3 Days in Mexico City

Seems like EVERYONE has been to Mexico.  Well, surprisingly, until recently, I was not among “everyone.”  I wondered what all the fuss was about and why so many Americans go to Mexico so often.  Aside from it being a quick trip from most places in the U.S. and having a favorable exchange rate, what I discovered is that both the food and the culture are amazing.  Whenever I plan to travel, I turn to travel blogs for my go-to research resource, and after scouring many  sites, I then create my own itinerary.  For Mexico City, I think I hit the jackpot!  Everything we did was incredible and I highly recommend.  I hope my customized itinerary and tips are helpful to you!

Because I extended a business trip, I had a free evening before starting the three day itinerary with my good friend Barbara.  I took the opportunity to see the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, which tells the story of the history of Mexico through dance.  I highly suggest, that you see this incredible performance one of the nights during your stay.

Day 1

In most new destinations,  a guided walking tour is the best way to learn about the local culture and history. In Mexico City we hired a guide through the concierge at our hotel and toured the Historic District know locally as the Centro Historico.  We began with a stroll along Alameda Park on Avenue Juarez, named after one of the most famous Mexican presidents.  Stop at the Palacio De Bellas Artes and marvel at the Italian style architecture; then wander up towards Zocalo Square, the center of this area.  There are many museums and points of interest, but be sure to pop into the Post Office, which is incredibly beautiful, with it’s sweeping gold staircase and ornate architectural details.

The overall feel of Mexico City is decidedly European, owing to the fact that the Spaniards conquered Mexico in the 1500’s and proceeded to wipe out much of the original culture and architecture while cementing their own buildings in their accustomed style.  As you walk around this area, you do feel as though you are in some part of Europe.  Stop in to the Metropolitan Church and the National Museum or any of the other several museums in the area , but do not miss Templo Mayor, the ruins that lie right beneath the city.  This area was discovered in 1978 when some electrical workers uncovered the coyolxauhqui stone. That was just the beginning.  As they kept digging, they discovered an entire city, built around 700 years ago by the Mexica tribe (pronounced Meh-she-ka). This tribe was called “Aztec” by the Europeans and refers not only to just the tribe that settled in the center of the city, which was at the time, an island in the middle of a lake, but all of the tribes in the valley.  After exploring the ruins and museum, we strolled back to our hotel, the Hilton Mexico City Reforma,  and had a lovely lunch on their open air terrace on the 6th floor.

After lunch, we took an Uber and headed toward Chaplutapec Park, where we found another amazing stone, the “Aztec” Sun Stone, and many other incredible historical treasures at the National Museum of Anthropology, or Museo Nacional de Antropologia.  The museum is one of the best and most beautiful I have been to!  Plan to spend at least two or more hours wandering through all of the Mexican artifacts and history, enjoying the waterfall in the courtyard or sitting by the reflecting pool.

 

 

 

Since we had a big day planned for Day 2, we opted to eat at the hotel restaurant at the Hilton that evening.

Day 2

Our incredible private tour guide, Enrico picked us up at 8am for the one hour drive to Teotihaucan, the pyramids north of Mexico City.  It was extremely luxurious being driven in a roomy Suburban, all to ourselves, right up to the entrance of the pyramids. I do recommend that however you choose to get to the pyramids, you get there early when they open, to avoid both the heat and the crowds.  We arrived right at 9am when they open, made a quick pit stop and then proceeded to climb the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and then tour some very interesting and unique areas along the Avenue of the Dead.  We then drove over to the third pyramid, which you should not miss because of the original carvings still in tact on it’s face.  A few tips for you: put on sunscreen, bring plenty of water, wear sneakers or sturdy comfortable shoes and wear a brimmed hat. There is so much history and so many fascinating facts about this area and the people who inhabited it, that it’s worth doing a bit of research before you go. This city, at it’s height, hundreds of years ago, grew to a population of more than 200,000 people, who later, for reasons unknown, abandoned the area.  The best way to appreciate this area is to go with a guide, and we highly recommend Enrico.  To reach him and book a tour please find him on instagram at traveltramex and tell him Jill and Barbara sent you!  The cost is very reasonable and more than worth every peso!  As we headed back towards town from the pyramids, Enrico took us to a “market” where they gave out free samples of tequila, mezcal and some other concoctions made from the agave plant.  The agave plant is a truly a gift from God.  They showed us how it could be used as “paper” to write on, needle and thread to sew with, and of course how to extract the juice and ferment it into mezcal.  Only the special variety of the agave plant, the Blue Agave, produces tequila.  The “regular” agave plant produces mezcal.  Either can have the worm, but I didn’t learn why they put that in the bottles, though someone said to add flavor.  (really?)

