and understated affluence, San Ángel is one of the prettiest neighborhoods in Mexico City. It’s also an ideal place for a stroll. Just be sure to wear comfortable sneakers or walking shoes—you’ll be glad you have them when you’re navigating the cobblestones.

An 💜 Eternal Spring subscription is a smart investment in your Mexico City experience. For just $7/month or $49/year, you get access to all of our paid content, plus our archive of more than 100 articles covering neighborhood walks, what to pack, safety considerations, and more.

Subscribe now

San Ángel Inn

Start at San Ángel Inn (1). This is one of our favorite restaurants in Mexico City, and we begin many San Ángel visits with a meal here and then walk it off.

Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo

Cross the street to the northeast to Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo (2). This often-overlooked gem is worth a visit, and unlike Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul, you can walk right up and buy tickets on the spot.

You can also simply enjoy its cactus-lined exterior if you don’t have the time to explore inside right now.

Head east on Avenida Altavista (3) then rurn right (south) and stroll down Calle Reyna (4).

Crucifix statue

Check out the crucifix statue tucked into the corner of Calle Reyna and Gral Aureliano Rivera (5), then continue south on Calle Reina (6).

Plaza de los Licenciados

Cross the street to visit the small Plaza de los Licenciados, then turn left (east) onto Calle Benito Juárez (7).

Parroquia San Jacinto

Turn into Parroquia San Jacinto (8) on the right (south). Check out the pretty garden inside the wall and take a look inside the church if you like.

Bazar San Ángel

Head east on Calle Benito Juárez (9) and where you’ll find Bazar San Ángel (10), a collection of shops selling Mexican handicrafts.

If you’re ready for a break, you’re close to Oxa, where you can get a meal or a drink. We’re fans of their brunch menu.

Plaza Tenanitla

Plaza Tenanitla hosts Bazar Sábado, a charming outdoor art market, on Saturdays.

Plaza san Jacinto

Kitty-corner from Plaza Tenanitla is the larger Plaza san Jacinto (11). The park surrounds a fountain and hosts local artists selling their work on Saturdays.

Calle Madero

Head northeast on Calle Madero (12) and explore the shops and stores on both sides of the street.

Plaza del Carmen

Finish your walk at Plaza del Carmen (13), a small triangular park, which also has a wonderful art fair each Saturday.

From here, you can relax on a park bench, grab a quick drink—we recommend a glass of wine at Bistro 83 across the street to the north in the Mercado del Carmen—or see if there’s an event at Centro Cultural San Ángel, across the street to the south.

Then, you can catch an Uber back to your vacation rental or hotel of, if you’re still feeling adventurous, to Coyoacán.

If you can’t get enough of San Ángel and have the time, you could wander through the three blocks or so behind the Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo between Calle Diego Rivera and Calle Reyena (north of Avenida Altavista), or the other streets that parallel Calle Reyana south of Avenida Altavista.

This is where Mexico City’s wealthiest residents live, not in Polanco. Most homes have private security with a dedicated security booth that’s manned 24/7, and yet the area retains a subdued, quiet, and natural beauty.

If it’s your first time visiting Mexico City, there are a handful of neighborhoods that should be at the top of your list of places to stay.

This is an excerpt from our downloadable book, Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City, which is designed to work seamlessly on your phone, e-reader, tablet, or computer. Use it to plan your itinerary, and refer to it any time you need to when you’re in Mexico City.

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

🗺️ Where should you stay in Mexico City?

🌴 Condesa ⭐

Quieter and less chaotic than Roma Norte to its east, Condesa is full of cafés and the home of some of our favorite restaurants and bars. There is even some terrific street food if you look past the tourist zones.

It’s a good choice for if you want a quiet base to explore the rest of a loud and chaotic city. It’s our top pick for visitors, especially on a first trip.

Share

Condesa is really three separate neighborhoods—Colonia Condesa, Colonia Hipódromo, and Colonia Hipódromo Condesa—but they’re referred to as a single place called Condesa.

🏠 Roma Norte ⭐

To us, Roma Norte is the perfect Mexico City neighborhood. It’s walkable, safe, and friendly, and home to some of the city’s best restaurants, bars, cafés, and street food.

If you’re looking for a risk-free, traditional local experience, Roma Norte is it. We love it so much that we made it our home.

🏛️ Centro

Centro refers to the European-style center of Mexico City made up of the Centro Histórico and Alameda Central neighborhoods, plus a bit of the surrounding area.

It extends from the Zócalo (main square) in the east, past the Palacio de Bellas Artes ands the Alameda Central park in the center, and out to the Monumento a la Revolución (Monument of the Revolution) in the west.

Planning a Mexico City trip? Download Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City 2026 ($9.99) for neighborhood maps, daily itineraries, and curated restaurant lists right on your phone.

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

The whole area is quite walkable, and you could spend days exploring its sights, restaurants, bars, and cafes.

🌸 Juarez and Reforma

You’ll find Juarez, San Rafael, and Colonia Cuauhtémoc on either side of Paseo de la Reforma, west of Centro and north of Roma Norte.

These neighborhoods aren’t as gentrified as Condesa and Roma Norte, but they are catching up, with plenty of restaurants, some of the cities top cocktail bars, and many of the city’s biggest hotels. It’s also home to Zona Rosa, an LGTBQ-friendly community.

This area is most interesting on Sundays: That’s when Reforma closes its streets to car traffic so that walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and others can enjoy its monuments and fountains from a unique perspective.

You’ll also find Mexico City’s best art fair at the Jardín del Arte Sullivan on Sundays.

🍸 Roma Sur

If Condesa and Roma Norte are too gentrified for you, take a look at the busier, grittier, and smaller neighborhood to the south, Roma Sur. It’s light on sights, but full of incredible, authentic restaurants, bars, and street food.

It’s also the home of our favorite park, the enormous Jardín Ramón López Velarde, our favorite farmer’s market, Mercado El 100, our local market, the authentic and diverse Mercado Medellín, and our favorite bar, Café Tacobar del Sur.

🛍️ Polanco

Upscale Polanco is full of expensive hotels, restaurants, and embassies, and one of Mexico City’s best museums, Museo Soumaya, is nearby. The neighborhood is even more Americanized and gentrified than Condesa, and is considered a sort of Beverly Hills of Mexico City.

