Whether you have 3 or 5 days to explore Mexico City, let my itinerary suggestions (with a “choose your own adventure” twist) help you maximize your time. Following Days 1-3 will get you to all the best highlights of CDMX, and Days 4 and 5 will take you beyond the heart of the city to enhance your experience. Have fun exploring. Vamos!

Note: Please double-check hours and prices for any museums I’ve listed, as some might have changed since the last time I updated this post. (Last updated January 2024)

Day 1: La Condesa & Roma Norte

8 or 9am: Explore Condesa. My recommendation is to start with coffee and a pastry from Lardo and ease into your day. If you can hold out, I have a delicious recommendation for a brunch a bit later in the morning, otherwise grab desayuno (breakfast) there, or at Frëims, Doña Blanca or El Patio (inside the Condesa DF Hotel).

CDMX is a not a morning city, so enjoy the quiet hours before the city wakes up! You’ll join joggers and dog walkers as you walk through Parque España, Parque México, and Plaza Popocatépetl. Eventually make your way east, into Roma Norte.

11am Brunch option 1: Expendio de Maiz Sin Nombre
Try to get to Expendio de Maiz as close to 11-11:30am as possible, as they only have 4 tables and don’t accept reservations. (If you go any later than that, your wait could be upwards of 1-2 hours—but worth it!) There is no set menu, and they ask you for any dietary restrictions and preferences (i.e. “sin picante” or “más picante“). From there, they create dishes based on your preferences and what they found fresh at the market that morning. Each plate costs between 100-150 pesos, and they will keep bringing you dishes until you tell them you’re full. Expect to eat around 3-4 plates. Cash only.

11am Brunch option 2: Mercardo Roma
If the wait at Expendio is too long or it simply doesn’t appeal to you, try this indoor dining hall. It has many different food vendors (including vegan options), so there’s something for everyone! Pro tip: if you score a table towards the back of the hall, all the food vendors will bring their menus to you.

1pm: Explore Roma Norte and walk off your food coma. I highly recommend zig zagging down every street, as there are retail boutiques, vintage shops, bars, restaurants, coffee shops, architecture and charming photo moments at every turn.

When you need to take a break, grab coffee at Buna and sit at a park bench in Plaza Rio de Janeiro to rest your feet. Or, if you would prefer a sweet treat, head to Churrería El Moro in Roma Norte and enjoy churros, churro ice cream sandwiches, a cup of coffee and/or hot chocolate!

5pm: Afternoon siesta 🙂

7pm: Dinner
For planners: Make a dinner reservation in advance at Restaurant Rosetta for delicious Italian food. Or, if you would prefer a rooftop scene, make a reservation at either Supra or Balmori.

For non-planners: Partake in a taco crawl; no reservations needed! You can Google taco spots near you, watch Youtube videos for recommendations, or start with these suggestions:

• Condesa: Tacos Los Juanes, Taquería Orinoco, El Pescadito, El Tizoncito, Taqueria El Greco
• Roma Norte: Tacos “El Gato Volador”, Taquería Álvaro Obregón, Gracias Madre (vegan and so good!), Cariñito Tacos, San Taco

10pm: Night-cap at Licorería Limantour (reservations recommended but not always necessary)

Day 2: Historical Centro & Polanco

9am: Head to the Zócalo and eat tacos de canasta (“basket tacos”) for breakfast at Los Especiales. They only cost 9 pesos each ($0.53 USD) and you can be full with 3-5 of them!

10am: Explore the historical center of Mexico City. Walk through the Zócalo and the public walkways overlooking the Museo del Templo Mayor. Templo Mayor was the main temple of the ancient city Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire before the Spanish invaded in 1521. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, and after the fall of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City was eventually built on its ruins. If this history is intriguing to you, consider paying 95 pesos ($5.60 USD) and enter the museum.

12pm Lunch option 1: Tacos at Los Cocuyos. If you’re daring, try the ojo (eye), sesos (brain), and lengua (tongue) tacos.

12pm Lunch option 2: Sanborns, the restaurant inside Casa de los Azulejos.

1pm: Snap a photo of the iconic Casa de los Azulejos (House of Tiles), a beautiful 18th century Baroque palace. Then, head around the corner to the Palacio Postale, an absolutely stunning working post office with amazing architecture!

1:30pm: Coffee break at Finca Don Porfirio, which is inside the SEARS building on the 8th floor. It has a beautiful view of Palacio de Bellas Artes.

2pm: Choose your own adventure

• Option 1 for museum-goers: Palacio de Bellas Artes. 90 pesos + 30 pesos extra to take photos/videos, closed Mondays.
• Option 2 for sightseers: Monument to the Revolution. 150 pesos, open daily
• Option 3 for shoppers: Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela, a marketplace filled with tons of vendors and beautiful Mexican handicrafts.
• Option 4 for the daring: Mercado de San Juan, a marketplace known for selling “exotic” foods (i.e. insects!)
• Option 5 for the drinkers: Museo del Pulque y las Pulquerías. Learn and drink pulque at a museum dedicated to the drink

4pm: Afternoon siesta 🙂

6pm: Head to Polanco. I put both Centro and Polanco together in the same day because it’s really something to compare the oldest part of Mexico City with the newest! Start at Ojo de Agua (Av. Pdte. Masaryk 76) and walk west along Avenida Presidente Masaryk Parque, the main street in Polanco. If you’ve been to Los Angeles, it might remind you of walking down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

8pm: Dinner
For planners: If you want a fine-dining experience, make reservations at Quintonil or Pujol. They both book up 3-5 months in advance, so you’ll need to plan ahead if you want to eat at either one! Otherwise, you should be able to get a reservation at Aúna, Entremar, Rosa Negra or Taboo with a lot less planning.

