Let’s be honest. It’s impossible to explore all of Mexico City even during a one-month vacation but if you just have three days to see and taste the biggest metropolis in the world, we can give you some tips to survive and enjoy. You should start on the outskirts, as all the other must-sees are a bit more concentrated inside the city, and we propose to start big: Teotihuacan. The largest pre-Columbian pyramids in Mexico sometimes are the only thing that the busiest tourists come to visit.
You will be daunted by the dimensions of the constructions and probably quite exhausted after climbing hundreds of stairs, but the view from the awesome Pyramid of the Sun is even worth a heart attack on your way. You can book a taxi from your hotel for a larger fee or simply take the bus from the Central del Norte bus station.Back in downtown, the best way to move around is by metro. It is cheap, fast and not at all as dangerous as you’ve heard, especially during a weekend when it tends to be less crowded. Let’s go directly to the heart of the city and get off at the Zocalo, officialy known as Plaza de la Constitucion.
Right on the surface you will see a giant Mexican Flag in the center of the enormous main public square. If you come at sunset, you will see Mexican soldiers march to take down the flag. The site hosts all kinds of public gatherings, such as concerts, religious events and political meetings, and it has a very unique atmosphere with street vendors, shoes polishers, soldiers, musicians, and all kind of performers. There are several must-sees in the area but you can’t miss the city’s cathedral or the National Palace. The cathedral is open daily and admission is free, and includes five naves and 14 chapels to see with paintings by famous Spanish artist Bartolome Murillo. The National Palace is free to access (make sure to bring your passport as it is a federal building) and inside it you will find several gardens and incredible murals by Diego Rivera with important moments in Mexican history.
Very close to the Zocalo, you wil find another must-visit, The Palace of Fine Arts (Palacio de Bellas Artes). It presents the best of Art Nouveau and Art Deco Style and impressive murals of Rufino Tamayo. Some people say that Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most beautiful thing in the whole city and you must check if it’s true. It is also a good place to have a short break, and enjoy a quick meal and a drink at the café. Next stop should be Chapultepec, the Mexican Central Park, with the current presidential residence, the former presidential palace and several museums, out of which you cannot miss the National Museum of Anthropology. The museum holds artifacts from Mexico’s pre-Columbian epochs and you can easily spend there lots of hours without getting bored. However you should save some time, at least half a day, for Xochimilco.
Xochimilco (Nahuatl for “Place where Flowers grow”) gives name to almost 111 miles of waterways that remain from the Xochimilcas. They took advantage of shallow waters of Lake Xochimilco and piled up mud and vegetation to create chinampas, fertile gardens. Today you can get on one of many brightly painted boats and cruise the canals, eat, drink and listen to mariachis. During your weekend in Mexico City don’t forget to try Tacos or any other typical food from the street stands. No gourmet restaurant can compete with the best street food in the world.
That is all for this week, hope you enjoyed it!
At your service
The MexResorts.com Team