It’s a bit remote, however, because it’s not served by the Metro and there is a traffic choke point separating the area from the rest of the city.

It’s worth seeing, but the long Uber rides to and from elsewhere in the city make Polanco less desirable as a base for visitors.

🐺 Coyoacán and San Ángel

Geographically separated from most of the areas we recommend, Coyoacán and neighboring San Ángel are very much worth the 25- to 30-minute Uber ride to the south.

Both feature traditional markets, gorgeous parks, and wonderful restaurants, bars, cafés, and weekend art fairs.

Coyoacán is also home to one of Mexico City’s most popular sights, Museo Frida Kahlo, a museum dedicated to the country’s most famous artist that’s located in her former home, the walled Casa Azul (the Blue House).

San Ángel is home to two of our favorite restaurants, Oxa and San Ángel Inn. While we love these neighborhoods, but we don’t recommend staying in either because they’re so far from most of the places you’ll want to see.

📅 How long should you stay in Mexico City?

You can get a good feel for what makes Mexico City so special in 5 to 7 days. So we recommend that most first-time visitors try and spend the better part of a week here if possible.

That said, if you have more time for traveling, you could easily stay for two weeks or more without running out of things to do.

And, you can see quite a bit in a short time, if that’s all you have. Here’s what we did with friends who tacked a weekend with us onto a trip to Acapulco:

Need tips for booking a vacation rental?

We’ve made a few mistakes booking vacation rentals, and you can learn from our mistakes:

Quick Guide: Reforma Walk Details

• Starting point: Estela de Luz at the entrance to Chapultepec Park

• Ending point: Monumento a la Madre/Jardín del Arte Sullivan

• Distance: About 1.5 miles

• Time: 1 to 2 hours, depending on photo stops

• Best time to visit: Sunday mornings and early afternoons, when the street is closed to cars for biking and walking

The best way to experience Avenida Paseo de la Reforma is on foot or riding a bike. While it’s a great walk any day of the week, Sundays are the best time to visit.

That’s when when the city closes Reforma to motorized vehicles, and the pedestrians cyclists, roller bladers, and dog walkers take over.

Whether you are looking for local street vendors selling homemade items, unique public art installations, or historic Mexican monuments, this self-guided walking tour covers everything you need to see from west to east.

1: Estela de Luz (The Starting Point)

Begin at the Estela de Luz monument just outside the entrance to the Bosque de Chapultepec. You can’t miss it: It’s over 340 feet tall, looks as thin as a pencil, and it commemorates the bicentennial of Mexico’s independence from Spain.

2: Reforma’s south side

You can walk on either side of Reforma, but we recommend the south side for this stretch.

3: Fuente de la Diana Cazadora

Head northeast, taking in the many statues that line the sidewalk and the gorgeous, wide, cement city benches.

When you reach the intersection of Sevilla and Reforma, you’ll find the Fuente de la Diana Cazadora (Fountain of Diana the Huntress). Here, you can switch to the north side of Reforma or stick with the south side.

4: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz memorial

There are statues on both sides of Reforma for the entire stretch of this walk. But there’s a particularly notable example on the north side of Reforma: The Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz memorial celebrates the famous Spanish nun and writer.

5: Alas de Mexico

Further along on the south side of Reforma, you will run into the Alas de Mexico, a statue of two golden wings that’s ideal for a photo op: Just stand between the two wings and smile like an angel.

6: El Ángel de la Independencia

Proceed northeast to the intersection of Florencia and Reforma and the iconic Ángel de la Independencia (Angel of Independence) monument.

Tip: Just past the Angel of Independence on the north side of Reforma, you’ll find Amici at the Sheraton Hotel and Cityzen at the Sofitel.

Amici has an impressive Sunday brunch buffet, and Cityzen has breakfast, snacks, and cocktails with an unmatched view of Reforma and Mexico City. Reservations recommended at both.

7: Glorieta del Ahuehuete

Continue northeast on the south side of Reforma. You will pass the Glorieta del Ahuehuete, the only major intersection on this part of Reforma without a monument. It’s at the intersection of Rio Rhin and Calle de Niza.

8: Leonora Carrington Sculpture

Proceed northeast on the south side of Reforma. Keep an eye out for the quirky, surrealist Cocodrilo de Leonora Carrington, a particularly notable sculpture.

9: Avenida Insurgentes Intersection & Monumento Metrópoli

As you continue to the northeast, you will run into the massive intersection of Avenida Insurgentes Sur and Reforma. Cross Reforma to the north side just before this intersectionm where you’ll find the white, tree-like Monumento Metrópoli.

Reforma is notable for its many benches, some unique one-offs you won’t see anywhere else. There’s such a bench here: It has a fun playing card motif that’s almost as much a work of art as the Monumento Metrópoli.

10: Monument to Cuauhtémoc

Cross Avenida Insurgentes Sur to see the Monument to Cuauhtémoc.

11: Monumento a la Madre

From here, check out Monumento a la Madre (Monument to the Mother), just to the northwest on Calz. Manuel Villalongin.

12: Jardin del Arte Sullivan

The Jardin del Arte Sullivan, adjacent to the Monumento a la Madre, is a park where, on Sundays, you’ll find artists offer their work for sale in an open-air market.

An 💜 Eternal Spring subscription is a smart investment in your Mexico City experience. For just $7/month or $49/year, you get:

Our Paseo de la Reforma walk on Google Maps

All of our paid content, including Our archive of more than 100 articles covering neighborhood walks, what to pack, safety considerations, and more

A copy of our e-book, Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City

See our Paseo de la Reforma walk on Google Maps.
Thanks for being a paid subscriber to Eternal Spring. Your support makes a difference, and we appreciate it! — Paul and Steph

More of our Mexico City walks

The FIFA 2026 World Cup is taking place in North America this year, and these five matches will be played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City:

• Mexico v South Africa: Thursday June 11

• Uzbekistan v Colombia: Wednesday, June 17

• Czechia v Mexico: Wednesday, June 24

• Group A winners v Group C/E/F/H/I third place: Tuesday, June 30

• Winner match 79 v Winner match 80: Sunday, July 5

If you’re headed to Mexico City to watch the World Cup matches, this guide can help you plan your trip.

While we outline our top advice here, you’ll need a subscription to drill down into most of the content in the links.

Subscribe now

🏨Where is the best place to stay for the World Cup in Mexico City?

