WHAT TO DO IN MEXICO CITY

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Day 2: What to do in Mexico City. Visit the Historic Center

The first day of the trip to Mexico in 45 days has begun quite soon, taking advantage of the moment to start preparing all things what to do in Mexico City We have planned for these days.
It's about one o'clock in the morning when we open our eyes for the first time and it is that yesterday after going from the airport to Mexico City, we arrived so tired that we prefer to stay at the hotel, something we should have thought a little and go to sleep a little later and thus try to beat the jetlag that was entering our bodies.
After several laps in bed, in the end we get back to sleep until 4:30 in the morning, we take the opportunity to work for a while and when it is seven in the morning, we go to the terrace of the hotel restaurant Zócalo Central, where we are staying these days in Mexico City, where the restaurant is and from where there are stunning views of the Plaza del Zocalo, the nerve center of the city and one of the things what to do in Mexico City essential.

After taking the photos of rigor to these really impressive views, with the sunrise over the Metropolitan Cathedral, we enjoyed an incredible breakfast on the terrace, facing an incomparable setting. The truth is that seeing this, we can say that the choice of staying at the Zócalo Central hotel has been a success, which will allow us to be well located, enjoy these views every morning.
A good way to save money in Mexico City is to book the Mexico City Flexi Attractions Pass that includes several attractions and monuments such as the National Palace, the Cathedral, the Frida Kahlo tour, the tourist bus and the Teotihuacán excursion, among others.

Sunrise from the terrace of the Hotel Zócalo Central

Breakfast Hotel Zócalo Central

When it's about 8:15 in the morning, we leave the hotel, thinking about the amount of things to do in Mexico City that we have programmed and of which the first stop, how could it be otherwise, is in the Plaza del Zócalo, approaching the Metropolitan Cathedral, one of the symbols of Mexico.
A good option, if you want to know better the history of the city and many of its curiosities and anecdotes, is to book this tour of Mexico City in its entirety with a guide in Spanish or this free tour. Free!

Zocalo Square

We could say that the Plaza del Zócalo is the nerve center of Mexico City, that place that all travelers visit and where to walk and enjoy every detail, is one of the things what to do in Mexico City that you can't miss
Considered as one of the largest squares in the world, here we can find some of the essential places to visit in Mexico such as the Templo Mayor, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Palace or the Merchants Portal, among others.

Metropolitan Cathedral

With incredible dimensions, this building, symbol of the Zocalo, is a must see and one of the things to do in Mexico City that you can't miss
Its schedule is from 8 in the morning to 8 in the afternoon and admission is free, although if you want to climb the tower you must pay 20 pesos.

Metropolitan Cathedral. What to do in Mexico City

Upon entering you will find the Altar of Forgiveness, one of the many jewels of this cathedral, in which is the Black Christ, which is said to have this color after drinking well, a poison with which a poison was poisoned. priest.

Altar of Forgiveness. Metropolitan Cathedral

Another interesting place in the Metropolitan Cathedral is the Altar de los Reyes, which is located behind the main altar and from where you can start touring some of the 14 chapels that are distributed along the main floor of the cathedral.

After the visit to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City, where we are approximately 30 minutes, we approach what is the Zócalo or Plaza de la Constitución, proper, to enjoy the surroundings now that the city begins to wake up and Find more lively, surrounded by all the decoration they have put in the area to celebrate the next Christmas that is just around the corner.

Plinth. Mexico City

After circling the Zocalo a couple of times, we stop at the National Palace, one of the visits to do in Mexico City, although as its opening hours are at 10 in the morning, we decided to go to the Templo Mayor, another of the symbols of the city and another of the essential visits in Mexico City.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Mexico City
- 10 essential places to see in Mexico City
- The 5 best tours and excursions in Mexico City
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Mexico
- Best travel insurance for Mexico
- Security in Mexico

Main temple

This archaeological site, once stood in what is now the Metropolitan Cathedral, in addition to several surrounding blocks. In 1978 a stone disc was discovered, in which the Aztec goddess Coyolxauhqui can be seen and which became the beginning of the first excavations of the Templo Mayor.
The schedule of the Templo Mayor is from 9 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, and in the 70 pesos of the entrance, you can visit the archaeological site in addition to the museum, as much or more interesting than the Templo Mayor itself.
At the entrance of the Templo Mayor, after acquiring the tickets, you must pass a security check, where your bags or backpacks look at you and where you have to leave any type of food or drink in the slogan, with your name that you can pick up at exit.
After passing this control you can see a small video that lasts approximately 10 minutes and that is a small introduction to the Templo Mayor and we strongly recommend you to have an initial perspective of what you will see in the visit.
The times for this visit are 30 minutes for the archaeological site and approximately 60 minutes for the museum.
If you want to know much more about the Templo Mayor, you can do this guided tour of the Museo del Templo Mayor, with which you will know much more about this incredible archaeological site.

