Mexico City is an enormous city with so much to offer. If it’s you’re first time here, there are a few key sites to see. This itinerary is for three days. However, you could easily stretch it to five days for slower travel. Another thing to remember is that most museums and Chapultepec Park are closed on Mondays, so it’s important to plan around that. Most museums you do not need to book in advance, but the Frida Kahlo museum you absolutely do.
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Mexico City Day 1
Mexico City Day 2
Mexico City Day 3
Day 1 – Brunch in Condesa before checking out the sites in Chapultepec Park
Spend your first morning at brunch and then head to Chapultepec Park
Mexico City is not a morning person. The city tends to awaken around 10 AM, but you will find some places open before then. Start your day at Maque for some traditional Mexican breakfast. Maque has locations across the city, so it’s a great option wherever you stay. I highly recommend the enchiladas and the chilaquiles. Beyond that, it has a certain antique charm to it, and truly has options for everyone whether you like Mexican breakfast or not. We take almost all visitors to this spot when they visit. Other options for breakfast in the Condesa neighborhood include Chilpa, Freims, Ciena, Matisse, or Esquina Chilaquil if you´re looking for amazing street food (go early to avoid lines).
Once you’ve eaten your fill, head to Chapultepec park, one of our favorite places in the city. You could spend all day just walking around this beautiful park, but I recommend visiting Chapultepec Castle at the very minimum. It provides you with a bit of Mexican history, and has a great view of the city. It costs 90 pesos (~$5 USD) for entry. To get to the castle, you have to climb a decent sized hill, so keep that in mind. Expect to spend approximately one to one and a half hours visiting the castle. No need to buy tickets in advance, but there may be a small queue.
Go to the famous Anthropology museum and then get Orinoco for lunch
If you’re interested in visiting more sites in Chapultepec, arguably the most famous of the nine museums in the park is the Anthropology museum. This museum has a whopping 23 permanent exhibition halls. Depending on how into history and anthropology you are, you will want to either spend an entire day there or simply pick a few rooms to focus on. I’ve never visited all of the halls because, personally, I don’t have the patience for it, but the most famous hall is the Mayan hall with the famous Aztec Sun Stone. I recommend starting on the right side and making your way to the Mayan hall, taking a break, and then seeing if you have energy in you for more.
By now, you are likely hungry. For reference, Mexico City usually eats lunch somewhere between 2 and 5 PM. A lot of taquerias won’t even open until 2 PM. One of our favorite taquerias is Orinoco ($). Again, there are several locations across the city, so there are options depending on where you’re staying/visiting. I highly recommend getting the Gringa and Nortena specials with an agua de jamaica. Perfect for two people if you’re hungry, three if you need a snack.
Shop in Roma Norte & then head to Condesa for dinner
If you still have the energy to keep site seeing, walk around Roma Norte to do some shopping. A few of my favorite shops in Roma Norte include El Parian (a collection of shops and restaurants), Rufina & Querencia and Proyecto Rufina, and Happening Roma Norte. For dinner, I recommend the excellent Mero Toro ($$$), a Baja California restaurant. If you still have energy in you, pop over to Baltra Bar ($$$) for a night cap. For more options in Condesa, check out my post – The Best Restaurants in Condesa.
Day 2 – Visiting the Zocalo and the Angel de la Independencia
Start the day with brunch, shopping at Ciudadela market, and the Diego Rivera mural museum
Day two is about visiting the historical sites of Mexico City, which are mainly found in the Centro Historico. To start off your day, I recommend brunch at Catamundi (Polanco, $$), Lalo (Roma Norte, $$), or maybe Chilpa (Condesa, $$), depending on where you are staying. You’ll want some energy for the walking you’ll be doing today.
First, visit La Ciudadela market for some shopping. Ciudadela is a large artisan market that has everything from glassware to clothing to bags, etc. From there, walk over to the Diego Rivera museum. The Diego Rivera museum houses Diego Rivera’s most famous mural. It shows a truly unique and beautiful viewpoint of Mexico City’s history and landscape. Originally located in El Hotel del Prado on Alameda park, the mural miraculously survived the devastating 1985 earthquake in Mexico City and was moved to the museum after.
