Mexico City Travel Guide

We know that this will be many guests’ first time in Mexico and we’re excited to be a part of that experience. We've spent several months together in Mexico (so far). We're enthusiastic fans and discover something new every time. For us, each of our visits have been a terrific bonding experience.

Now it’s your turn.

Getting in

We recommend flying into Benito Juarez International Airport. You will need a valid passport to enter the country. When you arrive in the customs hall, make sure that you’re in the correct line. Sometimes a line for an expedited process is available to citizens of certain countries, including Canada and the U.S. From the airport, you can take a bus, taxi, or Uber to your accommodations.

Getting around

Mexico City has an excellent public transportation system which is incredibly inexpensive. You can get almost anywhere on the bus or metro. However, note that Google Maps is often useless to navigate the bus system. David recommends the Transit App.

Uber is often cheaper than taxis in Mexico City, plus it has the advantages of accepting credit card and allowing you to specify your destination in advance. We recommend it highly, at least for sanity checking what a taxi should cost you. Uber has competition and you might get slightly better deals booking through DiDi or Cabify.

Renting a car is possible with a USA drivers license, but not recommended unless you are planning a long road trip. Note that the pattern of driving is more chaotic and less rules-based than you are probably accustomed. The main thing you must know is that you should try to go (slowly) unless you encounter a red light or a marked stop sign, or someone beats you to an intersection. The rule at an unmarked intersection is "uno y uno" so a car passes through the intersection in each direction one at a time. Also generally take every toll road you can; they are expensive but are often the only safe path through the rugged parts of Mexico. If you really want to rent a car, contact David for more advice. We have done many road trips in Mexico.

Etiquette

Mexico has relatively few beggars in the purest sense, however, you will find that some people will provide services to you which you (probably) don't actually want. Someone at the luchador arena may offer to get you a drink from the concession stand, or someone may play a song for you (often poorly) as you are eating in a restaurant, or a blind person may try to sell you a lolly pop as you are walking down the street. Don’t always shoo them away. You should keep some small change around to tip them for their service (even if you didn’t want it). We constantly observe that wealthier Mexicans are generous to the poor. You are not getting ripped off or played a fool for being a tourist. As little as $2MXN is appreciated by these people. I would almost never give more than $20MXN.

For waiters and similar services, it is customary to tip 10%.

For hair stylists, massage therapists, etc you do not need to tip.

For gas fill-up attendants, tip about $20MXN for a full tank.

Health & Hygiene

Avoid drinking the tap water in Mexico City. Stick to bottled water, which you can find at the corner stores (e.g., Oxxo) in a variety of sizes.

Note that Mexico City is located at the lofty altitude of 7300ft. Although altitude sickness shouldn't be a problem, do stay hydrated by purchasing electrolite drinks at convenience stores (like Oxxo). Be aware that you will become fatigued more easily than at your normal altitude especially during strenuous activity like climbing stairs.

We recommend bringing hand sanitizer and/or wipes for easy cleaning. Even the bathrooms that charge $5MXN admission will often lack soap. You will likely be handling cash at various points. Don't get sick!

Mexican toilets are fragile, so don’t flush any paper whatsoever. Look for the garbage can next to the toilet and dispose of paper there. Public restrooms are not common, so go in your hotel or restaurants when you can. If you have to go when out-and-about, restrooms often costs 5-10 pesos, so keep a few coins handy.

Safety

Mexico City is quite safe. Still, you need to exercise common sense. Don’t go places with people you don’t know (except taxi drivers and tour guides). Don’t accept drinks from strangers. Don’t wander into neighborhoods you know nothing about. Heed the advice of locals. Keep an eye on your valuables.

Language

English is fairly common in Mexico City, which has become very international. But as you may expect, there are some neighborhoods or businesses less trafficked by tourists where English is scarce. We recommend learning some basic Spanish or familiarizing yourself with translation apps in case you find yourself in a situation where English is not available.

At a minimum, learn a few basic words such as: please, thank you, excuse me, and bathroom. Note that Mexicans often refer to Mexico City as CDMX (Ciudad Mexico), and you will see this acronym everywhere.

If you have been learning Spanish and are looking for an opportunity to practice, this is it! Mexican people are generally very welcoming and happy to converse, even if your Spanish is not perfect. They appreciate the attempt and your interest in their country.

Money

The Mexican currency is the peso ($ MXN). The exchange rate as of September 2024 is $1 USD to $19.71 MXN.

You will certainly want some cash, if not just to use a public bathroom (usually about $5MXN), buy street food, or tip a performer. We withdraw cash from ATMs. We look for ATMs from ScotiaBank or BanBajio as they have consistently low fees. David has an ATM card that reimburses ATM fees and this works internationally. Check yours! Note that the ATMs may prompt you with both a fee and a crappy exchange rate. Declining the fee will let you look for another ATM. Sometimes if you say NO to a crappy exchange rate, the machine will still give you money, but at a much better rate.

Use credit cards when possible, and reimburse your pals via Venmo or Apple Pay or Zelle or whatever. In Mexico it is highly unusual to hand someone your credit card and have them leave your sight. If this happens, immediately check for fraudulent charges. If you charge something to your credit card, and they ask you if you want to pay in USD or MXN, always choose MXN.

Most businesses in Mexico City, especially in the commercial districts of Condesa, Roma, and Polanco, accept card. However it’s good to have some cash on hand, just in case.

Cell Phone Service

You will likely want cell phone service to use Uber and maps, which will provide a great sense of safety. We found that our providers give us service in Mexico these days for free, similar to Canada. However, if you need to, you can purchase an eSIM from (Airalo)[https://airalo.com] for cheap to cover you for your visit. Many modern phones support eSIM. You can do this from Wi-Fi after you arrive, if you decide you need it.

