Mexico city is a big vibrant city with a rich history and a huge food scene. The city is vast, as can be seen from the airplane as you land. A 4 day trip cannot do it justice, but this itinerary gives you a taste of the old and new, modern and traditional sides of the city, for a memorable first trip to Mexico city.

There are many flights from major US airports direct to Mexico city’s international airport (MEX). From there, it is easy to take an Uber or taxi for an approximately 20 minute drive to the city center. There are also public means to get from the airport, but Uber is a quicker and affordable option. I would not recommend renting a car as driving around Mexico city as a foreigner is complicated, and Uber is affordable.

There are a few neighborhoods / colonias around Mexico City that are popular among tourists: Roma, La Condesa, Coyoacan and Polanco. Choosing a hotel around Roma Norte places you centrally to most of the major attractions, while also being surrounded by great food options!

My short list of hotels were priced $110 – $120 per night when we booked. These included:

Sheraton Mexico City Maria Isabel. Located very near to the angel of independence, has an airport shuttle, good views and reviews, but no breakfast included and an older more classic style hotel.

City Express by Marriott EBC Reforma. This is a chain we have stayed at before in other cities in Mexico. Breakfast is included daily, great location, and the photos online look good.

NH Collection Mexico City Reforma. The photos look good, breakfast can be added but is also available nearby for cheaper.

Holiday Inn Express Mexico Reforma an IHG hotel. This is also at a great location near to a major mall, transportation and food. Breakfast included, nice photos, good price.

You cannot go wrong with these options, or any other hotel in the area that fits your budget and criteria.

Around the area of Avenida Reforma, where the above hotels are located, there are many dining options. Street food is generally safe in Mexico City, and you can often see the food being prepared right in front of you. However, you should only drink bottled water, not tap water.

Our favorites were:

• Taqueria Orinoco. Everything we ate there was delicious and we ate there every day! We went to this location, which was a very short walk from the hotel, but there are others around the city. 
• Also in walking distance is the street C. Genova that is lined with vendors day and night, but is especially set up with food at night. We had marquesitas and esquites every night that we walked by there!
• Cityzen bar and restaurant, located in the hotel Sofitel Mexico City Reforma, has amazing views of Mexico City. You’ll have to take two elevators within the hotel, but everything is well signaled and the view is amazing, especially with a cold cocktail in hand!
• La Casa de Toño is a popular spot for local Mexican food with great reviews.
• There were lots of street food stands all day every day as we walked around. We often grabbed fruit, snacks, fresh juice and tacos as we walked around. The juicy ripe mangoes were a huge hit for us.

Uber was our top choice for getting around Mexico city, and having chosen a hotel quite close to most of the sites we had planned, it was affordable to get around this way. There is also a very extensive Metro system, taxis and buses, but this can get quite crowded during commuting times.

While the summers are not very hot in Mexico City, I highly recommend having a water bottle such as this insulated slim leak-proof water bottle to keep hydrated as you tour the city. A cross body bag is also perfect for holding some snacks, souvenirs, a fold-able hat, and said water bottle. This exact setup is how we carried our cash and belongings around, and kept the pregnant lady (me) hydrated.

Starting the trip off right with a bit of the city’s rich history, el centro historico is a short drive away. We took Turibus (hop on and hop off tour bus) on their route to the centro historico from the Angel of Independence, and took it on the way back as well. The ride goes past important historical sites, like the Revolution Monument, and comes with an audio guide available in multiple languages. Riding on the top level of the double-decker bus allows full enjoyment of a beautiful sunny day and a great vantage point for photos.

The Zocalo is the city’s large plaza that is always abuzz with performers, food vendors, art, and always full of life. There is a huge Mexican flag and many cool photo spots. Surrounding it are the National Palace, the gorgeous Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, and just a couple blocks away is the huge and popular pastry store, Pasteleria Ideal, that has the largest selection of delicious pastries that I have ever seen! We left there with a couple big boxes of different pastries for our dessert and breakfast for the next couple of days!

A few more blocks away is the Palace of Fine Arts (Palacio de Bellas Artes), a beautiful marble hall and cultural center that is absolutely worth at least a drive by because of how magnificent the building is. And speaking of spectacular architecture, the Palacio Postal is a stunning historical and still functioning post office with a palatial interior!
For food stops in the historic center, Casa de los Azulejos is a former 18th century palace turned restaurant.

