Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world, is a modern, cosmopolitan city with excellent hotels, restaurants, and nightlife. While it has its fair share of problems - pollution and crime are the most obvious to travelers - don鈥檛 let these problems discourage you from visiting the city.
Mexico City Museums
There are literally dozens of museums in the city. The one can鈥檛-miss museum is the Museum of Anthropology, which houses the most impressive collection of Aztec stonecarvings and relics in the world. For art buffs, there is the Frida Kahlo Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. ??For children, there is the Papalote Museum, which features interactive displays and kid-friendly exhibits.
Ruins Near Mexico City
There are several ruin complexes within and close to the city. Fifty kilometers away are the ruins at Teotihuac谩n. It was a very holy place for the indigenous cultures: according to local legend, it was the birthplace of Gods and the fifth sun, which began the modern age. The site had been abandoned by the time the Mexica people arrived to central Mexico, but they, too, held the place to be sacred. The Pyramid of the sun is one of the most impressive in the whole country.
By Christopher Minster I am a writer and editor at V!VA Travel guides here in Quito, where I specialize in adding quality content to the site and also in spooky things like...
San 脕ngel鈥檚 Museo Casa del Risco, or House of the Cliff, is an 18th century palace, once the family home of Don Isidro Fabela and Dona Josefina de Fabela. Now it is a free museum, located on
...
The Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil in San 脕ngel occupies an important place in M茅xico City鈥檚 modern art world. The museum houses 1,775 works, most of them from the personal collection of Dr.
...
Open since 1986, the Museo Nacional de la Revoluci贸n sits in the basement of the Monumento a la Revoluci贸n. The seven chronological sections of the museum cover the years 1857 鈥 1920 and are
...
Head south from the Z贸calo and you get to the Museo de La Ciudad de Mexico. Like many Mexico City museums, it鈥檚 housed in a converted colonial palace. The baroque architecture is one of the last
...
Anyone familiar with "Ripley's Believe It Or Not!" will not be surprised at the wackiness here in the Mexican branch of Ripley's "隆Aunque Ud. No Lo Crea!" museum. In this
...
A spot of beauty on an otherwise grim street, the Museo Nacional de San Carlos is housed in a 19th-century neoclassical building that was designed by Spanish-born sculptor-architect Manuel Tols谩.
...
Cutting-edge art fills this converted church (the 17th-century Convento de San Diego) across the street from Alameda Central and around the corner from the Museo Mural Diego Rivera. Lofty in its
...
Housed in a grand edifice that once served as a hospital, and also as a clinic for prostitutes, the Museo Franz Mayer revels the passions of its benefactor. Born in Mannheim, Germany, Mayer
...
Revolutionary leader and Mexican president Venustiano Carranza (1859 鈥 1920) only lived in this two-story French-style mansion for six months before he was executed in Puebla on May 7, 1920. His
...
Dav铆d Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974) was one of the big three muralists in Mexico, along with Diego Rivera and Jos茅 Clemente Orozco. It was Siqueiros who declared that he wanted to make "Art for
...
Designed by Teodoro Gonz谩lez de Le贸n and Abraham Zabludovsky, this hulking glass and concrete hangar of a building houses the collection of Oaxacan artist Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991) and several
...
For yummy upscale vegetarian and organic (and meat) dishes, La Buena Tierra, in the hip restaurant enclave of the Condesa neighborhood, is hard to beat. The corner restaurant spills onto the sidewalk
...
Opened in 1928 in downtown Mexico City, the Sal贸n Corona is one of those rare family cantinas that welcomes all patrons with simple, but excellent food and numerous kinds of beer鈥攅ven draft. If
...
Legend has it that revolutionary leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa, ostensibly seeking to becalm a rowdy crowd, fired a bullet into the ceiling of the cantina called La Opera in 1914. Today, the
...
(Entr茅es $6)
The Sanborns chain is everywhere in Mexico, but this particular branch knocks them dead with its picturesque 16th century building, tiled in traditional blue azulejos, and a courtyard
...
