The best time to visit Mexico City

Mexico City is the largest city in the western hemisphere, the largest metropolitan area in the world, and the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world. This was evident as our plane approached the city, the city lights went on for miles in every direction. This was one time I wish I had chosen a window seat instead of my usual aisle seat as I was not able to capture the breathtaking view of the city lights on my camera. Mexico City is nothing like I expected but I don’t know what I thought it would be like. It is like any other metropolis and similarities can be drawn to other Latin American cities like Buenos Aires or Santiago, but it is much bigger.

The transport system widely used is the metro train, but there are metro buses that work as feeder access to the train and they both take the same MetroCard. One ride on either the train or bus will cost you M6 pesos (US$0.30). Uber & taxis are widely available and are the best option for transport to and from the airport. Otherwise, the metro system is great but is crowded.

DIA DE MUERTO (DAY OF THE DEAD)

This is one of the biggest festivals in Mexico and is celebrated as widely as Christmas. It is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, usually following All Saints Day or Halloween, and preparations and festivities start at least 10-15 days prior and will go on for a few days after. The whole country is decked up and you can find vendors selling various items such as painted skulls, masks, marigolds, elegantly dressed dolls with skull heads (La Catrina), candles, sugar and chocolate skulls, Pan de Muerto (sweet bread), etc. Dia De Muerto or Day of the Dead is a celebration and a way to honor the dead and loved ones who have passed on. People dress up with masks or face paint resembling skeletons or their likeness. Shrines are set up with pictures of the deceased family members along with ‘ofrendas’ (offerings) of their favorite things. On November 2nd, family members visit the graveyard with their offerings which usually include calaveras, Aztec marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed.

Decorations were going up everywhere as we landed in Mexico about 10 days before the event. The Zocalo, which is the center of Mexico City, was fenced and being prepared. Due to popular demand, the city hosts a parade on a Saturday preceding the festival. This was inspired by the James Bond movie ‘Spectre’, where the beginning scene featured a parade and large gathering at the Zocalo. This is a new way of celebrating the colorful tradition of the Day of the Dead in Mexico City. It is a kilometer-long parade made up of floats, giant puppets, and monumental balloons, including the classic skulls and the beautiful Catrinas. The parade covers a distance of approximately 5 km starting at Estela de Luz and ending at Zócalo Square.

We were among the thousands who witnessed this monumental event on Paseo de la Reforma, where we positioned ourselves around 3-4 hours before. You could see scores of people dressed as La Catrinas walking along, vendors selling masks, skulls, other parade accessories, food, wooden chairs (for people to sit while waiting); face painters painting beautiful elaborate designs, and large painted skulls kept all along the sidewalk. We as tourists consider ourselves fortunate to have had the chance to witness this event and will cherish these fond memories for a very long time.

Things to see and do:

