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As the biggest city in North America, there were so many things to do in Mexico City. Countless neighborhoods, museums, restaurants, parks, and unique cultural experience that it would take you months to do it all. If you’re only visiting for a few days, it can be overwhelming to decide what to do.

During my first trip to Mexico City, I spent 10 days and still felt like I barely scratched the surface. So I recently returned for a long weekend to check off some more bucketlist activities, and just enjoy the incredible atmosphere that CDMX has to offer.

This list includes my favorite things that I’ve done in Mexico City (and some that are still on my bucketlist), with a mix of classic must-sees and more unique experiences. Whether you’re visiting for a few days or a couple of weeks, traveling solo or with others, these activities will help you experience the city to the fullest! I’ve sorted the activities by neighborhood, so you can easily plan your days around the city.

25 Things to Do in Mexico City

Centro Historico

1. Walking Tour of Centro Histórico

Price: Free + $10-20 tip for the guide

If it’s your first time in Mexico City and you want to get your bearings, I highly recommend doing a walking tour of Centro Histórico. I did one on my second trip to CDMX and gained so much insight that I missed on my first visit. It helped me understand the historical importance of the neighborhood, from the prehispanic times and post-colonization.

I booked my tour on GuruWalk, my favorite app for booking free, tip-based walking tours. This tour was about 2 hours, starting at El Zócalo and ending at Palacio de Bellas Artes, which is the perfect route because you hit so many iconic spots in a short amount of time. Our tour guide was great and shared some interesting stories and local recommendations along the way that we would have missed if we were just wandering around alone.

2. El Zócolo

El Zócalo is the heart of Mexico City. It’s a giant main square that always has something happening, even if it’s just locals crossing the plaza and street vendors doing their thing. During my first visit to CDMX, the president (yes, of the country) was speaking there, and there were so many people that I couldn’t even make it to the square. But during my second visit, there was an art installation with tons of decorated cacti.

If you do a walking tour of Centro Histórico, this is usually where you’ll meet. Historically, the Zócolo has been important for centuries, being a key space in Tenochtitlán, the prehispanic Aztec capital, and later became the central plaza of Mexico City after Spanish colonization. Now it’s surrounded by major landmarks like the Metropolitan Cathedral and government buildings.

3. Palacio de Bellas Artes

Price: $100 MXN or $5 USD

Palacio de Bellas Artes is one of Mexico City’s most iconic and beautiful landmarks. From the outside it’s gorgeous, but the inside is even better, from the architecture to the art. Even if you’re not a huge museum person, I think this is the one museum you should check out in the city.

It’s home to some incredible murals, including famous ones by Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco. They have both permanent and temporary exhibits to explore about modern and contemporary art in Mexico. So if you’re trying to choose one classic cultural stop in Centro, this is a solid pick.

4. Sears Café Across from Bellas Artes

Price: $2-10 USD, depend on what you get

If you’re not a museum person, you can skip going into Bellas Artes and instead head to the Sears across the street. Yes I said Sears, like the department store. This Sear has a café on the top floor with one of the most perfect views of Palacio de Bellas Artes, and it’s genuinely one of the best viewpoints all of Mexico City.

You do have to order something at the café, but a tea or coffee only costs a couple dollars. You may have to wait in line for a few minutes as it is a popular spot. Try to find a seat at the bar overlooking the Palacio. Once you have your drink you can sit there and enjoy the view for as long as you like.

5. Palacio Postal

Price: $100 MXN or $5 USD

While you’re in Centro Histórico, I recommend visiting the Museo Postal, which is inside a real post office, and it’s genuinely one of the most beautiful buildings in Mexico City. The architecture is incredible, with iron staircases and intricate details that were brought all the way from Italy. It feels fancy and grand in the most unexpected way, especially for a post office.

The small museum inside shares some history of Mexico’s postal system and has a collection of stamps from all around the world. It’s a quick visit, but it’s perfect if you want something interesting that isn’t overly crowded or time-consuming.