Food snobbery is nowhere to be found at Pepe's Burger Snacks, a no-nonsense yet delicious and hip little outpost on the edges of Condesa. New, clean and bargain-priced for the neighborhood, Pepe's
...
Within walking distance from the main plaza in Coyoacan, this small, unassuming restaurant will surprise you. They serve some of the best traditional Mexican food, Oaxaca style. At lunchtime, for
...
Inside the swinging cantina doors of the trippy Pulquer铆a Las Duelistas, young dreadlock-wearing hipsters chug pulque in a psychedelic Aztec fantasyland. Ah pulque, that ancient elixir of Mexico
...
Opened on July 25, 2002, the Flora Lounge prides itself on its longevity, with anniversary parties held each year. And it's no wonder. The Mexican-inspired bistro food is delicious, and the crowd is
...
This is one of Mexico City's historic Cantinas, an old working man's club which is now open to all. Inside the pub-like exterior lies a smart bar restaurant with dicky-bowed waiters and impressive
...
Just down the street from the Museo Casa de Carranza and around the corner from the Jard铆n del Arte is the Restaurante Nucleo. Locals pack this eatery near the Paseo de la Reforma at 3 p.m. for the
...
At Pollos Ray, you eat with your hands, picking up your hot-from-the-rotisserie-oven chicken, pulling it apart and stuffing the meat in your gluttonous mouth, because it's that good. The branch of
...
One of the country's cultural highlights, these impressive ruins can be visited easily in one day even if your base is Mexico City. Dating back to the days of the Maya, this former urban center has
...
This building looks a little bland from the outside but go through the doors and you will find an impressive courtyard and some pleasant gardens out back. But the main reason for visiting is to see
...
Mexico City's prize cathedral is impressive from the outside and nice from the inside but a trip up the bell tower is one for aficionados only. The tour, which lasts around 20 minutes, is interesting
...
Historical Building, Cultural Tour
Mexico City, Mexico
The city of Tlatelolco was around years before the founding of its more famous neighbor, Tenochtitl谩n. The two cities shared one of the largest islands on Lake Texcoco, the site of modern Mexico
...
At the height of his power, President Porfirio D铆az, who ruled from 1876 to 1910, sought to construct a new legislative palace for his puppet government. He himself laid the first stone at the Plaza
...
This smart monument (also known as El 脕ngel de la Independencia), located in the middle of Mexico City鈥檚 main diagonal thoroughfare, consists of a tall white column topped with a golden angel. It
...
City Walk, City Plaza, History
Mexico City, Mexico
In 1720 the impressive Palacio del Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) that today dominates the entire southern side of the Z贸calo was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the original, constructed over the ruins of
...
This is a lovely spot to take a stroll in the sunshine, particularly on the weekends when there are plenty of people around. The paved walkways are set out in a criss-cross pattern leading from one
...
City Plaza, City Park, City Walk
Mexico City, Mexico
To wander around the Plaza de las Tres Culturas is to feel the weight of the three cultures that have shaped modern Mexico. The ruins of the ancient city of Tlatelolco surround a colonial church,
...
City Plaza
North Of The Center, Mexico City, Mexico
The approach to the shrine of Nuestra Se帽ora de Guadalupe is a wild mass of pilgrims, salesmen hawking Virgin souvenirs, tourists, and the ubiquitous traffic that characterizes every part of the
...
The dinky pyramid of Santa Cecilia Acatitl谩n (15 meters/50 feet) makes up for in loving preservation what it lacks in size. Fully restored, the pyramid is simple and elegant, with just one shrine,
...
The Pir谩mide of Tenayuca was constructed around 1224 by the barbarian Chichimeca tribe. The Chichimecas had wandered down from northern Mexico, wiped out the Toltecs in the city of Tula, and
...
This building looks a little bland from the outside but go through the doors and you will find an impressive courtyard and some pleasant gardens out back. But the main reason for visiting is to see
...
Mexico City's prize cathedral is impressive from the outside and nice from the inside but a trip up the bell tower is one for aficionados only. The tour, which lasts around 20 minutes, is interesting
...
