Mexico City for First Timers Everything to Know Before You Go Mexico City Travel Guide

There is no one quite like Mexico City. This mega city is a fascinating blend of old and new, chaotic and charming, and in our opinion Mexico City is the definition of one of a kind. We've been lucky to spend several weeks here and in this Ultimate Guide we're going to share how to have the most incredible time in this amazing place. Of course there are things that everyone thinks about when discussing Mexico City, like amazing food, cultural sites, and of course traffic. But the true beauty of Mexico City is that it can be anything that you want it to be. Your visit can be upscale and luxurious, a little bit gritty and off the beaten path, focused on culture and history, or a trendy journey through its vibrant neighborhoods. Mexico City basically lets you design your own perfect adventure, and that is why we love it so much. But before we start to help you design your perfect trip with the best things to do, what to eat, and where to stay, let's talk about what is always the elephant in the room when discussing Mexico. Safety. So whenever we mention that we're spending time in Mexico City the first question always is, is it safe? And over the last few years we've spent many months here in Mexico City and we can say that we've always had a very safe and pleasant experience. In fact statistically it's actually safer than a lot of U.S. cities, I believe that's true. We used to live in Chicago and I think Mexico City is safer than Chicago. Also the neighborhoods where most tourists spend their time are really very safe. You can walk around late at night and really not have any issues. And also the cartel violence that makes the news really doesn't happen here in Mexico City. So regarding physical violence you don't have too much to worry about here in Mexico City. However like most big cities there can definitely be places that feel a little bit more off or sketchy. One of those places like Plaza Garibaldi during the day, it's just like there's a lot of like addicts and... It's a weird vibe. It's just a weird vibe and that happens in any big city. So it's just good to generally have an awareness of your surroundings like in any place in the world when you're traveling. But again no more than any city. So when we're here we go to the local markets, we ride the subway, we walk around the popular neighborhoods relatively late at night and we always feel perfectly safe. Of course standard best practices do apply here in Mexico City so don't go around flaunting your wealth, leave the Rolex at home and just be a little bit extra cautious or vigilant in very busy places around the Zocalo or also in the subway when it is getting very busy because pickpockets do hang out there. They are here so just be aware. But that said the vast majority of people visiting Mexico City will have a perfectly safe experience. The biggest risk in my opinion is probably the altitude. Mexico City is very high up I think 7,000 feet so you could get some altitude sickness and also the sidewalks are uneven and sometimes there are holes in the sidewalks. So if you're drinking tequila watch out for the holes. Mexico City is one of those amazing places that you can enjoy all year round because it never gets too cold or too hot and there's always something going on. So here's a little summary of the weather in Mexico City so you can decide when the best time is for you. June to September are the rainiest months and you're going to see afternoon showers almost every day. Of course it can be a bummer if you're planning to walk around and explore the many outdoor sites but it is totally doable if you start your days early. And on the flip side June to September it's also the low season so you can find great prices for accommodation which can be expensive so if you do that you can save a lot of money. Then we have the winter which happens from November to March and the weather is going to be cooler and dry. That's our favorite season to visit right now is early November and the days are warm and sunny and the nights are a little bit cooler but nothing too crazy you're going to be fine with just a light sweater or a jacket and this is my favorite season because it is so easy to pack my carry-on and if you're visiting during this time of the year make sure to get my packing list in the description this is just for the girls and remember it's carry-on only and on another note bonus points for November Dia de los Muertos happens in November and it is just an amazing time to be in the city it's such a cool bucket list experience and if you can make sure to be here on November 2nd. And finally we have March to May which is also a good time to visit the temperature is going to be mild and warm and you're going to have a lot of sunny days and it is a great time to visit however we do have to say that we've been here in April and the air does feel a little bit different a little bit heavy like you can really feel the dryness so keep that in mind if you have respiratory issues and if you're planning to visit during the time of the year because it does feel a little bit different so let's say you're in Mexico City and you want to book an Uber but you don't have connection so you are left at the mercy of the city's taxes you don't want that to happen or maybe you want to quickly double check the price of something to avoid getting overcharged but you can't search the internet for what an acceptable price would be so you end up overpaying like we did well having reliable internet is key for navigating the hustle