There is so much history in Mexico City, too much to squeeze into one day, but this will quickly give you a quick glimpse.

Chapultepec park (Bosque de Chapultepec) is a massive park right in the heart of Mexico City that has walking paths, small shops and snack vendors, and is popular with tourists and locals alike. It is also the home of Chapultepec Castle, a historic and beautifully maintained castle / museum with views of Mexico city. Because it is on top of a hill, it is a little bit of a climb to get to the top, but it is a gentle slope and doable. Visitors are not allowed to take water in, so plan to drink all your water as you climb. 

This is a great photo spot! Take advantage of the views, art, and beautifully manicured gardens to take a few cool shots for the gram.

Across the street from the north exit of Chapultepec park is the Museum of Anthropology, where you can see artifacts from pre-Hispanic cultures such as the Mayan and Aztec societies. Inside the museum is a restaurant (Sala Gastronomica) whose menu includes traditional dishes from all over Mexico (Mole, chapulines, bone marrow, esquites, cochinita pibil, chile en nogada, to name a few), and everything we tried was delicious! Chef’s kiss. This is the perfect spot for lunch after touring Chapultepec.

On weekend evenings, there are tours to watch Lucha Libre, Mexican wrestling that includes acrobatics. The wrestlers wear colorful masks, and it is a great fun environment. Arena Mexico is a newer and bigger lucha libre arena, and the recommended option for a tourist. Arena Coliseo is in a bit of a rougher-looking neighborhood but has so much history as famous iconic wrestlers like el Santo wrestled there! You can buy your Lucha Libre tour tickets from Viator.

Polanco is an upscale area in Mexico City with world famous stores, luxury apartments and high end restaurants. Museo Soumaya is an art museum with futuristic architecture that is worth a morning stroll through its galleries, followed by a stroll down Avenida Presidente Masaryk and lunch at any of the restaurants that are scattered along this street and the next. There will be no shortage of options to suit any desired cravings.

A weekend afternoon is well spent in the neighborhood of Coyoacan, about a 20 minutes Uber ride from Polanco. The neighborhood is known for historic colonial architecture and vibrant plazas that are always abuzz with families and tourists. There is an abundance of street food, cozy cafes, and snack options (ice cream, elotes, esquites, potato chips with salsa, etc) to be tried, so hopefully you didn’t fill up too much at lunch.

Start at Churreria El Moro for artisanal churros and Mexican chocolate. (There are other locations, so if this one does not work for your itinerary, hopefully you can fit in some delicious churros at another location). Stop for a quick coffee and donut at Cafe El Jarocho.  We thoroughly enjoyed all the ice creams we tasted at El Kiosko de Coyoacan which had a large selection of exotic Mexican flavors like mamey, served in the shell of the fruit.

Unfortunately our afternoon in Coyoacan was cut short by a thunderstorm, so we did not get to enjoy all the food and sights and the Coyoacan market, as we had planned.

Coyoacan is also the home of the Frida Kahlo Museum, which I would recommend getting a reservation for to save time waiting in line, as it is often busy.

Teotihuacan… There are not many countries in the world that have pyramids, so being this close to Mexico City, you have to take the opportunity to see these majestic Mesoamerican pyramids, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The pyramids are the size of hills and date back to pre-Columbian times, even predating the Aztec empire. Getting to see Teotihuacan will take the bigger chunk of a full day.

This archeological site is about an hour from the Angel of Independence, so taking a tour is a good option here so that you do not have to worry about transportation. Some tours also include an early morning hot air balloon ride for a birds eye view of the pyramids. Most tours include a guide who goes into detail about the history of the site, lunch, and a stop where the making of tequila and many uses of the agave plant are demonstrated.

Alternatively, you could take a taxi, or public bus from the terminal, or a private tour, which is what we did, so that we could control our schedule and stops since I was pregnant.

If you take a private vehicle, a late lunch at La Gruta is a must! The food is delicious and eating inside a beautifully decorated cave is a rare experience. Take a look at the photos below and on google maps and you will see what I mean.

Here’s a quick list of places we wished we’d had time to go to, and are on the list for next time we are in CDMX.

I hope you enjoy this taste of the old and new, modern and traditional sides of Mexico City. With a bit of planning, a 4 day trip can cover a lot, and hopefully be the start of many adventures in Mexico City, its food, culture, art and history. 💛