Mini Guide: Must Do's in Mexico City

If you love Mexican food (and really, who doesn’t) you need to add Mexico City to the top of your bucket list. It’s a far cry from what people typically envision for a Mexico trip - there are no beaches around - but with a population of over 22 million, you’ll get to experience a unique, large, metropolitan city.

Before I get too deep into the tips, let me start by addressing a question on many American’s minds when Mexico comes up - is it safe to travel to Mexico City? 100%, yes. Other than the water being unsafe to drink, there is really nothing to fear for a visit to Mexico City. You should be more concerned with the potential for Montezuma’s revenge or altitude sickness than your physical safety. I spent one day by myself exploring alone and not only did I never feel unsafe in the neighborhoods I went to, but I actually didn’t even get harassed or catcalled once, something I usually experience every day in Boston.

So with all that said, let’s dive into the must do’s in Mexico City!

Where to stay in Mexico City:

I figured I’d start this one a little backward and recommend where to stay and explore We went for my partner’s work trip and spent half the time downtown, and half the time in the business district (which is too far out of the city for me to recommend). I’d look to stay in Condesa or Roma Norte neighborhoods on your trip. Both are posh, trendy neighborhoods with plenty of great dining and accommodations. We stayed at this AirBnb.

And now, a few other important things to know:

• Take Uber over taxis - sometimes the latter will rip you off. Ubers are very cheap, but if you want something even less expensive, their metro is the cheapest in the world. They also have female-only metro cars to really up your safety.

• The city is massive. Like any major city, there are a ton of museums and things to do, so prepare for a lot of walking.

• Wondering if the street food is safe to eat? Opt for a food tour (more on that below) or as my guide said, look for the stands with cops or a long line - that’s usually a good indicator.

• Have some cash on hand. We just took cash from an ATM at the airport upon arrival. You’ll likely need it for street stands and smaller shops.

• Tipping customs - sometimes it’s included, but usually, tipping around 10% is standard.

• Learn some key phrases. Unlike most of my travels in Europe, most people we encountered did not speak English. Knowing a few key phrases with be helpful when dining out.

• I mentioned before, but don’t drink the water in Mexico. It actually has very little to do with the water and more with the pipes, but it’s best to buy bottled. If you go to a restaurant and ask for water, they will serve it filtered, even if it comes from a pitcher.

• Did you know that Mexico City has one of the highest altitudes for a city? At over 7,000 feet, prepare for potential altitude sickness

• I recommend 3-4 days in Mexico City. While there are endless things to do, spending a lot of time in any big city can be tiring.

• Avoid going to Mexico City during rainy season (June - Sept). There’s a lot to explore outdoors and the rain will make it harder to enjoy things.

Where to Eat in Mexico City:

The best part of visiting Mexico City? The food. From endless tacos to some of the best pastries I’ve ever had, there’s a lot to eat and drink in Mexico City. It’s home to street food and some of the best restaurants (and bars) in the world.

• Pananderia Rosetta - best pastries we ate, the guava one is a must try

• Eno - great spot for brunch, created by the owner of Pujol (one of the top restaurants in the world)

  • Speaking of Pujol, if you can’t get in, try some of their stuff at Molino el Pujol

• Tiera Garat for casual coffee

• Lardo or Mythos Estiatorio if you need a break from Mexican food

• El Cardenal (locations around the city) for old school dining but great and affordable food

• El Huequito for carnitas tacos

• Pasillo de Humo for oaxacan inspired food

• Chureria el Moro - delicious churros and chocolate, locations around the city

• Licoreria Limantour - great cocktails, was recently named the 4th best cocktail bar in the world

• We got a million recommendations, so here are a few others we didn’t get to but came highly recommended: Taqueria Orinoco, Rosetta, Contramar, Expendio Maiz sin Nombre, Mercado Roma, Pigeon, Amaya, and Tichuchi.

Things to do in Mexico City:

You may find it surprising, but we did do plenty of things other than just eat. And there are endless things to do in and around Mexico City.