and bustle of Mexico City safely avoiding scams and generally for making the most of your time here and that's exactly when OlaFly enters the picture they are an eSIM company that helps you connect to local cell phone data in over 210 destinations including Mexico an eSIM is the digital SIM card that can be easily installed and activated with the click of a button they have easy to follow instructions to make the process easy breezy seriously it's so easy and you can use our code WaysOfTheWorld so you can get 5% off your order with OlaFly with an eSIM you won't need a physical SIM card which is super convenient because then you don't have to risk losing your own SIM card and you also don't have to pay for crazy roaming fees or expensive international data plans OlaFly's plans give you unlimited data so you know exactly how much you're going to pay and you can even add more days to your plan if you decide to extend your trip so if you're ready to simplify how you stay connected when traveling head to the link in the description or scan the QR code right here and get your OlaFly eSIM for your next trip also make sure to use the code WaysOfTheWorld for 5% off your purchase if you use this code this really helps us a ton because it tells OlaFly that we are a good partner so thank you so much in advance now back to the video best things to do in Mexico City some of our favorite things to do in the city and our recommendations for first timers are visiting the Zócalo in the Centro Histórico including Templo Mayor and the Cathedral strolling through Chapultepec and visiting the palace if the line isn't too long visiting the Coyoacán neighborhood to see where Frida Kahlo lived and also getting a taste of Mexico City's colonial past getting lost in a local market like the one in Coyoacán or Mercado La Merced if you want something a little bit more intense and stimulating enjoying some kind of nightlife musical experience either at a cantina or just at a fun and more modern bar in one of the city's great neighborhoods those are some of the more like basic things but besides for those recommendations just follow your heart because if you like history and indigenous culture you of course have to visit the archaeological museum and the temples at Teotihuacan but if you prefer the arts you head to Frida Kahlo's house and maybe watch a ballet performance at the famous Palacio de Bellas Artes and if you're just here for a good time check out the cantinas, go to Pochimilco with the tour go out for live music, somewhere fun and end it all with some 3 a.m. times I feel like you haven't really arrived to Mexico until you have your first taco so really the world is your oyster here in Mexico City this is one of the greatest food cities in fact eating your weight in delicious local foods is a part of the Mexico City experience there is no way that you're gonna go hungry here and the one thing that makes the food here so special is that it's incredibly diverse from delicious street tacos for one dollar a piece or less beloved tortas filled with whatever you can dream of and an abundance of sweet treats there are so many foods to try here in Mexico City you have to go crazy on the tacos our favorites are tacos guisados and tacos al pastor and while street food is super famous and you're literally going to see it in every sidewalk Mexico City has literally any restaurant that you can possibly dream about locals, international, like anything you can have anything you want for example right now we're in a local seafood and steakhouse and it is so fun here it's packed with locals and the waiter just told us that this type of place has live music in the evenings so make sure to check out a place like this I'm gonna put the name right here the point that I'm trying to make is that you when you're here try to try different Mexican foods that you're not familiar with because this city has so much to offer well now we're gonna eat this delicious lunch and finally don't forget to leave some space for fresh churros which are my personal favorite this place is called El Morro it's amazing they're super famous they're all over the city and they make the freshest churros they're so delicious but honestly guys there's really so much to know about Mexican foods we don't have enough time to tell you everything in this video however we did make two separate videos that are going to be linked in the description where you can learn all about Mexican food here in Mexico City so check those out thanks so now that you know what to eat in Mexico City here are a bunch of different tips about eating in this wonderful city first of all let's address the most important thing Montezuma's revenge so we've been all over Mexico and never really gotten sick until I came here to Mexico City and I got very sick that was from an international hotel room service we have also eaten in Mexico City at markets and street food and never ever gotten sick so I think I just got unlucky but of course Montezuma's revenge can also happen to you so our best tip to avoid that is just to eat at very busy places so if you're eating street food don't go to that one taco joint that has nobody and the food looks very unfresh like the tacos al pastor thing is like barely spinning don't go to that place go where the people are and you're less likely to get sick tipping happens here in Mexico City and they will ask for a tip at the end of the meal and it's typical to give 10 to 15 percent but also up to 20 percent if you get very good service and you can add the tip to your credit card payment at the time of payment