I previously wrote a guide to Mexico City, but, as a reader quite rightly pointed out, I hadn’t spent nearly enough time in the capital to capture its true essence.

Embarrassed and disappointed by my own lack of journalistic integrity, I swore I wouldn’t write another ‘guide’ until I’d spent a decent chunk of time here. As I write this, I’ve just hit the one-month mark in CDMX.

I don’t say this lightly - especially as someone who has held the identity of a ‘Londoner’ close to my heart for all my adult life, but…

creo que ciudad de méxico es la mejor ciudad del mundo

(If you didn’t get that, I think Mexico City is the best city in the world)

Let me explain why…

key info

• Currency: Mexican Peso (MXN, $) £1 = $22.50 MXN

• Language: Spanish

• Religion: Predominantly Catholic, though Mexico is home to a diverse mix of beliefs, and many people identify as non-practising.

• Visas: British citizens do not need a visa for short tourist visits (up to 180 days). You’ll simply need to complete a tourist card (FMM) on arrival or online before travelling. Always check the latest entry requirements before you go.

• Weather: Mexico City enjoys a mild, spring-like climate year-round due to its high altitude (over 2,200 m above sea level). The dry season runs from November to April, bringing sunny days and cool evenings, while the rainy season lasts from May to October, with brief afternoon showers.

my highlights! *:･ﾟ✧

la comida — Look, if you thought I was going to begin this guide waffling on about anything other than food, then you clearly don’t know me. Truly, nothing has made me fall in love with this city more than the ladies and gentlemen who whip up quesadillas and sell café con leche and conchas from food trolleys beneath pink umbrellas, just a stone’s throw from my front door. I can roll out of bed, grab a torta or sweet treat, maybe a freshly pressed juice from the neighbouring stall, and trudge back home having spent less than 50 pesos.

It’s dangerous for my waistline, but I love practising my Spanish at 3am on a Friday at the taquería in Centro, ordering crispy tripa tacos with a goblet-sized horchata while my friends bicker about the best football team in the city (I’m told it isn’t América).

Month one has been a bit of a tick-box exercise. Each day, I’ve made a concerted effort to work my way through the CDMX staples: crispy flautas, pozole (specifically from Casa Toño, with the company of my housemates), pan de muerto from Pastelería Ideal for Día de Muertos, and chilaquiles con huevos from the nearby mercado. Also, I’ve decided I’m a salsa verde girl.

But beyond traditional Mexican fare, CDMX overflows with international influences as any great metropolis does. Only yesterday, I read an interesting article by Lydia Carey (mexicocityeats) responding to the recent article in The New York Times titled “What Happened to Mexico City’s Food Scene: Americans. Her piece highlights the oversimplification that is happening here by conflating the growth of a buzzing international culinary scene with ‘Americanisation’. Carey counteracts this saying…

‘But in the same way that New York and London are famous for their world cuisine, Mexico City is becoming known for having a little bit of everything. What some of us would say is the glorious result of a world where people can move from country to country and bring their cooking with them.’

I haven’t eaten much non-Mexican food, in all honesty. I went on a date to Pizza Felix, which I loved, much like the sourdough slices I’d usually order in London. I’m itching to visit LadyBoy อีสาน, a Thai street food stall in Roma and Alfil Restaurante, a Middle Eastern spot I kept jogging past, eyeing up the dishes of curry, soft pitta and hummus that patrons were digging into. I might start restaurant reviews here on Substack, so if that’s something you’d be interested in, please leave a comment!

If you’re visiting, then I’d highly recommend booking onto a food tour. I joined Treep Tour’s Centro Tour, where I spent a few hours snacking on crickets in the mercado, learning about the area’s history, sampling street food and tucking into tacos. Another option is Eat Like a Local, which is high on my ‘want to do’ list.