Estadio Azteca (Estadio Banorte), where the Mexico City matches will be played, is in the southern part of the city’s Coyoacán neigborhood.

Depending on how long you plan to stay in Mexico City, you may want to stay in:

• Coyoacán: The more visitor-friendly part of Coyoacán, where you’ll find Casa Azul, parks, the Coyoacán market, street food stalls, and more, is about a 20-minute drive or 30-minute subway ride from the stadium during typical traffic.

  

• Roma Norte/Condesa: These neighborhoods, popular with visitors, are even further north. But they are loaded with walkable streets, green parks, stunning architecture, and bars and restaurants that will be showing the World Cup matches from throughout North America.
  They’re our top pick for a base you can use to explore the city, as long as you don’t mind a longer trip to the stadium, compared to Coyoacán.

  

• Centro Histórico: This “downtown” area is even further north. It’s where you’ll find some of the city’s top sites, including the Zócalo (main square) with its cathedral and palace, the stunning Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the Torre Latinoamericana (Latin American tower), with the views of Mexico City in all directions from the top.

  

🧳What should you pack?

In Mexico City in June and July, you’re in the rainy season. That usually means sunny mornings and thunderstorms in the late afternoons or evenings. It typically doesn’t rain every day.

The rainy season can be nice, because the rain clears the pollution from the air and keeps the temperatures comfortable.

However, last year’s rainy season brought a surprising amount of nonstop rain, so plan for that.

We recommend a light raincoat, waterproof shoes, and maybe an umbrella.

If you get soaked and you don’t have laundry access, you can have your clothes washed, dried, and folded, usually that same day, in one of Mexico City’s many lavanderías (laundromats) or tintorerías (dry cleaners, which usually do regular laundry as well).

Share

🏟️What should you expect in and around Estadio Azteca?

Estadio Azteca holds almost 90,000 people, so expect big crowds on game days. Give yourself plenty of time to get there and find your seats.

You can get there by:

• Car

• Bus

• Light rail

Outside the stadium, you’ll probably find vendors selling food, drinks, and all kinds of items related to the teams that are playing. You should also expect a strong security presence.

Only bring what you need to have with you to the stadium—ID, cash for food and drinks, a credit card, and your phone. You can bring personal items in a small bag, but make sure you don’t bring any prohibited items.

🚅How can you get around in Mexico City?

The best way to get from place to place in Mexico City depends on how far you’re going and how crowded your options will be.

• Walking: Most of the parts of Mexico City that are popular with visitors are walkable, so that’s probably your best option for nearby places.

• Driving: Don’t rent a car. Drivers follow local customs that you won’t know and understand. And even if you manage to drive, you’ll have to find someplace to park.
  Uber works fine in Mexico City and, as a visitor, it’s probably the way you’ll want to get to places that are too far to walk. Just check the traffic so you know how long to expect your trip to take.

• Metro/Metrobus: You can get to most parts of the city inexpensively on the Metro or Metrobus. But these options can get very crowded at rush hour.

• Biking: You can get an Ecobici pass for 1 day (128 MXN/~6.40 USD), 3 days (254 MXN/~12.70 USD), or 7 days (425 MXN/~21.25 USD). The passes give you unlimited rides of 45 minutes or less for the number of days you choose. Mexico City has a lot of cyclists and bike lanes, and biking is often about as fast as taking a car.

📺Where can you watch the matches?

If you’re going to be in Mexico City for the World Cup but you aren’t going to the games in person, you’ll find plenty of bars and restaurants showing the matches.

We know some places that are putting in TVs just so they can attract visitors. If you see a TV, there’s a good chance it will be showing the World Cup.

❓What should you know about visiting Mexico City?

You can make your visit smoother and less stressful if you know a few things ahead of time.

An 💜 Eternal Spring subscription is a smart investment in your Mexico City experience. For just $7/month or $49/year, you get access to all of our paid content, plus our archive of more than 100 articles covering neighborhood walks, what to pack, safety considerations, and more.

Subscribe now

• Mexico City has 2 airports, so know which one you’ve booked.

• You might feel tired or low-energy or have trouble sleeping at first, because of the altitude.

• We find Mexico as safe as any major city. Be aware of your surroundings and take precautions against pickpockets, like you would anywhere.

• Don’t be vocal about how “cheap” you think everything is. It’s not cheap to most people who live here.

• A lot of smaller restaurants, bars, and shops are closed on Sundays and Mondays.

• Know where the closest pharmacies, doctors, and hospitals are, just in case. Call 911 for an emergency.

💲What to know about money in Mexico City

You should be able to withdraw pesos at ATMs with your debit card, and your US credit cards should work at places that accept credit.

Most places take credit cards, so you only need to carry enough cash for things like buying street food and tipping musicians.

For all our tips, recommendations, and itineraries, grab a copy of Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City. It’s optimized for your phone, with links to everything you need for your trip.

Paid subscribers get a copy for free!

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

🎟️What is there to do in Mexico City?

When you’re not watching World Cup matches, you’ll find plenty to do in Mexico City.

• Book your tickets ahead of time if you want to see Casa Azul.

• If you can fit it into your schedule and budget, we highly recommend a hot-air balloon ride.

• You can visit the Xochimilco canals on your own during the day, and it’s a lot of fun. For a more peaceful experience, take a sunrise tour.

• Watching a Luche Libre match is ridiculously fun. Friday nights are the “spectaculars.”

• Focus on different neighborhoods each day you’re here and minimize the time you spend in traffic.

• We definitely recommend making time for the Plaza de la Constitución (Zócalo), Museo Nacional de Antropologia (National Anthropology Museum), and Palacio de Bellas Artes.

• CDMX Secreta and other sites and apps list live music, local art exhibits, festivals, and other events that will be happening when you’re here.

👣Neighborhood walks

You can easily wander around these neighborhoods on your own, but our walks can help if you want more guidance and details.

🍽️Restaurants and bars

Mexico City is loaded with great restaurants and bars, from little taco stands to Michelin-starred restaurants.

• For a homemade and affordable meal, look for a cocina economica.

• To see what the city’s top chefs and mixologists are crafting, book ahead at these top restaurants and bars.

🗺️More of our guides

Check out these guides for detailed looks at sights, restaurants, and bars in some of Mexico City’s neighborhoods.

