🇲🇽 Mexico

10 best places in Mexico City

Mexico City is one of the world's great megacities, packing Aztec ruins, Baroque palaces, Latin America's finest museums, and world-class street food into a walkable historic core.

Sight

Zócalo

One of the largest city squares on Earth, flanked by the Metropolitan Cathedral and National Palace.

Sight

Templo Mayor

Excavated ruins of the Aztec empire's main temple, sitting right in the modern downtown.

Museum

National Museum of Anthropology

The world's largest collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, including the real Aztec Sun Stone.

Museum

Frida Kahlo Museum (La Casa Azul)

The painter's cobalt-blue house in Coyoacán, filled with her belongings and art.

Park

Chapultepec Park

One of the largest city parks in the world, with a castle, lakes, and museums inside its grounds.

Sight

Xochimilco

A network of Aztec-era canals where colorful trajinera boats float by with mariachi and tequila.

District

La Condesa

A leafy Art Deco neighborhood of intimate cafés, parks, and the city's best strolling streets.

Market

Mercado de San Juan

A gourmet food market ranging from exotic meats to fresh truffles.

Restaurant

Pujol

Chef Enrique Olvera's restaurant, a regular fixture on lists of the world's best restaurants.

Café

Café Habana

A legendary downtown coffeehouse once frequented by Che Guevara and Fidel Castro.

FAQ

When is the best time to visit Mexico City?

At 2,240 metres the city never gets truly hot, roughly 20-25C by day all year. The dry season runs November to April; from May to October expect a short, heavy downpour most afternoons. March to May and October to November are the sweet spots, and prices spike around Day of the Dead in early November.

How many days do you need in Mexico City?

Four days minimum: the Zocalo and Templo Mayor, the anthropology museum, Coyoacan with the Frida Kahlo house, and Chapultepec. Five to seven lets you add Xochimilco, Teotihuacan and time in Roma and Condesa. Traffic eats hours, so group two or three stops per day by neighbourhood.

Is Mexico City safe for tourists?

Roma, Condesa, Polanco, Juarez and Coyoacan feel comfortable, but phone snatching and pickpocketing are real. Use Uber rather than street taxis, keep your phone out of sight and skip unfamiliar areas after dark. The metro is cheap and efficient; just hold your bag in front of you at rush hour.

Can you move to Mexico and how do you get residency?

Mexico City is one of the world's big remote-work hubs, though rents in Roma and Condesa have climbed sharply. The usual route is temporary residency applied for at a consulate abroad, based on income or savings, and thresholds differ by consulate and get updated regularly. After several years of residency a path to citizenship opens, and Spanish is close to essential for daily life.