and the service will be great and the servers are so nice here they're so cool I love them all I love you all right now we're in the beautiful and somehow underappreciated neighborhood of Coyoacan and this is one of the many neighborhoods worth checking out or even staying at however we're going to back up a little bit and give you some context so Mexico City obviously is technically a mega city and while the central area where you're likely to spend most of your time is big is not enormous but there you know each neighborhood is very unique and they offer very different experiences so we're going to give you a roundup of the top five neighborhoods in Mexico City the first neighborhood worth staying at especially if you're a first-timer is the Centro Histórico or the Historic Center this is where you're going to find a lot of the most iconic places in the city like the Zócalo, the Presidential Palace, Templo Mayor, Palacio de Bellas Artes all these amazing places that you should see as a first-timer the only thing that you have to keep in mind is that it's kind of hectic it can be chaotic and loud so just keep that in mind if that's not your thing if you want to be in a trendier place with a lot of the young people and just more nightlife you have to consider Condesa or Roma Norte these are two different neighborhoods and they are amazing there's a lot of really cool bars and trendy restaurants and even though there's a lot happening it's not really that loud we have stayed there before and it is a great location and we love it so much it's also great for shopping and again a lot happening a lot of boutiques, stores, young people it's a great those two are great neighborhoods to stay in and for a taste of authentic Mexican culture don't miss the neighborhood of Coyoacan also known as Frida Kahlo's home neighborhood this is a great area it's where we are right now it's very relaxed has a very artsy feel a lot of cool boutiques and little restaurants also a lot of young people beautiful colonial architecture beautiful market it's a great neighborhood the only downside especially if you're a first-timer is that it's like 30 to 45 minutes away from the center so it's not it doesn't have exactly the most convenient location but it is a great place to stay if you're interested in that kind of stuff for number four we have the neighborhood of Juarez and we actually love that neighborhood we have stayed there the last two times that we were here in Mexico City including this one and it has a great location we love it very much it's between Roma Norte and the Centro Histórico and we like it because it's more affordable and also it has a very authentic vibe you don't see that many tourists and we really like that a lot and last but not least we do have to mention the neighborhood of Polanco because this one has a lot of international chain hotels so definitely a lot of people stay there this used to be the financial district or the business district even though nowadays a lot of these companies have moved out to other parts of the city in general it is a more like upscale shopping district but it also has restaurants and it's just... I don't know it's really good the location is great it's next to Chapultepec we like hanging out there we don't love staying there but if you are visiting for the first time and you want something more comfortable and organized then maybe Polanco is for you so in case you don't remember all those random names that I just threw at you here's a little summary of the top five neighborhoods to stay in Mexico City so number one Centro Histórico this is great for first timers but it can be loud and hectic number two we have Condesa and Roma Norte these are two separate neighborhoods but they are directly close to each other and you can stay there if you like trendy and lively vibes but just keep in mind that it's more expensive than the rest then we have Coyoacán which is where we are right now again colonial charm beautiful but far from the center 30 to 45 minutes so just keep that in mind number four we have Juárez great location more affordable but it's less polished but we like it number five is Polanco is very upscale and comfortable but lacks a little bit of charm and also it's expensive so there you have it I hope this little summary helps you find the best neighborhood for you packing for Mexico City is fairly easy of course this depends on the time of your visit but I have five things that you have to keep in mind that you always need to have on your packing list the first one is moisturizer and chapstick the air here is so dry and if you're not used to dry air like this your skin is going to notice right away number two is comfy sneakers you are going to be walking a lot even though there's great public transportation and uber and all kinds of stuff like make sure you pack comfortable sneakers number three is sunscreen it's very sunny here you're going to need it number four is either an umbrella or a hat again it is so sunny and during the day you're going to want to have your head covered otherwise you're going to be chasing the shade everywhere you go number five is layering pieces like a denim jacket a button-down shirt or a fashmina because the weather does change a lot during the day so in the mornings it's very cold and then during the day it's hot and then at night it gets cold again my entire carry-on packing list is going to be linked in the description it includes all the pieces that I packed for this trip inside a little carry-on all my outfits some styling tips and just some general tips for you to keep in