Mexico City will always have a special place in my heart. It was where I went on my FIRST SOLO TRIP! My friends and family were worried because of the travel advisory and the violence they have heard in the news. They also pointed out that I’m a blonde white girl with blonde hair and would stick out like a sore thumb. WELL, I was not going to let any of these things stop me. Originally I was just going to go to Cancun with some coworkers, but the flight was $550 round trip! I thought this was ridiculous. I decided to look into how much it would be to fly into Mexico City and book one way. It ended up saving me $100 and I got 2 vacations out of it. If you read my NYC TRIP PART 2, you will know that I meet people from all over the world. One of the people I met lives in Mexico City, Martin.
Knowing that he was there made me feel better about going to Mexico City for 3 days by myself.
Where I Stayed:
If you read my blog or know me, you know that of course, I have stayed in hostels, called Hostel Suites DF. Hostels are the perfect place to stay if you are going on a solo trip. I find all my hostels through Hostel World. While during this stay I didn’t do any of their planned activities offered. There were some fun ones, including tours of the Teotihuacan Pyramids, wrestling, and pub tours. I do wish that they would have had more activities every day so I could have done some. They have free breakfast in the morning, which was delicious. The bathrooms were big and clean. They also sold beer there, which was a plus.
Food Tour
This may have been one of the highlights of my whole trip. For $49 I spent the afternoon eating my way through Mexico City. We went to 6 or 7 places and did tastings. Our guide was born and raised in Mexico City and a chef. She was very knowledgeable and picked out great food. I never felt like the tour was a tourist trap. I felt like I was one of her friends that she was showing around. The tour went so smoothly. We would go from one place to another with ease and the food would be ready. A highlight of the tour was getting ants and grasshoppers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh9EydshZZM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
It wasn’t bad!
There was alcohol included in some of the stops. The tour lasted from 12pm -4:30pm. You could not get a variety of food for this price anywhere else.
Worth it? YES, I would say this is a must.
For more information, click here for the best food tour in Mexico City!
Teotihuacan Pyramids
This UNESCO site is the perfect day tour from Mexico City, being 30 miles outside the city. Teotihuacan was built around 100 BC. It was a city that was abandoned about 1,000 years later due to reasons unknown. No one knows who built this city. The main attraction of this site is the pyramid of the sun and the pyramid of the moon
The Pyramid of the Sun is the tallest of the two at over 200ft. Fun Fact: you are allowed to climb the pyramids. I’d start with this one first. Remember to wear sneakers to climb all 248 steps.
The Pyramid of the Moon is the smaller of the two, but steeper. I made it to the top of this one. What a great view of the whole site. (note my terrible shoe choice)
This I booked my tour through Amigos Tours.
Worth it? Going to see these sites is a must BUT I would go with another tour company. They made you stop at a lunch place that was a tourist trap and not very good. If you go on this tour, bring your own lunch. While during my research for this post, I found out that you can take the local bus for around 100 pesos/$6 round trip. For the bus follow these steps:
- Take the metro to Terminal Central del Norte also known as the Autobuses del Norte metro station.
- Walk across the street to the North Central Bus Terminal.
- Once you’re inside the bus terminal, go left and walk towards Gate 8 at the end of the hallway. Look for the bus company called Autobuses Teotihuacán.
- Buy a return ticket (100 pesos/$6 USD) or a one-way (50 pesos/$3 USD) to Los Piramides. Busses leave every 20 minutes and your seat is assigned on the ticket.
- The ticket office speak English and can help you find the departure area.
Allow around 3-4 hours at Teotihuacan so you can expense everything. The entry fee is 70 pesos. For more information, click here
La N 20 el angel
While on the food tour I meet this nice Aussie named Nate, he joined Martin and me for dinner one night. Martin picked La No. 20 Cantina. He said it was a nicer restaurant, one of his favs, and located next to El Angel de la Independencia, which he wanted us to see. The food was amazing. I would highly recommend it, after dinner walk around and explore after. For reservations and more information, click here.
