Mexico City is one of the best cities in the world! With one of the top culinary scenes in the world, many things to do, and all the history and culture, you can’t wing a trip to Mexico City. Now, let me tell you exactly how you should spend 3 days in Mexico City.
HOW TO GET AROUND MEXICO CITY
Mexico City is huge and can even be a little intimidating to explore for a first-timer! Don’t worry — it’s very easy to find your way around! Uber or taxis are great and accessible options for how to get around Mexico City. They’re reliable and cheap. If you’re taking a taxi in Mexico City, only use the official pink-and-white “taxis de sitio.” You can call a taxi de sitio ahead from hotels or restaurants.
Additionally, Mexico City public transportation, like the metro, is also clean, cheap and reliable. Just keep in mind rush hour can be intense and very crowded. The same could be said of car traffic in general. For this reason, I don’t recommend you drive yourself around Mexico City.
HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD I SPEND IN MEXICO CITY?
There are endless things to do, see and eat in Mexico City. Personally, 4–5 days are ideal. But 3 days in Mexico City can be a good enough amount of time to see a lot of it. With this itinerary, you’ll explore some of the top Mexico City neighborhoods, including La Roma, Polanco, Centro Histórico, Coyoacán and more. You could explore something new each time in this city. You’ll definitely want to come back and see more of it after 3 days in Mexico City!
MEXICO CITY NEIGHBORHOODS
As I said earlier, Mexico City is pretty huge! It’s one of the largest cities in the world with a population of 22.51 million. As such, you have many areas where you can stay throughout the Mexico City neighborhoods. Here’s a breakdown so you can make an informed decision for which neighborhood to stay in.
- Centro Histórico: The historic center is home to El Zócalo, the largest plaza in Latin America. You’ll also find the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Templo Mayor archeological site and museum, Torre Latinoamericana, el Barrio Chino, Palacio de Bellas Artes, La Alameda Central, and much more. Expect this area to be crowded. You’ll find traditional food, street vendors, museums and shopping.
- Juárez: It’s a high-energy area that’s home to La Zona Rosa (the gay district/neighborhood). It borders on Avenida Reforma, a major street that connects the city, where you’ll find El Ángel de la Independencia. Kinda known as a party area!
- Roma: La Roma is west of the historic center. It’s known for its neo-classical and art-nouveau style buildings, wells as great food, galleries, bars and more. Unfortunately, gentrification has been working its way through this colonia.
- Condesa: Right next to Roma, La Condesa is very chic, cosmopolitan and a little more upscale than Roma. It’s got beautiful parks and tree-line streets filled with boutiques, restaurants and galleries. You’ll find boutique hotels and great vacation rentals here.
- Polanco: This is one of the fanciest Mexico City neighborhoods. It’s known for its high-end shopping and dining. You can find Museo Soumaya, one of my favorite museums in the world, in Polanco.
- Coyoacán: About 30 min. from el centro histórico and one of the oldest Mexico City neighborhoods. You’ll find beautiful, picturesque cobblestone streets. Don’t miss Frida Kahlo’s home and the Leon Trotsky Museum.
WHERE TO STAY IN MEXICO CITY
Based on the breakdown of the main Mexico City neighborhoods, you’ll want to stay in an area that matches your trip’s vibe. If it’s a fast-paced trip and you want to be close to the action, Juárez or el centro histórico are great options. For an upscale and relaxed vibe, try one of the boutique hotels or a vacation rental in Condesa or Roma.
Condesa and Polanco are known as two of the safest places to stay in Mexico City. They’re especially safe if you’re a female solo traveler. La Roma is safe and central enough that you can go to Bosque de Chapultepec or the historic center without having to travel too much. If you’re spending 3 days in Mexico City, I recommend staying in Roma or Condesa because of their central location.