mind so make sure to get that by clicking the link in the description so you've heard that this is a mega city but it actually is pretty comfortable and easy to move around Mexico City so first of all a lot of the kind of famous and iconic sites that you'll be visiting as a tourist are easily accessible by foot especially if you're someone that likes to walk around cities the only caveat here is that a lot of the sidewalks are kind of uneven and even have holes in them so definitely watch out if you are walking around the city remember to take it kind of easy when you first arrive because Mexico City is pretty high up it is at altitude I think 7,000 feet so it takes a few days to acclimate and besides for walking you can also get around easily by rideshare so Uber and Didi are around everywhere they're very easy to book they come within like three to five minutes and they are very affordable so of course this city is notorious for having pretty bad traffic and honestly it is pretty bad especially in the mornings and in the afternoons but if you're traveling in between the rush hours it is still pretty convenient to get a rideshare and move around if not the metro is also an option and it actually is a very affordable option and it can get you around the city pretty quickly but then the same thing it's kind of a caveat that the rush hour kind of stinks unless you don't mind just being packed into a metro car with a bunch of new friends then consider the metro but maybe it's still a little bit better outside of the core rush hour and last but not least you can also rent one of these bikes or scan a code and get one of these bikes there are bike lanes in the city but we have not had the courage to get on one of these bikes and bike through anywhere because it is way too crazy way too hectic but if you have more courage than we do you can get one of these bikes and move around Mexico City so being a major international city it is very easy to get here either internationally or domestically there are direct flights from so many places throughout the U.S. and also in Europe and other places also the main international airport is about 30 minutes away from the major neighborhoods here downtown considering that there is no traffic and also note that you can pick up an Uber or a DD from the airport it costs about $10 also depending on traffic and search prices just make sure that you have your OlaFly eSIM so you have connection when you land so when you get to Mexico you get a tourist visa on arrival and technically you're allowed to stay for 180 days however the person who decides how long you can stay here in Mexico is the customs agent so they will ask you how long you plan to stay here in Mexico and they will write a date that you're allowed to stay until based on exactly what you tell them so if you stay if you tell them that you plan on staying for five days but you really plan on staying 10 days and then you're really gonna be in trouble because you're gonna write some kind of date that falls within like a five to seven day range so be very careful in terms of how long you tell them you plan on staying here in Mexico and check your passport they'll write it in like physically by hand when you're allowed to leave or when you have to leave by very important so U.S. passport holders green card holders and people that have passports from countries that don't typically need visas when traveling to places like Mexico don't need a visa when entering Mexico but many other countries do so get the full lists of I guess details for whether or not you need a visa when entering Mexico we'll have a link right here that you can check out and it will also be in the description and finally also note that it's easy to get to Mexico City domestically either by flight or by plane or by bus so there are a ton of domestic airports all throughout Mexico and it's super affordable to travel within Mexico and also the bus system here is very organized very safe reliable comfortable so it is also a good option if you're in the surrounding areas just note if you're kind of far away and you want to consider like an overnight bus it might be much cheaper to just fly so take a look at that we'll put the link here for the bus we're riding the bus today so how many days you need in Mexico City ultimately depends on you and your travel style but since you're watching this video we're going to tell you what we think so at least like the minimum is three full days in our opinion if you are someone who likes to do a lot of things three days I think it's going to be it's going to feel a little bit rushed if you want to go on day trips like Hochimilco and Teotihuacan five or six full days at least honestly we like to take things really slow when we travel and every time that we come here we spend two weeks and sorry that's a little bit loud we never get sick of this city so to summarize three full days if you're not going on day trips and five to six full days if you're doing the more famous day trips so talking about currency may seem boring but stick with me because there are some very good tips here so the currency in Mexico is the Mexican peso and the symbol is the same exact symbol as the US dollar the little s with a line through it so don't let that confuse you and in some places in Mexico like Cancun, Cozumel and other touristy areas they do actually accept dollars but that is definitely not the case here in Mexico City so get your hands on some colorful Mexican pesos so as you can see the different bills here have different colors which is useful in theory however Mexico