Visiting Mexico City for the first time? Get ready for a wild mix of history, street life, and unexpected quirks. It’s a huge city (the 5th largest in the world), that’s got a rhythm all its own, and to really enjoy it, you’ll need more than just the basics.
My husband was the one who picked Mexico City as our latest travel destination and generally took the lead on planning, so I was riding in the back seat for this trip. He did great, but I felt way under-prepared, even with some last minute Google and Pinterest time right before the trip.
I made the below list of all of the things that I wish I had known before visiting Mexico City. Whether it’s knowing which street vendor to trust or how to survive the infamous traffic, these Mexico City travel tips will help you feel more confident for your trip.
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Mexico City Travel Tips
1. First thing’s first: Mexico City is usually written out as Ciudad de México or shortened to CDMX. Knowing this early will help you in your travel planning as you research for your trip.
2. Roma Norte is the most popular neighborhood for tourists to stay in because of its proximity to a host of cool bars and award-winning restaurants. I highly recommend selecting that as your homebase.
3. Ubers are very cheap and easy to use. Multiple people cautioned us against using taxis in CDMX just to be on the safe side, though I imagine the majority of people use them without incident. We liked being able to see the cost of the ride through the app and not have to worry about payment, haggling, or being overcharged.
4. If you do take a taxi, the white and pink ones are the officially authorized vehicles by the city.
5. Traffic is bad. You’ll sit in a lot of gridlock, which will only get worse around rush hour. However, on Sundays, certain major roads like Paseo de la Reforma are closed to vehicles and opened for pedestrians and cyclists.
6. Public transport in the city is decent and is no problem if you’re used to taking the trains and subways in cities like New York City and Chicago. As far as public transportation goes though, the cars will get very crowded during rush hour and your risk of being pickpocketed increases accordingly.
7. Blue corn and blue tortillas are very popular in CDMX and take my word, they are delicious. The taste is very similar to other tortillas and are on the best foods in eat in Mexico City.
8. “Aguas” means “be careful” or “watch out.” For example, when we were biking through the city, our local guide would say “Aguas” when passing particularly treacherous potholes.
9. The origin of “Aguas” is allegedly from when the city’s plumbing infrastructure left something to be desired and instead of flushing, they had to dump the contents of their bathroom visits into the street and would shout “Aguas!” to let people walking by know to watch out.
10. If you remember any high school Spanish you might remember that “Lo siento” means “I’m sorry.” As I learned, that is actually very formal and something that is more akin to “I apologize” in English. “Disculpe” is better for “excuse me” or “permisito” if you’re trying to pass by someone or bumped into someone.
11. Many Spanish speakers in Mexico City add “ito” to many words, meaning “little” or “cute.” So a dog, which is “perro” in Spanish, is much more commonly referred to as “perrito” because dogs are precious. Again, this might be a strain on your high school or Duolingo Spanish so keep your ears open.
12. On that topic, many people have dogs as pets in Mexico City. They are regularly off leash playing at the city’s many parks. We never encountered any unfriendly pups.
13. If you are planning to eat street food –which you definitely should be– you’ll need small bills and coins to pay as they don’t have card readers. Everyone else will take cards. Read more here on why the Venture X is my favorite card for travel, including on this recent trip.
14. Most service employees expect a tip, so you’ll want to have small denominations of money on hand to avoid awkward situations. There’s some debate on whether or not locals actually tip or whether tipping culture in general is a thing, but just a fair warning that people will expect it.
15. If you do withdraw pesos from an ATM, only withdraw a small amount. We had a very difficult time finding stores or cafes to break our large bills (anything over 100 pesos was considered large, which is approximately the equivalent of $5 USDs).
16. When paying with a card, always pay in pesos when you are given the opportunity, as your money will go further than if you pay in dollars or your own country’s currency.
17. Bosque de Chapultepec, a park in the middle of the city, is actually double the size of Central Park in New York City.
18. The bosque is closed on Mondays. Our four days in Mexico City were from Thursday-Sunday, so we did not run into issues with this, but you’ll want to plan accordingly if you are visiting on a Monday. All of the museums in the Bosque de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Castle, the Anthropology Museum, etc.) are closed on Mondays as well.