Centro Historico:
Take a walking tour – Several companies offer free walking tours. We chose the one offered by Estacion Mexico because they offer daily tours at 11.00 am and 2.30 pm. We arrived in Mexico City late in the night and the next morning we needed to get our bearings straight, run some errands, so we needed a company that was also offering tours in the afternoon. So we made an online booking (I’m not sure if they accept walk-ins) and arrived at the meeting point in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral. Tours last for 2 hours and they show most of the places in and around the Zócalo. Check out their website with the link above for details.
The Zócalo – also called the Plaza de la constitución, is the common name of the main square in central Mexico City and is bordered by the Metropolitan Cathedral to the north, the Palacio Nacional to the east, the Federal District buildings to the south, and the Old Portal de Mercaderes to the west, with the Templo Mayor site to the northeast, just outside the view. In the Center of the square is a large Mexican flag that is ceremonially raised and lowered each day. The few times we visited the Zócalo, it was being decorated for the Dia De Muertos celebration and the square itself was closed to the public. So we are not sure how else they use this square regularly, considering the enormous size.
Metropolitan cathedral – This cathedral was built in sections from 1573 to 1813 after the Spaniards defeated the Aztecs. They built their new Spain atop the Aztec temple using stones from the destroyed temple. The Templo Mayor which was unearthed as recently as 1987 lies just to the left of the cathedral.
Palacio Nacional – This is the seat of the executive power of Mexico and is one of the largest government buildings in the world. It fills the entire east side of the Zocalo and has been the palace for the ruling class of Mexico since the Aztec empire. The main stairwell and the walls of the second floor contain famous murals by Diego Rivera. The large mural painting on the stairwell depicts the history of Mexico from 1521 to 1930.
The Palace is open for visitors from 10 am to 5 pm during the week with a possibility of being closed for official events.
Templo Mayor – The site is part of the Historic Center of Mexico City, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.
‘Templo Mayor’ was the main temple of the Aztecs in their capital city of Tenochtitlan now known as Mexico City. It was excavated in 1978 and the site consists of 2 parts: the temple, exposed and labeled to show its various stages of development, and the museum, built to house the smaller and more fragile objects.
Hours: Tue-Sun 9 am to 5 pm
General Admission: M 70 pesos/US$3.50
Palacio de Bellas Artes – Palace of Fine Arts. The building is best known for its murals by Diego Rivera, Siqueiros, and others, but the iconic colorful dome has been a symbol of Mexico City. Hours: Tue-Sun 10 am to 6 pm
Entrance to the museum: M 65 pesos/US$3.25 which includes the temporary and permanent exhibits
Free entry on Sundays
Tickets for concerts, events, and other performances can be bought at the ticket office or on their website.
Museo Nacional de Antropologia – The largest and one of the most popular museums in all of Mexico. It houses some of the great anthropological artifacts of the Pre-Columbian heritage and includes the Aztec Stone of the Sun, giant stone heads of the Olmec civilization, etc. One of the interesting features of the building is the vast square concrete umbrella supported by a single slender pillar (known as ‘el paraguas’) surrounded by exhibition halls.
Hours: Tue – Sun 9.00 am to 7.00 pm Entrance: M 70 pesos/US$3.50
Biblioteca Vasconcelos – this is a library located in the Buenavista neighborhood and the architecture is right out of a sci-fi novel. There are no walls, just a labyrinth of floating shelves of different levels with books. It is huge and one could easily get lost in the vast space. We were there to check out the impressive architecture but if you were looking for a book, I’m sure you could easily get lost.
Palacio de Correos de Mexico or Postal Palace of Mexico City – The architecture of this jaw-dropping, century-old post office nestled in the center of Mexico City’s bustling historic central district would be glorious enough on its own. As the name suggests, the inside of this building looks more like a palace rather than a Post Office. The architecture is considered eclectic with a mixture of Art Nouveau, Moorish, Venetian Gothic Revival, Baroque, Neoclassical, Spanish Renaissance Revival, and more. Heavily gilded interiors consist of a grandiose staircase with designed metal banisters, marble flooring, gilded metal elevators, a domed ceiling of leaded glass, etc.
Angel de la Independencia – The Angel of Independence, most commonly known by the shortened name El Ángel and officially known as Monumento a la Independencia (“Monument to Independence”), is a victory column on a roundabout on the major thoroughfare of Paseo de la Reforma in downtown Mexico City. El Ángel was built in 1910, it is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Mexico City, and it has become a focal point for both celebration or protest.
Chapultepec castle – This is a castle located within the Chapultepec park in the Reforma area. Although we did not have the time to visit this place, it is worth mentioning it as part of the places to see in Mexico City.

Places Outside of Mexico City:

Teotihuacan:

The holy city of Teotihuacan located about 50 km from Mexico City is a vast Mexican archeological complex built around 200 BC in the Mesoamerican era. It is believed to have been built by the Totonac people and covers 8 square miles. It consists of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl which contains the Pyramids or Temples of the Sun and the Moon and in the center and the Avenue of the Dead lined with numerous smaller pyramids.
There are tour companies that take you there and back, but it might be easier to take a bus from the Mexico Norte bus station which leaves every 10 minutes and costs around M$104/US$5 for a round trip ticket. This bus takes you to the entrance of the site and the entrance fee is M$70/US$3.50 each.
As you enter the complex, you will come across a few small pyramids, but I recommend starting with the Sun pyramid which has around 250 steps. Once you reach the top, the 360-degree view is spectacular.
After descending, head along the Avenue of the Dead towards the Moon pyramid, which is as tall as the Sun pyramid, but you will only be allowed to climb up to the first landing (at around 50-75 steps) which also has a breathtaking panoramic view. This is the best vantage point to take a picture with everything around.
The Sun pyramid