Historical Building, Cultural Tour
Mexico City, Mexico
In 1720 the impressive Palacio del Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) that today dominates the entire southern side of the Z贸calo was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the original, constructed over the ruins of
...
The approach to the shrine of Nuestra Se帽ora de Guadalupe is a wild mass of pilgrims, salesmen hawking Virgin souvenirs, tourists, and the ubiquitous traffic that characterizes every part of the
...
The Pir谩mide of Tenayuca was constructed around 1224 by the barbarian Chichimeca tribe. The Chichimecas had wandered down from northern Mexico, wiped out the Toltecs in the city of Tula, and
...
One of the country's cultural highlights, these impressive ruins can be visited easily in one day even if your base is Mexico City. Dating back to the days of the Maya, this former urban center has
...
The city of Tlatelolco was around years before the founding of its more famous neighbor, Tenochtitl谩n. The two cities shared one of the largest islands on Lake Texcoco, the site of modern Mexico
...
The dinky pyramid of Santa Cecilia Acatitl谩n (15 meters/50 feet) makes up for in loving preservation what it lacks in size. Fully restored, the pyramid is simple and elegant, with just one shrine,
...
The Pir谩mide of Tenayuca was constructed around 1224 by the barbarian Chichimeca tribe. The Chichimecas had wandered down from northern Mexico, wiped out the Toltecs in the city of Tula, and
...
One of the country's cultural highlights, these impressive ruins can be visited easily in one day even if your base is Mexico City. Dating back to the days of the Maya, this former urban center has
...
This building looks a little bland from the outside but go through the doors and you will find an impressive courtyard and some pleasant gardens out back. But the main reason for visiting is to see
...
Mexico City's prize cathedral is impressive from the outside and nice from the inside but a trip up the bell tower is one for aficionados only. The tour, which lasts around 20 minutes, is interesting
...
Historical Building, Cultural Tour
Mexico City, Mexico
The city of Tlatelolco was around years before the founding of its more famous neighbor, Tenochtitl谩n. The two cities shared one of the largest islands on Lake Texcoco, the site of modern Mexico
...
Recently refurbished, the Hotel Font谩n M茅xico sits in a prime location in the Centro Hist贸rico of Mexico City. On the Paseo de la Reforma next to the Hidalgo metro stop, the hotel is is also close
...
Housed in a renovated colonial building, the Mexico City Hostel has a lovely light-filled lobby with big, bold Mexico-inspired paintings, a fountain and door attendant, who actually opens the door
...
People who like to party will find a grand welcome at the Hostel Amigo, about three blocks southwest of the Z贸calo in the center of downtown Mexico City. The bar is just steps beyond the front desk
...
A member of Hosteling International, Hostel Mundo Joven Catedral couldn't be more centrally located. The hostel sits right behind the huge, iconic Catedral Metropolitana on the Z贸calo, the main
...
The rooftop terrace of Hostal Moneda is not only a pleasant place to eat your free breakfast (coffee, juice, pancakes, fruit, eggs, sometimes ham) or dinner (usually pasta, vegetables, soup), but it
...
Built in 1947, the Hostal Virreyes was originally a fancy hotel where stars and VIPs like Rock Hudson, Piper Laurie and the Rockefellers used to stay when they came to downtown Mexico City. The hotel
...
One block from the cathedral, Hotel Zamora is hidden up some dark stairs leading up from a non-descript doorway on 5 de Mayo. Don鈥檛 let that put you off though because it hides one of the best
...
Opened in December 2008, the Marriott Reforma is a world standard luxury hotel with all the mod cons you might expect from the Marriott chain. The rooms are fairly small but of a high standard and
...
If you want to be pampered, Embassy Suites is the luxury hotel for you. The spacious, opulent rooms have plasma screen TVs and all modern amenities. They have a small but well equipped gym to work
...
This hotel looked like a bargain. It has a great location and the price I booked it for on the Internet was good. My stay turned out badly. I had a different price written on my check-in card when I
...
Hostel Moneda is part of the Amigo Hostel group, which has establishments dotted around the country. The prices might seem a little steep for a hostel but include free breakfast, dinner, internet and
...