Another thing to keep in mind that throughout the site you will find explanations of the different points of interest, perfect to get an idea of the place, although it is worth noting to take a guide like the Lonely Planet Mexico, to know much more over the Templo Mayor.

Main temple. What to do in Mexico City

Templo Mayor Museum

As we said before, the visit to the Museo del Templo Mayor can take you around 60 minutes and we believe that it is the perfect complement to the visit, since in addition to many interesting pieces, it is here where you can be the famous stone disc of Coyolxauhqui

Templo Mayor Museum

After the complete visit to the archaeological site of the Templo Mayor and the Museum, which lasts 90 minutes and when it is 10:30 in the morning, we leave the area, returning to the Plaza del Zócalo, the nerve center of the city, to do the visit to the National Palace, another visit what to do in Mexico City essential, where we were outside this morning and that opens at 10 in the morning.

National Palace

But as usually happens when you are traveling, sometimes things do not go as you expect and this is the case with the visit to the National Palace, that when we arrived, they just closed it for a demonstration and that the police explain that they will return open tomorrow at 10 in the morning. So with this perspective, we abandon the mission of this visit and go straight for a walk through the streets around the Zocalo, also taking advantage to buy a free SIM card that will allow us to be connected throughout this trip to Mexico for free .

Streets of Mexico City

After asking at the hotel, we approached Celular Express, a store that is a couple of streets away and is an official distributor of the Telcel company, which has practically the monopoly throughout Mexico of mobile telephony and which is the one with the most coverage It offers us in the places that we are going to visit on this trip to Mexico in 45 days, so it is the one we choose to be able to be connected throughout the trip.

SIM card Mexico. Internet connection in Mexico

In general, we have to say that a SIM card in Mexico, in order to be connected, is much more expensive than it may initially seem and what it is in other countries, especially in Asia, such as the trip to Bali for free We did practically 15 days ago.
The price of a free SIM card in Mexico with Telcel is 150 pesos (only the card), which you must then recharge with different packages, of days and megabytes.
We choose the option that offers more data, which includes 4Gb plus unlimited calls both local and to the United States and Canada and unlimited messages also to Mexico United States and Canada, for 500 pesos.
This package is valid for 21 days and can be recharged whenever you want, taking into account that you can only do it when the data package is finished.

Express Cellular Store

Prepaid SIM card Mexico

Another option is to choose to buy one Holafly SIM card being in Spain, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, saving you all the time of the negotiations and making the whole process to have internet in Mexico much more comfortable, fast and easy.
In this case, with the Holafly SIM you will have several Gb to surf the Internet (depending on the option you choose), they will send it to you for free at home, you will keep your WhatsApp number and you will have assistance service in Spanish. You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader

More information on the Holafly post, the best prepaid SIM card for travel

Book the best rated tours and excursions in Mexico City by travelers:
- Full Mexico City Tour
- Guided tour of Mexico City
- Entrance to watch a wrestling show
- Guided tour of the Museo del Templo Mayor
- Visit to Coyoacán, Xochimilco and Frida Kahlo Museum
- Many more excursions and tours in / from Mexico City here

And so, with our SIM card and our phones ready to connect, we continue with the itinerary that what to do in Mexico City, going to the Latin American Tower, which we have a few meters also from the Zocalo and to which we go along Madero Avenue, one of the main arteries of the city.

Madero Avenue

This incredible avenue that begins directly in the Zocalo, from the area in front of the National Palace, is one of the streets that you must travel in Mexico City, at various times of the day, since it changes both in appearance and environment, according to the moment.
In addition to walking and enjoying life, on Madero Avenue we recommend you not to miss several buildings, such as the Museum of the Estanquillo, which opens from 10 to 18h in which you can find a wide collection of photographs and paintings, through which you can see the change of the city over the years.

Madero Avenue. Museum of the Estanquillo

Another place you can't miss is the Iturbide Palace, open from 10 to 19h, which highlights its beautiful baroque facade.
Already near the Latin American Tower and the Temple of San Francisco is the House of tiles, open from 7 to 1 in the morning, famous for the tiles that cover it and that were brought from China and for the restaurant that is inside.

