Mexico City (CDMX)

We began our 10 day trip in and around the “Centro Historica” or downtown Mexico City (CDMX) with three nights at a gorgeous boutique hotel,  “Downtown Mexico”. This hotel is located is centrally located and convenient to all the main historical attractions. It's lux without being ostentatious or too expensive.

The main floor and central garden houses the gorgeous Azul Restaurante, which is located in the courtyard of the building, complemented by the most amazing planted roof, reservations recommended. At the top of the planted roof is located outdoor pool, hot tub plus a gorgeous sundeck and bar with views of the streets below. Azul serves amazing Mexican cuisine and is well regarded as one of the best downtown restaurants. My favorite was the tortilla soup which comes in the most exquisite bowl crafted with a figurine on top. The rooms are stunning, very spacious and extremely quiet given the location. Most of the hotels we stayed at have breakfast included and your choice of a number of buffet items plus hot breakfasts are available every day on the third floor terrace. This is a lovely space to sit and plan your day of adventures. I highly recommend using a Google guide to plan your routes for the day.

Local sites in no particular order include the Temple Mayor, an amazing archeological museum showcasing the postclassic period of Mesoamerica.

A Unesco World Heritage Site, it is easy to see in about 2 hours and is a lovely walk.

A short walk through the city had us at one of my favorites, the Diego Rivera Mural Gallery. If you’re lucky, one of the young English-speaking guides will spend 45 minutes with you walking you through the mural and its summary of modern Mexican history, it is truly amazing the amount that is covered in this one painting.

About a 20 minute walk from there is the Palacio de Bellas Artes where there are two floors of art, including numerous Diego Rivera, and other local celebrated Mexican artists. Although I didn’t see it myself, I understand they showcase Mexican “Folkloric Ballet” in evening performances that are well worth attending. 

Our second day’s stop was the Museo Nacional de Antropologia.

This museum has 23 permanent exhibit halls and honestly you could spend multiple days so I would recommend getting a guide that can direct you to the highlights, most notably the Aztec Calendar commonly known as the “Sun Stone”. We covered most of the exhibits in about three hours but it would be easy to spend more time. We were there as it opened at 9am and lasted until about 12:30.  The Museum is located on the grounds of Chapultepec Park, the oldest and largest urban park in Latin America. Also inside the park is the Chapultepec Castle so after a quick lunch at a local taco spot, Taqueria las Rejas, famous for it

s pastor tacos, we spent the afternoon at the Castle.

Its a bit of a walk up to the castle but elevators are there for those who require them. I loved the castle, which was built on an ancient Aztec site in the late 1700’s and features history from numerous empires.

Our next stay in  CDMX, was at a very well liked Airbnb style hotel, the Red Treehouse. This hotel is an absolute treasure with various configurations of rooms from single to three bedroom apartments an is located in the fun and fashionable neighborhood known as the Condesa. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and friendly and hold happy hour every afternoon where you can enjoy the garden and meet other guests from around the world.

Condessa is an extremely walkable neighborhood with numerous hidden restaurants, bars and shops. Watch the “Mexico City” episode of Somebody Feeds Phil to get a glimpse into some of the favourites. The next neighborhood over is the Polanco which is known for its luxury shopping and the Presidente Masaryk Avenue, the most expensive street in Mexico City as well as numerous cultural institutions. 

From here it’s an easy Uber ride to visit the Diego Rivera Museum, Museo Anahuacalli which he created housing an extensive collection of pre-Columbian art as well as its outdoor space that protects the surrounding flora and fauna.

We hired a lovely local guide that met us at this museum, spent about 90 minutes taking us through and then onto the Frida Kahlo Museum the childhood home of his wife, Frida Kahlo. I found her home, particularly interesting and sad as she suffered terribly during her life from both polio as a child and the consequences of a horrific accident as a teenager.  She was often bedridden where her mother and Diego often looked after her. I found her painting and enthusiasm for life, inspiring and extremely colorful. I highly recommend, a guide to take you to both places as getting into the home is a timed entry and if you’re on your own you must book tickets in advance.

After the tours, we ventured over to a nearby market for tacos and margaritas and then Uber back to the red treehouse for our evening dinner plans. For the most part, we used Ubers exclusively except from the bus station and airport. We felt very safe and never the least bit nervous and although I know many people who have also used the subway we stayed above ground. Traffic in a city of over 20 million people can be crazy and slow at times! I also found that many of the drivers don’t turn their air conditioning on so be prepared to be warm! Walking is the main mode of transport, you will definitely get 20,000 steps in a day. One of the most surprising parts about walking in such an enormous city is how clean it was. Be prepared though, at an altitude of 2,240 meters, oxygen levels are 25% lower than what most are used to and it is noticeable.

For some famous and amazing architecture, take a visit to the Mexico City Post Office. This historic and yet still functioning post office is a must see for a short visit.

Highlights for eating out definitely included in the Centro Historico included the Azul which I previously mentioned and is recommended by Conde Nast, the Balcon del Zocalo, located in the Zocalo Central Hotel. This gorgeous restaurant has a bar area, inside and outside seating overlooking Plaza. The service is fantastic and the price according.

This upscale restaurant was perfect for a gorgeous night out to celebrate a 60th birthday and with a concert in the plaza, provided the perfect viewpoint. On the other side of town, near Condesa, the favorite, Rosetta Restaurant did not disappoint, located in an old mansion it features lush, open-air and has one Michelen star. They pride themselves on seasonal and sustainable ingredients and feature such specials as Savoy cabbage tacos with pistachio pipian and romeritos. You must book weeks in advance. The owner, chef Elena Reygadas, named the World’s Best Female Chef in 2023,  also has her own a bakery, La Panaderia de Rosetta located nearby. Maizago, another taco restaurant that Phil featured on Netflix is a must do, sadly I was sick the day we were supposed to go but I’m already looking forward to getting there is 2025. Maizago too, just received its first Michelen star. They are famous for their homemade corn tortillas and tacos and array of interesting tacos.

After dinner at one of these fabulous restaurants, the next stop is one of numerous cocktail bars, we tried Baltra Bar (again reso’s are a must) and thoroughly enoyed the wonderful lineup of craft cocktails from one of the world’s top 50 bars. Other popular spots include Hanky Panky Bar, Handshake Speakeasy and Bar la Brujas.