Mexico City

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Mexico City is very large and thus difficult to accurately describe. It’s not only the capital of Mexico and the country’s largest and most culturally important city but also the most populous city in North America, the sixth-largest metropolitan area globally, and the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world. Originally built around 1325 as Tenochtitlan on a group of islands in Lake Texcoco by the Mexica (Aztecs), it was almost completely destroyed in 1521 and subsequently redesigned and rebuilt in accordance with Spanish urban standards; as of 1585, it was officially known as Ciudad de México (Mexico City).

We stayed in the Historic Center (Centro Histórico), which has a lot of the best sightseeing but is not necessarily a favorite tourist base; I noticed rave reviews for the Roma and Condesa neighborhoods, which are more upscale and have more evening dining and drinking destinations. Still, I really enjoyed the liveliness of the Historical Center and would stay there again if I returned. I can recommend Hostal Regina, where we had a private room with bathroom at a very reasonable price, with a daily breakfast, free drinks on some evenings and very kind and helpful staff.

Our trip to Mexico City revolved around sightseeing, as usual, some of it covered in separate posts, and lots of eating. We saw archeological sights, art museums, and craft and food markets. Some of the highlights not featured on other posts include:

The magnificent murals by Diego Rivera at Palacio Nacional, which are free but you need to go on a tour so plan to spend a morning here.

The Jardin Botanico which was pleasant but not overwhelming; if we’d had more time we probably would have visited the Castillo de Chapultepec as well.

The Cathedral Metropolitana, which is worth a visit even for the nonreligious as it’s an important historical monument.

It took a few tries to visit the Palacio de Bellas Artes to see the murals but this was also worthwhile, although not quite as impressive as the Palacio Nacional.

If you’ve only got a few days, you need to spend one in the Historical Center, visiting the Zocalo, the Templo Mayor, the Palacio Nacional and the Cathedral Metropolitana. One day around the Alameda Central at the Museo Nacional de Arte, the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Museo de Arte Popular (or another art museum of your choice). Then one full day at the National Museum of Anthropology and one day visiting Teotihuacan northeast of the city. So at least four days but there’s so much more to see, better make it a week.

If you go to one performance definitely make it the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico at the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Wednesday and Sunday evenings) which was truly terrific, with folk dances in traditional Mexican costumes. It was our big evening out and it did not disappoint.

Restaurant recommendations are difficult too because there are many great spots that are spread around the city. We didn’t visit Los Danzantes here because we went in Oaxaca, but I would put that at the top of your list if this is your only opportunity. Corazon de Maguey was also quite good. Expendio de Maiz Sin Nobre is also recommended. Tamales Madre was good but not overwhelming. Ticuchi wasn’t bad but a bit overrated and expensive. El Hidalguense is a must visit for lamb barbacoa lovers although Clement wasn’t overly impressed, he thought the meat was a bit dry.

In the Historical Center you need to have tacos at Los Cocuyos if you eat meat (they will also accommodate vegetarians); it’s super affordable and open 24 hours. Taqueria Tlaquepaque was also good and affordable with friendly service. Tacos El Huequito has good reviews but we didn't visit. Drinks in the area are more limited, La Botica was recommended and difficult to find (it's upstairs), decent if you’re in the area but not worth a special trip. Cantina Tio Pepe was atmospheric, a little further afield, and where I had my only taste of tequila. We heard good things about, but did not visit, La Opera, Mancera Bar and Pulqueria Las Duelistas.

In Roma there are lots of good bars. El Palenquito, La Clandestina and La Lavanderia Nocturna had similar menus with El Palenquito being a bit quieter and thus more to our liking. Do visit Licoreria Limantour for excellent and inventive cocktails.

Chocolateria La Rifa is delicious and you can get chocolate to take with you. Visit MisMezcales (closed Sunday) to purchase mescal to bring home if you have space in your bag.

Also, if you are sending postcards before your return on a Sunday, just go to the main post office and drop them off inside; hopefully you already have stamps. Otherwise don’t expect any assistance because no one will understand what you’re trying to do; few people send mail in Mexico these days, apparently. Not sure yet if any of these postcards will make it north but it was certainly worth the attempt.

It has to be mentioned that, although I’ve done a fair bit of traveling, outside of Iran, I can’t recall a destination where more people were concerned about our safety. Because of the volume of these concerns I avoided most public transit – we mainly walked but otherwise took Ubers – and didn’t stay out late (except for one night). We did take the metro for short distances during the day. Perhaps I was just fortunate but, especially given the size of Mexico City, I did not feel unsafe. We were mindful as always, and despite our extremely limited Spanish and inability to blend in everything went fine, and our only possible missteps were leaving our umbrellas at the hostel despite warnings of rain and sometimes having a bit too much mescal. I think if you follow the usual big city precautions you should be fine. Do not be frightened to visit this wonderful city. As the sign in our hostel indicated, Viajar es Vivir!

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