“Welcome to Mexico City!” my camp counselor yelled on a Wednesday morning as our imaginary plane landed.
As she stamped our pretend passports, I began to wonder what it would be like to travel to Mexico in real life. I envisioned myself sitting on a colorful river boat, enjoying tacos al pastor and speaking Spanish with the locals.
“I’m going to the real Mexico City one day,” I said as I lined up for our specialty snack of chips and salsa.
Over a decade after that day, my dream to go to Mexico City came true. My best friend and both of our moms set out for Mexico City for four days of exploration last June.
An AirbnB in Centro Histórico became our home for a week. After checking in, we headed to the grocery store to stock up on Oreos, pastry, and of course, mangos. Mangos are so much better in Mexico! For dinner, we enjoyed a dinner of steak tacos, guacamole and piña coladas at a rooftop restaurant that overlooked Zócalo, the historic city center that is home to the National Palace and Cathedral.
Zócalo is a beautiful, quick stop to make on your way to dinner, the nearby shopping district or to Templo Mayor, an archeological dig site and museum.
Perk: Mexico is super-affordable! The dinner described above only cost us $20 USD for 4 people. Don’t be alarmed when you see high prices with the dollar sign; the Mexican peso also uses the dollar sign.
On day two, we visited the vibrantly colored Frida Kahlo Museum. The house of the feminist icon, Frida Kahlo, drew all of us to traveling to Mexico City. The Blue House was the home of Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, and it prominently displays their original artwork and their private collections of art, furniture, and books. After making your way through the house, there is a gorgeous courtyard full of native plants that leads to the cafe, gift shop, and the seasonal exhibit.
After spending the morning at the museum, we enjoyed salads at a nearby restaurant that closely resembles a luxury treehouse! The interior of the restaurant was standard with high top tables and a bar. The patio was completely covered by a tree, hiding the busy city surrounding us and giving the illusion that we were in the middle of a forest.
On our way to the Xochimilco river boats, we experienced the pure kindness that the residents of Mexico City spread with each other. Our Uber driver bought us traditional Mexican candy from a street vendor and negotiated a fair price for our river boat. All of our friends and family warned us of the danger we’d face in Mexico as four English-speaking women. We found that our friends and family were completely wrong as the residents of Mexico City were some of the kindest people we’d ever met.
The Xochimilco River Boats are colorful, covered private boats with long tables that travel along a canal while vendors on canoe-like boats pass by. When a boat vendor piques your interest, the boat pulls up alongside yours and they make tamales, margaritas, street corn and much more right on their little boat. During the ride, you’ll pass the Island of Dead Dolls, which is exactly what it sounds like. Be aware of vendors that may hop onto your boat to sell you jewelry! It is okay to say no!
Perk: Bakeries in Mexico City are self-serve and open late! Just grab a huge pizza tray and tongs on your way in and start pilling on the pastry. Once you’re done, a worker will wrap it all up for you and you’re free to enjoy! The only downside to this experience, besides a potential lack of self control, is that most pastries aren’t labeled so eating them becomes a guessing game.
Our visit to the Teotihuacan Aztec Temples and Pyramids on day three was by far the best. Since the archaeological site is an hour outside of the city, we hired a driver to take us and he bought our tickets upon arrival. The Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Moon and Sun are absolutely breathtaking. The steps of the temple are no longer open to the public to climb. On site, there is a garden of cacti and a museum with a scale model of the Aztec city that you can walk over. Once we’d explored everything, our driver kindly took us to a nearby restaurant in a cave!
Perk: The street food in Mexico City is amazing! Most online information warns tourists to avoid street food, but street food is my recommendation for eating the best food. After only enjoying the guacamole at many restaurants, we started eating tacos and rotisserie chicken from a vendor near our AirBnB, which turned out to be the best food we had the entire trip. We even found freshly made churros walking around Centro Histórico one night. Mexico City is known for their tacos al pastor and whoever first put pineapple in a taco is a hero in my book.
Our fourth and final day of exploration was spent at the Anthropology Museum and the Chapultepec Castle. Have your camera ready on the way to the museum because the nearby monuments and buildings are beautiful! The Anthropology Museum is home to the breathtaking Aztec Sun Stone and a massive collection highlighting the nation’s rich history. The on-site restaurant is beautiful with flavorful regional dishes and guacamole made right at your table. Unfortunately, the second floor of the museum was under construction during our visit, but we’ll just have to visit again.
From the museum, we walked through the beautiful Chapultepec Park, which is over twice the size of Central Park and over 20 times the size of the Boston Common and Public Garden, before arriving at Chapultepec Castle. Tickets must be purchased before heading up the hill to the castle, but the view alone makes the seemingly never-ending walk worthwhile. The Castle includes beautiful stained glass windows and fantastic courtyards.
Before you jet off to Mexico, here are a few more travel tips. Remember to pack a raincoat and lots of pesos. Make sure to brush up on your Spanish! I recommend taking Ubers from place to place since taxis are not always available.
Mexico City is a great vacation destination, if you are someone like me who would rather explore a new culture and lifestyle than sit on a beach for a week. The major attractions of the city can be explored in as little as three days, making it even more budget friendly. Of all the places I’ve traveled, Mexico City is at the top of my list.