MEXICO CITY STREET FOOD
It should come at no surprise that Mexico City street food is simply incredible! From the original tortas de chilaquiles and the beautiful, delicious, heaven-sent esquites from La Alameda Central to the spicy chips sold by vendors at el Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City street food is the ultimate reason to visit this city for me. You’ll find some of the most delicious, traditional food at Mercado Coyoacán and Mercado Medellín. Jenni’s Quesadillas are a Mexico City street food sidewalk stand you must try! She makes the most delicious nixtamal blue-corn quesadillas, tlacoyos and pambazos.
MEXICO CITY RESTAURANTS
Mexico City restaurants and the culinary scene are in their own category! Mexico City is a foodie wonderland. You’ll find holes in the wall with the most incredible huaraches as well as Michelin-star level cuisine. In terms of food alone, I’ll say one more time that you simply can’t wing a trip to Mexico City.
For breakfast, try Restaurante Rosetta, Lalo!, El Cardenal, Maisón Belen or Cuina. Try Panadería Rosetta, Odette or Saint for pastries. For lunch or dinner, try Masala y Maíz, Contramar, Ticuchi, Máximo, Supra Roma Rooftop, Pujol, Ling Ling or Sarde. For some of the best tacos in Mexico City, check out Los Cocuyos, Taquería El Califa de León, El Huequito or Taquería Orinoco. You will need reservations for most Mexico City restaurants. Luckily, you can do that online for most of them nowadays!
Now, let’s get into the 3 days in Mexico city itinerary!
DAY 1: Bosque de Chapultepec & the historic center
Start your first day in Mexico City with a guava roll or a concha from Panadería Rosetta in Roma Norte. Go early as this bakery is insanely popular and there will likely be a line. But from what I hear, it’s worth it. You can’t go wrong with any of their pastries! If you want a more traditional breakfast, head to El Cardenal’s Polanco location. Or one of their three locations in the historic center, depending on where you’re staying!
After breakfast, head to Bosque de Chapultepec by Uber or taxi (depending on where you’re staying). Chapultepec is a 1,700-hectare park where you’ll find important cultural sites like Castillo de Chapultepec, the Museo de Antropología, the Chapultepec Zoo and the Rufino Tamayo contemporary art museum. On this first day, you’re going to pick one spot from the list above. My favorite places to visit here are Castillo de Chapultepec or Museo de Antropología. Both of these places will take you at least 2 hours to see in full. So factor the time in for that!
After a couple hours of exploring Castillo de Chapultepec or the anthropology museum, head to el centro histórico for a bit more culture and history. There is a lot to see and do here! Start out at El Zócalo and admire its vast size. Check out the cathedral, the Templo Mayor Museum and Casa de los Azulejos.
If you’re hungry, walk toward La Alameda Central for delicious esquites (corn in a cup but like the most legit corn in a cup you’ll ever taste), or a churro at the famous Churrería El Moro. If you go to La Alameda Central, you’ll see Palacio de Bellas Artes from the outside! Depending on the time, you could go inside Palacio de Bellas Artes to check out the beautiful murals painted by Diego Rivera.
To close out your first of 3 days in Mexico City, head to dinner at either Contramar or Máximo. Both of these Mexico City restaurants are in Roma Norte and require reservations. Try the tuna tostadas, the whole grilled fish with their red-adobo rub and parsley rub, and the fig tart at Contramar. They’re yummy as hell. If you’re up for drinks after dinner, head to Gin Gin or Handshake Speakeasy.
DAY 2: MUSEO SOUMAYA & XOCHIMILCO
Day two in Mexico City starts out with a very important choice. You’re going to kick it off pinkies-up with coffee and a pastry from Saint Panadería, OR you’re going to go balls to the wall with a torta de chilaquiles from La Esquina del Chilaquil. You have to understand tortas de chilaquiles as a concept, and then, you’ll see why it’s balls to the wall. Chilaquiles on their own are already a delicious and indulgent Mexican breakfast. They’re fried corn tortilla chips simmered/tossed in sauce. And the sauce options are aplenty — red, green, mole, chile morita, habanero, etc. They’re topped with cheese, crema, onion and cilantro. Now, imagine all that as a sandwich on bollilo roll. It’s incredible. Make sure to go early because the lines get long at La Esquina del Chilaquil!
