After living abroad in Spain (in IBIZA!) and traveling nearly every weekend for a year, I can say I’ve been to a decent amount of cities and countries. While now I’ve returned to the US (if you’re American too, you should read this before visiting Mexico City), I embarked on another solo trip that honestly has blown so many of the other places I’ve been out of the water. Mexico City is one of the most amazing cities that I have ever been to! Everywhere I ate was incredibly flavorful, there are more museums that I could count (or visit unfortunately), and fantastic shopping! My five days in CDMX were unreal, but not long enough to do everything I wanted somehow! Below are my ultimate favorite activities – the best things to do in Mexico City!
Biblioteca Vasconcelos
Biblioteca Vasconcelos was one of the places high up on my list to see in Mexico City. It’s international claim to fame was being one of the filming locations of Interstellar, and looking at the unique, gravity defying architecture, it makes sense why! This library is completely free to enter and walk around, though if you have a camera bigger than a phone, you’ll have to sign a document outlining the ways you can use the footage. If you are a fan of impressive architecture and libraries, this is one of the best things to do in Mexico City!
Nido De Quetzalquoatl
El Nido De Quetzalquoatl was the number one place that I wanted to visit when in Mexico City! This park is outside of Mexico City and is not open to the public quite yet, but they offer small group tours. You can email [email protected] to see if there’s an opening for a tour when you are there. The architecture is unlike anything I have seen before, gaining inspiration from all things natural, this park is stunningly gorgeous! This was easily my favorite tour I booked, and easily one of the best things to do Mexico City!
Proyecto Rufina
While Mexico City has tons of fantastic shopping, Proyecto Rufina was my favorite store I found! They have stunning, one of a kind linen clothes designed by Mexican locals as well as beautiful pottery pieces. I did the majority of my shopping here and ended up purchasing a beautiful pocho-esque top and brown linen pants. If you are looking to come back with a sustainable, great quality product, visiting Proyecto Rufina is one of the best things to do in Mexico City.
Tour of Teotihuacan
The Teotihuacan pyramids were something I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see, but are a tour I am very happy I ended up going on! I booked a hot air balloon ride over the pyramids, but unfortunately the wind was not in our favor and blew us the other way. After, I was brought to these HUGE Aztec ruins. There I joined a tour and learned about Aztec culture from Aztec descendants and how Mexico city came to be. Learning the history and culture of the place I am visiting is important to me! If you feel the same, visiting Teotihuacan can be one of the best things to do in Mexico City.
El Mercado Artesanal De Coyoacan
If you are visiting the Frida Kahlo museum, you should take some time to look around the neighborhood of Coyoacan! I stumbled upon this place, the Coyoacan Artesanal Market, where local artists sell their goods. Since it’s a bit outside of the usual touristy neighborhoods (Roma Norte, Polanco, and Condesa), it’s not too touristy with a ton of good quality finds. I found many of the jewelry booths to have pieces that were high quality, with a good weight to them! I ended up buying a pair of sacred heart earrings from here that I absolutely adore!
El Pendulo Polanco
If you can’t tell, I love a good library or book store! This one was a combo cafe/bookstore in the Polanco neighborhood. The food was delicious, I got a stack of berry pancakes and a iced chai that I can’t stop thinking about! After I explored the shop’s unique and aesthetic layout. Here you can re-energize for the rest of your day explore and you can find your favorite books to read, but in Spanish!
Conclusion
Mexico City is a fantastic city to visit as it has something for truly everyone. There are so many things, you really cannot go wrong! If you’re curious about everything I did, where I ate, and how much I spent, check out this video where I break it all down! Hopefully now you’ve added an activity or two to your own list of the best things to do in Mexico City for your own trip!
Mexico City can be a great solo trip – I know it was for me! If you have any interest in solo traveling, check out this beginner guide and some beginner friendly locations. Safe travels and have fun!
[…] me, I want to go back and explore more of the country! I had an amazing time in Mexico City and cannot wait to go back. Oaxaca has some of the best food in the WORLD, so it’s been added […]