Things to do in CDMX

I often get asked for recommendations for things to do/eat in Mexico City, so I decided to just compile a list of my favorites here. I hope it’s useful!

One really nice way to explore the city is by visiting different neighbourhoods. Below are the most popular ones, along with things to do in them (food, museums, attractions, etc.).

Note: CDMX is one of the largest cities in the world. You can always find a schedule that adapts to your own interests and preferences. The list below is tailored to my own, and I do not presume to be objective; indeed, the list is heavily biased towards the things that interest me. Please take is as such and don’t be afraid of venturing beyond what’s included here!

Downtown (aka centro histórico)

This area has hundreds and hundreds of years of historical baggage. There are countless palaces, attractions, restaurants, etc. Here are but a few of them, which probably don’t tell 1% of the story. You could spend weeks here exploring.

Attractions

• Palacio de Bellas Artes (fine arts palace). Beautiful building. They also have concerts inside if you’re interested.
• Zócalo (main plaza). Huge plaza with beautiful buildings around, including Mexico City’s Cathedral and:
• National Palace, where the Mexican president lives and works since 2018. Fun fact: before being national palace, it was the Imperial Palace (during Mexico’s short status as an empire after independence). Before that it was the Viceroyal Palace (when Mexico was a Spanish colony), and before that it was the Aztec Imperial Palace—where the Aztec emperor lived. The Spaniards literally tore down the Aztec royal residence and built their own royal residence on top!
• Donceles street is famous for its second-hand bookstores.
• Palacio de Minería (Mining palace). Nice building. There’s a book fair once a year that is really cool.
• Palacio de Correos (Postal palace). No clue why Mexico’s postal service has such a beautiful palace, but you cannot miss it.
• Alameda Centra. Mexico’s oldest public park apparently!
• Hemiciclo a Juárez (monument honoring former President Juárez). It’s recently been turned into an anti-monument that I think is worth checking out (incredible street art).
• Monumento a la Revolución (revolution monument). Stunning building.

Food

• El Cardenal. There’s a number of these around town, and like three just in downtown, but this is the one I visit the most. Great breakfasts, superb hot chocolate.
• Sanborns Azulejos. Classic Mexican restaurant, but this location specifically is iconic due to its blue tiles.
• Cantina Ópera. Your regular cantina for lunch/dinner, but this one is famous because a revolutionary general hero shot the ceiling. The bullet hole is still there!

Museums

• Too many to count, but here are a few that I like
• Templo Mayor Museum. This used to be the Aztec’s main temple. You can see it from above without going into the museum, but I think it’s worth going inside actually.
• San Ildefonso. Former college. Beautiful building with rotating expositions.
• MUNAL (National Art Museum). Absolutely stunning building and really good art inside. Definitely go!
• Museum of the Inquisition. Never gone but man now I kinda wanna.
• MIDE (Economics Museum). It’s okay.

Possible schedule

• Take the Metrobus from Auditorio. If you get a spot at the top, you’ll enjoy Reforma Avenue in all its glory.
• Start at Bellas Artes and walk down Av. 5 de mayo (pedestrian-only street) towards Zócalo.
• Have breakfast at El Cardenal.
• Walk around Zócalo. You can also go into the cathedral.
• Go to Templo Mayor museum.
• Walk towards Donceles and explore the second-hand bookstores.
• Go to Palacio de Minería, MUNAL, and the postal palace.
• Head back to Bellas Artes and walk along Alameda.
• Cross Reforma and go to the Monumento a la Revolución.

Chapultepec

More than a neighborhood it’s like Mexico City’s Stanley Park or Central Park. But bigger, with more things to do and places to explore. If not the whole day, it’s at least worth spending a half day exploring it. It’s split into four sections. Sections 1 and 2 are the most popular ones.

Note: if you want to run in CDMX, stay close to Chapultepec. It’s beautiful and running would be an awesome way to explore it. (Plus, you’re close to Reforma which is closed to cars on Sundays.)

Attractions

• Altar a la Patria. Monument honoring the children who fought against the US invasion in the 1840’s.
• Porrúa Library. Nice one, has a good selection of books and overlooks the lake.
• CDMX letters by the lake. Beautiful view of Polanco in the background. You can also rent a swan boat for the lake!
• There are many streets around Section 1 of Chapultepec. I like Calzada del Rey as well as the circle loop (Gran Av. / Heroico Colegio Militar). The area close to the lake has tons of souvenir street vendors.
• Nezahualcóyotl Fountain. Nice monument.
• Lago mayor. Big lake in the section 2. You can buy food to feed the ducks!
• Xochipilli Fountain. Who would think there’d be not one but two beautiful fountains in this park?
• El Sope. Running track if you’re interested.
• Av de los Compositores is a nice street to walk around in Section 2 of the park.
• Aztlán. Attractions park. They revamped it recently and I haven’t visited it since, but we went every year back in middle school!