House of tiles

Right in front of this beautiful building is the San Francisco Temple, open from 8 to 8 in the afternoon, which represents what remains of the former Franciscan monastery of the 16th century.

San Francisco Temple

Inside the Temple of San Francisco, you can not miss both the entrance and the area of the atrium, where sometimes you can see different exhibitions, such as the one we find in Dalí.

San Francisco Temple

Latin American Tower

Known for being the tallest building in Latin America in 1956, it is also famous for having endured the different earthquakes that the city has had to endure over the years.
In addition to the architecture and history, one of the most interesting things about this place are the views that you can climb to the 44th floor, where the viewpoint is located.
Some time ago you could access the bar, located on the 41st floor, for free, only with the condition to drink something This is no longer feasible, having to pay 100 pesos per person to access the viewpoints, this being the only way to have one of the best views of Mexico City.

Latin American Tower from Madero Avenue

We cannot deny that the price, 100 pesos, is not excessively economical, especially if we compare it with the price of other places in Mexico City, but the truth is that the views of the city from the viewpoints, are very worthwhile, Even if the day is covered, being able to see a unique perspective, of several kilometers, which we are sure, will leave you with your mouth open, in addition to showing you from another angle, the grandeur of the city.

Views of Mexico City from the Latin American Tower

After touring Madero Avenue and making stops at its most important buildings such as the Museo del Estanquillo, the Iyurbide Palace, the Casa de los Azulejos, the San Francisco Temple and climbing the Latin American Tower and already with the lively streets, something that attracts us a lot and is that we intuit that in this country, life is lived in full color, we approach directly to the Palace of Fine Arts, one of the most emblematic buildings in Mexico City.

Visit the Palace of Fine Arts, one of the best things to do in Mexico City

Open from 10 to 6 in the afternoon, this amazing white marble palace, located next to the Alameda Central.
Although we recommend visiting its interior, you can not miss its exterior where you can see the entire structure of white marble, adorned inside by murals of several Mexican artists.

Palace of Fine Arts. What to do in Mexico City

After seeing the Palace of Fine Arts on the outside, next day we will tour the interior and surround it so as not to miss detail, we approach the Plaza Garibaldi, another of the Essential visits to Mexico City.
But as this area seems to be the most interesting, to reach Plaza Garibaldi, we make a small detour through the Republic of Chile, a street that we highly recommend, since it is full of bridal shops and to celebrate the 15 years. For us it has been super curious to see how the shop windows are full of dresses that we usually do not see in Spain and that fill with color and emotion to the buyers we see attentive to the shop windows.

Surroundings of the Republic of Chile street in Mexico City

Showcases of the Republic of Chile Street in Mexico City

After touring this area of the city, we arrived at Plaza Garibaldi, as we said, another of the symbols of the city, which, of course, we did not want to miss on this first day in Mexico City, although we know and intuit that we do not come in the right time, since it is still early to find the atmosphere that characterizes this corner.

Garibaldi Square, one of the best places to see in Mexico City

This square, which can be reached perfectly walking from Zócalo or by subway from any other point of the city, at the meeting place every night of the famous mariachi groups.
Although it is something that we have not contrasted, since in the end we did not return at night in our stay in Mexico City, several people with whom we consulted this issue, including several Uber drivers, advised us not to go, especially at night , due to the insecurity of the area.
We must say that we went at noon and we were not insecure, although it is true that there was practically no one in the area and most shops were closed.

Garibaldi Square

It is already 1 noon when we return on our steps, returning to the Palace of Fine Arts to take a walk through the Alameda Central, located just next door, which is another of the visits to do in Mexico City.

Central mall. Mexico City

This immense park, represents another of the symbols of the city, in which part of the daily life of the inhabitants of the city develops, especially on weekends, when it is normal for many families to come here to spend part of the day.

Central mall

Strolling through the Alameda Central you can relax from the sometimes busy city of Mexico, among vegetation, fountains and even free Wi-Fi points, very easy to locate, both by the cartels and by the groups that gather around.

After a walk through the Alameda Central and when they spend a few minutes at 1:30 noon, we decided to go to lunch and then look for the closest option on TripAdvisor and that best suits what we are looking for, we decided on the Taquería El Caifan, a highly recommended restaurant in the area, where we ask what will be our first guacamole of the trip and some tacos, some quesadillas, soda, beer and two pot coffees, which we finally tried, for 298 pesos.
A good option, if you want to enjoy Mexican cuisine with the help of an expert, is to do this gastronomic tour of Mexico City.