• Chapultepec Park - Walk through the park, go to the anthropology museum, and the castle

• Walk down La Reforma

• Go to the centro historico and see all the main sites

• Visit the artisan market

• See the stained glass ceiling in the Gran Hotel

• Walk around Condesa and Roma Norte

• Go shopping on Colima

• Window shop in Polanco

• Visit the Frida Kahlo museum and the Coyoacán market (best tortas of the trip here)

• Take a day trip to the Teotihuacan pyramids

• Go on a food tour with Club Tengo Hambre - I did the Best of Condesa and got four tacos, two quesadillas, coconut water, and a full stomach

• One thing we didn’t do but was recommended was Xochimilco

• There are so, so many museums and parks that you could never be bored in this city

If these long lists and words don’t convince you enough, then I don’t know what else I can say. If you’re thinking about it or get the chance to go to Mexico City - go for it.

On coming home.

It’s officially been six months since our move back to the US from Germany. To say it’s been difficult would be an understatement. I had a really, really tough time adjusting back to life in the US, but I can finally say that it feels like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

Living abroad was my dream. Covid and a few other situations while there put a major damper on what I had hoped for, but, despite it all, we did get to do a lot of travel, which is why we decided to make the move in the first place. If finding different job opportunities in a bigger city in Europe had been easier to navigate, I think we would have stayed longer. I’d still like to make another attempt at living abroad someday. But for now, we are home, and despite a lot of internal denial, it’s finally time to accept that.

My new job is mostly remote, and while it’s been exciting to work remotely from Mexico City and Texas (and soon Florida and Germany), it’s also made it harder to reacclimate to life here. I don’t have any obligation to go into an office a few days a week and have social interactions outside of my home. A lot of my friends moved away from Boston during the pandemic, and with most friends remaining in the area now partnered off (many with fur babies and real babies), everyone has a lot of other stuff going.

When we first got back, everyone I knew was away on vacation and attending weddings all summer—meanwhile, we had little planned as the move was our main focus. It was very lonely, but it forced me to explore the city and meet new people. It’s had its ups and downs, but I’ve met a few people I really hit it off with, and love both the new friendships blooming and the old ones coming back to life now that people have less travel this fall.

If you follow my social accounts, you may have noticed I’ve taken a hiatus from Instagram. I felt I was spending too much time on the app and feeling worse about my situation, as it looked like everyone had all these plans with friends and summer adventures. I’m also sad to see everything leaning toward video, when part of the reason I started my travel account was to share photos. It’s also not lost on me that my own stream of travel pics on social might be causing the same negative thoughts in other people. I think I’ll eventually return, but need to find a better way to be active on it while not letting it affect my mental health (and also figure out how to make cool videos).

In the past six months, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to put myself out there and figure out what I want to do long-term in my career. I’ve always loved event planning and interacting with others (hard-core extrovert over here), and when I was looking to meet new friends this summer, I came across Boston Girls Who Walk, which I’ve since joined as a walk/event leader. I also rejoined Net Impact Boston as their Events Chair, and am working on starting a branch of the Healthier Together podcast club in Boston. In case you haven’t noticed, sitting still isn’t really my thing.

On top of all of that, I’m trying to be more proactive with this blog. I’m working to optimize it for search, promoting it more on Pinterest, and getting around to writing all those travel guides from my trips abroad (new posts include Amsterdam + Ireland). I also recently participated in a project that I’m excited to share, which I’ll hopefully get to do next week.

It all makes me think - do I eventually take a full-time dive into travel writing? Become an event planner? A modern travel agent? Start a podcast? The world is so full of possibilities and while they can, at times, be overwhelming due to the endless options in today’s world, it’s exciting to think that the legacy of my career may still be years from materializing.

So, what do you want to see next from Boston & Abroad? Tiktoks? A podcast? More of the same thing? Drop a comment below and let me know, and stay tuned for all that’s to come.