Museums

• Anthropology Musem. If you do one single museum in all your stay, it has to be this one. I go almost every time I go to CDMX. That’s how much I like it.
• Chapultepec Castle. If you only do two museums, this is the second one. Picture this: a freaking castle on top of a hill in the middle of the city’s biggest park. The architecture is beautiful, the view is obscene. I’m sad I’m writing this instead of walking there.
• Los Pinos. This used to be the presidential residence up until 2018. It’s now open to the public. I think it’s worth going for the historical importance, even though the exhibitions aren’t that great. You can get to it by walking along Calzada del Rey towards Section 2.
• Museo del Cárcamo de Dolores. Haven’t been but I’ve heard great things about it.
• Museo Tamayo. Another art museum in the zone. Wouldn’t go out of my way to go but it’s okay.
• Modern Art Musem. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t visited it.

Food

• Generally you’re better off going to Polanco or so.
• Los Panchos. Awesome carnitas place.

Avenida Reforma Reforma goes right next to Chapultepec and then heads onto downtown. At some point, walk through it (or bike—it’s closed to cars on Sundays!). Every block has a huge roundabout with a monument or something cool. My favourite ones are:

• Ángel de la Independencia. Huge monument. You can see it from Chapultepec Castle, but worth checking it out closeby.
• Women’s monument. It’s a bit tricky to get to, but worth it. Feminist monument with names of murdered women and girls in Mexico.
• Caballito. Almost in downtown.

Polanco

Fancy area, but heck it is nice.

Attractions

• Polanquito. Really nice boujee area with tons of restaurants. Next to Lincoln’s park (in link). Honestly you can just lose yourself around here and have a great time.
• El Péndulo. Bookshop with restaurant and coffeeshop included. Worth going there: really nice inside!
• Pasaje Polanco. Hard to describe, but worth going.
• Walk along Avenida Masaryk. It’s like Robson Street meets Alberni?
• Parque América (for the continent, not the country!). Horacio is a nice street to walk around.
• Antara if you want to go to a mall. This one is nice—used to go all the time in high school.

Food So many options. Just pick whatever looks tasty to you. I like Maque for breakfast (their conchas are otherwordly), Matisse for even more conchas, and El Moro for churros.

Museums

• Soumaya. The building is pretty iconic.
• People don’t go to Polanco for museumsI don’t think.

Condesa / Roma

Gentrified as heck but if you go you’ll see why people want to move here. Really nice area, naturey but with many things to do. Consider staying here! This is a great area to just lose yourself and explore.

Attractions

• Parque México and Parque España. Nice parks to walk around.
• Amsterdam Street is a circuitwith tons of restaurants (and great for running too). Worth exploring.
• Another Péndulo.
• Casa Tomada. Great library.
• FCE Bella Época. Another awesome library.
• Fuente de Cibeles. Fountain, nice.

Food Difficult to have a comprehensive list. Like Polanquito, just walk around and get what seems tastiest to you—you can’t go wrong.

• Santas conchas is all about conchas. Have I mentioned that I love conchas? It’s the best baked good ever made.
• This neighborhood has the most specialty coffee shops in town. I like, in order: Cardinal, Café Memorias de un Barista, Quentin, yet another Quentin, Chiquitito, Almanegra, Buna, and Blend Station

Museums

• Casa Guillermo Tovar. Old house turned museum. Cute.

Coyoacán

Used to be a separate town from Mexico City before being absorbed by the growing city. The result is a neighbourhood with many things to do but with a distinct “small town” feel to it. I really like it.

Attractions

• Hidalgo garden. Main plaza, full of street vendors and restaurants.
• Coyoacán public market. Great for souvenirs and to get food. Try the smoothies—my favourite is mamey, a common fruit in Mexico that tastes like heaven.
• Artisanal market for more souvenirs.
• Allende garden across the public market. Often has vendors.
• Viveros for walking around and particularly for running around.
• U-Tópicas. Amazing bookstore. Worth going!

Food As with other neighborhoods, just walk around and get whatever calls to you.

• Get one of the street food corns, specificaly an esquite (just the corn cobs in a nice broth), and get it with bone marrow. It slaps.
• Café Avellaneda for one of the best coffee shops in town.
• Ruta de la Seda has amazing breakfast.

Museums

• Museo Casa Frida Kahlo. The most favourite in the neighbourhood. Gotta get tickets in advance.

Others

Tacos: There are many options around. Generally if you see something that looks tasty, go for it. When in doubt, I like El Califa—they have multiple locations around town and their vegan options are amazing.

Specialty coffee shops: Not included above:

• Exploradores. Best coffee roaster in town, hands down. Kinda out of the way but worth visiting if you’re a coffee snob (and La Mexicana park next door is nice).
• Esencial.
• Ernestina barra de café.
• Kinoo.