Things to do in CDMX
Zona Centro
We recommend spending a morning or day in the city center — ideally on a weekday, when it is less crowded. Start at the Zócalo (the main plaza) and walk to Palacio Nacional (the presidential office). You can walk in (bring a photo ID) to see the Diego Rivera murals — really, really nice. The entrance is here. (Update Feb 2023: you now need to book in advance via email.) An optional side-trip is Templo Mayor, the Aztec ruins in the middle of the city — or just grab a coffee here, which has a nice terrace view of the ruins.
Next, stroll to Bellas Artes. Go into the building in front (a Sears) and head to the café on the 6th floor for a gorgeous view of Bellas Artes and the Alameda. Walk around Alameda Central. If you want more murals, visit this tiny museum holding a single, huge Diego Rivera mural.
If you still have energy, walk to the Monumento a la Revolución and/or Uber to the Museo de Antropología. There, skip the history-of-humans section and go straight to the pre-Hispanic (Aztec/Mayan) halls toward the back of the first floor. From the museum it is a short walk into Bosque de Chapultepec, the biggest park in the city (bigger than Central Park). We love the city view from the Castle (Museum of National History) and this fountain.
Food
- Yucatán food, great cochinita pibil — Coox Hanal
- Mezcalería — Bósforo (next door there’s a great restaurant with no name and no Google Maps listing)
- Azul Histórico — traditional Mexican food in a beautiful setting
Zona Coyoacán / San Ángel
Another good day is exploring the colonial neighborhoods of San Ángel and Coyoacán (where the intellectual elite lives — think Frida and Diego). If you want to visit Frida’s house, do this route in reverse and buy tickets online as early as possible — it’s the one attraction in the city that is always packed. This is a great Saturday activity: you’ll see what a typical Mexican family does on a weekend.
Have breakfast here (go to the left-side door — the left restaurant is nicer for breakfast). Then stroll to the Bazar del Sábado — THE place for high-quality Mexican handicrafts (pricier, but much better quality). Then do this exact walk to Coyoacán: https://goo.gl/maps/rXbicz4t9hfDV7FG9. The best churros in the city are shortly after the start, here. Stop along the way at the cultural centers and coffee shops. At the end, sit on a bench in the park near the wolf fountain and watch Mexican life in all its glory.
Zona Condesa / Roma
Explore the neighborhood you’re staying in — a stroll across the parks and plazas of Condesa and Roma is a great way to spend a day. Sample walk: https://goo.gl/maps/43qaiieQ2sMetGrq7.
Restaurants
- Japanese (Kura): https://g.page/izakayakura?share
- Tasting menu that will ruin all other food for you — get a reservation (Lorea): https://g.page/loreamx?share
- Mexican-Yucateca, our go-to for a good meal without overpaying (La Capital): https://goo.gl/maps/gxUFf6tSRfK7LhM96
- Good tacos: Chetito; El Parnita during the day and Páramo at night; for street tacos try El Güero (bistek)
- Mediterranean: https://goo.gl/maps/ZoY5mfQSheCaFTtY8
- Good Mexican place: https://goo.gl/maps/KGeR4xPN4KGduofr5
- More good Mexican food: https://goo.gl/maps/biX5hqbEF4uJN49b8
- Ceviche / seafood: https://goo.gl/maps/vFv21GDDgYPDAGL69
Taco stands
- El Comal Oculto — outstanding tacos, quesadillas, and all kinds of antojitos
- Hole-in-the-wall Arab-style tacos, our personal favorite: https://goo.gl/maps/HPem8vz44HFoZovG7
- https://goo.gl/maps/GzDqGu88ZCopJnD48
- Taquería Álvaro Obregón
Coffee shops & bakeries
- Saint — great bread and coffee
- Rosetta — great coffee, pastries, and bread
- Tout Chocolat
- Blend Station
- El Péndulo — several locations: one, another
- Centro Galera
- Cycling coffee shops: Giro Central and Galibier Cycling House
Drinks
- Really nice rooftop: https://goo.gl/maps/BsTXGSJeBY1qeGx16
- Great mezcal bar: https://goo.gl/maps/bmJWw95iNYPYouPX7
- Great mezcal bar #2: https://goo.gl/maps/VBv7kwpgD5H5yCop6
- Great pulque bar: https://goo.gl/maps/NLiPKVBmcxQQZYeA7
Assorted tips
- On Mondays most museums and attractions are closed — a good day to visit Teotihuacán. Book a tour or just Uber there (good drop-off spot). Beyond the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, stroll the museum and make the trek to the Templo de Quetzalcóatl.