6. Museo del Tequila y el Mezcal + Plaza Garibaldi

Price: $75 MXN or $4 USD

To learn more about tequila and mezcal and how they’re made, visit the Museo del Tequila y el Mezcal. It’s a small museum, costs about $4, and will only take around 20 minutes, so it’s easy to fit in if you’re already in the area. They also offer organized tastings, but it’s at specific times and you usually need to book in advance.

Right behind the museum is Plaza Garibaldi, which is famous for the mariachis who hang out there ready to perform. You can pay around $10 to hear a song from a group, which is such a classic Mexico City experience. Just be careful about visiting the plaza at night especially if you’re traveling solo. It has a reputation for being a bit unsafe, so I’d recommend going earlier in the evening or with a group.

Bosque de Chapultepec

7. Walk around Bosque de Chapultepec

Bosque de Chapultepec is like the Central Park of Mexico City, but it’s actually bigger. It’s a huge green park in the middle of the city, bordering Condesa and Polanco. You can spend a whole day there and still not run out of things to see. It’s home to a bunch of museums and cultural spots (many of which are listed below), plus lakes, viewpoints, little markets, and cafés to explore. I loved coming here just to walk and people-watch.

8. Chapultepec Castle

Price: $100 MXN or $5 USD

Inside Bosque de Chapultepec you’ll find Chapultepec Castle, which sits on a hill with incredible views of the city. It’s super cool to be able to visit a full-on castle in the middle of a massive park, in the middle of Mexico City.

During your visit, you’ll walk through ornate rooms, balconies, and halls and learn about the history of the Castle. It has served different roles over the years with a strong connection to Mexican history and leadership, including the era when it was home to Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota. It was later used by Mexican presidents. Even if you’re not super into the history, it’s worth it for the atmosphere, the views, and the architecture.

8. Museo Nacional de Antropología

Price: $100 MXN or $5 USD

The Museo Nacional de Antropología is the museum to visit if you want to understand Mexico’s history and indigenous cultures in a deeper way. It’s filled with artifacts from civilizations like the Aztecs, Maya, Olmec, Toltec, and more, including famous pieces like the Aztec Sun Stone. Even if you don’t normally love museums, this one is genuinely impressive.

I’ll admit, I found this museum a bit overwhelming because it is massive. You could spend hours here and still not see everything. I recommend choosing a couple sections that really catch your attention and taking your time with those. Next time I visit, I will definitely do a tour, like this one, to get the highlights from an expert.

9. Museo de Arte Moderno

Price: $70 MXN or $4 USD

I visited this museum on my most recent trip and was so pleasantly surprised! It’s a smaller museum, so it’s perfect if you get overwhelmed by bigger museums like Bellas Artes and Museo de Antropología. I was able to enjoy the whole museum in about an hour without rushing.

Its most famous piece is The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo, but it also features work by Diego Rivera and other major Mexican artists like David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, and more. And don’t skip the outdoor sculpture garden, which is a peaceful little break from the city and honestly one of the prettiest parts of the museum.

10. Jardín Botánico (Chapultepec)

Price: $100 MXN or $5 USD

The Jardín Botánico is located in Bosque de Chapultepec close to Museo Nacional de Antropología and Museo de Arte Moderno. It’s a peaceful little walk through native Mexican plants, mostly desert plants like cacti and succulents. I visited during the dry season in January, so it wasn’t super green, but I’ve heard it’s way more impressive in the summer when everything is lush.

Roma Norte and Condesa

11. Parque Mexico

Parque México is a beautiful park right in the heart of Condesa, and it’s one of my favorite places to walk around and people-watch. There’s always locals and tourists here walking their dogs, exercising, sitting on benches, or just enjoying the nice weather.

If you’re solo traveling, parks like this are also such an underrated activity because you can just exist and relax. I loved grabbing a coffee, wandering slowly, and finding a place to sit and journal.

12. Shop in Roma Norte

Mexico City is known for having amazing shopping, from artisan goods to vintage and luxury clothing. Even if you didn’t come to Mexico City to shop, it’s still fun to browse.

