What to do in Mexico City. Visit the Historic Centre
The first day of the trip to Mexico in 45 days has started quite early, taking advantage of the moment to start preparing all the things to do in Mexico City that we have planned for these days.
It's about one in the morning when we open our eyes for the first time and yesterday after going from the airport to Mexico City, we arrived so tired that we preferred to stay in the hotel, something we should have thought about a little bit and go to sleep a little later and try to overcome the jetlag that was getting into our bodies.
After several laps in bed, we finally managed to get back to sleep until 4:30 in the morning, we took the opportunity to work for a while and when it was seven in the morning, we went to the terrace of the restaurant of the Zócalo Central hotel, where we are staying these days in Mexico City, where the restaurant is located and from where there are stunning views of the Plaza del Zócalo, the nerve centre of the city and one of the things to do in Mexico City that is a must.
After taking the obligatory photos of these truly impressive views, with the sunrise over the Metropolitan Cathedral, we enjoyed an incredible breakfast on the terrace, in front of an incomparable setting. The truth is that seeing this, we can say that the choice of staying at the Zócalo Central Hotel has been a good one, which will allow us to be not only well located, but also to enjoy these views every morning.
A good way to save money in Mexico City is to book the Mexico City Flexi Attractions Pass which includes several attractions and monuments such as the National Palace, the Cathedral, the Frida Kahlo tour, the tourist bus and the excursion to Teotihuacan, among others.
Sunrise from the terrace of Hotel Zócalo Central
Breakfast Hotel Zócalo Central
At approximately 8:15 in the morning, we leave the hotel, already thinking about the number of things to do in Mexico City that we have programmed and of which the first stop, as it could not be otherwise, is in the Plaza del Zócalo, approaching the Metropolitan Cathedral, one of the symbols of Mexico.
A good option if you want to learn more about the history of the city and many of its curiosities and anecdotes is to book this full tour of Mexico City with a guide in Spanish or this free tour for free.
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Zocalo Square
We could say that the Plaza del Zócalo is the nerve centre of Mexico City, that place that all travellers visit and where you can stroll around and enjoy every detail, it is one of the things to do in Mexico City that you can't miss.
Considered one of the largest squares in the world, here we can find some of the essential places to visit in Mexico such as the Templo Mayor, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Palace or the Portal de Mercaderes, among others.
Metropolitan Cathedral
With incredible dimensions, this building, symbol of the Zócalo, is a must-see and one of the things to do in Mexico City that you can't miss.
It is open from 8 in the morning to 8 in the evening and admission is free, although if you want to climb the tower you must pay 20 pesos.
Metropolitan Cathedral. What to do in Mexico City
As soon as you enter you will find the Altar of Forgiveness, one of the many jewels of this cathedral, where you will find the Black Christ, which is said to have this colour after drinking pozoña, a poison with which a priest was poisoned.
Altar of Forgiveness. Metropolitan Cathedral
Another interesting place in the Metropolitan Cathedral is the Altar of the Kings, which is located behind the main altar and from where you can start touring some of the 14 chapels that are distributed along the main floor of the cathedral.
After the visit to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City, where we are approximately 30 minutes, we go to the Zócalo or Plaza de la Constitución, properly speaking, to enjoy the surroundings now that the city is starting to wake up and is more lively, surrounded by all the decorations that have been put up in the area to celebrate the upcoming Christmas season, which is just around the corner.
Zócalo. Mexico City
After circling the Zócalo a couple of times, we stop at the National Palace, one of the things to do in Mexico City, although as it opens at 10am, we decide to go to the Templo Mayor, another of the symbols of the city and another of the must-see sights in Mexico City.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Mexico City
- 10 must-see places in Mexico City
- The 5 best tours and excursions in Mexico City
- 10 must-visit tips for travelling to Mexico
- Best travel insurance for Mexico
- Safety in Mexico
Templo Mayor
This archaeological site once stood on what is now the Metropolitan Cathedral, as well as several surrounding blocks. In 1978 a stone disc was discovered, in which the Aztec goddess Coyolxauhqui can be seen and which became the beginning of the first excavations of the Templo Mayor.
The opening hours of the Templo Mayor are from 9 am to 5 pm, and for the 70 pesos entrance fee, you can visit the archaeological site as well as the museum, which is as interesting as or more interesting than the Templo Mayor itself.
At the entrance to the Templo Mayor, after buying your tickets, you must go through a security checkpoint, where they check your bags or backpacks and where you have to leave any kind of food or drink in the locker, with your name on it, which you can pick up on your way out.