Taqueria El Caifan

After lunch and when it is practically 2:30 in the afternoon, we decided to start the second part of this itinerary through the city that is taking us to some of the Essential visits to Mexico City and that now leads us to the Paseo de la Reforma.

Paseo de la Reforma

This walk is the largest avenue in the city and many inhabitants know it directly as "Reform". In its more than 4 kilometers, which go from Tlatelolco to the Chapultepec forest, you will find countless hotels and new buildings that are unstoppable in this area of the city, which increasingly receives more visitors.
Among the highlights of Paseo de la Reforma are El Caballito, a sculpture of the head of a yellow horse, which is known throughout Mexico City and serves as a tribute to another sculpture that was in this place once.

Little horse. Paseo de la Reforma

Another highlight of the Paseo de la Reforma is the Christopher Columbus Monument, the Cuauhtémoc Monument and the Independence Monument, where an angel can be seen on a column.

Revolution Monument

At this point in the day, we have to say that we initially wanted to tour the Paseo de la Reforma in full, which is about 4 kilometers, until we reach Chapultepec Castle, but as we go, we find the area quite impersonal, since it is a very wide avenue, in which we are surrounded by hotels and large office buildings, at least the first part we travel, so we decided to reach El Caballito and the Monument to the Revolution and after a couple of kilometers, turn around, to return to the Historic Center of Mexico City, which is the area that we liked the most so far and that we most want to know and return to travel, now with more tranquility, to enjoy it and about everything, live it closer.

And so we do but now, heading directly to the Alameda Central, which will be the point where we will begin a tour that we have noted on page 72 of the Lonely Planet Mexico, which will take us through some points of the area that we had not yet traveled.

Walking tour of the Historic Center of Mexico City

This tour starts at the Handicraft Center of Mexico City, which we have to say is a perfect place if you have to do some shopping since there are hundreds of shops with a variety of crafts and souvenirs, so if you are looking for any detail As I remember the trip, we are almost certain that you will find it here.

Center of Crafts the Citadel

After being here for more than half an hour taking a quick turn, since being the first day of the trip we have no intention of shopping, we go to the San Juan Market, a market where we can find countless fruits, vegetables, Meats and sausages, in addition to several small restaurants, which have a rather concise menu, but very specific and where we really believe it is interesting to eat.

San Juan Market

We are the market practically 30 minutes, enjoying the day to day of the city, to return to the tour, now putting direction to the historic center, but stopping before in the Regina Corridor, a very acclimated area of the city, where we take advantage to stop at Regina coffee, where we have coffee and a lemonade for 70 pesos.

Regina Corridor

After this little break that we do in Regina Street, we are dedicated to walking and enjoying this area, without a fixed direction, where at this time we find a great atmosphere.
From here we continue our tour, now heading back to the historic center of Mexico City, to get closer to the Holy Trinity Temple, where to get there we get lost in the streets at the back of the Templo Mayor and that we highly recommend, since at this time of day they are full of people who buy in the different stalls that are on the street and sell anything you can imagine, surrounded by an environment that permeates everything, leaving us with a total party feeling, color And good vibes.

Streets of Mexico City

Mexico City

It's a little after 6 in the afternoon when we decide that the time has come to end the day and that although it may not seem like it, the jet lag and yesterday's journey begins to be felt in our bodies, so we decided to approach dinner to one of the most recommended restaurants in Mexico City and that we have read, it is very busy, but in which to be soon, we will try to see if we are lucky.
And fortunately we have it, so tonight we dined at the El Cardenal restaurant, which is also very close to the Zócalo Central hotel.
We ordered a tuna ceviche plus some smoked tuna toast and octopus dish plus two waters for 620 pesos, which are of scandal.

Dinner at the El Cardenal restaurant

Keep in mind that the admission schedule is until 6:30 p.m., so if you want to come, you should go soon.

And so, when there are a few minutes to 9 at night, we return to the hotel to rest and continue dreaming of this incredible city, which is giving us unforgettable moments.

Today's tour has taken us through some of the visits to do in Mexico City, among which are: the Zocalo, the Templo Mayor, the Metropolitan Cathedral, Madero Avenue, the House of Tiles, the Latin American Tower, the Central Mall, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Garibaldi Square, the Paseo de la Reformation, the Citadel Craft Center, the San Juan Market, the Regina Corridor and the Holy Trinity Temple.
In case you do not have much time or want to enjoy the city from another perspective, we recommend the tourist bus from Mexico City, a perfect way to tour the city and stop at all the most tourist places as many times as you want .

Day 3: Visit the pyramids of Teotihuacán from Mexico City