Help plan my vacation to Mexico City!
March 22, 2014 2:07 PM Subscribe
What are can't-miss things in Mexico City and Puebla?
My boyfriend and I are leaving for a week in Mexico City in April and would like some suggestions of what to do! We plan to visit the pyramids at Teotihuacan for a day and spend a night in Puebla (is it worth spending a night there?). Mexico City is huge so I am a bit overwhelmed with what to do!
We will be staying in the Roma neighborhood. I love food (esp. good street food), markets, local culture, and just seeing the city life. I speak fluent Spanish and am up for more off-the-beaten-path experiences. I am not hugely into museums, but I know Mexico City has some amazing museums so maybe there are some I shouldn't miss? I do like beautiful buildings, like churches.
So what should I not miss in Mexico City? And what is there to do with our day in Puebla, besides eat mole?
My boyfriend and I are leaving for a week in Mexico City in April and would like some suggestions of what to do! We plan to visit the pyramids at Teotihuacan for a day and spend a night in Puebla (is it worth spending a night there?). Mexico City is huge so I am a bit overwhelmed with what to do!
We will be staying in the Roma neighborhood. I love food (esp. good street food), markets, local culture, and just seeing the city life. I speak fluent Spanish and am up for more off-the-beaten-path experiences. I am not hugely into museums, but I know Mexico City has some amazing museums so maybe there are some I shouldn't miss? I do like beautiful buildings, like churches.
So what should I not miss in Mexico City? And what is there to do with our day in Puebla, besides eat mole?
Puebla is definitely worth a visit! DF (Mexico City) is a huge metropolitan area, whereas Puebla and neighboring Cholula are much smaller, and Puebla in particular is very European-feeling. Walking around the central plaza in Puebla makes for a nice day. Definitely check out this chapel. Take the bus into Cholula to go check out the pyramid, whose tunnels you can go inside. There's also a pretty church built on top of it because, you know, missionaries.
Eat ALL the street food. Especially the elotes/esquites. God I miss those.
posted by olinerd at 2:44 PM on March 22, 2014
Eat ALL the street food. Especially the elotes/esquites. God I miss those.
posted by olinerd at 2:44 PM on March 22, 2014
We plan to visit the pyramids at Teotihuacan for a day
Hire a guide in Mexico City and try to get there before sunrise. There might be hot air balloons. There won't be a zillion people. You will rejoice in the day when the sun comes up.
Go to the Zocalo and visit the church there. Facing the church, the neighborhood to your left is ritzier shopping. The neighborhood to your right is more street vendors-style shopping. There are hotels on the left side of the zocalo that will have greeters standing on the sidewalk, inviting you up to lunch on their patio. It's a nice lunch, and an excellent view.
posted by carsonb at 2:46 PM on March 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hire a guide in Mexico City and try to get there before sunrise. There might be hot air balloons. There won't be a zillion people. You will rejoice in the day when the sun comes up.
Go to the Zocalo and visit the church there. Facing the church, the neighborhood to your left is ritzier shopping. The neighborhood to your right is more street vendors-style shopping. There are hotels on the left side of the zocalo that will have greeters standing on the sidewalk, inviting you up to lunch on their patio. It's a nice lunch, and an excellent view.
posted by carsonb at 2:46 PM on March 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
For high end Slightly odd Japanese medica. Hibachi steakhouse mash-up try suntory
posted by chasles at 2:47 PM on March 22, 2014
posted by chasles at 2:47 PM on March 22, 2014
As for street food. Eat street food everywhere. So long as you can see it being cooked. Street tamales for breakfast? Hell yes. Tacos from the back of a taco van? Yessir.
And for the ultimate Mexican experience skip the bull fighting and go see La luchadores.
posted by chasles at 2:50 PM on March 22, 2014
And for the ultimate Mexican experience skip the bull fighting and go see La luchadores.
posted by chasles at 2:50 PM on March 22, 2014
And of course I meant Mexican Japanese mashup. Mashup. Not medica.
posted by chasles at 3:05 PM on March 22, 2014
posted by chasles at 3:05 PM on March 22, 2014
If you go to see the luchadores, don't make the mistake that we did and go to Mexico City Arena. It's actually at Arena México.
posted by zscore at 3:36 PM on March 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by zscore at 3:36 PM on March 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
In Mexico City, you can get a lot of bang for your buck by going to the Zocalo (Plaza de la Constitucion) and going to the Aztec Templo Mayor site and associated museum (my favorites), and if you are in to it, the National Palace there has Diego Rivera murals and the Cathedral is impressive if you like that type of thing. The Majestic Hotel on the Zocalo, has a restaurant with ok food but a great view of the Zocalo - La Terraza Restaurant. You could just get drinks or something. You could also go to Coyoacan.
If you decide to stay in Puebla, I would stay here.
posted by gudrun at 5:31 PM on March 22, 2014
If you decide to stay in Puebla, I would stay here.
posted by gudrun at 5:31 PM on March 22, 2014
In Mexico City, you definitely should see the Anthropology Museum, which is fantastic. I could have spent three days there. Also, the Rivera murals and Trotsky's house are a lot of fun.
posted by quadrilaterals at 5:32 PM on March 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by quadrilaterals at 5:32 PM on March 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Seconding the national palace. Ride the metro. Visit the churches they've built up around la virgen de guadalupe (this is a really good place for people-watching too). El palacio de las bellas artes is pretty beautiful. La pasteleria ideal, in the historic center, is worth checking out. Ask around the zocalo to see if there are any events there during your stay, they sometimes have public concerts or shows in the zocalo in the evenings. There is a tourist kiosk next the cathedral in the city center that has free decent maps if you need one.
posted by btkuhn at 8:58 PM on March 22, 2014
posted by btkuhn at 8:58 PM on March 22, 2014
Oh, one additional note, don't push yourself too hard when you first get to Mexico City. I found that the altitude got to me a little bit the first day or so. Nothing dramatic but I got a bit of a headache.
posted by gudrun at 9:22 PM on March 22, 2014
posted by gudrun at 9:22 PM on March 22, 2014
Here's another Puebla hotel option. I stayed here one night and it was pretty cool.
posted by olinerd at 2:19 AM on March 23, 2014
posted by olinerd at 2:19 AM on March 23, 2014
Whee. This is the exact same question i would have posted. that's all and thanks for reading my mind
posted by radsqd at 8:39 AM on March 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by radsqd at 8:39 AM on March 23, 2014 [1 favorite]
I still think of the crystallized orange peels at Dulceria de Celaya.
posted by Duffington at 2:29 PM on March 23, 2014
posted by Duffington at 2:29 PM on March 23, 2014
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Mercado de Artesanias de la Ciudadela
Fonda el refugio
Hacienda de Los morales
posted by chasles at 2:44 PM on March 22, 2014