After passing this checkpoint you can watch a short video which lasts approximately 10 minutes and which is a short introduction to the Templo Mayor and which we highly recommend to get an initial perspective of what you are going to see on the visit.
The time for this visit is approximately 30 minutes for the archaeological site and 60 minutes for the museum.
If you want to know much more about the Templo Mayor, you can take this guided tour of the Templo Mayor Museum, with which you will learn much more about this incredible archaeological site.
Another thing to bear in mind is that throughout the site you will find explanations of the different points of interest, perfect for getting an idea of the place, although it is not a bad idea to take a guide like the Lonely Planet Mexico, so you can learn much more about the Templo Mayor.
Templo Mayor. What to do in Mexico City
Templo Mayor Museum
As we said before, the visit to the Templo Mayor Museum can take you about 60 minutes and we think it is the perfect complement to the visit, as well as many interesting pieces, it is here where you can see the famous stone disc of Coyolxauhqui.
Templo Mayor Museum
After the complete visit to the archaeological site of the Templo Mayor and the Museum, which lasts 90 minutes and when it is 10:30 in the morning, we leave the area, returning to the Plaza del Zocalo, the nerve centre of the city, to visit the National Palace, another of the essential visits to make in Mexico City, where we were this morning in its exterior and which opens at 10 in the morning.
National Palace
But as often happens when you are on a trip, sometimes things do not go as expected and this is the case with the visit to the National Palace, which, when we arrived, had just been closed due to a demonstration and the police explained to us that it would reopen tomorrow morning at 10 am. So with this in mind, we abandon the mission of this visit and go straight for a stroll through the streets around the Zócalo, also taking the opportunity to buy a free SIM card that will allow us to stay connected throughout this trip to Mexico on our own.
Streets of Mexico City
After asking at the hotel, we went to Celular Express, a shop a couple of streets away, which is the official distributor of the Telcel company, which has a virtual monopoly on mobile telephony throughout Mexico and which offers the best coverage in the places we are going to visit on this trip to Mexico in 45 days, so it is the one we chose to stay connected throughout the trip.
Mexico SIM card. Internet connection in Mexico
In general terms, we have to say that a SIM card in Mexico, to be able to stay connected, is much more expensive than it may seem initially and than it is in other countries, especially in Asia, such as the trip to Bali for free that we made almost 15 days ago.
The price of a free SIM card in Mexico with Telcel is 150 pesos (only the card), which you then have to top up with different packages of days and megabytes.
We choose the option that offers the most data, which includes 4Gb plus unlimited calls both locally and to the United States and Canada and unlimited messages also to Mexico, the United States and Canada, for 500 pesos.
This package is valid for 21 days and can be topped up whenever you want, but you can only do so when the data package has run out.
Cellular Express Shop
Mexico prepaid SIM card
Another option is to buy a Holafly SIM card while you are in Spain, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, saving you all the time and making the whole process of getting internet in Mexico much more convenient, quick and easy.
And so, with our SIM card and our phones ready to connect, we continue with our itinerary of what to do in Mexico City, heading to the Torre Latinoamericana, which is also just a few metres from the Zócalo and to which we go along Avenida Madero, one of the main arteries of the city.
Madero Avenue
This incredible avenue that starts directly in the Zócalo, from the area in front of the National Palace, is one of the streets that you must walk along in Mexico City, at various times of the day, as it changes both in appearance and atmosphere, depending on the moment.
In addition to strolling and enjoying life, on Avenida Madero we recommend you not to miss several buildings, such as the Museo del Estanquillo, open from 10am to 6pm, where you can find a large collection of photographs and paintings, through which you can see how the city has changed over the years.
Madero Avenue. Estanquillo Museum
Another place not to be missed is the Palacio de Iturbide, open from 10 am to 7 pm, with its beautiful baroque façade.
Close to the Torre Latinoamericana and the Temple of San Francisco is the Casa de los Azulejos, open from 7am to 1am, famous for the tiles that cover it, which were brought from China, and for the restaurant inside.
House of Tiles
Directly opposite this beautiful building is the Templo de San Francisco, open from 8am to 8pm, which represents what remains of the old 16th century Franciscan monastery.
Temple of San Francisco
Inside the Temple of San Francisco, you can't miss both the entrance and the atrium area, where you can sometimes see different exhibitions, like the one we found of Dalí.
