Mexico City

Guide to Mexico / Where To Go & What To Do

Since it is so close to the wedding location and it’s also really cool, this city is a must. It was actually recently named the “#1 World’s Most Exciting Destination in 2019” by National Geographic!

What to do

Mexico City has tons of things to see and do, it all depends in what you like. Here are some of our recommendations:

  1. Visit the historical center: In this area of town you will get to experience a lot of our colonial past. In some areas (specially in Zocalo which is a city square) you will see buildings that may remind you of Europe.

    A few buildings that are worth seeing in that area are:

    1. Palacio de Bellas Artes: Italian looking building from the outside. On the inside it has a cool art nouveau style with prehispanic influences.
    2. Palacio Nacional: You can go in for free and see the Diego Rivera Murals that are painted on the inside.
    3. Palacio Postal: Beautiful post office decorated in French style.
    4. Los Azulejos: Currently it’s a store called Sanborns with a restaurant in the inside. Food in there isn’t great but it’s worth to see the inside.
    5. Torre Latinoamericana: Ugly building but it has a sky deck which is an excellent viewing point to see the city.

  2. Visit museums: This might not be your cup of tea, but if it is: Mexico City is the city with most museums in the world.

    The ones that are worth visiting a lot are:

    1. Museo de Antropologia e Historia: In here you can see all the art of the ancient civilizations that existed before the Spanish conquest. It’s quite a big museum and after a little bit you can get sick of it but I recommend going to the Mayan and Aztec exhibitions since they are the most interesting ones.
    2. Chapultepec Castle: For a little bit, Mexico was an empire with a European monarch. He built his palace in the middle of a city park that is larger than Central Park. It’s the only real castle in America so it might be worth visiting.
    3. Casa Azul: Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s house. The museum is small and not that interesting however it has some cool things to see and it’s located in the area called Coyoacan. This neighboorhood has awesome nightlife, cafes, restaurants, etc.
  3. Go to Teotihuacan: You can’t miss the pyramids!
  4. If you’d like to take a tour, Turibus (hope on hope off tour) is a good option.
  5. Go to the Lucha Libre on Tuesdays (Mexican wrestling).
  6. Xochimilico: We have this tradition to go in Aztec boats and get hammered; it’s especially fun if you go with a bigger group! The idea is to rent a boat with a guy that takes you around an ancient lake with trees and nature. You get drunk meanwhile and also some smaller boats that prepare food will sell you snacks along the way. This snacks are delicious, but non-Mexican stomaches may not be able to handle the lack of sanitary conditions.
  7. Going out clubbing:
    1. AM
    2. Cafe Paraiso: sometimes it’s hard to get inside, they play a weird but amazing genre called electro-cumbia
    3. Patrick Miller: dance battles go down in this place
    4. Departamento: cool selection of electronic music.
    5. Leonor: plays all types of music from indie, 80’s music, electronic to modern pop songs.

    Other areas to explore the nightlife: Coyoacan, San Angel Inn and Zona Rosa (gay district).

If you need more, you can also check out one of these blogs:

  1. The 23 best things to do in Mexico City
  2. 25 unmissable things to do in Mexico City
  3. 101 of the best things to do in Mexico City: The Ultimate Guide

What to eat

Everything you can get your hands on! You can find great restaurants in Mexico City for any cuisine you can imagine. For specific Mexican dishes you have to try, check out the culinary guide. For specific restaurants, see below:

Where to eat

Being such a big city you will find great places to eat. Some of our personal favorites are the following:

In La Roma / Condesa

  1. La Docena: Food and nice drinks. Chill and relaxed atmosphere.
  2. Limantour: Bar
  3. Gin Gin: Bar that specializes in gin cocktails… you will get drunk really fast.
  4. Balmori: Restaurant/terrace with fresh cocktails and good food.
  5. El Faraon: Most amazing tacos in Mexico City…. it is also really cheap.
  6. Chuchito Perez: Stereotypical Mexican bar/restaurant. It’s the perfect place to start the night.
  7. Cabrera 7: Also super cool bar/restaurant where you can have dinner and cocktails to prepare yourself to go drinking afterwards.

In Polanco

  1. Cabanna: This is personally one of Douwe and mine favorite restaurants in MC. They sell amazing seafood, don’t forget to try: tostada de atun azul, kesito cabanna. They have really good frozen margaritas.
  2. La Cabrera: Delicious restaurant for a nice piece of steak.
  3. La No. 20: Typical Mexican cantina (bar) but posh. It has nice Mexican snacks and amazing cocktails. Cool atmosphere but I can get really Mexican sometimes since mariachis are here playing music.
  4. Bellopuerto: Great fish.
  5. La Unica: Mexican bar/restaurant

In the historical center

  1. Azul Historico: Mexican restaurant inside the Downtown hotel. It’s delicious but a little bit fancy. Once you are done, go to the pool terrace where they have a bar with nice cocktails.
  2. El Mayor: Mexican food restaurant with an amazing view of the city square and the “templo mayor” (what remains of the ancient Aztec temple that once stood there).
  3. Cafe de Tacuba: It’s one of the most iconic Mexican restaurants. It’s less trendy and fashionable than the Azul Historico but this place will make you feel like the most Mexican person in the world.

In Coyoacan

  1. Los Danzantes: Restaurant
  2. Local food market
  3. La Coyoacana: Bar with mariachi music

How to get around

Uber, Uber and more Uber. DO NOT take the public transport and DON’T TRY TO DRIVE. Also, bear in mind that there is a lot of traffic so make sure to leave on time.

Where to stay

Best neighbourhoods to book accommodation are: Condesa, Roma and Polanco.