Trip highlights
- 1Teotihuacan pyramids at sunrise
- 2Frida Kahlo Museum (La Casa Azul)
- 3Mercado de la Merced
- 4Xochimilco trajineras
- 5Roma/Condesa street art and food
Daily spend
Want this for your exact dates?
Live hotel prices, real-time flights, and weather for when you're going.
Been before? Re-book the same trip instantly with current prices.
Day-by-day plan
Arrival & Centro Histórico
Friday, October 1
Est. spend
$80
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive at Benito Juárez International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez, CDMX
AICM (MEX) is 5km from the Centro. Metro Line 5 (Terminal 1) or the Mexibús (Terminal 2) connect to the metro network for $5 pesos ($0.25). Uber is safe and costs MXN$120–180 ($7–10). Do not take unofficial taxis.
Altitude: Mexico City sits at 2,240m. Headache and slight breathlessness are normal on arrival — drink water, rest, and avoid alcohol on day 1.
☀️ Afternoon
Zócalo and Templo Mayor
Plaza de la Constitución, Centro Histórico, CDMX
The Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución) is one of the world's largest city squares — the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Palace (Diego Rivera murals, free entry), and the ruins of the Templo Mayor (the principal Aztec temple, discovered during construction in 1978) all occupy the same space. Entry to Templo Mayor museum: MXN$90 ($5).
The National Palace (Palacio Nacional) has Diego Rivera's famous murals inside the main staircase — History of Mexico, spanning 3 walls and 400 years. Free entry, no booking required. Don't miss it.
🌙 Evening
Garibaldi Square and Mariachi
Plaza Garibaldi, Centro Histórico, CDMX
Plaza Garibaldi is where mariachi bands gather every evening — 100+ musicians in embroidered suits, some performing for tables, others waiting to be hired for serenades. Tequila and mezcal at the outdoor bars, live music filling the square.
If you want a mariachi serenade at your table, it costs MXN$500–700 ($28–40) per song per band. Worth it once. Ask the price before they start.
🍽️ Meals
El Cardenal
Mexican traditional · $20 · Classic Mexico City cooking since 1969. The hot chocolate with churros and the enchiladas are exceptional.
La Opera Bar
Mexican/Bar · $30 · 1876 cantina with bullet holes in the ceiling ceiling allegedly from Pancho Villa's pistol. Order the pozole and a mezcal.
Teotihuacan
Saturday, October 2
Est. spend
$90
per person
🌅 Morning
Teotihuacan Pyramids — dawn entry
Zona Arqueológica de Teotihuacan, State of Mexico
The pre-Aztec pyramid complex 50km north of the city — the Pyramid of the Sun (third largest pyramid in the world), the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Avenue of the Dead. The site opens at 9am but most tours arrive at 10am — get there by 9am and climb the Pyramid of the Sun before the crowds. Entry MXN$90 ($5).
The bus from Terminal Central del Norte (Metro Autobuses del Norte) takes 1 hour and costs MXN$70 ($4). Much cheaper than tours and drops you at the main gate. Bring 2L water — there are vendors but water is expensive.
☀️ Afternoon
Obsidian workshops and return
San Juan Teotihuacan, State of Mexico
The village of San Juan Teotihuacan outside the site has obsidian workshops — the volcanic glass used by the Aztecs for blades, mirrors, and ornaments. Demonstrations and purchases available. Return bus to the Norte terminal.
🌙 Evening
Roma neighbourhood — mezcalería and tacos
Roma Norte, CDMX
Roma Norte is Mexico City's most vibrant neighbourhood — Art Nouveau apartment buildings, the best taquería concentration in the city, and mezcalerías where single-village mezcals are poured by knowledgeable bartenders.
🍽️ Meals
La Gruta cave restaurant, Teotihuacan
Mexican · $25 · Restaurant inside a natural lava tube cave near the pyramids. The setting is extraordinary and the food is solid Mexican.
El Turix, Condesa
Yucatecan · $15 · Best cochinita pibil (achiote slow-roasted pork) tacos in Mexico City. Tiny counter, huge flavour.