Temple of San Francisco
Latin American Tower
Known for being the tallest building in Latin America in 1956, it is also famous for having withstood the various earthquakes that the city has had to endure over the years.
Apart from the architecture and history, one of the most interesting things about this place are the views you can enjoy by going up to the 44th floor, where the viewpoint is located.
Once upon a time you could access the bar, located on the 41st floor, free of charge, only on the condition that you had a drink. Now this is no longer feasible, and you have to pay 100 pesos per person to access the observation decks, which is the only way to have one of the best views of Mexico City.
Torre Latinoamericana from Madero Avenue
We can't deny that the price, 100 pesos, is not very cheap, especially if we compare it with the price of other places in Mexico City, but the truth is that the views of the city from the viewpoints are really worth it, even if the day is overcast, being able to see a unique perspective of several kilometres, which we are sure will leave you with your mouth open, besides showing you from another angle, the grandeur of the city.
Views of Mexico City from the Latin American Tower
Views of Mexico City from the Latin American Tower
After walking along Avenida Madero and making stops at its most important buildings such as the Museo del Estanquillo, the Palacio de Iyurbide, the Casa de los Azulejos, the Templo de San Francisco and going up to the Torre Latinoamericana, and with the streets already buzzing, something that really caught our attention and which we sensed was that in this country, life is lived in full colour, we went straight to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, one of the most emblematic buildings in Mexico City.
Visiting the Palacio de Bellas Artes, one of the best things to do in Mexico City
Open from 10am to 6pm, this incredible white marble palace is located next to the Alameda Central.
Although we recommend you to visit its interior, you can't miss its exterior where you can see the entire white marble structure, adorned on the inside by murals of several Mexican artists.
Palace of Fine Arts. What to do in Mexico City
After seeing the Palacio de Bellas Artes from the outside, the next day we will visit the interior and surround it so as not to miss any detail, we will go to Plaza Garibaldi, another of the essential visits to do in Mexico City.
But as this area seems to us to be one of the most interesting, to get to Plaza Garibaldi, we make a small detour through República de Chile street, a street that we highly recommend, as it is full of bridal shops and shops to celebrate the 15th birthday. For us it has been very curious to see how the shop windows are full of dresses that we don't usually see in Spain and that fill the shoppers with colour and excitement as we look at the windows.
Around República de Chile Street in Mexico City
Shop windows on República de Chile Street in Mexico City
After walking around this area of the city, we arrived at Plaza Garibaldi, as we said, another of the symbols of the city, which, as is logical, we did not want to miss on this first day in Mexico City, although we know and sense that we did not come at the right time, as it is still too early to find the atmosphere that characterises this corner of the city.
Plaza Garibaldi, one of the best places to see in Mexico City
This square, which can be easily reached on foot from the Zócalo or by metro from any other part of the city, is the place where the famous mariachi groups meet every night.
Although this is something we have not checked, as we did not return at night during our stay in Mexico City, several people we consulted, including several Uber drivers, advised us not to go there, especially at night, due to the insecurity in the area.
We have to say that we went at midday and did not find it unsafe, although it is true that there was practically no one in the area and most of the shops were closed.
Garibaldi Square
It is already 1 o'clock in the afternoon when we retrace our steps, returning to the Palacio de Bellas Artes for a stroll through the Alameda Central, located right next door, which is another of the things to do in Mexico City.
Alameda Central. Mexico City
This immense park is another of the symbols of the city, where part of the daily life of the city's inhabitants takes place, especially on weekends, when it is normal for many families to come here to spend part of the day.
Alameda Central
Strolling through the Alameda Central you can relax from the sometimes hectic Mexico City, amidst greenery, fountains and even free wifi spots, which are easy to spot, both for the cartels and the groups that gather around.
After a stroll through the Alameda Central and when a few minutes past 1:30 noon, we decide to go for lunch and after searching TripAdvisor for the closest option that best suits what we are looking for, we decide on Taqueria El Caifan, a highly recommended restaurant in the area, where we order what will be our first guacamole of the trip and some tacos, quesadillas, soft drink, beer and two cafes de olla, which we finally try, for 298 pesos.
A good option if you want to enjoy Mexican gastronomy from the hand of an expert is to take this gastronomic tour of Mexico City.
Taqueria El Caifan
After lunch and when it's almost 2:30 in the afternoon, we decide to start the second part of this itinerary through the city that is taking us to some of the essential visits to do in Mexico City and that now leads us to Paseo de la Reforma.
