Is Mexico City safe for tourists?

The visitor core—Roma, Condesa, Polanco, Centro, and Coyoacán—is generally safe by big-city standards with normal precautions. Use Uber or authorized sitio taxis rather than hailing cabs, keep phones off curbside tables, and remember the 2,240 m altitude when pacing the mezcal.

How do I get around Mexico City?

Uber is cheap, ubiquitous, and the visitor default; the Metro costs MX$5 and beats traffic at rush hour but gets very crowded. Traffic is brutal from 7–10am and 5–9pm, so schedule museums—not crosstown transfers—in those windows.

What about money and tipping?

Cards work in restaurants and hotels, but carry small-bill cash for taquerías, markets, and tips. Tip 10–15% in restaurants (the propina is rarely included), give MX$10–20 to grocery baggers and bathroom attendants, and round up generously for street food.

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City guide · Mexico

Mexico City

Aztec foundations, Frida's blue house, and peerless street tacos

Tacos al pastorMuseumsAztec ruinsMezcalMurals

Best time to visit

March–May & October–November

Currency

Mexican Peso (MXN)

Language

Spanish

Region

North America

The guides

The best of Mexico City, by category

Built atop the Aztec island capital of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City layers pyramid ruins beneath cathedrals and Diego Rivera murals above colonial courtyards. At 2,240 metres, with 150-plus museums and the world's best-value fine dining, it rewards slow exploration and a serious appetite.

Best Hotels

Where to stay, from icons to boutiques

6 curated places

Best Restaurants

Fine dining and beloved institutions

6 curated places

Best Bars

Cocktail rooms, rooftops and locals’ favorites

6 curated places

Best Attractions

The sights actually worth your time

6 curated places

The shortlist

If you only have time for the best

The single highest-rated picks across every category in Mexico City.

Hotels

See all 6

1
Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City
Juárez
4.7★3,000+ reviews
2
The St. Regis Mexico City
Cuauhtémoc
4.7★3,000+ reviews
3
Las Alcobas
Polanco
4.6★1,000+ reviews

Restaurants

See all 6

1
Pujol
Polanco
4.6★5,000+ reviews
2
Quintonil
Polanco
4.6★2,000+ reviews
3
Contramar
Roma Norte
4.6★7,500+ reviews

Bars

See all 6

1
Licorería Limantour
Roma Norte
4.5★3,000+ reviews
2
Handshake Speakeasy
Juárez
4.7★1,500+ reviews
3
Hanky Panky
Juárez
4.6★1,000+ reviews

Attractions

See all 6

1
Museo Nacional de Antropología
Chapultepec
4.8★75,000+ reviews
2
Zócalo & Catedral Metropolitana
Centro Histórico
4.7★75,000+ reviews
3
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Centro Histórico
4.8★50,000+ reviews

Where to base yourself

Mexico City neighborhoods, decoded

Pick your area first — it shapes everything else about the trip.

Roma Norte

Art deco café cool

Tree-lined avenues of Porfirian mansions and art deco walk-ups now hold the city's best coffee, galleries, and cocktail bars. Plaza Río de Janeiro and its David replica anchor the strolling circuit.

CafésCocktail barsBoutiques

Condesa

Leafy loops and terrazas

Built around the oval Parque México—a former racetrack—Condesa is all jacarandas, taco stands, and terrace restaurants. It blends seamlessly into Roma for a full day on foot.

ParksBrunchPeople-watching

Polanco

Polished avenues, power dining

The city's luxury quarter, with designer flagships along Presidente Masaryk, the silver-clad Museo Soumaya, and the Pujol–Quintonil fine-dining axis. Embassies and mansions keep it leafy and calm.

Fine diningLuxury shoppingMuseums

Coyoacán

Cobbled colonial village charm

A former village swallowed by the city, with twin plazas, a legendary market famous for tostadas, and Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul. Weekend evenings fill with cotton-candy vendors and organ grinders.

HistoryMarketsFamilies

Beyond the city

Day trips worth the ride

Teotihuacán

1 hr by car or bus

The 2,000-year-old city of the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon along the Avenue of the Dead—arrive at opening to beat the heat and the crowds.

Puebla & Cholula

2 hr by bus

Talavera-tiled baroque churches, the birthplace of mole poblano, and the world's largest pyramid by volume hiding under a hilltop chapel.

Tepoztlán

90 min by car

A mystical pueblo mágico beneath jagged cliffs, with a steep hike to the Tepozteco temple and a weekend market famous for exotic ice creams.

Eat like a local

What to order in Mexico City

Tacos al Pastor

Chile-marinated pork shaved off a spinning trompo with pineapple—the Lebanese-Mexican mashup that defines the city.

Try it at: El Vilsito, Narvarte (a mechanic shop by day)

Mole

Complex chile-and-chocolate sauces built over days; the capital's kitchens treat their recipes as heirlooms.

Try it at: Pujol, Polanco (the 2,500-day mole madre)

Churros con Chocolate

Crisp fried dough with thick drinking chocolate, a late-night chilango ritual since 1935.

Try it at: El Moro, Centro Histórico

Tostadas de Atún

Raw tuna on crisp tortillas with chipotle mayo and crispy leek—modern Mexico City's signature starter.

Try it at: Contramar, Roma Norte

Good to know

Mexico City essentials, answered

Four to five days: two for Centro and Chapultepec's museums, one for Coyoacán and Xochimilco, one for eating through Roma and Condesa, and one for Teotihuacán. Most visitors leave wishing they had added more.

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