The 5 Best Things to Do in Mexico City

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Mexico City has exploded in popularity over the recent years, drawing visitors keen to experience the city’s thriving culinary scene, warm weather, and lively culture. If you’re short on time and hoping to make the most of your trip to Mexico’s capital, follow this guide.

From day trips back in time to mouthwatering food tours, these are the five best things to do in Mexico City.

1. Experience History

Travel back in time on a day trip from Mexico City to Teotihuacan, a soaring pyramid located in the Valley of Mexico. Once a thriving ancient city, this monument remains an impressive reminder of the history of this area. The pyramid is about an hour from Mexico City, but it’s well worth a day trip.

If you don’t have a car, it’s easy to book a guided tour from Mexico City to see the pyramid, like this one which includes a tour of downtown Mexico City, Teotihuacan, and a mezcal tasting.

2. Dinner and a Show

Luchador masks on display — Marotoson | Adobe Stock

If you want entertainment along with your dinner, head to Meson del Cid, a lively tavern that’s especially fun to visit on Saturdays, when a four-course medieval banquet is served. Jugglers, magicians, and singers put on a show while you eat classic dishes like paella and suckling pig.

Keep the fun going after dinner and visit Arena México, where you can enjoy the outlandish maneuvers of the “luchadores” (wrestlers) at a Lucha Libre show. The ticket prices are affordable, and if you can find a front-row seat, you’ll get an unforgettable up-close view.

3. Mexico City’s Museums

Courtyard and fountain at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, Mexico — diegograndi | Adobe Stock

In Mexico City, the art brings varied perspectives of history. You’ll see Diego Rivera’s magnificent mural, “The History of Mexico,” at the Palacio Nacional. The mural vividly depicts the nation’s story from the conquest to the Mexican Revolution. Admission is free, you must make a reservation for a guided tour at the the ticket office at the Museum of Art of the Ministry of Finance & Public Credit in order to gain entry. Tours cannot be booked online.

Diego Rivera’s equally talented wife, Frida Kahlo, also has a museum in Mexico City. Museo Frida Kahlo, also called “Casa Azul” due to its bright blue exterior, gives visitors a personal invitation to see how she and Diego lived. A few of Frida’s paintings are exhibited, but the museum is more like an invitation to their home, preserved as it was when they lived there.

4. Mexico City’s Green Spaces

Color is a part of almost everything you see in Mexico City. Adding a kaleidoscope of flowers to your trip seems like an overload of joy, but stopping by the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco should be added to your trip. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site Xochimilco’s canals flow over 100 square miles. The gardens were crafted by plastering reed rafts with mud and planting flowers, vegetables, and fruits. It’s a one-of-a-kind journey that will give you an enchanted afternoon.

5. Savor Some Sweets

Front entrance of El Moro Churrería location on Roma Norte in Mexico City, Mexico — El Moro Churrería

Chocolate lovers should head to La Rifa Chocolatería where you can taste hot chocolate as it was originally produced in the traditional style.

For another sugar fix, head to the best churro shop in Mexico City. You may have tasted churros at a Mexican restaurant or theme park, but the churros from El Moro Churrería are in another category. In the early evenings, there are often lines to this shop stretching down several blocks. You can watch the cooks as they fry your churros and then dip them in sugar-coating.

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