Roma Norte

Coyoacán and San Ángel

Condesa

Centro Histórico

Subscribe to 💜 Eternal Spring and get all of our content, including more than 100 searchable articles where you can find answers to your questions about Mexico City.

Subscribe now

Odds are good that when you’re out exploring Mexico City, nature will call. If you’re ready to stop for a snack or a drink, you’re probably covered.

Restaurants and bars have bathrooms customers can use. Same with museums and other attractions. In a bigger place, an attendant might be working in the bathroom. It’s polite to tip a few pesos.

But there are times you might need to use a public restroom. Here’s what to know.

An 💜 Eternal Spring subscription is a smart investment in your Mexico City experience. For just $7/month or $49/year, you get access to all of our paid content, plus our archive of more than 100 articles covering neighborhood walks, what to pack, safety considerations, and more.

Subscribe now

How can I find public bathrooms in Mexico City?

Look for a sign that says “Banos,” “WC,” or “Sanitarios.” You’ll probably see that illustration of a man and a woman that’s usually the sign for a bathroom. Sometimes, you’ll see the word “limpias,” which means clean.

Most of the time, public bathrooms in Mexico City are in fact pretty clean. They may even have a full-time attendant taking care of them.

Do you have to pay to use a public bathroom?

Usually, yes. If you’re headed out for the day and you think you might need a public bathroom, make sure you have change.

Five pesos is a typical amount. Mexico uses the same symbol for the peso that Americans use for the dollar, so look for a sign that says $5 (or another amount). That’s about 25 cents USD. We’ve seen public bathrooms that charge up to 9 pesos.

You might drop your coin in a slot and enter through a turnstile, or pay an attendant. You’ll want to have the right amount or at least be close. An attendant won’t want to give you change for $20, $50, or $100 pesos.

Where do you get toilet paper in Mexico City bathrooms?

Usually, the toilet paper is inside the stall, where you probably expect it to be.

But sometimes it’s not, and you don’t want to figure that out too late.

There might be a toilet paper dispenser in the central area of the bathroom, so you can take (or buy) the amount you think you need and bring it into the stall with you. So, look for that, or check inside the stall before you get started doing what you need to do.

Sometimes, the attendant hands some toilet paper to you.

If you’ve been to Mexico City restaurants, you might have noticed that Mexico doesn’t supply the nearly endless number of napkins you’re used to in the US.

Share

That can be true for toilet paper, too. You might get an amount of toilet paper that feels wildly insufficient, especially if Mexican food isn’t agreeing with you.

You can ask for more: “Mas, por favor?”

Why is there a trash basket next to the toilet?

If you’re in a building with old plumbing, the basket is there for the toilet paper. Older places weren’t designed to handle anything other than human waste.

Good luck remembering to use it—a lifetime of muscle memory will probably have you throwing the paper in the toilet, even if you know to use the basket. Or maybe that’s just me.

What’s the most important thing for English speakers to know?

“M” stands for “Mujeres,” which is Spanish for women. “H,” for “Hombres,” is the men’s room.

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably the type of person who likes to be prepared. You may also like these articles:

If you’re a cocktail enthusiast, you’ll find lots to sip in Mexico City, especially in the trendy Roma Norte, Juarez, and Condesa neighborhoods.

This guide highlights the 8 Mexico City cocktail bars on the 2026 North America’s 50 Best Bars list, plus a few of our favorite bars that didn’t make the cut.

A few things to know about the city’s cocktail bar scene:

• Expect to pay $200 to $3050 MXN (about $10 to $17.50 USD) per cocktail.

• Generally, you’ll find more of a visitor/expat crowd early in the evening at Mexico City cocktail bars, with more locals and Mexicans visiting from other parts of the country later at night.

• A lot of people in Mexico City don’t like to go out on rainy nights, so those evenings can be a good time to try to get into a cocktail bar if you don’t have a reservation.

• A lot of cocktail bars are closed on Sundays and/or Mondays.

• As is true in most places, going on a weeknight and earlier in the night gives you better odds of getting in.

If you’re planning dinner around your bar reservations, our Roma Norte and Condesa restaurant guides can help you choose where to eat:

Read more

Paul has a word for these tourists—“gringbros.”

They’re a block away, and yet their voices are all you can hear. They’re dressed like they’re in Cancun, not Mexico City. They’re taking up the whole sidewalk, and they all have beers in their hands, like they can’t manage the five-minute walk between bars without drinking.

You don’t want to be like them.

The fact that you care about how you come across means you’re more than halfway there. Most of what makes you a good visitor comes down to being polite and respectful when you’re out in public.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re in Mexico City, so you won’t be that “gringbro” who’s making the locals roll their eyes.

💰Shut up about how cheap you think everything is

To be a respectful tourist in Mexico City, keep in mind that “cheap” is relative, so it can be rude to talk about what a bargain everything is.

From souvenirs to restaurant meals to Ubers, things are probably less expensive than what you’re used to in the U.S.

They are probably not cheap to the restaurant server, store owner or front desk clerk who can hear you.

Share

Minimum wage in Mexico City is $315.04 pesos per day.

That’s a little more than $18 USD.

A $54 USD dinner may seem cheap to you, but it could be three days’ pay for someone within earshot.

In the same vein, that $4 USD Uber that seems like a bargain is out of reach for someone paying $0.25 USD to take the metro or the bus.

💬Learn and use a few Spanish words

Yes, you should speak Spanish in Mexico City. Yes, you’ll feel awkward. You’ll worry about your pronunciation. You may even be corrected by locals. Do it anyway.

Don’t just walk into a place speaking English and assuming someone will understand you.

No one expects you to be fluent in Spanish before a vacation, but you can learn enough to be polite:

• Buenos días/buenas tardes/buenas noches: Good morning/good afternoon/good evening.
  This sounds formal in English, but it’s a polite, friendly greeting in Spanish, like “hi” or “hello.” Greet people in stores and restaurants as you enter.

• ¿Habla ingles?: Do you speak English?

• Por favor: Please.

• Gracias: Thank you.

• La cuenta, por favor: The check please.
  You usually have to ask for the check in Mexico City. The server won’t assume you’re finished or leave a check and say “take your time” or “whenever you’re ready.”

• Hasta luego: See you later, used more than “adios” for goodbye.