has introduced like different versions of the bills so the same bill can have different colors in this point in time so don't get confused with that don't hand someone a blue 500 when you meant to hand them a blue 20 that can totally happen during the time of this visit one US dollar equaled 20 Mexican pesos and that is actually much different from the last time we visited which was about seven months ago so the currency is a little bit volatile so make sure you check the current exchange rates so you know how much things cost during your visit and finally while Mexico City does prefer cash cards are actually very widely accepted even in some artisanal markets and for smaller transactions that said there will always be smaller businesses like taco stands that only accept cash so make sure you always have some cash with you and also some smaller bills like 20s and even coins like 10 peso coins for tips and things like that it's good to have summary if you want to eat tacos have some cash cash money yes Mexico City might be more expensive than you expect to give you an idea we're going to share how much we paid and the prices of some of the things that you would probably do as a tourist visiting the city so first we have accommodation we stayed in an Airbnb and we paid $928 for two weeks and this is just a really tiny apartment in the Juarez neighborhood this was a deal but if you go somewhere nicer it's going to be a lot more expensive than that for eating out there's everything from street food to fine dining and everything in between so for reference tacos on the street can be as cheap as $1 and they can be really good and then you have smaller restaurants where you can eat for $30 medium-sized restaurants where you can eat for $60 and there's of course fine dining that we don't know because we didn't go but based on our research the prices are very similar than the US then we have transportation so there's rideshare apps like Uber and another one called Tidi and they are very affordable and very convenient as long as you're not getting a ride during rush hour the prices are like a long ride can be $10 and a short ride can be $5 or less so it's a great option and then for public transportation there's the metro which works really well and connects the city really well and the tickets are about 25 cents so it's very affordable and last but not least we have activities there's so much to do and the prices vary depending on what you do so for example Bellas Artes is about $5 Chapultepec castle is also about $5 per person Fridas museum is $12 per person but there's also a bunch of other stuff so there's cooking classes private walking tours and day trips to Teotihuacan so how much to budget for activities or your visit to Mexico City really depends on you and what you like to do as you know the language here in Mexico is Spanish and while there's definitely some words that you need to learn in advance the most important thing that you have to understand is like a little bit of the culture here and what I mean by this is that people here are so freaking polite so it's not rare to get inside a taxi and say buenos dias or buenas tardes or even like when you enter an elevator or even walking down the street so that being said there are words that you have to understand or not understand just learn will also understand and I'm Hispanic I speak Spanish he also speaks Spanish but we're still gonna tell you the words we didn't learn them we already are you ready? test me hello hola how are you? como estas? good morning buenos dias good afternoon buenas tardes good evening buenas noches thank you gracias please por favor how much is it? cuánto cuesta? beer cerveza or chela that's also wrong also chela, sí margarita that's not an Italian margarita not margarita is it spicy? es picante and goodbye adios is probably the most famous goodbye in the Spanish language however in Mexico it's much more common to say hasta luego which means until later yeah and also here in Mexico City they also say bye a lot I don't know if it's to us or just in general but I think it's general so those of course are just a handful of very basic words to learn in Spanish and even though some people here in Mexico City do speak English particularly the younger crowds and the people that work in tourism and the younger professionals or professionals in general a lot of them do speak pretty good English but you're always going to encounter people that don't speak any English and also it's just a good thing to do to learn some basic words and like what I might have been saying like respect the local culture and it's always nice exactly it's always nice so even though you have these handful of words that you now know in Spanish there will be moments when you might need to know a little bit more Spanish and of course you have your translator app to do that but without internet connection you cannot access your translator app so what's the best way to do that? hola fly exactly you got to get their eSIM download it before coming here to Mexico City so you can you know ask what kind of tacos you're getting are there eyeballs inside, lengua, tongue, whatever all that crazy stuff that is useful I'm going to put the QR code right here and the link is also going to be in the description and also don't forget to use the code wasteoftheworld for 5% off thank you for watching if you have any questions about Mexico City we are always happy to help so just leave them in the comments below and if you want to watch more Mexico City videos I'll leave one right here thank you for watching bye gracias