Frida Kahlo & Coyoacán
Sunday, October 3
Est. spend
$140
per person
🌅 Morning
Frida Kahlo Museum — La Casa Azul
Londres 247, Del Carmen, Coyoacán, CDMX
Frida Kahlo's cobalt-blue house in Coyoacán is the most visited museum in Mexico City — her studio, diary, wardrobe, kitchen, and personal photographs all preserved. The actual paintings she made here and the context of her life with Diego Rivera make this far more moving than a gallery display of her work elsewhere. Entry MXN$290 ($17) — book online at museofridakahlo.org.mx weeks ahead.
Photography inside is restricted. The garden and the house exterior are the best shots. The nearby Anahuacalli Museum (Diego Rivera's volcanic stone pyramid museum) is worth the extra hour.
☀️ Afternoon
Coyoacán market and town square
Jardín del Centenario, Coyoacán, CDMX
Coyoacán is the most pleasant neighbourhood in Mexico City for an afternoon — colonial plazas, the Church of San Juan Bautista, a covered market with excellent food stalls (tostadas, memelas, and the best tlacoyo in the city), and the weekend artisan market.
El Jarocho café in Coyoacán serves the best café de olla (cinnamon-spiced pot coffee) in the city for MXN$20 ($1.10). The queue starts at the doorway and moves fast.
UNAM campus and murals
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX
The National Autonomous University (UNAM) campus 4km from Coyoacán is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — the main library covered in a mosaic mural by Juan O'Gorman depicting Mexican history, and murals by Siqueiros on the Rectory Tower. Free to walk.
The Diego Rivera mural at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario (stadium, free entry) is 3km long — the largest mural by Rivera and the most overlooked.
🌙 Evening
Condesa for dinner
Condesa, CDMX
Condesa is a leafy residential neighbourhood with the best restaurant density in the city. Avenida Ámsterdam (an oval avenue following the route of a former horse-racing track) is the place to walk before settling on a terrace.
🍽️ Meals
Mercado de Coyoacán
Mexican market food · $10 · Indoor market stalls. Order tostadas de tinga (shredded chicken on crispy tortilla) and a glass of agua de Jamaica.
Contramar
Mexican seafood · $55 · The finest seafood restaurant in Mexico City. The atún a la talla (grilled tuna, half red and half green salsa) has been copied by every restaurant in the city. Book 2 weeks ahead.
Xochimilco & Chapultepec
Monday, October 4
Est. spend
$150
per person
🌅 Morning
Xochimilco trajinera boat
Embarcadero Nuevo Nativitas, Xochimilco, CDMX
The floating gardens of Xochimilco are all that remain of the Aztec lake city of Tenochtitlan. Flat-bottomed trajinera boats poled through flower-lined canals, mariachi bands paddling alongside selling songs, food vendors selling elotes (grilled corn) from their boats, and the extraordinary chinampas (floating garden islands) built by the Aztecs 600 years ago.
Hire a whole trajinera (MXN$600/$35 for 2 hours, negotiable) rather than sharing. Bring snacks and drinks — vendors on the water charge double. Saturday mornings have the best atmosphere.
☀️ Afternoon
Chapultepec Castle and National Museum of Anthropology
Paseo de la Reforma y Gandhi, Bosque de Chapultepec, CDMX
The National Museum of Anthropology (MNA) is the most important archaeology museum in the Western Hemisphere — the Aztec Sun Stone (incorrectly called the Calendar Stone), Moctezuma's headdress, and extraordinary collections from all of Mexico's pre-Columbian cultures. Entry MXN$90 ($5). Chapultepec Castle above the park was Mexico's imperial residence — entry MXN$90 ($5).
The Anthropology Museum alone could fill a full day. Focus on: the Mexica room (Aztecs), the Maya room, and the Oaxaca room (Zapotec and Mixtec). Skip the rest on a 3-hour visit.
🌙 Evening
Polanco — upscale Mexico City
Polanco, CDMX
Polanco is CDMX's luxury district — Avenida Presidente Masaryk (the Mexican equivalent of the Champs-Élysées) with Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and some of the best fine dining in Latin America.
🍽️ Meals
Quintonil, Polanco
Contemporary Mexican · $75 · Chef Jorge Vallejo's restaurant is consistently in the Latin America 50 Best. Modern Mexican using indigenous ingredients. The maguey worm tacos are extraordinary. Book 3 weeks ahead.