Next, it’s time to check out one of the largest collections of fine art at Museo Soumaya in Polanco. Here, you’ll see wonderful works of art throughout six stories by Diego Rivera, Van Gogh, Dali, Matisse, Picasso and many more. Plan to spend at least a couple of hours here — more if you really want to see EVERYTHING! Admission is free. After you’re done with your six-floor artsy-fartsy journey, visit the contemporary art museum Museo Jumex next door! It’s also free.
If you’re not still full from that torta or you chose to start your day with a pastry instead, have lunch at Mi Compa Chava (their Roma location). Mi Compa Chava is a popular Sinaloa-style seafood restaurant with an airy Mexican-coast town aesthetic. Come for a fun atmosphere and try the aguachiles, costra de camarón, and the Señora Torres (a seafood tower with shrimp, tuna, yellowfin, octopus, onion, cucumber avocado and chile morita salsa).
Alternatively, you could skip lunch and head directly to the iconic Xochimilco by Uber. Check my previous post’s notes on how to make the best of a Xochimilco trip, how to arrive and more. Xochimilco is a system of canals in the south of Mexico City where you can rent a trajinera (flat-bottomed boats that go back to pre-colonial times) for $500 MXN per hour for a grand-old time! You’ll be able to get food, hire Mariachi bands and more during your boat trip. This is a very traditional thing to check out in Mexico City. Close out a second amazing day in Mexico City with dinner at Ling Ling or with drinks at Supra Roma Rooftop!
DAY 3: Frida Kahlo, COyoacÁn & NIGHTTIME TOUR BUS
The third and last day in Mexico City takes you to one of the oldest Mexico City neighborhoods and the former home of Frida Kahlo! That’s right — we’re exploring the picturesque and lovely Coyoacán. Coyoacán is about 30 minutes away from the city’s historic center by car and you’re going to head to the Frida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul) first. Make sure to buy tickets ahead of time and try to get the first time slot of the day.
Casa Azul is one of my top favorite places in all of Mexico City! The iconic cobalt blue home is the place where Frida Kahlo was born, grew up, lived her life with Diego Rivera, and eventually died. The now-museum is dedicated to her life’s work and you’ll see a personal collection of her artwork, memorabilia, her clothes, personal items and more. Frida Kahlo’s study is one of the most fascinating rooms in the house as it looks exactly as she left it!
After the museum, head to Plaza Hidalgo and Jardín Centenario for a bit of people watching, late breakfast or lunch, and even an ice cream. You could go to the Leon Trotsky Museum next or head to Mercado de Coyoacán, where you’ll find gorgeous artisan pottery, textiles and jewelry and delicious traditional cuisine.
If you didn’t have lunch at Mercado de Coyoacán, you can head back toward the Roma neighborhood and eat at Máximo. I recommend having a reservation as with most Mexico City restaurants. After that, and depending on the time, you can head to Palacio de Bellas Artes to visit the museum or even catch a play or folklórico show. Otherwise, I recommend doing the Turibus Nocturno (night-time, sightseeing bus tour) that will show you the city from a whole different perspective! The night tour takes off daily at 7:30 p.m. from el Ángel de la Independencia, el Zócalo or the Hemiciclo a Benito Juárez monument.
And that closes off your incredible 3 days in Mexico City! By now, you’ll have fallen in love with this gorgeous city and its delectable food scene, friendly people and rich culture. And I bet you’ll be plotting your return on the flight back home! I hope this day-by-day breakdown of how to spend 3 days in Mexico City was helpful. Leave me a comment with your favorite thing to do in Mexico City. And for now, that’s all!