For non-planners: There are many restaurants in Polanco, especially near Parque Lincoln, so there is a myriad of dinner options even if you didn’t make a reservation in advance. Just find a spot that speaks to you and try your luck at the door!

Day 3: Bosque de Chapultepec & Juárez

8am: Breakfast tortas at La Esquina del Chilaquiles. This food stand is a local favorite and you shouldn’t miss an opportunity to try it. Each torta is 60 pesos, and you can choose between red (roja) or green (verde) chilaquiles or ask for a mix of both. I personally like the red more, though! (As of January 2024, they are only serving green. Not sure what happened to the red!)

9am: Museo Nacional de Antropología. The line to get into this museum gets long by 11am, so definitely get there between 9-10am if possible. It’s large with 2 stories and over 14 rooms, and you can easily spend anywhere from 2-6 hours here, depending on how much you want to read and how fast/slow you want to go. 95 pesos, closed Mondays

12pm: Castillo de Chapultepec. It’s a beautiful castle with beautiful architecture, history, gardens and sweeping terrace views of the city and Bosque de Chapultepec. Expect to spend roughly 2 hours here. 95 pesos, closed Mondays.

2pm Lunch option 1: Food from a street vendor in Bosque de Chapultepec. You can find elotes, hamburgers, hot dogs, fruits and more while walking through CDMX’s biggest park. (It’s double the size of Central Park in NYC!)

2pm Lunch option 2: Cityzen Bar in Juárez. Relax and soak in the aerial views of one of Mexico City’s main avenues, Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, and the El Ángel de la Independencia.

4pm: See El Ángel de la Independencia up close. Just be careful crossing the street; the cars at the roundabout don’t stop, so run fast!

Evening: Lucha Libre at Arena México. They usually do 2 shows each night, every Tuesday, Friday-Sunday, and you can purchase tickets online or at the door. Grab dinner at the arena, or you can do this Airbnb Experience which includes dinner, drinks and Lucha Libre tickets. My friend booked it and couldn’t stop talking my ear off about it!) My only note of caution is that the area surrounding the arena isn’t the safest at night, so don’t linger too long after the fight.

Day 4: Coyoacán & Xochimilco

9am: Spend the morning in Coyoacán, which is about a 30-minute drive from the heart of CDMX, depending on traffic. Start off at Café Negro with coffee and breakfast. (Their avocado toast is great!)

Walk to Centro de Coyoacán and soak in the charm that is Jardín Centenario, Fuente de los Coyotes, Jardin Hidalgo Coyoacán and all the surrounding streets. Wear comfortable shoes because it’s all cobblestone streets here!

10am Option 1: Museo Frida Khalo
If you want to visit the Museo Frida Khalo, you’ll have to plan ahead and buy tickets in advance. Try to get them for when they open at 10am, that way you can fit in it in before Xochimilco! It’s small and should take you 1.5-2 hours. Alternatively, you can get tickets for after 4:30pm, after you finish at Xochimilco.

10am Option 2: Mercardo de Coyoacán
Head over to Coyoacan’s marketplace filled with food stalls, art, apparel and souvenirs. Grab a bite or have fun weaving through the different aisles and people-watching. This was one of my favorite mercardos in all of CDMX!

11:45am: Uber to Xochimilco. Depending on traffic, it could take anywhere between 45-60 minutes, so plan accordingly.

12:30pm: Party like a local at Xochimilco! You can rent a boat (called a trajinera) per hour if you plan ahead and bring your own food and speakers, otherwise I would book an Airbnb Experience so you don’t have to worry about anything. I booked this exact tour and truly it was one of the best highlights of my CDMX trips. (It came with food, drinks, music and a fantastic host who kept the good times coming!)

4pm Option 1: Back to Coyoacán
If you weren’t able to get morning tickets to Museo Frida Khalo, this is your second opportunity. (The last ticket time slot of the day is 5pm.) Otherwise, find a park, coffee shop or bar to relax because Xochimilco can be tiring! When you’re ready, grab dinner at Los Danzantes.

4pm Option 2: Go to San Ángel
Explore another charming neighborhood while you’re down in the southern half of CDMX! There’s Mercardo San Ángel and El Bazaar Sábado (if you are there on a Saturday). For dinner, I recommend Saks and Bistro 83.

Day 5: Teotihuacán

Depending on your personal preferences, there’s a couple ways you can explore Zona Arqueológica de Teotihuacan. Regardless of the way you choose, you will probably get back to CDMX around 2 or 3pm!

Time TBD Option 1: Book a tour with a tour group
There are many options on Viator and Airbnb, but if you are not afraid of heights, I highly recommend doing a sunrise hot air balloon ride. I booked this exact Airbnb Experience in 2021 and it came with not only a hot air balloon ride and private tour of Teotihuacán, but a buffet breakfast, a tour of an obsidian artisan manufacturing workshop, a tour of Basílica de Guadalupe, and a private driver.

8am Option 2: Do your own tour
I personally have not gone this route, but you can Uber to Teotihuacán (about a 1.5 hour drive) and hire a guide once you’re there. (Bring cash!) The archeological site is open from 9am-5pm every day, and I recommend going when it opens so you can beat the crowd and go before the hottest part of the day. Alternatively, you can read up on the history before you get there and forgo hiring a guide, but I think that would be a missed opportunity. I loved having someone there to explain things as I walked through the grounds and being able to ask questions.

If you do a DIY tour, I recommend Ubering over to La Gruta after you finish with the pyramids to enjoy a meal of Prehistoric Mexican foods inside a cave before you head back to CDMX. Reservations are recommended.

Afternoon/Evening: Take a well-deserved siesta, then re-visit any of your favorite areas or walk around Bosque de Chapultepec. Then, enjoy a nice final meal in Mexico City!

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