Roma Norte and Condesa are my favorite places to shop because they’re full of unique boutiques and concept stores that are curated and beautifully decorated. I’ll admit, many of the stores, despite how beautiful they are, are way over my budget, so I mostly just window shopped. But here are a few of favorite spots I visited and actually bought things from, since they had reasonable prices:

• Proyecto Rufina
• Objetos Cotidianos
• Goodbye Folk Vintage Clothing
• Donde Clara
• Fábrica Social
• Pinqüino

13. Restaurante Rosetta

This is a famous, Michelin-star restaurant in Mexico City, and I’m so glad I was able to score a reservation because it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The restaurant itself is stunning and makes for a special night out.

As a vegetarian, I was pleasantly surprised that about half the menu was vegetarian, and I didn’t even feel the absence of meat. The dishes were so unique and flavorful, with clear influences from both Mexican and Italian cuisines. The menu changes a bit everyday, but two things they have everyday are the corn tamales and the pink mole. Those were genuinely two of the best things I’ve ever tasted!

14. Churrería El Morro

It wouldn’t be a proper trip to Mexico without churros. Churrería El Moro is a famous spot known for having some of the best churros in the city. I’m also obsessed with the décor of the cafe, it feels so classic and old-school in the best way. There’s a few locations of Churrería El Moro around the city, but I love the one in Condesa because it has a nice view of Parque Mexico.

Make sure you get a few dipping sauces to try with your churros, or get a cup of hot chocolate to dip them into.

15. Eat Tacos

When I came to Mexico City and tried my first taco there, I realized I had never had a real taco. Like, I thought I knew tacos, but I did not. Mexico City tacos are on another level, and they’re one of the biggest reasons why I returned to the city only a year after my first trip.

Whether you eat meat or are vegetarian like me, you’ll eat the best tacos of your life in CDMX. The city is surprisingly vegetarian-friendly if you know where to go. If you want my favorite spots for vegan and vegetarian tacos, check out my Vegetarian Guide to Mexico City.

Coyoacán

16. Frida Kahlo Museum

Price: $320 MXN or $17

A trip to Mexico City is not complete without a visit to the Frida Kahlo Museum. This is not only a museum, but also Frida’s actual house, where she grew up, lived much of her life, and died. You can genuinely feel her spirit throughout the whole place, from the gardens and the kitchen, to her studio and her bedroom. It’s one of those museums that feels intimate and personal. I’ve visited two times now and both visits were so emotional for me, I cried.

You won’t find that many of Frida’s paintings in the house, as it’s more about her life and her home that she made for herself. You’ll see the things that she collected and loved, pieces of her style and identity, and lots of small details that show who she was as a person, not just as the artist.

This museum is extremely popular, so you must buy tickets at least a few weeks in advance, ideally a month before your trip, because they do sell out. For more information about visiting, read my post A Complete Guide to Museo Frida Kahlo in Coyoacan, Mexico City.

17. Explore Coyoacán

After the Frida Kahlo Museum, spend some time exploring the neighborhood of Coyoacán, where the house is located. It’s a beautiful, quiet, and safe neighborhood, and it has a totally different vibe from the busy areas like Centro or Roma Norte. It feels more like a charming little town tucked inside the city.

Walk around Plaza Jardín Hidalgo, check out the Parroquia San Juan Bautista, and shop at the Mercado Artesanal if you like souvenirs. This is a great area to slow down, grab a coffee or snack, and just enjoy being in Mexico City without feeling like you need to rush to the next attraction.

Tours & Experiences

18. Xochimilco Tour

Price: $53 USD

Xochimilco is a super popular day trip from Mexico City, being about an hour away from the Condesa area. It’s famous for its colorful boats floating through the canals, which historically were part of an ancient lake system that once covered much of the Valley of Mexico. Long before Mexico City became a giant metropolis, this area was an important agricultural zone. The canals connect the “floating gardens”, or chinampas, where many people still live.

Most people visit Xochimilco for the party boats, but I decided to do a more cultural tour of Xochimilco and I’m so glad I did. It started with a short walking tour of the neighborhood, then we headed to the Embarcadero to get on a boat for a quiet ride focused on the history and ecology of the canals. We even stopped at an axolotl sanctuary. They were so cool to see in person! While on the boat, we were served quesadillas, and we also had the chance to buy beer and micheladas if we wanted.