For all our tips, recommendations, and itineraries, grab a copy of Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City. It’s optimized for your phone, with links to everything you need for your trip.

Paid subscribers get a copy for free!

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

Your Spanish will probably be so bad that the other person will speak in English, or offer to, if they can. If not, you’ll need to muddle through with gestures, pointing, and your translation app.

🤫Keep your voice down

If you want to be a respectful visitor in Mexico City, read the room (or street, or bus) before you talk.

If you’re cheering for a soccer team at a crowded bar or you’re shouting to your friends over the music at a club, fine.

But if you’re walking down a peaceful neighborhood sidewalk, riding the Metro or Metrobus, or having a latte at a quiet cafe, keep your voice down. Listen for a second, and drop your volume down below what you can hear around you.

And it goes without saying (but of course I’ll say it) use headphones. No one wants to hear you FaceTime your friends/kids/cat sitter.

📷Before you take someone’s photo, ask

Locals and vendors don’t necessarily want to be in your Instagram or TikTok. Ask “¿Puedo tomar una foto?”

If you photograph or video a street performer or musician, leave a tip.

🩴Skip the sandals

Mexico City is a long way from the beach, and it’s a city—the sidewalks can be dusty in the dry season and full of puddles in the rainy season.

Plus, most of the year, it’s chilly in the evenings and a lot of restaurants are indoor/outdoor with plenty of fresh air. Nothing says “tourist” like someone shivering in a sundress because they didn’t even bother to check the weather and pack a sweater.

You’re probably going to look like a tourist regardless of what you wear, but you’ll at least look like you’re trying with sneakers, jeans, a plain shirt or sweater, and a cross-body bag or backpack.

• Exception: Dressy sandals for a nice dinner when you don’t have to walk far are fine.

🔇Keep your comments to yourself

Not everything will be the same as it is for you at home. If it was, why would you leave?

That doesn’t mean things that are different are weird or bad, even if you think what you’re used to is better.

It may be surprising or inconvenient for you to find out that a breakfast spot opens at 9 a.m. But it works for the people who work there and the locals who eat there.

💧Don’t ask if it’s safe to drink the water

If water or ice is served to you in a restaurant, it’s filtered. You don’t need to ask if it’s “safe.”

Mexicans can’t drink tap water here either. That’s why you see so much bottled water for sale on every street corner.

If you would rather not drink water that’s served to you, just leave it there.

If you want bottled water, ask for “agua natural” for plain water or “agua mineral” for sparkling water.

The word for ice is “hielo.” If you don’t want ice, you can say, “Sin hielo, por favor.”

(Thanks to of Mexico City Streets, which you should absolutely subscribe to, for pointing out how common this is.)

You may also like:

In the past few years, cocktail bars have been popping up all over Mexico City.

And you’ll find lots of them in the Roma Norte neighborhood, where you can walk from place to place and try different cocktails or settle in for a few drinks and something to eat at one spot.

A few tips:

• Go early on a weeknight when it’s less busy if you want to improve your odds of getting a good seat, maybe even a seat at the bar. Go later and on weekends for a better feel of a bar’s vibe, when it’s packed.

• Plan to pay $200 to $350 pesos per drink ($10 to $17.50 USD) in upscale, stylish bars like these. You can pay with credit cards.

• You may have to be a little more assertive when you want to get a server’s attention, compared to in the U.S. Waiters in Mexico City are more likely to leave you to enjoy the people you’re with than to interrupt you to check on you.

  An 💜 Eternal Spring subscription is a smart investment in your Mexico City experience. For just $7/month or $49/year, you get access to all of our paid content, plus our archive of more than 100 articles covering neighborhood walks, what to pack, safety considerations, and more.

Read more

From arriving at the right airport to downloading the apps you’ll need to getting into that top restaurant, there are things you can do ahead of time to make sure your trip goes smoothly and you don’t miss anything.

Some of these tips might be obvious, but it can be a major headache if you overlook something. Following our Mexico City checklist can help you make sure you’ve done everything you need to.

This article is free, but a lot of the links below are for paid subscribers only.

1. Make sure your passport is valid

If you’ve taken a cruise to Mexico or driven to a border town from the US, you might have used a passport card. These cards are only valid if you’re traveling by land or sea.

You’re probably flying to Mexico City (it’s a long drive) so you need a traditional passport book.

And while this isn’t a hard and fast rule, Mexico could deny you entry if your passport will expire within 6 months of your arrival date. So make sure your passport is up-to-date and, if not, get started with the renewal process before booking your trip.

2. Check for major events before you pick dates

Depending on what you like to do, you may want to plan a trip to Mexico City, or avoid the city, during big events. Expect higher prices for flights and lodging, and more crowds during:

• Dia de Muertos: Nov. 2. Most of the major events happen in the week leading up to, and including, Nov. 2

• Formula 1: Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, 2026; Oct. 22 to 24, 2027

• Art Week: Feb. 3 to 7, 2027.

• World Cup: June 11 to July 19, 2026 (2026 only)

Easter week (Semana de Pascua) is quieter, since a lot of locals head out of town. It can be a nice time to visit, although smaller restaurants and shops might be closed.

3. Book your flights and double-check the airport

I like to use Google Flights to find the best deals. You can set up a price tracker for specific flights, so you know when prices drop.

I always book directly with the airline, not through a third party like Booking.com or Expedia, in case I want to make changes or upgrade later.

Share

Mexico City now has two airports:

• Mexico City International Airport Benito Juárez, about 20 to 40 minutes from the city

• Felipe Ángeles International Airport, about 1.5 hours from the city

Make sure you know which one you’re flying to and from.

4. Reserve a place to stay

Popular rental properties in Mexico City are booked well in advance, so you start this search early. Vrbo is a good option for vacation rentals in Mexico City, and there are plenty of hotels at a big range of prices.

5. Make a few reservations so you don’t miss out

You don’t need to plan every minute of your trip ahead of time. But some sites and restaurants fill up well in advance.

• Balloon ride over the pyramids of Teotihuacán. We recommend Flying Pictures Mexico. You should book this about a month before your trip, but they often have availability on shorter notice.

• Some tours, like the sunrise boat ride on the canals of Xochimilco, require reservations in advance. We recommend Exotik City Tours. As above, you should book this tour about a month before your trip, but they too can often accommodate last minute requests.