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Paseo de la Reforma
This promenade is the largest avenue in the city and many locals know it directly as "Reforma". In its more than 4 kilometres, which stretch from Tlatelololco to Chapultepec forest, you will find countless hotels and new buildings that are unstoppably springing up in this area of the city, which is receiving more and more visitors.
Among the highlights of Paseo de la Reforma is El Caballito, a sculpture of a yellow horse's head, which is known throughout Mexico City and serves as a tribute to another sculpture that once stood here.
The Little Horse. Paseo de la Reforma
Other outstanding monuments on the Paseo de la Reforma are the Monument to Christopher Columbus, the Monument to Cuauhtémoc and the Monument to Independence, where an angel can be seen on a column.
Monument to the Revolution
At this point of the day, we have to say that initially we wanted to walk along the entire Paseo de la Reforma, which is approximately 4 kilometres, until we reached the Castle of Chapultepec, but as we advanced, we found the area quite impersonal, since it is a very wide avenue, in which we are surrounded by hotels and large office buildings, So we decide to go as far as El Caballito and the Monument to the Revolution and, after a couple of kilometres, turn back to return to the Historic Centre of Mexico City, which is the area we have liked the most so far and which we most want to get to know and explore again, now at a more leisurely pace, to enjoy it and, above all, to experience it more closely.
And so we do, but now we head straight to the Alameda Central, which is the point where we will begin a route that we have written down from page 72 of Lonely Planet Mexico, which will take us through some parts of the area that we have not yet visited.
Walking tour of the Historic Centre of Mexico City
This tour starts at the Centro de Artesanía de Ciudad de México, which we have to say is a perfect place if you have some shopping to do, as there are hundreds of shops with a great variety of handicrafts and souvenirs, so if you are looking for a souvenir of your trip, we are pretty sure you will find it here.
La Ciudadela Handicraft Centre
After being here for a little more than half an hour for a quick walk, as it is the first day of the trip we have no intention of shopping, we go to the San Juan Market, a market where we can find plenty of fruits, vegetables, meats and sausages, as well as several small restaurants, which have a fairly short menu, but very specific and where we really think it is interesting to eat.
San Juan Market
We are in the market for almost 30 minutes, enjoying the daily life of the city, to return to the tour, now heading towards the historic centre, but stopping first in the Corredor Regina, a very atmospheric area of the city, where we stop at the Regina cafe, where we have a coffee and a lemonade for 70 pesos.
Regina Corridor
After this short stop in Regina street, we stroll around and enjoy this area, aimlessly, where at this time of day we find a great atmosphere.
From here we continue our tour, now heading back to the historic centre of Mexico City, to get closer to the Templo de la Santísima Trinidad, where we get lost in the streets behind the Templo Mayor, which we highly recommend, as at this time of day they are full of people shopping in the various stalls that are on the street and selling anything you can imagine, surrounded by an atmosphere that permeates everything, leaving us with a total feeling of celebration, colour and good vibes.
Streets of Mexico City
Mexico City
It's a little after 6pm when we decide that it's time to end the day, and although it may not seem like it, the jet lag and yesterday's trip is starting to take its toll on our bodies, so we decide to go for dinner at one of the most recommended restaurants in Mexico City, which we've read is very busy, but if it's early, we're going to try our luck.
And luckily we did, so tonight we dined at El Cardenal restaurant, which is also very close to the Zócalo Central hotel.
We ordered a tuna ceviche plus some smoked tuna tostadas and an octopus dish plus two waters for 620 pesos, which are scandalous.
Dinner at El Cardenal restaurant
Please note that admission is until 18:30, so if you want to come, it's a good idea to go early.
And so, with just a few minutes to go before 9 p.m., we return to the hotel to rest and continue dreaming about this incredible city, which is giving us unforgettable moments.
Map of interesting places to visit in Mexico City, the must-see places
Today's tour has taken us through some of the must-visits in Mexico City, including: the Zócalo, the Templo Mayor, the Metropolitan Cathedral, Madero Avenue, the Casa de los Azulejos, the Torre Latinoamericana, the Alameda Central, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Plaza Garibaldi, the Paseo de la Reforma, the Centro de Artesanías la Ciudadela, the Mercado San Juan, the Corredor Regina and the Templo de la Santísima Trinidad.
In case you don't have much time or want to enjoy the city from another perspective, we recommend the Mexico City sightseeing bus, a perfect way to tour the city and stop at all the most touristic places as many times as you want.