The moon pyramid

Avenue of the dead

Xochimilco:

This is one of the 16 boroughs and is in the southeastern part of the historic center of Mexico City. Xochimilco, also known as the “Venice of Mexico City” is best known for its canals. These canals, along with artificial islands called chinampas, attract tourists and other city residents to ride on colorful gondola-like boats called “trajineras” around the 170 km (110 mi) of canals, which is also a floating market.
You can hire a boat for 1-2 hours and sail along these canals. There are plenty of vendors selling food and other wares which you can purchase along with hiring a Mariachi band to sing and perform for you. In addition to being a tourist attraction, it is a favorite weekend picnic spot for locals who come with families to dine and party on these boats.

Getting to Xochimilco from Mexico City:

Take the blue line (line 2) to the end (Tasqueña).
From that same station, follow the signs for the Tren Ligero (the train line that takes you straight to Xochimilco). It is the last stop on that line.
We needed to get a smart card (20 pesos) to travel on this train and the cost for the ride is 3 pesos each way.
Once we reached Xochimilco, we took a local bus to Embarcadero Nuevo Nativitas for 8 pesos each (We undershot the location and got off 1 stop before which was a smaller embarcadero and only had a few boats which were expensive to hire. So we then walked a few hundred meters and got to the large embarcadero, Nuevo Nativitas).
The boat hire rates here are per hour. You can hire a boat for 1 hour for 400-600 pesos and it doesn’t matter how many people are in your group. You may have to negotiate and it works out better if you share with other tourists to get a good rate. We were able to split the fare of 400 pesos with another couple which came out to 100 pesos per person.
The boat (a Trajinera) seats about 18-20 people and has a long table in the middle and bench seats on either side. They use a long pole to steer this boat along the canals. You find several boats with patrons eating, dancing, partying, and vendors selling food, handmade goods, and also mariachi bands for hire who will come on board your boat and perform for you. It was a truly fun-filled afternoon and a very nice experience. The colorful boats bumping into each other, vendors with their small boats making a way in between to reach customers, and the bands serenading you with Mexican classics will surely transport you to a magical world.
There are tons of greenhouses around Xochimilco’s canals. You can ask the driver to stop and check out the different plants and even buy one.
The other interesting place in Xochimilco is the Isla de las Muñecas (doll island). While the original doll island is a few hours away (you can go for about 1500 pesos), there is a replica doll island a few minutes from Nueva Nativitas. Legend has it that a young girl drowned in the canal near the island. The dolls are said to house her spirit and it’s become widely known as a haunted spot.

Xochimilco, in my opinion, is a unique place and shouldn’t be missed when visiting Mexico City. Tours are also available from Mexico City to Xochimilco if you feel you are not comfortable navigating the metro train and bus systems.

Traveling in Mexico City:

Metro – the metro is the best mode of transport. For a mere 6 pesos/ride, you can travel any distance as long as you are within the system. You can get a metro card at the metro stations or at any bus station.
Metro bus – these are feeder buses for the metro train and cover the smaller area where the metro doesn’t reach. You can use the same MetroCard to travel and each swipe is 6 pesos.
Buses – there are other buses that run for which you have to pay cash. We took this bus only one time and if you are not very familiar with the language, it is pretty hard to use them as the signs are confusing and there are no clearly marked numbers or schedules that are easy to decipher. Although google shows you this option, it is not very user-friendly.
Uber – if taking the metro or bus is not an option, Uber is a pretty inexpensive option. We used it mainly to travel to and from the airport.
Taxi – if all else fails, taxis are another good and inexpensive option and there are plenty available. Just make sure you ask how much they charge before you get in as they are not always metered.
Car rental – I feel like this is a hit and miss as we have had good and bad experiences with car rentals in Mexico. Our reserved car rental to Guanajuato was a nightmare as there were no cars available (probably because it was a long weekend). We had checked out of our rental apartment and were practically stranded, and had to eventually take a bus. However, our rental in Veracruz was quite pleasant.

Food:

You can never go wrong with Mexican food especially in Mexico, street food is very good and quite inexpensive. You don’t need to look at yelp ratings or reviews unless there is a particular restaurant you are looking for. Just go into any restaurant/street side cocinas and you can have a pretty good and inexpensive meal.