• Certain popular sights like Museo Frida Kahlo require reservations—you can’t just show up in an Uber and expect to get in. You should book these tickets 2-3 weeks before your trip, and you should do so directly from the Museum’s website.

• Michelin-class fine dining experiences like Pujol and Quintonil require you to book a reservation as far in advance as possible, though the time frame is typically limited to two months out. So set a reminder, if needed, or you’ll miss out.

You should also make reservations at other fine dining restaurants, like Contramar, Maximo, and Rosetta. We recommend getting reservations about a month before your trip.

6. Get a feel for the city’s layout

Mexico City is huge, and it can take a long time to get from place to place. So, you’ll want to make sure you do the things you want to do in the same neighborhood on the same days.

For all our tips, recommendations, and itineraries, grab a copy of Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City. It’s optimized for your phone, with links to everything you need for your trip.

Paid subscribers get a copy for free!

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

If you use Google Maps, download the offline versions so you have access when you’re not online.

7. Check the weather (seriously)

You might think this would be obvious—we did. But we see a lot of people in tank tops and shorts, shivering in the evening here.

Mexico City’s high altitude and low humidity make for a mild climate. (It’s the inspiration for “Eternal Spring.”)

Highs might be in the 70s and 80s, but it might only hit those temperatures for an hour or two in the afternoon.

Mornings and evenings are chilly, especially when it’s dark. Bring a sweater or light jacket—something waterproof if you’re visiting during the rainy season, roughly May to September.

8. Be prepared to feel the altitude

Mexico City is more than 7,300 feet (2,240 meters) high. There’s less oxygen in that thinner air, so you may feel more tired than you expect and a little dizzy or lightheaded. You might have trouble sleeping for the first couple of days.

There’s not much you can do about the altitude ahead of time, but it’s good to know what to expect.

9. Contact your bank and credit card companies

Your credit and debit cards will generally work normally in Mexico. But your bank—especially if it’s a smaller, local bank—may require you to inform them about your trip so that they don’t flag any transactions as fradulent.

Don’t bring US cash. This may also seem obvious, but because some of the Mexico coastal resorts accept cash, some people assume Mexico City does, too. You can’t spend US cash here.

You can withdraw pesos from an ATM at the airport or at banks throughout the city.

10. Plan for your transportation in the city

Walking: Mexico City is a great place to walk, so bring a pair of good walking shoes.

Biking: It’s easy to cover longer distances on a bike, and it can be almost as fast as taking a car. You can get a daily, weekly, or yearly Ecobici pass.

Driving: Uber is a convenient way to get from the airport to your lodging, and from place to place around the city. If you don’t normally use Uber, install it and set it up before you leave home.

Metro: It’s inexpensive to get around the city by Metro or Metrobus, but it can take longer than driving, especially if you need to change lines. Compare the time and make sure you’re not giving up too much of your valuable vacation time to save a small amount of money.

11. Install WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the way everyone communicates in Mexico City. If a restaurant confirms your reservation, you’ll probably get a message in WhatsApp. Same goes if you need to make a doctor’s appointment, or if you have something delivered.

12. Make sure your phone works in Mexico

You can most likely call, text, and use data with your phone in Mexico. But you might save money by purchasing an as-you-go international data eSIM designed for Mexico. To do that, your phone will need to be unlocked.

13. Don’t worry about power adapters

If you’re coming from the US, you don’t need to bring power converters or adapters. Your chargers, laptops, razors, etc. plug right into the Mexico receptacles.

14. Learn at least a little Spanish

If you don’t speak Spanish already, you’re not going to become fluent by the time you travel to Mexico City. But you can learn the basics by using language learning apps like Duolingo for a month or two beforehand.

That can give you enough of a base to exchange pleasantries, ask simple questions, and make some sense of a menu.

15. Ward off Montezuma’s revenge

• Prevention: When I started coming to Mexico City, I would take Pepto-Bismol tablets every day, starting a couple of days before my trip. I haven’t really recommended this (I’m not a health care professional), but I found out that Harvard Health does, So, you might want to try it.
  

  If you do, take 2 pills 4 times a day for no more than 3 weeks. You can bring enough for your trip with you or buy them here, though we’ve found the ones they sell here taste different, like licorice.

  

• Street food: We think eating street food is part of what makes a trip to Mexico City special. Everything is prepared right in front of you, so it’s pretty easy to judge the safety standards. Most of these places work hard to make sure they keep their customers safe—just watch the extensive cleaning process when they break down the stands at the end of the workday.

• Water: Don’t drink water from the tap. Restaurants serve filtered water and ice made from filtered water, so you should be fine drinking water when you’re eating out.

  Subscribe now

Roma Norte is a charming neighborhood full of incredible restaurants and bars, interesting buildings in the Belle Époque, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco architectural styles, and tiny stores and shops selling vintage items, clothing, Mexican handicrafts, art, and more.

The neighborhood’s pretty, leafy streets are ideal for walking. Be sure to look at the doorways and entryways, windows, courtyards, and more. There are little details everywhere.

You could easily wander the streets on your own and explore the shops and sights that appeal to you along with way. If you’d prefer to have a plan, follow our walk.

This walk goes east from the El Palacio de Hierro Durango department store through the heart of Roma and up into two tiny but special spaces, Plaza de Romita and Plaza Morelia. But as with any other walk, you can go in either direction.

Read more

Key takeaways

• You might feel some effects from the lower oxygen levels in Mexico City, but most people don’t have serious issues.

• Resting, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough sleep can help.

The first time Paul and I visited Mexico City, in 2021, Covid rules meant we had to wear masks in the airport.

We landed in terminal 1 and started the long walk to passports and customs. Before long we were both winded, and taking advantage of every moving walkway we could find so we could catch our breath.

Since then, even without masks, we’ve noticed the effects of the altitude on our energy levels. Sometimes, I even feel my heart beating fast even when I’m just sitting on the couch.

But it’s pretty easy to deal with the altitude, most of the time.

Here’s what to know, and how to adjust so you can keep the altitude from affecting your trip.

⬆️ How high is Mexico City?

Mexico City is more than 7,300 feet (2,240 meters) high. That’s 2,000+ feet higher than Denver, the “Mile-High City.”

If you live at or near sea level, that’s a big change.

😮‍💨 How does Mexico City’s altitude affect you?