Latin American Tower
For the price of a drink, you can get a great view of the city. I liked the view so much I went twice. Known as the first skyscraper in Mexico, this 597 ft tower was built in 1956. When you go into the building, say you are going up to the restaurant.
For more information and directions,
Arpohpoly museum
If you can not read Spanish, get a guide. While it was cool seeing everything, I didn’t understand what everything was. I would highly suggest getting a guide and also booking in advance. I tried to book the day of and was told that the tour was full AFTER I had already paid. ☹️ Don’t be me, book ahead of time. The museum was still cool, but I had to use google translate.
Allow at least 3-4 hours for this. The museum is closed on Mondays. Entrance ticket is $6. For more information click here
Walking around Chapultepec Park
After the Arponpoly Museum, I had no idea what to do. So I looked at google maps and saw there was a park next door to a castle. I was like hmmm be adventurous and walk around, be brave. I just put my earbuds in and walked around like a local. Honestly, the most fun I did that day. Chapultepec, more commonly called the “Bosque de Chapultepec” in Mexico City, is one of the largest city parks in the Western Hemisphere, at 1,600 arcs. Chapultepec is divided into three sections, with the first section being the oldest and most visited. This section contains most of the park’s attractions including the castle, the Chapultepec Zoo, the Museum of Anthropology, and the Rufino Tamayo Museum. I recommend walking around this park and have lunch here after the Museum of Anthropology or after seeing the Castle.
The Castle
One of the highlights of Chapultepec Park was Chapultepec Castle. Located in on a hill in the park is the only royal castle in North America, with amazing views of the city. It is a bit of a hike getting up there, but worth it. When I got up there I found a certified guide that would give 2-hour tour for 250 pesos. Admission is 70 pesos.
This castle once was the home of Maximilian of Austria, who once served as the emperor of Mexico. His residence explains the European look of the castle. After his reign this castle was the home of the Mexican Presidents till 1939, when it was declared a National History Museum. I highly recommend getting a guide. I would have never learned all the history of this beautiful building without her, plus she was my personal photographer during my visit. Fun Fact- Leonardo DiCaprio’s Romeo + Juliet was filmed here. For more information, click here.
Salsa dancing at Mama Rumba
The only time I felt a bit uncomfortable was going to Salsa night at this club. Mostly because I don’t how to salsa, also because they patted us down for weapons when we got there. But after saying all that, I’m happy I went! It was an experience I’ll never forget. I went with people from the hostel. Two have them were great dancers so they helped us newbies. I would suggest looking up events like this that take you out of your comfort zone whenever you travel. The salsa club, Mama Rumba, we went to is rated #13 on Trip Adviser. For more information, click here
https://www.instagram.com/p/BllZZ6hld9T/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Uber Everywhere
Mexico City does have Uber. It was a lifesaver. Don’t rent a car. Download Uber and save yourself the hassle and peace of mind.
Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe
This site was not on my list of things to do. It just happened to be a stop on a tour I was on. I had seen the painting of Guadalupe before, but never knew the meaning of it. This church is at the site where Saint Juan Diego Cuauhlatoatzin claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary. There were multiple miracles that happened to prove his vision, including Diego’s cloak which contains the vision of Guadalupe.
There are two basilicas at this site, the old and new basilica. The old basilica is actually sinking, due to Mexico City being built on top of a former lake. When you walk into this basilica you can see that the building is tilted. Since the building is slowly sinking, a new basilica was built in 1974 next to the existing basilica.
The original image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is located in Modern Basilica. The image is positioned where you can see it from any point in the building. For more click here.
Some more tips, bring your cell phone. Most US cellphone companies have service in Mexico. Also download Uber and Google Translate. Google translate was so helpful throughout the trip. I hope you enjoyed this post.This is not the last time you’ll see me in Mexico City. Till next time.
xoxo
Sara
aka nursewhotravels
nursewhotravels 