Mexico City is a fantastic destination and these 9 Marvelous Mexico City Stops make it even more enjoyable. The food, the art, the markets, the historical sites. So much to explore. I recently spent a week there. We covered a lot more than what is in this post. However, I highly recommend this combination of popular and off-beat suggestions. Consequently, there’s something here for everyone.
I could go back for at least a month. My list of things to yet see and do was longer when I left than when I arrived. Here are some of the highlights of my trip, in no particular order.
1 –Museo Frida Kahlo – “La Casa Azul “
Fierce and fragile Frida Kahlo lives on forever. Others have also felt her spirit while wandering through her home and gardens. This beautiful museum is about a half-hour drive from the center of Mexico City in a charming area called “Coyoacan”. We planned to spend the day here and I was glad we did.
Of course, I had a meltdown when I saw her kitchen. Her studio gave me chills and the gardens are gorgeous.
Tip: This place can get packed as the day goes on. Buy your tickets way in advance from the museum’s website and get the earliest entry time. Also, the gardens have plenty of seating. You can chill out there for as long as you like after touring the house.
Tip #2: Out in the gardens there is a nook where you can watch a short, approximately 20-minute film. It has extraordinary home movies of Frieda, Diego, and their friends. Highly recommend.
Side Recipe Note: In 2005 I saw a comprehensive Freida Khalo exhibit in London. I bought a jewel of a cookbook called Frida’s Fiestas in the museum’s gift shop. It is written by Diego Rivera’s daughter Guadalupe from his first wife. Here is one of my favorite recipes from the book:
Frida Kahlo’s Almond Cookies
2-Museo Casa de Leon Trotsky-Trotsky’s House
Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky lived a 5 minutes walk from Frida Kahlo’s house. Trotsky and his wife lived at the Blue House with Frida and Diego Rivera for a little over two years before moving into their own residence.
It is in this house in this room Trotsky was assassinated by a NKVD agent.
The original house is preserved as a museum and the extension houses an organization that works to promote political asylum.
Tip: This museum is a 5-minute walk from Frieda’s house. Leave about 45 min – 1.5 hours in your Coyoacan schedule to visit.
3-Lucha Libre
This is the most fun you can have with 15,000 strangers. Actually, we hired a fabulous guide who is a Luche Libre fan to accompany us for the evening.
First, we enjoyed pre-show tasty tacos across the street from the venue, Aerna Mexico. During our meal, Fernanda explained the rules and history of this popular Mexican sport.
Then we cruised the stall selling souvenirs outside the arena. Finally, we were escorted to our seats and leaned into the craziness.
The costumes and theatrics alone were worth the price of admission. The flips, tumbles, and participatory cursing were a fantastic bonus.
Tip #1: Leave time pre-show to explore the market outside the Arena. The selection of mask styles is endless and the T-shirts are fantastic.
Tip #2: Leave the show 10 minutes early to secure your Uber and avoid the exit crowd crush.
4-Salsa Making Class
There are a lot of cooking class experiences to be had in Mexico City. I chose well. Aura is a small family-run cooking school built out in a garage. The space is charming and beautifully decorated. The professional support staff are warm and welcoming. Our Guide/Chef Krystel was fantastic, competent, and had a great sense of humor.
We signed up for the epic Mastering Mexican Salsas class which started off with a briefing at the school. Then Krystel led us to visits with a local tortilla maker and a family-run street stand for tacos.
Between the two we ate a satisfying breakfast. Then it was on to the Medellin Market for a tour. Krystel showed us different chilies, fruits, and vegetables that are used to create various salsas. She bought ingredients for our class from local vendors.
Back at the cooking school, we made 10 salsas. Yes, you read that right. 10. Salsas. There are different methods of making them. Some were raw, others were cooked, fried, or roasted.
Each salsa we blended had a different theme song and we had a blast cooking and dancing while downing delicious homemade agua fresca. The joy and love of cooking in this place took this from a class to an experience. We did not want to leave.
After our 10 salsa were made, we sat down for a family meal called a Taquiza.
The kitchen staff had prepared dishes that best paired with each salsa. We passed around tortillas and sampled different combinations. After Mezcal shots and dessert, we were each given lovely gifts as well as a booklet containing all the salsa recipes.
The entire experience was a fun fiesta. Not only would I love to go back to Aura and take another class, but I would also do this salsa class all over again. Viva La Taquiza!
Tip: Worth a circle back to the Medallin market after the class to shop for fruits, vegetables, mole, herbs, spices, & souvenirs. Scope out what you would like to purchase when going with the guide. The vendors remembered us and were extremely helpful and gave us good prices. I highly recommend purchasing the gorgeously fragrant dried oregano to take home.
Side Note Recipes: Here are some of my best margarita recipes to go along with your own Taquiza:
Guava Mint Frozen Margarita
Cherry Chili Margaritas
Spearmint Frozen Margarita
5-El Museo Memoria Y Tolerancia
Most everyone I’ve talked to who has been to Mexico City did not know this place exists. We only found it because it was the building next door to our Airbnb.
Created by two women, this place is not only gorgeous architecturally, it houses a comprehensive interactive lesson on genocide and tolerance.
Tip #1: The audio guide was invaluable. It not only illuminates the unfortunate history of genocide but also provides insight into art pieces scattered throughout the museum.
Tip #2: Don’t sleep on the gift shop. It had some really cool and inspiring finds.
Tip #3: Take some time to check out the sculptures outside the building in front and along the left side.
Side Note Recipe: Here’s my write-up on Yad Vashem in Israel with a cookie recipe from the ashes:
Cherry Oatmeal Thumbprint Cookies
6-Floating Gardens of Xochimilco
This is one of the most fun times I have had on a boat and as a diver for 30 years, I spend A LOT of time on boats. The canal where the boats are launched is one-hour outside of Mexico City. It is well worth the trip.
