Exhilarating Mexico City Travel Guide

The Mexico City Hotel Association is proud to provide guests with a Mexico City travel guide so that every fascinating aspect of the city, from historical areas to natural wonders to world-class entertainment and more, is available to all. Our hotels range from moderately priced to upscale and luxurious and dot the entire city in all of its exciting neighborhoods. Below are just a few of the things you can expect on your vacation to Mexico.

Landmarks

• Zócalo, in the Centro Historico District is one of the largest squares in the world and is surrounded by historic buildings such as the City Hall and the Cathedral. At sundown, watch the large Mexican flag being ceremonially lowered from flag pole and see Diego Rivera’s murals depict the amazing history of Mexico.
• Angel de la Independencia or "El Angel" is an iconic monument that looms over Reforma Avenue and Florencia Street, near the Bohemian entertainment district of Zona Rosa.
• Basilica de Guadalupe is one of Catholicism's holiest places in the Americas, and the site attracts pilgrims from all over the world, especially during the celebration on the 12th of December every year. It is the shrine that guards the shroud of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and is in the northernmost part of the city.
• Plaza Garibaldi-Mariachi is a square that is pleasantly surrounded by cafés and restaurants and populated by groups of musicians who play folk music for tourists and locals alike. These mariachi musicians are mostly from Jalisco. You can also buy lemonade or cocktails while you listen directly in the square.
• Alameda and Paseo de la Reforma— Paseo de la Reforma ("Reform Avenue") is a 12 km long grand avenue and park in Mexico City. The name commemorates the liberal reforms of Mexican President Benito Juarez.

Parks

• Chapultepec Park and Zoo Paseo de la Reforma is a large park in the middle of the city, offering numerous attractions for your Mexico City vacation, including the city Zoo and many museums such as the Modern Art Museum, the Museum of Anthropology, the Children's Museum, the Technology Museum, and the Natural History Museum. The National Museum (also known as Castillo de Chapultepec) is also present here and holds incredible history as the former residence of the Austrian Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg.

Museums

• National Museum of Anthropology in Chapultepec is one of the most comprehensive museums internationally and a must-see on our Mexico City travel guide. Built in late 1960’s, it gathers the best collection of sculptures, jewels and handcrafts from ancient Mexican cultures, and informative visiting exhibits.
• National History Museum Chapultepec. Displays a vast range of exhibits illustrating the history of Mexico since the Spanish conquest.
• Frida Kahlo Museum, in Southern Mexico City’s Coyoacán is also called Casa Azul and is the former house of the painter since she was born to her death, and full of much of her artwork and personal belongings.

Shopping

• Ciudadela crafts market allows visitors to take a little bit of their Mexican vacation home with them in the form of beautifully crafted items.
• Polanco features an upscale shopping and dining district centered around Presidente Masaryk and Campos Eliseos streets with several shopping malls.
• Centro Historico holds one of the city's oldest shopping districts and you can find just about anything here.
• Sante Fe is a bustling business district located next to one of the city’s largest shopping centers.

Dining

• Don’t expect that the only meals you’ll have in Mexico City are tacos, burritos and quesadillas on your vacation to Mexico City. There are regional specialties from all over Mexico in addition to fine international cuisine, including Japanese, Chinese, French, Polish, Italian and more. The main restaurant areas are located in Polanco, Condesa, Centro, Zona Rosa, along Avenida Insurgentes from Viaducto to Copilco and most recently Santa Fe.

Nightlife

• You are sure to find nightlife amongst the electrifying blocks of Zona Rosa, which has a large number of street bars with live music and a large selection of clubs and gay bars. Another great area is Polanco, particularly a street called Mazaryk, where you'll find plenty of bars and clubs. Mostly every neighborhood offers a cantina, a typical Mexican place to go for a cocktails and most offer Mexican dishes, such as tacos. When you feel like putting on your dancing shoes, head to one of the many dancing clubs in the city to partake in the culture’s finest salsa, meringue, rumba, mambo, son, or other Caribbean/Latin music.