Mexico City - Top 10 things to do
Located 2200 meters above sea level, is where you will find one of the largest metropolitan cities in the world - Mexico City. With its 22 million inhabitants it’s become the biggest Spanish-speaking city in the world. It’s incredibly dense, hectic, overwhelming, and loud - But I had a great time.
If you’re headed to the capital of Mexico, you might have a few questions, is Mexico City safe to travel to (especially as a solo female traveler), what are the top things to do, how long should you stay, and most importantly, where are the best places to eat? In this Mexico City travel guide, I will do my best at answering all these questions for you, and if I missed something just ask me in the comment section below.
For today’s Mexico City travel Guide I had the pleasure of collaborating with Get Your Guide, an online travel agency specializing in guided tours and excursions. They offer over 60,000 curated experiences in more than 3,600 destinations worldwide. I used Get Your Guide to book a lot of the activities in today’s blog post, it was so easy, and I had the best time! If you are traveling to a new country or being a tourist in your own city, make sure to check out Get Your Guide! They have everything from skip-the-line tickets to tourist attractions, food tours, Mezcal tasting, boat trips, and more.
I’m so happy to be back in Mexico, and I can’t believe it’s taken me 30 years and 30 countries before I made my way to Mexico City. With the number of tacos I've been eating in my 30 years, I’m ashamed I haven’t visited this city before now. My friend Maren and I traveled around Mexico for 1 month, we went to Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca City, and Mexico City was our last stop. We only had 2 days together in the capital, before she flew home to New York, and my solo adventure began.
MEXICO CITY
There’s so much to do and explore in Mexico City, making it impossible for me to write down everything you need to check off your list. BUT, I spent a week there, trying to find some of the best things to do, so I could share them in this blog post with you guys. Food is always a high priority for me when visiting a new city, and Mexico City and food are almost synonymous, so I’m excited to share some of my favorite restaurants in this guide as well. But let’s start off with the first activity you should do in you find yourself visiting Mexico City!
HOT AIR BALLOON - TEOTIHUACAN
If you aren’t scared of heights, this is definitely something you should cross off your bucket list - Immediately. There are a few different options you can choose from on Get Your Guide, there are different starting hours, and lengths, some have breakfast included, and others have a pyramid walk included. Since we had already seen the pyramids in Oaxaca City, and we were short on time, we skipped the pyramids at Teotihuacán Valley. But if you are only going to Mexico City, and not Oaxaca City, I would highly recommend including the pyramid walk. It’s one of the most important archeological sites in the world.
Book your experience here: Hot Air Balloon Tours
The tour was well organized, and everything from the pickup, to breakfast to finding our balloon went smoothly. The balloons were so much larger in real life, and it was a dream experience. Unfortunately, it was a hazy morning, so the sun didn't show up until later. But that didn't make this experience any less special! We got to admire the pyramid of the sun, which is believed to have been constructed about 200 AD.
Time flew by, literally. And after an hour in the sky, it was time to land. We had a celebratory toast and gratitude prayer after we landed safely, followed by a cozy breakfast. One cool option after your flight is to watch drone footage of your trip! This is not included in your ticket, but we bought our footage for $30 and we got two videos, that looked incredible. You can watch the footage in my Mexico City YouTube episode above.
Pro tip if you are booking this experience, make sure you dress warmly. We did not know it was going to be that cold, but it looked like everyone else got the memo but us. We were absolutely freezing in the morning, and keep in mind Mexico City is located 2200 meters above sea level, so it’s already way colder than the coast.
Book your experience here: Hot Air Balloon Tours
2. ENJOY THE FOOD SCENE
Number 2 on my list is always the most important part of traveling, enjoying the local food scene. With 22 million people who need to eat every day, you can only imagine how massive the food scene here is. There are thousands of different street vendors on every corner, and the ones with the longest lines are usually the best ones. I ate so much good food, but these were my favorites:
1. Plantasia: Number 1 is Plantasia, located in the charming neighborhood of Roma Norte. This Asian restaurant served me some of the best food I’ve ever had. It’s such a chic beautiful place, and the service was incredible. I actually ate her several times on my trip. And yes, it’s a fully vegan restaurant, but I promise non-vegans will enjoy it too, it’s so good! Make sure to try the Pad Thai, Crispy Wonton, and Tom Kha soup.
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2. Forever: The second place I enjoyed was a charming place called Forever. It’s the perfect lunch spot, but you can also have a cozy dinner here. They have seating available outside and inside. The staff was really friendly and made me feel super welcome. I loved the cheese fries they had here with mushroom truffle gravy and their dragoon bowl! And their smoothies were really good as well. It’s also located in Roma Norte.