After (feeling a bit guilty or pressured) I bought a few souveiners at the market, ( a small beautiful piece of pottery from the state of Puebla and a large oval polished obsidian stone (the area is quite volcanic), we walked over to an “authentic” restaurant for lunch, which was in fact pretty good.  I ordered a SOL beer in lieu of a Corona, and was sold.  SOL is a much better beer than Corona and more “Mexican!”

After lunch, we drove about an hour back towards the city and Enrico took us to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadaloupe, a collection of churches, one of which houses the cloak containing the image of the Lady of Guadaloupe, (presumed to be THE Mother Mary).    Long ago, a priest said that he had seen Mother Mary and no one believed him, so Mary told him to gather some flowers in his cloak and carry them back to the church.  When he opened his cloak to show everyone the flowers, there, on the cloak was the image.  You will notice while exploring the Old Basilica you may feel a bit off balance.  This is because the entire city of Mexico City was built on what was once a lake, so they have some issues with areas “sinking.”  Kinda kooky, but true.  One note, and we kind of thought this was funny, but did see it in Europe on occasion, you had to pay to go to the bathroom – 4 pesos to get in, and 1 peso for toilet paper.  Bring some change.

After a long day of climbing and exploring in the great outdoors, we had Enrico drop us at the Museo Soumaya, a private collection of art that is truly amazing.  The architecture of the building alone is worth seeing, but since the entry is free, there is no reason not to wander up the endless winding white walkway very reminiscent of the Guggenheim museum in my homeland of New York City.

After enjoying the treasures within, we strolled around Polanco looking for some dinner.  The side streets did remind me of the upper east side (in said homeland) but as the light grew dim, we stumbled upon an upscale mall El Palacio de Hierro, with a department store similar to the American Nordstrom or Saks Fifth Avenue (which they also have in Polanco.)  I felt strangely comforted surrounded by a Jo Malone perfume bar, Michael Kors and other familiar brands.  On the third floor we found a lovely little “food court” with upscale eats of all sorts, but after such a long day opted to sit in the beautiful surroundings of Cantina Pola with it’s open air walls overlooking the lights of the city.  While we didn’t love the wine list, the food was quite good and it got an A+ for convenience and atmosphere.  They even had a nice mariachi type band playing for a bit.

Day 3

On Day three in Mexico City we decided to explore a bit more of the city starting with visiting the beautiful Chapultepec Park.  The park is about three times as large as New York’s Central Park and has an incredible castle, which to me, seemed more like a palace, that should not be missed.  The Castillo de Chapultepec is amazing and was built by Austrian’s who were sent to Mexico to rule in the 1800’s after Mexico had already won the revolution against Spain. It was the second revolution that Mexico fought against the French/Austrian Empire that is celebrated on Cinco de Mayo.  This is more of a minor holiday in Mexico with their first independence day, (the break from Spain), celebrated in on September 15th which is more significant to Mexicans.

For a nominal fee, you can hire a guide right at the entrance, but be sure to ask several questions and converse for a few minutes first to make sure that you can understand your guide.  We only chatted for a minute or two and then half way up the road to the castle, realized that our guide could not really understand English and so could not answer any of our questions or go “off script.”  The castle is about a 10-15 minute walk up a steep but pretty road that affords expanding commanding views of the both the park and Mexico City as you ascend.  Once at the top you enter through the gates of the castle into a courtyard with a lovely garden to your left.  While the castle does not seem huge, it actually is quite extensive.  From the jewels to the murals to the gorgeously decorated European style rooms, explore away. Do not miss the impeccable garden on the second story.  On the first floor there is a museum with a lot to discover.