At higher altitudes, the atmosphere is thinner, which means the air you’re breathing doesn’t have as much oxygen as you’re used to.

For us, that means things that we can normally do easily, like climb a flight of stairs, take more effort. We’ll have less energy than usual on the first couple of days. Our heart rates go up. I’ll find myself getting dizzy sometimes when I go from laying down or sitting to standing up.

Share

You could have other symptoms, too:

• Headache (the most common symptom)

• Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting

• Trouble sleeping

It’s possible to have serious complications from altitude sickness, but that’s not common at Mexico City’s altitude. It’s high, but not that high.

For all our tips, recommendations, and itineraries, grab a copy of Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City. It’s optimized for your phone, with links to everything you need for your trip.

Paid subscribers get a copy for free!

Get our Mexico City guidebook!

👣 What can you do to cope with the altitude in Mexico City?

Being at a higher altitude than you’re used to shouldn’t affect your trip too much, but you can take a few steps to adjust more easily:

• Pace yourself: If you can, plan to take it easy for your first couple of days and save the strenous activities for later in your trip.

  

• Drink plenty of water: Mexico City has low humidity a lot of the time, which means you can get dehydrated without noticing it. Dehydration has a lot of the same symptoms as altitude sickness.

• Go easy on the alcohol: I know, Mexico City is filled with great cocktail bars and wine bars. And truthfully, the idea that alcohol affects you more at higher altitudes might be a myth. But alcohol can dehydrate you. So, if you’re going to drink, at least make sure you compensate with plenty of water.

  

• Get enough sleep: Being on vacation is probably already throwing off your sleep schedule, especially if you’re changing time zones, too. Try not to let the altitude make it worse.
  
  Personally, I take 5 mg of melatonin the first few nights, but I’m not a doctor. If you’re having trouble sleeping, find what works for you.

If you feel like the altitude is affecting you, try to rest. You might want to take over-the-counter medications for headaches or nausea.

If you didn’t bring medicine with you, there are plenty of pharmacies in Mexico City, and you can get what you need by using a translate app or a photo on your phone if you don’t speak Spanish.

Enjoy your return to lower altitude

If you’ve adjusted to the altitude in Mexico City, and you return home, you get the benefits of the “extra” oxygen.

I’ll go for a run in the first few days back in Pennsylvania and my lungs feel like they could go forever. My legs? Not so much!

These articles can also help you prepare for a trip to Mexico City:

Subscribe now

The first time we visited the Frida Kahlo Museum, back in 2021, We were lucky(ish). People were just starting to get back into traveling post-Covid, and Mexico City didn’t have quite the influx of visitors it has today.

The good news: We could book tickets to the Frida Kahlo Museum just a couple of days in advance.

The not-so-good news: We had to walk through the museum single-file, six feet behind the person in front of us, effectively making our way through the museum at the pace of the slowest person in line.

Luckily, today you can see the museum at your own pace. But you need to make sure you buy your tickets in advance.

🎨 Who was Frida Kahlo?

Kahlo was a Mexican artist born in 1907. After a streetcar accident left her seriously injured in 1925, her parents gave her art supplies and a special easel so she could paint in bed while she recovered. She painted her first self-portrait in 1926, and her career as an artist began.

Kahlo lived with her husband, famous Mexican artist and muralist Diego Rivera, in Casa Azul, and she created a lot of her art within its walls.

Her reputation grew over time, and she became even more famous after her death in 1954.

• The museum’s website highlights key moments in Kahlo’s life and work.

• You might also want to watch the acclaimed 2002 movie Frida, which starred Salma Hayek as Kahlo.

🖼️ What do you see at the museum?

The exterior of the museum is painted a stunning blue—you’ll probably recognize it from photos. That’s where you’ll line up in front of it at your scheduled entrance time.

Share

Kahlo and Rivera intended the home to become a museum after her death, and Casa Azul opened in 1958. Once you get inside, you’ll see:

• Personal items, photos, books, documents, and furnishings, including the bed where Kahlo started painting while recovering from her accident

• Paintings by Kahlo and Rivera

• Folk art and sculptures that Kahlo placed around the home

• The courtyard garden

  

🎟️ How do you get tickets?

The official website offers tickets for about six weeks out, and you can probably find some available within a month or so.

The museum is:

• Closed Mondays

• Open 11 am to 6 pm Wednesdays

• Open 10 am to 6 pm the rest of the week

• Open until 9 pm on the last Wednesday of every month

You book a ticket for a timed entrance, with options every 15 minutes. Be sure to show up a few minutes before your scheduled entrance time.

Tip: On the official website, you can buy tickets to just the museum, or a combo 3-hour tour that includes both the Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum and the Frida Kahlo Museum. If you can’t get tickets to the museum alone on the day you want, you can see if the combo tour is available.

If you can’t find tickets, you can check online tour groups. We’re not adding any specific links here, because some of these sites just buy tickets and sell them at around double the price without adding any value. But you can find them under “tickets” on the museum’s Google Maps page.

Share

⏲️ When is the best time to go?

Since tickets typically sell out, you’re not likely to find a time when the museum is truly quiet. Crowds are lightest when the museum first opens.

If you want to spend a day exploring Mexico City’s Coyoacán neighborhood beyond the museum—and you should—we recommend booking your tickets in the mid or late afternoon.

That way, you have the cooler, drier morning free to see the area and have lunch, and you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in traffic and missing your museum entrance time.

Some of our other articles can help you plan your day:

Another option, if you’re trying to pack as much into your Mexico City trip as possible: See the museum when it opens, spend a few hours in Coyoacán, then head down to Xochimilco for a late-afternoon trajinera ride.

📷 More Frida in Mexico City

If Casa Azul wasn’t enough for you, a 6-minute walk away, you’ll find Museo Casa Kahlo, a Kahlo-family home that opened as a museum in 2025.

You should be able to find same-day or next-day tickets available on the museum’s website, or you can buy them at the door.

We also like: Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo. This underrated gem in the San Ángel neighborhood contains lots of artwork and personal items from Kahlo and Rivera, housed in their former studio space.

Buy your tickets at the entrance. You can’t buy them online. We’ve been several times and never had any trouble getting in right away.

