If you’re already looking up “things to do in Mexico City” than you’re probably not one of the people “too scared to travel to Mexico”. CDMX is the perfect cosmopolitan city for the well-traveled and adventurous. It is easy to get around, budget friendly and, as it is the largest city in North America and fifth largest in the world we promise you won’t be running out of things to do.

While there are literally pages and pages to be written on what to do in Mexico City, here’s a few top items you won’t want to miss during your stay. All are accompanied with a vlog to get a bit of a better feel of what it’s like to travel in this beautiful city.

Good to know: what does CDMX stand for?

You’ll frequently see Mexico City referred to as CDMX or “Ciudad de Mexico”. Up until 2016 Mexico City was referred to locally as “D.F.” or Distrito Federal (Federal District). Somewhat similar to the US version of Washington DC, D.F. was a federal government region within the country (home of Mexico City). Now, the city with a population of over 9 million acts more like a state (there are 31 Mexican States) and is no longer referred to as DF, but as CDMX.

Arriving in Mexico City

Exchanging money for pesos

The largest city in North America is surprisingly easy to get around. When you walk past customs and the doors open, directly behind the crowd of people will be exchange houses. Exchange roughly $100 USD into pesos. You’ll want some petty cash in your pocket for tasty street food or souvenirs you see the next few days but you won’t want much more on you (for safety). Like many cosmopolitan cities these days, most places take credit cards.

mexico city transportation

You can get a taxi to your place from the airport which is typically a fair price and a safe ride. Uber does exist here and is available for pickup in Mexico City. Uber is incredibly cheap in CDMX - so cheap it doesn’t make sense to take other forms of transportation (unless heading all the way out to Xochimilco - more on that later).

In the sea of 9 million people expect for traffic to be heavy. You wouldn’t get into a car in NYC and think - I’ll just zip quickly over to my hotel!

Where to Stay in Mexico City

Since the availability of Uber makes getting around the city super easy, there’s really no “bad place” to stay in town. (That being said you’ll definitely want to stick to certain neighborhoods). Most of the historic and cultural sites are situated in the city center, but that’s not a great place to stay as it starts to shut down (and become unsafe) at night.

Polanco

Polanco is the swank of the swank in town. Stepping out your front door you can grab a Rolex and a $200USD/plate dinner at a Michelin star restaurant. That doesn’t mean this neighborhood is only for the high end traveler. Walking through the tree covered sidewalks or finding street food in the nearby Chapultepec Park makes this a great place for anyone. There are several nice hotels in this neighborhood as well as great airbnb options. Look for locations in the south east corner of Polanco for the quickest commute to many destinations.

Get $55 off your first Airbnb Stay

LA Condesa

You’ll likely find La Condesa rated among the top neighborhoods to stay in on any travel blog. For good reason! A bit more centrally located than Polanco along with great restaurants, coffee shops and more affordable airbnb options, this is a good choice for just about anyone visiting the city.

Roma

Just next door to La Condesa is the funky neighborhood of Roma. Rougher around the edges than Polanco or Condesa it’s “not all that different”. Maybe once a more up-and-coming hipster neighboorhood, Roma has seen enough great restaurants and shops to bring in tons of travelers, digital nomads and local professionals.

Another neighborhood - San Rafael - is popular with local experts due to its proximity to everything and low low accommodation prices.

What to do in Mexico City

With such a large city, it’s important to structure your itinerary based around neighborhoods. For example, if you plan to head in to the city center, make sure you are hitting all the sites you can see on that one day. In various trips to Mexico City I have switched hotels to move neighborhoods over several nights just to have a different neighborhood experience.

Day 1: Zocalo:

Visit the main square: Zocalo
See the ruins of El Templo Mayor
Visit the Cathedral
Walk inside the National Palace (Palacio Nacional) to see the Diego Rivera murals (video 2)

Day 2 in CDMX

Frida Kahlo house + museum
Post office (palacio postal)
bellas artes (for more diego murals)
Enjoy a Coffee with the best view of the city in cafe inside Sears building across the street (photo from the photo in this post)

Visit Xochimilco
Enjoy a cocktail an gin gin (best ambiance at a bar…ever)

Take a day trip to the Teotihuacan ruins

Why you should travel to Mexico City

Mexico City has something for everyone. In a city of 9 million with so much culture and history, no matter whether you’re a foodie, history buff, wanting to hit a night on the town or just enjoy strolling new neighborhoods you’ll love your long weekend here. You’ll be surprised how short of a flight it is from your US home city and won’t be able to believe you didn’t think of previously traveling here!