See the city

If you’re spending a few days in Mexico City, you’ll have no problem filling your time. Mexico City is chock full of attractions, which you can find documented on travel blogs. But here are some of our personal recommendations:

For the first-timer

  1. Basílica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe - A holy site with several churches and gardens. The main cathedral houses a cloth bearing the image of the Virgin Mary which she is said to have gifted to an indigenous peasant, Juan Diego, who became the first Catholic saint indigenous to the Americas. Read the story here.
  2. El Zócalo - The historic main square of Mexico City. Lined with Colonial buildings of an impressive scale framing a massive Mexican flag. There's a large cathedral and a museum with some ruins there, too.
  3. Casa de Azulejos/Sanborns - Near the Zocalo is the beautiful Casa de Azulejos, an 18th-century Baroque palace covered in blue and white talavera tile. The building now houses the Sanborns flagship, a popular Mexican department store with a restaurant inside. Most describe the food as mediocre, but it's a safe choice and the menu is large and the chance to eat in the building is well worth it.
  4. Lucha Libre - Buy tickets to a Mexican wrestling show! Popular venues include Arena Mexico and Arena Coliseo. You can buy tickets at the box office or online. Refreshments are available for purchase at events.
  5. Tequila/mezcal tasting - Available at various bars and distilleries throughout the city. Here’s a list with some suggestions.
  6. Garibaldi Square - a place north of the centro with mariachis for hire late into the night and cantinas.

For the adventurer

  1. La Hija del los Apaches - This homey bar has live cumbia music and various flavors of pulque, a sweet, lightly alcoholic drink made of fermented agave (so of course David likes it).
  2. Tepito - A working-class neighborhood home to a vast market, selling everything from pots and pans to Adibas and Nikke shoes. Also home to the Santa Muerte shrine. We recommend stopping at one of the michelada stands to enjoy a licuachela (a michelada in a blender cup covered in gummies and chamoy sauce. Cigarette optional.
  3. Callejon de la Belleza - An open-air market with tables of vendors providing manicure, eyebrow, and eyelash services between rows of cosmetics shops. Near the centro.
  4. Desierto de Los Leones - National park an hour outside the city with forests, waterfalls, and an ex-convent. (Full disclosure - we haven’t been, but it looks super cool and is on our “to-see” list).

For the luxury lover

  1. Coffee shops - Seattleites won’t be disappointed for want of good coffee in Mexico City. It’s not hard to find coffee shops that use fresh beans and brewing methods such as Aeropress, V60, origami, Japanese siphon, French press (“metodos manuales”). If you try the coffee and like it, consider picking up some beans as a souvenir! Just search for “cafe de especialidad” or peak-in any coffee shop you pass.
  2. Massage - It’s not hard to find a great massage for $40-$50 in Mexico City. Take advantage of this opportunity to pamper yourself! You don't need to tip, either. We had a good experience getting in here for a couples massage at the last minute in the past.

Lengthen your trip

If you want to add entire days to your trip, there are plenty of good ways to do it. Heare are some of our recommendations.

Day trips

  1. Teotihuacan - Pyramids that you can see on a balloon tour. This would start quite early in the morning, maybe 5amish, and you could book a tour that would pick you up from your hotel.
  2. Desierto de los Leones - A national park featuring the first monastery in Mexico, which was completed in 1611. Has hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, zip lines. We haven't been but would like to go!

Bus/car trips

  1. Querétaro - A proper city, but a little calmer and more historic than Mexico City, nice parks and good restaurants. The downtown area is a UNESCO world heritage site. We think it feels similar to the city where David's parents live. 2.5 hours from Mexico City in bus.
  2. Puebla - A city with colorful Spanish-style buildings famous for Talavera tile and distinctive food, like mole and cecina, views of Popocatepetl volcano, a good base for visiting interesting “pueblos magicos” (small, safe towns with historic significance), like Atlixco and Cholula. Excellent coffee, similar to Mexico City. There's a tourist bus that runs from 9AM-9PM which takes you to most of the sites in the city for $100MXN for an entire day. 2 hours from Mexico City in bus. There are also buses that can take you from Puebla directly to the CDMX airport that depart every hour. See our extended Puebla guide.
  3. Grutas Tolantango - Natural oasis with thermal soaking pools and a lazy river. You can stay there, too. (we haven’t been, but David‘s sister is a repeat visitor and loves it). 4 hours from Mexico City in a car; we think there are companies that will transport you there. You might want to checkout Blablacar. There are also tours.
  4. Guanajuato - Historic city with steep winding streets and a famous mummy museum. We enjoyed the street food, beautiful cafes, and pulque here especially. Also a UNESCO world heritage site. An extremely bad town to drive around, but an extremely good town to stroll. David thinks this is the most beautiful city in Mexico. You could stop in Querétaro and other towns on your way, as we have in the past. 4.75 hours from Mexico City by bus, 1.5 hours from Querétaro in bus.
  5. Huauchinango - Town in the state of Puebla that has some beautiful nature (we haven’t been, but would like to go). 2.5 hours from Mexico City in bus.
  6. Taxco - Mexico‘s silver capital with cobblestone streets and colonial architecture in the hillsides of Guerrero state (we haven’t been). 2.5 hours from Mexico City in bus.

Plane trips

  1. Oaxaca - Vibrant town considered to have the best food in Mexico. (David has been, but Erin hasn’t). Puerto Escondido is a popular destination in the same state with a beach, if that's your thing. 2 hours from Mexico City by plane.
  2. Chiapas - State with tropical climate, lush vegetation, and Mayan ruins. (We haven’t been, but want to go). 3 hours from Mexico City by plane.
  3. Veracruz - a beach town with Cuban influence, probably the closest major seaside to Mexico City (we haven‘t been). 2.5 hours from Mexico City by plane.