Get the best view of the Palacio de Bellas Artes and then head to El Zocalo
Once you’ve spent about 30-60 minutes in Diego Rivera museum, walk through Parque Alameda over to Palacio de Bellas Artes. One of the most iconic buildings in Mexico City, this art deco building boasts a famous orangish red tile roof that is stunning any time of day. The trick is getting a good picture of it. To do that, walk across the street to the Sears department store (I know, strange) and take the elevator to the 8th floor and go to the cafe. There, you will get the best view of Bellas Artes. After your visit to Sears (lol), walk towards another classic department store cafe – Sanborn’s. Here you will find the iconic blue tile building reminiscent of Lisbon. I’ve never been in the Sanborn’s restaurant that it now holds, but the Casa de los Azujelos is a great place to take an Instragram photo.
After this, make your way to El Zocalo. El Zocalo is just the main square, something you’ll find in most Mexican cities. The Mexico City Zocalo just happens to be very large, and the main thing to see there is the enormous Mexican flag. Other than that, you can walk around, go inside the church, etc. There are often events happening there and it can be closed or very busy, so just make sure to check before you go. In some cases, like around Dia de los Muertos, this is a great place to go to see the exhibitions. However, if it’s a political rally or protest, it might be worth skipping it that day.
Get lunch at El Cardinal and then visit the Angel de Independencia
By now, it’s early to mid afternoon and it’s once again time to eat. There are many options, but the only one for first-timers (and locals alike) is El Cardinal. This is where you will find classic Mexican lunch and I highly recommend it. After lunch, head over to Reforma to walk down Avenida Reforma. If it’s Sunday, even better because every Sunday, many streets, including Avenida Reforma close for pedestrians. Even if it’s not Sunday, it’s worth walking down this famous avenue and seeing the Angel de Independencia, one of the most iconic landmarks of the city.
Beyond that, the city changes the flowers for every season, which is one of my favorite things to see. In spring, there’s a mix of wildflowers, in fall during September – November, there are cempacuchil marigold flowers which are a symbol of Dia de los Muertos, and in December, noche buenas (or poinsettia flowers) for the Christmas season.
Day 3 – All about Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera plus a visit to the neighborhood of San Angel
Visit the Frida Kahlo museum and Coyoacan
Day 3 is all about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera – two of the most famous Mexican artists. Start the day two with breakfast and coffee at one of the many cafes in Mexico City. A few options are Blend Station, Chiquitito Cafe, Casa Bruna, and many more. Then, make your way to Coyoacan to the Frida Kahlo museum. It is very important that you book this museum in advance. It almost always sells out about a week ahead of time. You can book tickets directly on the website here. They’re 250 pesos, or about $15 USD per person (for foreigners). You’ll see a lot of guided tours for this sold online. In my opinion, you don’t really need the tour, just buy the tickets. This museum takes about an hour, and is one of my favorites.
Next, visit the center of Coyoacan and the Mercado Artesanias where you can pick up some souvenirs. Lunch can be found either in the center of Coyoacan, or if you’re open to a long, sit-down lunch, make your way over to Saint Angel Inn ($$$). Although on the expensive side, Saint Angel Inn is an experience. Located in a beautiful former monastery, the grounds alone make it worth the visit, and the food is divine.
Head to Diego & Frida’s home and studio
After lunch, pop across the street from Saint Angel Inn to Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo. This small museum is less popular than the one in Coyoacan, but just as interesting. The studio was built by the architect Juan O’Garmin and includes three buildings – a house for Frida, a house for Diego and a studio. It’s a beautifully designed space and worth a 30 minute to one hour visit.
After a long lunch and visits to Frida and Diego’s homes and studios, I recommend making your way back towards where you are staying to have a rest and avoid the traffic. You can expect it to take 60 – 90 minutes to get to the Condesa/Roma Norte/Polanco area from San Angel or Coyoacan during the week due to traffic. On weekends, maybe a bit less.
Enjoy a great dinner in Polanco
Once you’ve rested a bit and are ready for dinner, it’s time to check out some options in Polanco. If you are a real foodie, try the very famous Pujol ($$$$, important to make a reservation) which is a Japanese style Mexican restaurant with a very famous 9 year old mole. If you want something a bit easier, check out La Unica ($$$) right off of Avenida Maseryk. There are also many other options from taquerias to fine dining in Polanco, so you really can’t go wrong. If you are open to a drink afterwards (although La Unica can be a party in and of itself), go to Limantour after dinner to cap off an incredible three days!