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3. La Pitahaya Vegana: The third place you have to check out is La Pitahaya Vegana, located in Roma Norte. They serve pink tacos and lemonade, and they have really cute outdoor seating. Service was pretty fast, and you could also ask for half portions of for example guac and chips, so you didn’t have to overorder.
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4. Mora Mora: The last place I wanted to include was Mora Mora. This place was not as charming as the other places, but the food was really good, I was craving healthy food, and this was definitely the right spot. It's located in Condesa, next to tons of other good restaurants.
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5. Food Tour: We also wanted to do a local food tour, but we did not have time. But there are tons of good options you should check out, Get Your Guide offers a variety of lengths etc.
Book your food tour here: Mexico City Food Tour
3. FRIDA KAHLO MUSEUM
The third thing you have to do when you come here to Mexico City is to visit the Frida Kahlo Museum. I booked my ticket here on Get Your Guide, and I paid around $30. It’s totally worth visiting. It’s way bigger than I thought it would be and it's so beautiful. It's incredible to walk in the footsteps of Frida and to see where she lived, see where she slept see where she and her husband Diego Rivera stayed. Overall just an incredible experience that I highly recommend. At the end of this tour, you have a gift shop that you can go to and buy some paintings and kitchen magnets and stuff like that. I bought one of Frida and her parrots, and even though the original painting sold for 130 million the one I got was around 15 but still worth having a little memory from this trip.
Book your ticket here: Frida Kahlo Museum
4. WALKING TOUR OF MEXICO CITY
Mexico City is such an overwhelming city, and I’m coming from New York! It’s super loud, with thousands of people everywhere, and it can be quite confusing to know what to do and where to go. So I love doing local walking tours. You immediately get a broader understanding of the city’s structure and expert guidance on the best places to see. The tour we went on was a bit long, it lasted for 3 hours, but we got to see a lot, and it also included 2 stops for food. If you want a more private feeling, and a shorter one, you can also book a private tour with Get Your Guide.
Book your experience here: Walking tour of Mexico City
5. PHOTOSHOOT WITH A LOCAL
Number 5 on the list might not be everyone's choice, but it guarantees good memories for life - Booking a local photographer. It’s a great way to see the city, meet a local, and have someone help you capture you in the beautiful surrounding. I had a photoshoot with a local photographer named Mariola Soberon, I will add her Instagram here, so you can contact her - Mariola Soberon. We went to Monumento a la Revolucion. Which is the highest triumphal arch in the world, beating the arch in Paris. The monument has a great observation deck on the top, giving you incredible views over Mexico City.
6. MEXICO CITY ROOFTOPS
Number 6 is a fun one! Check out one of the many rooftop bars Mexico City has to offer. There is an unmatched vibe in this city, and the rooftop bars are no exception! Mexico City is one of the most liberal cities in Latin America, and one way to see this is through its art, fashion and relationships. I loved the crowd at all the bars and rooftops we went to. One of my favorite rooftops was Supra. The staff there was so accommodating, but you definitely need to book a reservation if you’re headed here. I pulled the YouTuber card, so they got us a table even though it was full :) Another rooftop I went to was called Toledo, and again, the crowd was such a beautiful mix of people. But again, you definitely need a reservation if you want a table. But yeah, do not sleep on the Mexico City nightlife scene! It’s vibrant, sexy, and way more affordable than a night out in New York City!
7. FRANZ MAYER MUSEUM
Moving on to number seven on the top things to do in Mexico City - Visiting the Franz Mayer Museum. The good thing about museums is you can be inside when it rains, as it often does in Mexico City. To enter this Museum it's around four dollars per person and we got our tickets on Get Your Guide. We booked it 30 minutes before we got there, in an Uber on our way over. It closes at 5 PM, so make sure you have a lot of time because there's a lot to see there. Since we booked it last minute, we only had 40 minutes to walk around. You definitely should spend 1-2 hours there.
Book your experience here: Franz Mayer Museum
Book your experience here or below: Franz Mayer Museum
8. VINTAGE SHOPPING MEXICO CITY
Number 8 on the list might not be for everyone, but even if you are not into it, I urge you to check out the Vintage Stores in Mexico City. I always roam around each city I travel to, searching for the best vintage stores. And holy smokes did Mexico City surpass my expectations! All the stores are like little museums, and everything is so well curated. I talked to many of the owners, and they have collected pieces from all over the world, but also incorporated Mexican designers. I could go back to Mexico City just for the vintage stores. Let me know in the comments section below if you want me to make a separate blog post for that because I have so many places to show you! But my two favorites were Roma Vintage and Erre Vintage, both had an incredible selection, and the owners were all so welcoming.
