Feria Anual Tradicional del Sarape
The sarape is an iconic piece of clothing in Mexico, sold in large numbers each year during this popular trade fair. read more
Travel center
As the recipient of 12 million visitors each year, Mexico City offers a wide range of tourist, cultural and first class services
Travel Center:
Hidden Gems
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For many visitors, Mexico City can seem chaotic and confusing, with many world-class attractions and sites. To help you explore the diversity of this sophisticated urban center, we asked the readers of Inside México to share with us 100 Hidden Gems – their favorite restaurants, shopping centers, museums, parks and attractions – that will enrich your visit and provide a more authentic Mexico City experience. (All figures in Mexican pesos)
Café de Carlo
The coffee here comes in two flavors: strong, and stronger. Get your caffeine fix while mixing it up with local artists, intellectuals and neighborhood characters.
Address: Orizaba 115, corner of Álvaro Obregón, Colonia Roma
Phone: 5574-5647
Mon-Fri: 8 am-10 pm; Sat: 8 am-9 pm; Sun: 10 am-5 pm
Café El Jarocho
Famous for its good, cheap coffee, there’s usually a fast-moving line out the door. Be sure to have a crunchy churro with your coffee. You can grab a bench or table at two other locals: Av. México 25 & 163-B.
Address: Av. Cuahtemoc 134, Colonia Coyoacán
Phone: 5658-5029
www.cafeeljarocho.com.mx
Mon-Sun: 6 am-2 am. Cash only
Cafe Ó
Looking for a privileged oasis for a power breakfast or a long lunch? Try the eggs benedict for breakfast and the artichoke carpaccio for lunch.
Address: Monte Líbano 245, Colonia Lomas de Chapultepec
Phone: Tel: 5520-9227
Mon-Fri: breakfast 7:30 am-12 pm; lunch 1 pm-6 pm; dinner 7-11:30 pm; Sat: 8 am, same schedule; Sun: 9 am-5 pm.
Cafebrería El Péndulo
Amazing breakfasts in this charming café and bookstore. They have a nice collection of English language books.
Address: Alejandro Dumas 81 (Locations in Roma, Polanco, Zona Rosa, Santa Fe and Perisur, see their website for details)
Phone: 5280-4111
www.pendulo.com/libreria
Mon-Fri: 8 am-11 pm; Tues, Thurs and Fri: restaurant open until 12 am; Sat-Sun: 9 am-11 pm. Payment: all cards
Casa de Cultura Jesús Reyes Heroles
Theatre performance and classes: dance, art, woodworking, language, literature, photography. The large tree-filled garden is perfect for hiding away with a book or buying a piece of eclectic sculpture.
Address: Francisco Sosa 202, Colonia Coyoacán
Phone: 5659-3937
Casa de los Amigos
Volunteers staff this Quaker-run hostel and Centro de Paz y Entendimiento Internacional, which also houses an extensive collection of write-ups on volunteer opportunities and experiences throughout the country.
Address: Ignacio Mariscal 132, Colonia Tabacalera, Mexico D.F.
Phone: 5705-0521
www.casadelosamigos.org
Centro Comercial Santa Fe
With more than 300 stores and several good restaurants under one roof. If you are jonesing for the mall, this is the place to go. And, there is a Cinemex theater with first run movies.
Address: Av. Vasco de Quiroga 3800, Colonia Santa Fe
www.centrosantafe.com
Sun-Fri: 11 am-8 pm; Sat: 11 am-9 pm. Hours vary for certain restaurants, department stores and retailers. Check the mall website for details
Centro Cultural Bella Época Rosario Castellanos
This is one of the world´s great bookstore spaces. Browse, sip a coffee and look up at the spectacular ceiling designed by artist, Jan Hendrix.
Address: Tamaulipas 202, Colonia Condesa
Phone: 5276-7110, 5276-7139
Sun-Thurs: 9 am-11 pm; Fri-Sat: 11 am-12 am. Payment: all cards. Valet parking
Centro Cultural La Pirámide
Excellent inexpensive classes in African, Brazilian, and regional dances, capoeira, Pilates, and acrobatics.
Address: Calle 24 corner La Pirámide, Colonia San Pedro de los Pinos, Metro: San Antonio
Phone: 3330-0668
www.infopiramide.blogspot.com
Centro Cultural Universitario UNAM
This center presents a dizzying array of performances, and the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM plays here regularly.
Address: Insurgentes Sur 3000
Phone: 5665-6825
www.cultura.unam.mx
Centro Educativo Multidisciplinario - UNAM
One of the best universities in the world offers language and culture classes at this satellite campus. Also, a great place to meet other foreigners arriving for longer stays.
Address: Taine 246, Colonia Polanco
Phone: 5203-3926
http://www.cempolanco.unam.mx
Cine Lido, Librería Fondo de Cultura y Economía
This theater is located within the impressive and spacious FCE bookstore, which boasts a café and cozy sofas to chill on. Inaugurated in 1940, Cine Lido was originally an art deco one-thousand seat theater that attracted big crowds to its showings.
Address: Tamaulipas 202 (corner Benjamin Hill), Colonia Condesa, Metro: Patriotismo
Phone: (55) 5276-7110
www.fondodeculturaeconomica.com/BellaEpoca/BellaEpoca.asp
Different films are shown each week.
Cinemex Casa de Arte
Enjoy this small, art house complex in the center of Polanco. It offers an excellent choice of indie movies in a plaza with cafes and restaurants, perfect for sitting and dissecting the flick you´ve just seen.
