Mexico City Travel Guide
Helloooooo my gorgeous friends! It’s time to talk Mexico City. I highly suggest going here with a large group that wants to stay on a relative budget - it’s fun enough to be a treasure trove for stories and cheap enough to keep everyone you know accommodated financially. I saw a lot of potential for bachelorettes etc, but the tea is, this is not a drink all night beach/sleep all day type of excursion, k? This is a TRIP. You are gonna be BOOKED AND BUSY. History Hoes will love it, and your days will be packed with the perfect mix of culture, insanely good food, and exciting nightlife. So book an extra day off at the end to recover, thank me later. If you want exactly what I did in the 6 days I was there, check out my Notion planning doc here, and use this Shared Google Map to see all the places we went and wanted to go. Let’s get into it!
WHEN TO GO
Weather-wise, this place was a gorgeous 60-70 degrees during our mid October trip. We were blessed to have no rainy days, but it was a concern. Visiting in late spring and early fall seems to be the best time, while summer is blazing hot so less comfortable to attend.
WHERE TO STAY
Neighborhoods:
Roma Norte is where the trendiest of trendy people are living, breathing, and going out. Our Airbnb was in Roma Sur, a quick 10m ride to anywhere, and we spent the majority of time in Roma Norte. Condesa is another neighborhood that is super safe and wealthy, so if you’re traveling solo, I highly recommend finding a spot there.
Accommodations:
Ok so the cool part of CDMX is that it’s affordable, so you could theoretically treat yourself to a Four Seasons for only $300 a night (compared to $600-$900 in western nations). But I loved staying in our Airbnb in Roma Sur, although if I were a solo female traveler (I went with 3 large men and 3 other girls) I probably would’ve opted for a hotel or a highly rated Airbnb. Our Airbnb was $224 a person for 5 nights and fit 7 people comfortably - that’s unbeatable! If you’re looking for spots in Condesa or Roma Norte to the closer to the action, you just may be paying a bit more!
WHAT TO EAT
Arguably the best part of CDMX is the food, but I think it’s the fact that the food is so good and so much cheaper compared to a night out in NYC that really makes it stand out. Culturally, this is a place for long brunches and late dinners, not a strict 12 pm or 7 pm meal. Here were my favorites:
Blanco Colima ($$): a top 5 dinner experience of my life. On our first night in CDMX, they wowed us with a myriad of meats, flavors, and delicious drinks. The salted fish was mid, get the Croquettes and Steak appetizers, and stick to the bass or the ravioli for entrees. Do not skip this place!
Quintonil: this spot is the proud bearer of a Michelin star and number 27 on the World’s Best Restaurant list. And it DIDNT DISAPPOINT. (yes, we also wanted to go to Pujol, the #9 restraint in the world, but didn’t get a res soon enough - went to the lunch spot Mulino Pujol and it was simply gross, so I’m not mad about it.) We stuck with the tasting menu but avoided the wine pairings as we heard bad reviews and enjoyed their house cocktails which were perfect. It was to die for!
Vaho Mexico: Upon meeting some friends out one night, we stumbled across X and X, a chef and hostess combo that run a gorgeous private dining experience out of their home in Juarez. We DMed them @_vaho_mx and they happened to have a reservation for 7 that evening, and we had a taste of their entire menu ranging from salmon tostadas to lamb butter squash bolognese and fabulous wine pairings. It was the time of our lives, so intimate, and such a unique experience.
Street Tacos: Girl, when I tell you street tacos are the move, I am NOT LYINGGGGGG. make sure you have pesos and know how to order in Spanish and get into the best meals of your life. My personal favorite, El Rey Del Taco, was amazing, but just check out the spots nearest to you! You’ll have a whole meal for $3 and it’s better than any restaurant.
Other spots on my list that didn’t work out but looked amazing were Em, Sartoria,
Bars: Mexico City also has a lot of rooftop bars, two that I’d say to check out are Balmori and Miralto!