9. ENJOY THE PARKS
We’re getting close to the end, number 9 is simply to take advantage of all the beautiful parks Mexico city has to offer. The most famous one is Bosque de Chapultepec. This park is often compared to Central Park in New York, but it’s twice as big, and it’s so much to see there. You can easily spend hours there. Keep in mind, the park closes at 5 pm, so we got there too late to explore the castle and museum inside Chapultepec. I’m bummed we missed out on the castle because that is supposed to be incredible. On the weekends, you can rent boats on the water, which looks super fun! There are tons of street vendors selling food, and art and I don’t know what, so you definitely won’t be walking around hungry. But as I said, make sure to check the opening hours of both the park and the castle, because that sometimes changes.
Book your experience or private tour below with Get Your Guide.
10. MERCADO DE ARTESANIAS LA CIUDADELA
Lastly on the list is number 10, visit Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela. There are tons of markets to visit, but this was the most recommended to me. It’s pretty popular, and you will run into other tourists, but it was not overwhelming. It’s a market with endless vendors selling traditional handcrafts and folk art. It’s colorful, and you will often see the craftsman working on jewelry, glass boxes, or beading. The local kids were also running around playing, adding to the authenticity of this place. I got some great gifts for my friends and family, that I brought home to New York. But my favorite markets so far have been in Oaxaca City, their blankets and pottery are just too good to pass on. Which explained why I had to pay overweight for my luggage…
HONORABLE MENTIONS - TOP THINGS TO DO IN MEXICO CITY
As I have been saying throughout this episode, this c]Mexico City is enormous. So the list of things to do could be endless, but I wanted to quickly include a few more honorable mentions I wanted to do, but that I did not have time for!
11. VISIT THE TORRE LATINO OBSERVATION DECK
Torre de Latino is one of the most important landmarks in the city. The skyscraper is located in the historic city center, it survived one of the largest earthquakes Mexico City had, and the tickets to enter are really affordable. The view is spectacular, and if you are in the area, you should check out this tower.
Book your experience here: Torre Latinoamericana
12. MEZCAL TASTING
Number 12 is Mezcal tasting, it’s huge all over Mexico. Get Your Guide offered a few different tours, but we didn't have time in Mexico City, but we did one in Oaxaca City, and we loved it!
Book your experience here: Mezcal & Taco Tasting Tour
13. DAY OF THE DEAD TOUR
Number 13. Would be to do a day of the dead tour. The history is so interesting, and it also looks like so much fun! I can only hope to one day celebrate the day of the dead in Mexico!
Book your experience here: Day of the Dead Guided Tour
14. FOOD TOUR OF MEXICO CITY
Number 14 would be a food tour, as I said, there are an endless amount of street vendors, restaurants, and markets here that could serve you culinary experiences you can only dream of.
Book your food tour here: Mexico City Food Tour
IS MEXICO CITY SAFE?
The main question I got asked when I was here alone was, “Is Mexico City Safe for solo female travelers?” To keep it simple, like any other big city with over 20 million people, there will always be dangerous neighborhoods and sketchy people. But as long as you use common sense, and stay in safe areas like Roma Norte or Condesa you should be good. Mexico has some of the most welcoming and generous people, and Mexico City is no different. I never felt scared there, but I also took Uber everywhere and I never walked outside when it was dark. I actually have a few girlfriends who live alone in Mexico City, and they love it!
The main takeaway I got after talking to the locals and my friends there was basically: Mexico City is still dangerous, and there are tons of neighborhoods you should not visit, even during the day. There is still a lot of corruption too, so always keep cash on you in case you get stopped on the street. And lastly, stick to Uber, it’s affordable, you can share your location with a friend, and regular taxis are not as safe. In fact, my local friends told me to never use them.
Never let the bad reputation of a city scare you not to visit, just go and explore it for yourself. Most cities will welcome you with open arms if you enter with an open mind. Mexico will forever be one of my favorite countries, and I’m so happy to finally have visited Mexico City! Thank you to all the locals who welcomed me, Mexico City is such a cool place and I can’t wait to be back!
Have you been to Mexico City, or is fear holding you back? Lastly, make sure to leave your top Mexico City recommendations in the comment section below too, so we can elevate everyone's trip to this bustling city! Thank you so much for reading this post, I hope you found it helpful.
Have a beautiful rest of your day! Lots of love,
xx Camilla Johannesen