Address: Plaza Masaryk, Anatole France 120, Colonia Polanco
Phone: 5280-9156
www.cinemex.com
Como
Neighborhood Argentine joint. Always good. A daily gem for lunch.
Address: Horacio 253, Colonia Polanco
Phone: 5250-1596
http://www.restaurantcomo.com
Mon-Fri: 1 pm-2 am; Sat: 2 pm-2 am; Sun: 2:30 pm-1 am. Payment: all cards.
Condesa, d.f.
Lounge in the rooftop terrace’s straw couches while taking in Condesa views, sipping on the hotel’s famous martinis, and sampling the Japanese menu. The roof terrace may be the best place to have a cocktail and watch night fall over the city. Restaurant opens for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Address: Veracruz 102, Colonia Condesa
Phone: 5241-2600
http://www.condesadf.com
Sun-Tues: 1 pm-12 am; Wed-Sat: 1 pm-1:30 am. Payment: all cards. Valet parking.
other focus areas:
Interactive Maps
Visiting Mexico City? There is so much to experience in the capital that many visitors do not know where to start their tour. We designed an interactive Google Map that features the must-sees of Mexico City – the museums, parks, historic landmarks and neighborhoods – that you won’t want to miss. read more
Attractions
Mexico City is one of the world's most important centers of archeology and urban architecture, with 31 different archeological or historic sites. The city's historic center is a UNESCO-designated district, featuring many important, well-preserved Pre-Colombian archeological sites and historic colonial era buildings. The city is home to beautiful churches, authentic… read more
Cuisine
Visitors are often surprised by the level of culinary sophistication to be found in Mexico City, but they shouldn't be: Forbes Magazine rated Mexico City the world's fourth-best culinary destination, behind only Paris, Rome and Tokyo. Chefs can prepare dishes from any cuisine and are no strangers to creativity. Gastronomic… read more
Entertainment, Nightlife & Recreation
Whether you are looking for a one-of-a-kind cultural experience or simply a night out on the town, Mexico City has virtually unlimited options to keep you entertained during your stay. The Arts Throughout the year, the city is home to numerous art exhibitions and film festivals, continuing the country's rich… read more
FITA 2012
Mexico City to host FITA 2012 tourism fair Mexico City will host the third annual international tourism fair of the Americas, FITA 2012, on September 20-23, 2012. FITA 2012 will attract the travel’s industry’s most prominent professionals: wholesalers, tour operators, transportation companies, hotels, event planners, travel agencies, national tourism promotion… read more
Getting Around
You are never far from the cultural and business capital of Mexico, and getting there has never been easier. More than 20 cities in the United States and Canada offer non-stop air travel to Mexico City. And with an average flying time of just four hours, a trip to Mexico… read more
Hotels
Luxury hotels abound in Mexico City with all the amenities of the finest high-end resorts around the world. There are also a growing number of smaller, boutique properties characterized by their unique design and highly-personalized service. Not only can guests expect world-class restaurants, full-service spas and breathtaking views of the… read more
Misc.: Weather | Helpful Contacts | English-Language Media
Weather in Mexico City Situated on a high plateau, Mexico City enjoys mild, pleasant weather throughout the year. The temperature in winter averages between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius (68 to 74° Fahrenheit), while summer temperatures average around 28 degrees Celsius (83° Fahrenheit). October through May is the city's dry… read more
Shopping
The latest fashions and styles are easy to come by in Mexico City, where you will find the enormous modern shopping malls and small fashion boutiques to be among the best in the world. Visitors can discover great value and unique gifts in apparel and clothing, home furnishings, jewelry and… read more
Survey: Perceptions of Mexico City
The Government of Mexico City conducted a telephone public opinion survey in the United States and Canada in late 2009 to measure perceptions of business and leisure travelers toward the destination. Because Mexico City receives more than 2 million visitors a year from these markets, the government was interested in… read more
Voices from the city:
Kathryn Blair: The Angel
Kathryn Skidmore Blair never met her husband’s mother. But if ever there has been a dutiful daughter-in-law, she is it. Admittedly obsessed with her mother-in-law’s story, she dug the details of Antonieta Rivas Mercado’s life out from the very back of the family closet, and spent over twenty years researching and writing her biography. read more
December 03 – December 14, 2012
December 10, 2012
Palacio de los Deportes
Bruce Springsteen in Mexico City
The Wrecking Ball tour comes to a close in Mexico City. read more
December 12, 2012
Dia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe
Millions of pilgrims come to honor Mexico’s religious patron each year, for the culmination of ten days of celebrations in Mexico City. read more
December 15 – December 19, 2012
Alcoman
Feria de la Piñata
Certainly one of the area’s most colorful events, Feria de la Piñata features all kinds of piñatas to purchase and admire. read more
December 15 – December 24, 2012
Latin American Festival of Pastorelas
Mexico City’s festivities in the lead up to Christmas includes this parade, whose many characters tell the story of the nativity. read more
December 16 – December 24, 2012
Feria de la Nochebuena y Articulos Navidenos
Pick up last-minute gifts and holiday decorations at the Feria de la Nochebuena, held through late December. read more
Surprising Fact
Mexico City hosted 10,039,833 guests in its hotels during 2009. Of that number, 8,035,206 were Mexican national tourists and 2,004,628 were foreign travelers.
Overheard
"Mexico City is shaping up to be a world-class art destination."
— Conde Nast Traveller