19. Attend Spanish School

Price: $140 USD per week (20 hours)

There’s no better way to dive deeper into Mexican culture than by learning the language. Yes, you can get by in Mexico City with only English, especially in touristy areas, but knowing Spanish will help you feel so much more comfortable and confident in restaurants, shops, and while sightseeing. Even a little bit goes a long way!

I attended Walking Spanish, and I loved their class structure. Every day, you meet your teacher at a café somewhere in the city (each day in a different neighborhood), do 3 hours of class, and then 1 hour of an activity, like a neighborhood tour, a museum visit, or a park walk. It was such a fun way to learn while also seeing more of the city. And because the classes were group classes, it was so easy to make friends. We would hang out after class and do things like soccer games and food tours together.

20. Mexican Bread Class

Price: $70 USD

This class, which can be booked through AirBNB Experience or Viator, was such a unique experience and perfect if you love to cook or bake. You’ll learn how to make conchas, a popular Mexican sweet bread, from an experienced baker. It honestly felt more like hanging out at a friend’s place than doing a formal class. Ricardo was so welcoming, and his apartment has an amazing view of Chapultepec Park and the castle. We were there around sunset and the view was magical.

During the class we went through all the steps of making conchas: mixing the dough, kneading it, letting it rise, making the sugar topping, shaping the dough, and baking it. And then at the end of the night we got to eat our freshly baked conchas with hot chocolate.

Click here to book the Mexican Bread class!

21. Go to a Soccer Game

Price: $5-10

If you’re into sports or you just want to experience the sports culture in Mexico, going to a soccer game is a fun night out. I’m not the biggest sports fan, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere, with the the energy, the chants, the excitement. So even though I wasn’t invested in the game, it felt like a cultural experience for me.

I’ll be honest, I only went to the game because someone from my Spanish school invited me, so I didn’t personally go through the ticket-buying process. But from what I’ve heard, it’s pretty easy, and the tickets were very affordable, at only $5.

22. Hot Air Balloon Over Teotihuacán

Price: $150 USD with hot air balloon ride, $50 for just a tour

One of the most popular day trips from Mexico City is visiting the Teotihuacán pyramids, an ancient city just outside of CDMX. The site is famous for the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon, and it’s one of the most impressive archaeological places you can visit in Mexico.

It’s especially beautiful at sunrise if you do the hot air balloon experience, because you get to float over the pyramids as the light hits them. I haven’t done this yet, but it’s high on my bucket list. I will be booking this tour for my next trip because it looks unreal!

23. Mezcal Tasting

Price: $75 USD

If you want to learn more about mezcal, a mezcal tasting is such a fun experience. It’s a great way to appreciate it and learn about the process and history beyond just taking a shot. You’ll usually learn how it’s made, why different regions taste different, and how to actually sip it slowly instead of treating it like tequila.

I love that this tasting that pairs mezcal with mole, so you get to try these two Mexican delicacies at the same time. If you’re not a huge drinker, don’t worry, the tastings usually focus more on flavor and culture, and you only have to do a small sip of each shot if that’s what your comfortable with.

I did a Mezcal tasting while in Oaxaca instead of Mexico City, since that’s where mezcal is made. But if you can’t make it to Oaxaca, doing one in Mexico City is just as good!

24. Lucha Libre Show

Price: $70 USD for a tour, $15-40 if buying a ticket directly

A Lucha Libre show is one of the most classic Mexico experiences. It’s basically Mexican wrestling, but with way more personality. There’s masks, dramatic entrances, storylines, and a crowd full of locals and visitors who are fully invested.

I didn’t do this yet, but it’s on my list for my next trip because everyone says it’s so fun and entertaining. You can buy tickets for the show yourself, but there are also tours that you can join (hostels often organize them).

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No matter how long you spend in Mexico City, it’s the kind of place that keeps pulling you back for more. Every neighborhood feels different and there’s always another museum, café or shop to discover. Even after 2 trips, I’m still adding new things to my Mexico City bucket list.

This site contains links to affiliate websites, and I receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website, at no extra cost to you. Thanks!