After walking up and down to see the castle and then around Chapultepec Park, we were hungry.  There are many amazing restaurants in Mexico City, but you really need to make reservations in advance.  There was one restaurant called Quintonil, and I heard they also had lunch, so I called and they said that they were booked but if they had a “no show” at 1:00pm we could have the spot. I figured if we couldn’t get the 1:00pm spot there would be another at 1:15pm or 1:30pm.  However, after we Ubered over and everyone showed up for their 1pm reservations, we realized the next seating was at 3:30pm.  oops.  It was no problem, we walked around and found a lovely restaurant and sat ourselves down for a terrific lunch with smoked margaritas, great bread, sauces, and delicious salmon.

After our relaxing lunch in the posh Polanco neighborhood, we decided to venture over to a couple of markets to check out some local flavors.  The Mercado de San Juan is a local food market and it is not at all touristy.  On display and for sale was everything from Scorpians to fruit, spices, fresh fish and skinned goats.  At least I think they were goats.  Maybe they were lambs? In any case it was a bit too gory to put in this post.  It was interesting to say the least, and though I wanted to bring home something from the market there was nothing that really would travel well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished off the day by walking just a couple of blocks to the Ciudadela, an artisan market with plenty of typical Mexican type souvineers to bring home.  I think my favorite item from Mexico was the Puela pottery.

We capped our last day with dinner at El Cardenal, attached to the Hilton Hotel and the mole was really incredible here!  I loved everything about Mexico City and would highly recommend you go!

Where I Stayed:  The Hilton Mexico City Reforma – perfect location for exploring all the areas on this itinerary.

How to get around: Uber, definitely Uber.  No matter where we went in the city, the cost was about $6.  With 25 million people, there is a lot of traffic, so it’s best to opt for Uber that charges you on distance, instead of a running meter.  Uber’s are plentiful, reliable and safe in Mexico City and we never waited more than about 5 minutes for a car.  We tipped in cash (pesos), usually about half to all of the ride fare. You kind of felt bad only paying the drive $5 US for a 30 minute ride.

In a nutshell:
Day 1: Morning: Historic area of the city including Templo Mayor.  Lunch at Terraza Alameda.  Afternoon : The Museo Nacional de Antropologia. (National Museum of Archeology)

Day 2: Trip to Teotihaucan including an artisan market, local lunch and a trip to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadaloupe.  Late Afternoon: Museo Soumaya in Polanco and Dinner at Cantina Pola in a fancy schmancy mall.

Day 3: Chaplutapec Park including Castilla de Chapultepec, Audiorama garden.  Lunch in Polanco at Rosanegra.  Afternoon: Mercado de San Juan – Food Market and Ciudadela – Craft Market.  Dinner at El Cardenal.

The Money, Honey: The money in Mexico is Mexican Pesos.  The exchange rate is about $18 Pesos to $1 US Dollar.  For ease and since I am somewhat mathematically challenged, we just rounded up to 20:1.  So $100 pesos is about $5 US Dollars.  Everything was VERY reasonable. We  ate well ($25 USD for a nice lunch or dinner including a glass of Mexican Wine which was good!), shopped, and went to museums (about $3 USD for entry fees).

Good Eats:  Lunch at the Hilton. The 6th floor has a lovely outdoor deck that overlooks the city and the semi-famous Torre Latin America.

What I’d do and see next time:  Mexico is a vast city.  It makes New York look like Portland.  It seems best to divide and conquer, neighborhood by neighborhood.  Next time:

Roma (just so happens a movie by the same name did pretty well at the academy awards this year) I’d do a bit of shopping at the Mercado Roma – a market.  Que Bol – a chocolate shop.  Dulceria de Celaya – a famous candy store dating back to the 1800’s.  There are some good restaurants here so I’d stay for dinner.

Xochimilco – a natural preserve with canal boats and tours of farms in the area.

Cuicuilco – an area near Coyoacan with more ruins and near the University of Mexico

San Angel – 40 minutes by car to see both Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’s homes.

Get Packing:  When I travel, I don’t usually check a bag, I just take a small roller bag that fits in the overhead bin and another small bag that fits under the seat.  Just so you know, that Obsidian stone I bought at the market near Teotihuacan was big enough that security made me check it in my bag because it was construed as a possible weapon.  So that stone ended up costing me an extra $30 in bag fees.  Once I retrieved my bag in Houston (connecting flight), I had to go through security again. This time, they let me take the stone on board. Hmmmm… American security?

Now, off to planning my next adventure! Where to?  Where are you going next?

I do hope you find my post helpful and would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Cheers!
Jill