We took a tour through Get Your Guide. It included lunch, tequila, and mezcal shots as well as a make-your-own michelada session. We played Lotteria, got serenaded by Mariachis, and partook in karaoke. It was a lot of fun. Our guides were so much fun and alternated between giving us a history lesson on the canals and keeping the party going.
floating vendors pass by selling everything from cocktails to flower crowns.
Tip: Bring some extra snacks aboard like chicharron, guac, and salsa to soak up the alcohol.
Like boat trips? Check some of my best experiences:
TRAVELING FRANCE’S SAÔNE RIVER BY HOUSEBOAT: 4 FAVORITE STOPS
DIVING RAJA AMPAT ON THE LIVEABOARD ILIKE
TRAVELING GERMANY’S MECKLENBURG LAKELAND BY HOUSEBOAT
7-Justo Sierra Synagogue
Mexico has a significant Jewish population. There are Jewish delis and kosher restaurants and bakeries to explore. There are also at least five Synagogues.
Since 1922, this stunning schul housed Ashkenazi Jews originating in Russia, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Hungary, and other European countries who spoke Yiddish upon arrival in Mexico. Its official name is “Nidje Israel”.
Tip: For the best shot of the interior of this beautiful place, go upstairs.
Side Recipe Note: Here’s a nice Jewish New Year recipe:
Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Mandelbrot
8-Maestras Artesanas Women’s Cooperative
No doubt there are fantastic markets to visit in Mexico City and endless goods to buy. I encourage you to explore as many as you can handle not only for the purchases but for the atmosphere and food options.
However, this shop was an accidental gem of a find. We spontaneously popped in on our way to the Justo Sierra Synagogue. It turned out to be the shopping highlight of our trip.
This store offers handmade items from women’s cooperatives from three states in Mexico. The quality of the goods is first rate and the prices are excellent. We went back twice. They offer a bit over everything but I particularly liked the tableware. Napkins
In addition to napkins, I bought placemats, tin chargers, and tin dragonfly napkin rings. My favorite purchase is the Rooster Basket. I definitely was not leaving Mexico without it. It just makes me happy.
Tip: If you want to buy cloth napkins, be prepared to mix and match. Although the same styles are presented bound together, they are sold individually. So count them before you buy. If there are not enough to create the set you want, look into creating a new set with different patterns.
Tip #2: If you buy a lot of goods (like we did), they are happy to hold your purchases for you for pick up later or the next day. This was very helpful as we were moving on to other stops and did not have to schlep around with our newly acquired wares.
9-Barrio Chino – Chinatown
I joked this lively area was more like “ChinaTwoStreets” rather than an expansive China”town” found in major cities like London, NYC, or San Francisco. However, it’s definitely worth a walk-through.
There are Chinese buffet restaurants and Mexican Chinese fare. The dumplings and bao on display are crazy colorful.
I loved the packaging of the fortune cookies and if you did not care about privacy you could even get a massage on the street.
Tip: For an incredible Mexican-Chinese fusion dining experience, head out to Canton Mexicali. The food is sublime.
Carne Mexicali: fragrant crisp-fried sliced beef
A Few Mexico Fun Facts I picked up on this trip:
- The price of tortillas is fixed nationally. At the time of this writing, 40 tortillas were at 22 pesos.
- There is a chapel dedicated to Guadalupe in every market. Every morning Vendors offer their first earnings of the day to her.
- There are 450 organ grinders in the city. These Organillos were first brought to Mexico from Germany sometime in the early 1880s.
- Street vendors have been operating in Mexico City since the 1500s. Many are generational.
- Guacamole is most often eaten with chicharron, not tortilla chips.
- In Mexico, you can change your clothes, you can change your house, you can change your job, and you can change your husband, but you never change your Molcajete. They are passed down from generation to generation.
Guadalupe Shrine Medellin Market
My General Travel Tips:
Research Research Research: I do hours/days of research on a destination before I travel. Some find this tedious, but I enjoy reading about a destination’s history. Also, I love discovering off-the-beaten-path, local experiences. My best results come from searching using the words “off-beat” “secret” “unusual” and “top travel tips” plus the name of the destination. In general, I am not a tour person. However, I have had great luck with Get Your Guide and AirBnB Experiences. Both use locals to provide cultural experiences.
Make a Google Map: Mexico City is extremely spread out. I put everything I wanted to see, do and eat on a custom map I created using Google Maps separated by layers for each category. This way, if we were at a museum for example. I could easily look up which restaurants I was interested in that were close by. Then what market was also nearby? You get the idea. This saved us a lot of time on the ground.
Download Local apps – Uber is easy and very inexpensive in Mexico. We took up to 4-5 Ubers a day for 6 days and the total came to around $200 USD. This included our trips to and from the airport, to and from Coyoacan, and to and from the floating gardens. Split between two people, this was almost ridiculous when you consider what we pay for one Uber ride in NYC. However, there is another company called Didi Rider which is even cheaper than Uber. Download their app and you’re good to go.
Suitcase Real Estate: Skip over this one if you are not a shopper. When traveling to a “shopping” destination I bring a half-empty suitcase. Also, I make sure there is a lot of room in my carry-on. I prefer to carry a fragile item in the plane’s cabin. For extended trips, I look for accommodation with access to a laundry service or a washing machine so I can bring less clothing. I pack my suitcase way before a trip. I leave it out a week or two before and periodically throw items in for my trip, checking the destination’s weather as I go. This especially works well if I have multiple trips booked close together. I pack different suitcases simultaneously. The night before I travel, I take around 5 items of clothing out of this pre-packed suitcase. I have never regretted this once I’ve arrived at the destination. I always need less than I think. Packing cubes are a must.