- For Xochimilco, no need to book ahead (unless you want a kayak tour or similar). This is a good spot to Uber to; prices are posted and fixed.
Outdoor activities
If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, CDMX has a lot to offer — hiking, road and mountain biking, and rock climbing. Below are a few of our favourites, with the actual GPS tracks. The maps load as you scroll; tap one to zoom in, or grab the GPX file / open the activity on Strava.
Hiking
Desierto de los Leones — lots of hiking and mountain biking (weekend MTB rental). Good parking/trailhead; the taco/quesadilla stand at the start is great — try the “Taco sin llorar”.
Ajusco — the tallest mountain within the city, in a protected alpine forest. Short but steep; great views on a clear day. We park here and hike from there.
This ejido has many hiking and mountain-biking trails. Nearby, Los Dinamos — a string of forested canyons along the Magdalena river — is another favourite; here is one of our hikes there.
Mount Tláloc — a wonderful all-day hike, usually started from Río Frío. The summit has the ruins of an Aztec observatory.
Paso de Cortés — the saddle between the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes: pine forest, alpine meadows, and natural springs (manantiales).
Iztaccíhuatl — for the ambitious: the 5,230 m summit of Mexico’s third-highest peak, a two-day objective from La Joya. Real altitude and snow near the top — not a casual hike.
Cycling
Road cycling around CDMX is superb once you climb out of the valley. Three of our favourite long days:
Otomí — a long climb into the sierra west of the city.
La Volta — a big loop down toward the Morelos side.
Lagunas de Zempoala — over the sierra to the alpine lakes on the Morelos border.
Mountain biking
MTB — singletrack and fire roads in the forests above the city (Desierto de los Leones / La Marquesa).
Rock climbing
Los Dinamos (sport, trad, and bouldering), bouldering in Salazar, and great sport climbing in Jilotepec.
Powered by Strava.
Day trips from CDMX
Beyond the city, a wealth of mountains, lakes, and pueblos mágicos sit within a couple of hours’ drive. A few we keep going back to — with the GPS tracks for the hikes.
Pueblos mágicos
Tepoztlán — a magic town about an hour south, under the cliffs of the Tepozteco: a lively weekend market, mezcal, artisanal ice cream, and a steep climb to the Tepozteco pyramid. Our hike above town:
Malinalco — about 1.5 h southwest; a rare Aztec temple carved straight into the mountainside (Cuauhtinchán), plus an ahuehuete-shaded river and good weekend food.
Valle de Bravo — about 2.5 h west; a lake town with sailing, paragliding off the surrounding sierra, and pine forests — the classic CDMX weekend escape. Google Maps.
Mountains & nature
Nevado de Toluca — drive almost into the crater of an extinct volcano (~4,200 m) and walk to its two alpine lakes. Cold and high, but very accessible.
La Malinche — a 4,461 m volcano in a pine-oak forest; a popular acclimatisation hike with a long but non-technical summit day.
Mineral del Chico — a pueblo mágico in the pine forests of El Chico National Park (Hidalgo, ~2 h); hiking, rock climbing, and trout for lunch.
Monarch butterfly sanctuary — roughly November–March, millions of monarchs winter in the oyamel forests west of the city. We hiked up at Cerro Pelón; it is unforgettable.
Pico de Orizaba — for mountaineers only: Mexico’s highest peak (5,636 m), ~4–5 h away. Glacier travel and real altitude — a serious objective, not a day hike.
Visiting with kids
We have two small kids, so we’ve road-tested the city with toddlers in tow. A few things that work:
- Bosque de Chapultepec — beyond the museums, the park has the free Zoológico, rowboats on the lake, and the Papalote Museo del Niño, a hands-on children’s science museum.
- Parque México & Parque España (Condesa) — leafy neighbourhood parks with playgrounds, right where most visitors stay; easy to pair with a coffee.
- Centro Cultural del Bosque — the INBAL theater complex by the Auditorio Nacional runs weekend children’s theater (puppets, music, and dance).
- Desierto de los Leones — easy forest trails in the pine woods above the city. Desierto Norte up there is a very child-friendly restaurant with an outdoor playground and lots of families.
- Bigger outings: Acuario Inbursa (Polanco) and Kidzania are reliable kid-magnets.
- For what’s on this week, we rely on Karamanduka, a weekly newsletter of family and kid plans around CDMX.