Mercados & Departure
Tuesday, October 5
Est. spend
$50
per person
🌅 Morning
Mercado de la Merced
General Anaya 16, Centro Histórico, CDMX
The largest market in Mexico City — 4 blocks of pure sensory overload. Mole pastes, dried chillies (50 varieties), fresh tropical fruit, Day of the Dead decorations, saints' candles, and bootleg CDs. Not a tourist market — this is where Mexico City actually shops.
Buy mole paste to take home — the complex mole negro takes 3 days to make from scratch. A tub of good mole paste is MXN$80–120 ($5–7) and lasts months.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Av. Juárez s/n, Centro Histórico, CDMX
The 1934 Art Deco/Art Nouveau building is the cultural centrepiece of Mexico City — the interior has Diego Rivera's original Man at the Crossroads mural (his Rockefeller Center version was destroyed for including Lenin; this is the real one). Entry to the murals: MXN$90 ($5).
The Mexican Folkloric Ballet (Ballet Folklórico de México) performs at the Bellas Artes on Sundays — one of Mexico's great cultural institutions. Book ahead at ballet.bellasartes.gob.mx.
☀️ Afternoon
Airport transfer
Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez, CDMX
Metro Line 1 (pink) to Terminal Aérea station (Terminal 1) or Metrobús Line 4 to Terminal 2. Allow 2.5 hours before departure.
🍽️ Meals
Taquería Los Cocuyos
Mexican street tacos · $6 · The most authentic taquería in Centro Histórico. Open from 9pm to 5am but the best early morning tacos are at dawn. Campechano taco (mixed beef offal) is MXN$18 ($1). The genuine locals-only spot.
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
October–April is the dry season — clear skies, cooler temperatures (18–24°C). May–September is the rainy season — afternoon showers are normal (usually 1–2 hours). Day of the Dead (November 1–2) is the best time to experience the city's most important cultural celebration.
🛂 Visas
US, EU, UK, Canadian, Australian citizens do not need a visa for Mexico — 180-day tourist stamp issued on arrival. Other nationalities check Mexico's Consulate website. Bring a printed return ticket — immigration sometimes checks.
💱 Currency
Mexican Peso (MXN). 17–18 pesos per USD. Cash is king in Mexico — taquerias, markets, and street food are cash only. ATMs: BBVA, Banamex, and Santander. Do not use airport exchange — terrible rates. The OXXO convenience stores accept cards for purchases.
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 911
ambulance: 911
tourist police: 5207-4155
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- Mexico City's street food is extraordinarily safe if you follow two rules: eat from stalls with fast turnover and visible cooking, and avoid anything that has been sitting out. Locals eat street food daily without illness — follow their choices.
- Ubers are the safest taxi option in Mexico City. Never hail a taxi on the street — use Uber, Cabify, or officially licensed CDMX taxis from taxi stands.
- The metro is extremely safe during the day. Avoid rush hour (7–9am, 6–8pm) if possible — it's extremely crowded. Women-only carriages are available at peak hours.
- Altitude: at 2,240m, alcohol hits harder and faster. Drink water constantly. Sangre de grado (altitude tea) from any pharmacy helps.
- Do not drink tap water. Buy 5L garrafones at any tienda for MXN$25 ($1.40) rather than individual bottles — cheaper and better for the environment.
One thing worth not skipping
A 5-day trip to Mexico City, Mexico without insurance is a gamble. Medical emergencies, cancelled flights, lost luggage — cover yourself before you leave.
Comprehensive cover for 150+ adventure activities, medical evacuation, trip cancellation, and baggage. Recommended for most travellers.
Subscription-based travel medical insurance. Best for longer trips, digital nomads, or frequent travellers. Renews weekly or monthly.
Tripzeeker earns a small commission when you purchase — at no extra cost to you.
Was this useful?
Your rating helps us improve and tells other travellers what to trust.
How useful was this itinerary?
You might also like
More trips like Mexico City, Mexico in your inbox
Weekly hand-crafted itineraries, hidden gems, and travel tips. Unsubscribe anytime.