@by.beccamaesave this food tour for your trip to Mexico City! 🌮❤️ The best way to learn about a city’s culture and history is through eating, which is why @treeptours 🪩✨🌮 centro food tour is the ideal way to start your trip — the we got to try oaxacan chocolate, queso, crickets seasoned with chilli and fresh tortillas from the mercado #travel #food #mexicocity

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museo hopping — Another major selling point of CDMX is its vast array of museums and art galleries. I don’t think you could ever get sick of them. My personal favourite is still the Museo Nacional de Antropología, and I haven’t even revisited it since returning to the city!

It’s a massive, architecturally dramatic concrete building tucked away in leafy Chapultepec, with a towering water feature at its centre. Inside, you’ll find relics from ancient Mayan and Mexican civilisations, from grand stone carvings to skeletons preserved from human sacrifice. I’m obsessed with it.1

Other museum shout-outs. Firstly, Chapultepec Castle - mainly for its sweeping views down Reforma. Also in the park are two excellent art galleries: the Museo de Arte Moderno and the Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo. This week I visited Guillermo Tovar de Teresa Museum in Roma Norte, a grand home which is filled with paintings, literature, and rare and antique books.

There are still a few key tourist experiences I’m yet to tick off, namely, the Frida Kahlo House, Xochimilco, Lucha Libre and the pyramids at the Zona Arqueológica de Teotihuacán.

running and parques — While I’ve tried fitting this section into ‘green spaces and leisure’, I think the real appeal of Mexico City’s central barrios is just how walkable and green they are. Obviously, this isn’t the case throughout the entire city, especially in the poorer regions, which are often incredibly densely populated and can’t really be compared to affluent spots like Condesa or Polanco. If you’re visiting as a tourist, you’ll likely be staying somewhere central, meaning it’ll be no more than a 30-minute walk to one of the city’s great parques. The biggest? Bosque de Chapultepec - it’s twice the size of NYC’s Central Park, for context. In Centro, head to Alameda Central for sonidero and cumbia dancing, or delicious street food during the day. España and Mexico are side by side in trendy Condesea. Loop around Amsterdam, a green circle that circumnavigates Parque Mexico and stop off in one of the cool coffee shops which line it, my personal favourite is Cafe Nin (Iced Americano & Almond Croissoint). In the south of the city, you’ll find the network of canals that forms Parque Ecológico de Xochimilco.2

As a runner, I’ve spent most of this month exploring the city on foot. I’m a very visual thinker; while I can’t tell the time and am famously clumsy, my one skill that seems to dominate is my internal compass. Plodding the streets, memorising street names and figuring out how they all connect has felt like slowly completing a jigsaw puzzle - all while increasing my VO₂ max score, because DANG, this city’s elevation is crazy. I could hardly breathe on my first jet-lagged 5K. My weekly highlight has been Reforma on a Sunday morning: the city’s central road is closed to cars, allowing runners, cyclists, and families to exercise with some of the city’s best views.

bouji bars - Ironically, as a sober person, I’ve spent a lot of time in bars. Naturally, this is because I’ve made friends with people who drink, and honestly, I miss going to cool boozers - I’ve been living in the countryside with my parents for the best part of two years, and haven’t really had the chance to go to trendy, lowlit vinyl bars like the ones I see my friends going to in London. Here in CDMX, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the alcohol free options available. At Bussifame, I sipped on alcohol free Corona while listening to a DJ mix of Tyler the Creator. Similarly, I enjoyed ESPANTOSO and their 0% margs.

movies set in mexico city

• Los olvidados (The Young and the Damned), 1950, dir Luis Buñuel

• Amores Perros, 2000, dir Alejandro González Iñárritu

• Roma, 2018, dir Alfonso Cuarón

• Museo, 2018, dir Alonso Ruizpalacios

my google maps

Planning a trip to Mexico City? Save my Google Maps list here to check out my recommendations for yourself. I haven’t visited all of these places; some are recommendations from other people, so pick at your discretion!

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