WHERE TO GO OUT
Departamentos: from locals to fellow international travelers, you can meet anybody here. Get some drinks and introduce yourself to somebody - maybe you’ll fall in love and move to Mexico City with them
La Clandestine: This bar is known for its mezcal and has an amazing ambiance. Here, we tried grasshoppers and many of the dishes came with Pork Rinds on top - I love that so I had the best time!
Sundays Sundays: A weekly darty on a rooftop - what could be better? Since most bars are closed Sundays this is a great spot to stop between 3-11 if you want to have some fun.
WHAT TO DO
Museo Anthropologica: Mexico City has tons of museums thanks to its rich and amazing culture, but I was super grateful to go to this one as the first thing we did. We learned not only about the evolution of humans but got context about the history of the city. It’s absolutely a must-do. Plus, their gift shop has an amazing selection.
Castle Del Chapultepec: Colonization, yes. Beautiful architecture, also yes. This castle sits in the middle of the Central Park of Mexico City, and is the perfect Instagram backdrop of the city. You can take in the history of the royalty that lived there while enjoying 360-degree views of Mexico City - another place I’m glad we went on the first day!
Teotuican Pyramids : Between 0-250 AD, these mesoamerican pyramids were built about 30 miles north of Mexico City. Restored a century ago, they’re an amazing day trip complete with cultural immersion and sightseeing. To get there, you can take a bus, but we ubered as we had a large group, and it takes about an hour. When we arrived, we got a 15-minute background about the city and the pyramid from an English-speaking host, and went on our way to visit the grounds. U fortunately due to Covid restrictions, we couldn’t climb them, but they were absolutely a sight to see. I will be coming back to climb in the future! Plus, this is the SPOT for souvenirs, gifts, and silver - the market was to die for and I bought 2 bottles of the traditional tequila we tried. If you want to ball out, you can rent Hot Air Balloons and go at sunrise to see the whole thing from above - super romantic and stunning!
Xochomilco: if there’s one thing to do with a group in Mexico, it’s drinking and eating, so what better place to do it than on a boat? After learning about this spot from the locals, we booked a boat for 3 hours online with a speaker and unlimited quesadillas for a grand total of $116 USD. After stocking up on guac and tequila at the flea market, we took a 45 minute Uber to the canals, which our driver called the “Venice of Mexico.” It was super flexible - you literally just call 30 minutes before arriving and they have a boat for you.
LOGISTICAL TIPS
Transportation: Uber, plain and simple. Most Ubers and Uber XLs are $3-6 anywhere in the city, and our most expensive Uber (1.5 hours away to the pyramids! ) Was $35. It’s the easiest and safest way, so I can’t vouch for anything else!
Paying for things:
Data & Call/Text: My phone plan personally included Mexico and Canada, but if you do'n’t have this, you’ll want to either buy data or be with people who have it, especially if you’re in a group!
Covid
Splitwise: We all
SMART GIRL DOS & DON'TS
Don’t fucking drink the tap water. It’s not safe and you’ll be shitting for days. I was extra safe and brushed my teeth with bottled water too!
Don’t be stingy!!!! Especially if you’re American, tip well and be kind to people because a lot of times this is their livelihood.
Don’t go without data and talk/text. I may be bougie for this (well it’s just included in my A5&T plan) but I found it very calming and helpful to have a google search when you need it - you can also download a map and the Spanish translate from Google Maps & Google translate.
DO learn a bit of Spanish beforehand. I am an ignorant American who forgot I was going on this trip and thought I could get around with the Spanish I remembered from 4th grade. WRONG. Not even nice restraints are guaranteed to have someone who speaks English, so brush up on ordering, asking Hoe much things cost, thank you excuse me I’m sorry and no thank you, and making reservations over the phone!
DO some day trips! Only an hour away are Xochomilco and Teothuican, and they were absolutely worth it. I’d say 5 days is the sweet spot, and make sure to build in some time when you get home because it’s quite a packed trip.
DO meet some locals. We got a lot of our recommendations from people who were there and kept in touch for parties and recommendations throughout our time there. Ofc, be safe, but branch out!
Love you all so much and enjoy your time there! DM me for any questions and have the time of your lives.