19. You need to book the Frida Kahlo Museum (La Casa Azul) well in advance. We were on the fence about going and made the critical mistake of deciding only 2 days before that we wanted to go and at that time, all of the tickets were sold out for the full day. Booking other tourist attractions in advance is a good idea as well.
20. Most intersections don’t have walk signs, instead pedestrians go when the light turns green for the cars.
21. That being said, we saw multiple cars stop at a red light and then when they saw no one coming, they went through the red light like a stop sign. So pay attention when crossing the street, even if you do have a green light.
22. Buy your tickets to Lucha Libre at the door and ignore the vendors selling them to you by the door. The crowds around the arena can be chaotic and they’re banking on you to not realize they’re scalpers, but they are, just like at any other stadium.
23. Since the unexpected can happen, it’s a good idea to get travel insurance for your trip to Mexico City! I recommend using travelinsurance.com—it lets you compare a variety of plans from different providers in one spot, so you can easily find and customize coverage that fits your needs. We used it on our trip and it took less than 3 minutes to sort and purchase.
24. Mexico is home to 4 of the Top 50 bars in the World, including #1, Handshake. If you’d like to visit any of them, a reservation is a good idea (ie. Basically a requirement).
25. Buy bottled water instead of using tap water as the water in Mexico City could upset your stomach based on the age and quality of the pipes. That being said, I brushed my teeth with tap water from the hotel and didn’t have any issues the entire trip.
26. Most restaurants and cafes will serve you filtered water so you do not need to worry about bringing bottled water with you everywhere you go.
27. If you’re visiting a street vendor, watch to see if they handle money with gloves or if someone other than the main chef handles the money. It’s a precaution if you’re concerned about any type of food borne illness.
28. Mexico City is also one of the top destinations for foodie travelers, so don’t feel like you need to just eat Mexican food. We had some of the best Italian food we’ve ever had while visiting.
29. If you’re visiting in the fall, expect some rain. We visited in early October and had light rain in the evenings on most of the nights we were there.
30. Bring decent walking shoes, the cobblestone and sidewalks can be pretty warped and you could easily wreck your ankles if you wear too high of a heel. I wore these sneakers and am so glad I did because they were super comfortable for long days walking.
31. Mexico City has earthquakes. We didn’t know this before visiting and one of our guides explained that there have been large and devastating ones in the past. The national drill day is September 19th and it’s not a bad idea to have a general idea on how to handle them in the unlikely event that one happens while you’re visiting.
32. You might experience altitude adjustment. Mexico City sits at 7,350 feet (2,240 meters) above sea level. Even if you’re fit, the high altitude can affect you with symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, or mild headaches. Stay hydrated and take it easy the first day or two.
33. The altitude also makes the sun more intense, so don’t forget your sunscreen. This travel sunscreen is my absolute favorite because it works great, doesn’t give me breakouts or make my skin feel greasy, and is small and fits in most bags or purses.
34. Mezcal in Mexico can be 50%+ alcohol while in the USA it’s almost always under 40%. So if you’re used to drinking tequila or mezcal in the states or other parts of the world, you’ll want to proceed with caution while visiting. Uber drivers don’t appreciate you throwing up in their car anywhere in the world.
35. Finally, Mexico City is huge and diverse, and each neighborhood (or colonia) has its own distinct character and exploring them will make your trip even richer. For example, Condesa is known for its leafy streets and cafes, while Roma is the hipster hub filled with art galleries and trendy bars. Polanco is upscale with luxury shopping, and Coyoacán has a bohemian vibe, famous for Frida Kahlo’s house.
Mexico City is an easy place to love, and with these tips for traveling to Mexico City, you’ll be more prepared for your adventure. Whether it’s your first time in Mexico City or you’ve visited before, having these insider things to know before going to Mexico in your back pocket will help you explore the city with confidence.
From navigating its unique neighborhoods to savoring some of the best street food in the world, these Mexico City travel tips will make your trip smoother and more enjoyable. Whether it is planned by you or your husband.
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