By air
Benito Juárez International (MEX), ~10 km
North America · Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico
Museums, markets and a world-class food scene
Getting there
Best time to visit
March to May — dry and warm
Don't miss
The Zócalo
The National Museum of Anthropology
The Palacio de Bellas Artes
Teotihuacan
Things to do
The Zócalo and the Templo Mayor
The Frida Kahlo Museum
Chapultepec
A day at Teotihuacan
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Gobierno CDMX · CC0
What to pack
Layers (it is high altitude), comfortable shoes
A quieter corner
Xochimilco's painted trajineras on a weekday
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Mexico City?
March to May, when it's dry and warm. Pack layers — it's high altitude — and comfortable shoes.
What are the must-sees in Mexico City?
The Zócalo and the Templo Mayor, the National Museum of Anthropology, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Frida Kahlo Museum and Chapultepec. Save a day for Teotihuacan.
What should I eat in Mexico City?
Tacos al pastor and tamales, and whatever catches your eye at the Mercado de la Merced.
When should I visit Xochimilco in Mexico City?
On a weekday, for its painted trajineras.
About Mexico City
- Mountains
Where it is
Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, fills much of the Valley of Mexico on the high central plateau at about 2,240 m, a basin ringed by mountains and by the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl.
History
The Mexica (Aztecs) built Tenochtitlan around 1325 on islands in Lake Texcoco, and it grew into the capital of their empire. Hernán Cortés and his Indigenous allies took it in 1521, the Spanish built the capital of New Spain on its ruins and drained the lakes over the following centuries, and it became the capital of independent Mexico in 1821.
People
Capitalinos, informally called chilangos, speak Spanish, and Nahuatl is still spoken in the villages of Milpa Alta, while migrants from across Mexico bring Mixtec, Otomí, Mazahua and other Indigenous languages. Markets such as La Merced, lucha libre wrestling, mariachis in Plaza Garibaldi and the Day of the Dead shape city life.
Known for
- The Zócalo and the Templo Mayor
- The National Museum of Anthropology
- Frida Kahlo's Blue House in Coyoacán
- Tacos al pastor and street food
- Xochimilco's canals and trajineras
Did you know?
Because it stands on the soft bed of a drained lake, Mexico City is sinking, in places by almost 50 cm a year, and some areas have sunk as much as 9 m since the early 20th century.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.