Key takeaway: You are probably just as safe, or safer, in Mexico City as you are in any major U.S. or European city:

• Pay attention to your surroundings

• Keep your valuables safe

• Know where your bags are

• Steer clear of sketchy areas (there’s no reason to go to places that have unsafe reputations, anyway)

Back in 2021, when Covid restrictions were still in place and a lot of the world was off-limits, Paul was researching places where we could travel. The more he saw about Mexico City, the more he found it interesting.

He was thinking about how to bring it up to me, and he knew how I would react. At that time, my opinions on Mexico City were entirely shaped by U.S. news and media.

So, in my mind, Mexico City was a place filled with machine-gun-armed narcoterrorists. I’d be caught in crossfire unless I was kidnapped first. Why would I ever want to go there?

Paul said, “I know what you’re going to say. Hear me out.” He showed me videos of people vacationing in Mexico City.

They were riding bikes down tree-lined streets, sipping coffee or cocktails at sidewalk cafes, and dining in some of the world’s best restaurants.

Before long, I was convinced, and in June 2021 we visited Mexico City for the first time. We fell in love with it, so much so that six months later, we started the process of buying an apartment.

🚶‍♀️Do we feel safe in Mexico City?

Yes. We walk everywhere we want to go, any time of day or night. Even when the streets are quiet or dark, they feel safe to us. We’re usually together, but when we aren’t, I feel safe walking by myself.

The Roma Norte and Condesa areas, where most visitors stay, are home to lots of upscale shops. We joke around that if we ever feel unsafe, we’ll duck into a sushi bar, an artisanal dog treat bakery, or a vegan restaurant.

In general, most of the places you would like to explore as a visitor—the places where you’ll find top museums, attractions, shops, and restaurants—are safe. You should also be safe exploring other parts of the city with a tour guide.

🚅What about safety on the Metro?

We take the Metro to different parts of the city and it feels as safe to us as any other subway system we’ve traveled.

That said, it can get really crowded, so we tend to avoid it during rush hour.

Both the Metro and the Metrobus have cars or areas reserved just for women and children. These tend to be less crowded, and sometimes I’ll ride in that section on my own and meet Paul when we get to our stop.

🔥What about cartel violence in Mexico City?

In February 2026, cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, (El Mencho) was killed in Talpalpa.

For all our tips, recommendations, and itineraries, grab a copy of Eternal Spring: Our Guide to Mexico City. It’s optimized for your phone, with links to everything you need for your trip.

Paid subscribers get a copy for free!

Get our Mexico City Guidebook!

Violence broke out in Talpalpa, as well as in places like Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, and Puerto Vallarta, a popular resort area on Mexico’s west coast.

But it wasn’t as bad or as widespread as it looked. AI-generated false information about the violence spread quickly on social media. And the way the U.S. media covered the events, you would think the entire country was a war zone, and on fire.

We got loads of messages from our American friends and family asking if we were OK. Some even demanded that we return home immediately. Some IN ALL CAPS.

But what actually happened in Mexico City?

As far as we can tell, nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Share

Here’s the thing: Mexico is a really big place:

• Guadalajara is about 330 miles from Mexico City, about a 7 hour drive.
  That’s roughly the distance from Boston to Philadelphia.

• Talpalpa is more than 400 miles from Mexico City.
  It’s about the distance between Denver and Albuquerque.

• Puerto Vallarta is more than 500 miles from Mexico City.
  When we visit there, we fly. It’s too long of a drive for us. It’s further than Chicago is from Nashville.

So, if you hear about violence or crime in Mexico, drill down and find out exactly what’s happening, and where.

Think of it like this: If you lived in Boston, how concerned would you be about violence in Chicago? Not at all.

👮‍♀️There is a heavy police presence in Mexico City

In Mexico City, you’ll see a lot of police cars and trucks, at least compared to the U.S. and comparable to what we’ve seen in major European capitals like Paris. There are also lots of different kinds of police, from tourist police to neighborhood police to city police.

We’re told that all this police presence is supposed to make us feel safer. That’s not the way I feel when a truck full of officers holding machine guns drives by. I guess it’s one of the many cultural differences to embrace?

🌳Staying safe on the streets

We used to joke around that the most dangerous thing about Mexico City wasn’t the risk of crime, it was the chance of tripping. Sidewalks are uneven, tree roots grow up through them, and garage entrances create steps and ramps where you don’t expect them. Plus, some streets aren’t well-lit at night.

We’ve stumbled lots of times, but we’ve always managed to stay on our feet. Until recently.

Share

One night, Paul tripped on a tree root coming up through the sidewalk, wasn’t able to catch his balance, and went down hard, bruising and scraping his shoulder, arm, leg, and knee.

Luckily, he didn’t need emergency medical care, but he’s been pretty sore, and those bruises are going to take a while to fade.

You should also be extra careful when you’re crossing the street. We’ve learned that:

• Drivers can be unpredictable.

• Many intersections have no stop signs or lights, making them a free-for-all for drivers.

• A few more cars might “beat” the red light well after it changes.

• Sometimes bus lanes run in the opposite direction as the car traffic.

• We need to watch for cyclists in bike lanes.

• Bikes and motorcycles will go the wrong way on one-way streets.

✔️Mexico City safety tips

We follow the same precautions in Mexico City as we do wherever we travel:

• Only carry the cash and credit cards you need for the day. There’s no reason to have more than that with you.

• Don’t wear flashy jewelry or carry fancy bags.

• Be aware of your surroundings when you’re withdrawing money from an ATM. Plan to take out money during the day, and when you have other people with you.

• Be extra careful in crowds.

  

• Keep your purse or backpack in sight when you’re in a restaurant, especially if you’re eating at a street-side table. Don’t put bags under your chair.

• If you’re going to an unfamiliar neighborhood and you’re not sure if it’s safe to walk, take an Uber, Didi, or licensed taxi.

• Don’t ask for trouble or behave in ways that attract attention, like walking around late at night with an open alcohol container or looking for street drugs. (We’ve never had any trouble taking home a bottle of wine we didn’t finish at a restaurant.)

  

• Watch out for scams, especially times when people distract you or touch you. We’ve heard (but not seen) of one where someone “spills” mustard on you and picks your pockets as they help clean it off.

• Keep a copy of your passport with you in case you need ID. Or get a passport card if you’re a U.S. citizen.

• Call 911 for emergencies. You can also download App CDMX, which has a red button in the top right you can tap to connect with emergency services.

• Check out more safety tips at Mexico City’s government website.

You may also like: