Mexico City

Mexico City is dizzy with strong colours and strong flavours. Mexico's colour and colourful culture can be seen on the streets, in the restaurants and in most of our recommendations for the best places to stay in Mexico City. Even the hotels opt for bright colours here!

If you feel lightheaded on arrival it's probably to do with the unexpectedly high altitude. You can quickly sort this out with a few nips of tequila in one of the stately old cantinas just off the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square.

What not to Miss

• There's no shortage of art in Mexico City. Murals brighten up municipal buildings - start with Mexico's National Palace for Diego Rivera's 'Epic of the Mexican People'. There will be plenty of opportunity to see the work of Frida Kahlo - start in the Blue House, conveniently located by the Craft Market in the Plaza San Jacinto.
• You may also want to see the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico perform in the Palacio de Bellas Artes or relax on a boat in the Floating gardens of Xochimilco.
• If you're looking for Mexico's ancient treasures, start right in the centre of Mexico City at the Templo Mayor, the main temple of the Aztec nation, now fascinatingly excavated to reveal the different layers of the city's history.
• Head over to Bosque de Chapultepec Park for the ancient forests and archaeological treasures housed in the National Anthropological Museum. Some people visit Mexico City solely to see this museum.
• Mexico City is also known for food - especially the markets. Visit the market at Tepoztlan for chillies of all kinds (and heats) and La Merced, the main food market - an excellent place to try antojitos (street finger food.).
• Then try out Mexico City's best cantinas. Obviously you'll be trying as many kinds of tequila as possible! You might want to start on the pink streets of the Zona Rosa. This is the hub of Mexico City's nightlife and always a good place to begin your evening and do some people watching.

Highlights worth a drive

About an hour's drive from Mexico City is Teotihuacán, one of the great ancient sites of the Americas: a whole ruined city once home to between 60,000 and 80,000 inhabitants. Definitely a local highlight.

If you have time and love silver jewellery, Taxco is worth considering for a day trip - it's where a lot of the colonial silver came from. Taxco is also supposed to be one of Mexico's prettiest towns.

The Hotel Guru's recommendations for the best places to stay in Mexico City range from bohemian boltholes to top notch luxury and sleek design hotels.

For Mexican character

• Casa Vieja's ten themed suites are decorated in colourful traditional patterns with local painting and ceramics everywhere. All rooms come with a kitchenette.

For a City Break

• The Villa Condesa is a beautifully converted mansion in the La Condesa district with 13 lovely rooms - think plenty of light sash windows, wooden floors and luxurious bathrooms. There’s also a great Mexican restaurant.
• Downtown is just two blocks from the central plaza and situated within the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a 17 room property converted from a 17th century colonial palace and the rooms are all suites, beautifully designed with impressively high ceilings. There’s a rooftop bar and pool too.

For foodies

• The Hippodrome's intimate Mexican restaurant serving traditional and contemporary fare makes this a popular hotel for foodies. In the bohemian district. Condesa, it's luxuriously designed and has all the mod cons you need.

Best Design Hotels

• Habita is a stunningly minimalist creation by a collection of architects. The walls are whitewashed, there's floor to ceiling glass and marble floors. Plus a beautiful spa and roof terrace.
• La Valise is an achingly hip, three room boutique property in the trendy Roma Norte district. The three suites are glass-fronted with contemporary art, dark wood floors and roll-top baths among other treats. Plus there’s an in-house chef who will serve up some Mexican favourites.
• Distrito Capital is a bit out of the way in the city’s business district, but the 30 minimalist rooms with enormous windows framing the city, will make it worth the extra travel. There’s an excellent fusion restaurant too.

For Fun!

• Being part of a chain of fun and funky hotels makes W one of the best places to stay in Mexico City for families. The colours are bright and bold, the staff are young and friendly and there are excellent views of the city.
• Condesa DF is one of the hippest places in Mexico City, in a hip part of town. It's has a rooftop cinema, music systems in each room, a funky rooftop bar and sushi restaurant. And all done in strikingly beautiful minimalist style.

For Couples

• The Busue Hotel is a smart, boutique-style property in a trendy neighbourhood with 11 individually designed rooms and suites - complete with wooden floors and nice antiques - and a fantastic restaurant serving regional favourites.
• Small and elegant, the 35 room Las Alcobas is in the smart neighbourhood of Polanco and has luxurious, contemporary rooms and suites, two excellent restaurants and a small spa.
• With only four bedrooms, the adults-only Nima is a boutique townhouse offeris an intimate and grown-up city stay. There’s a lovely sun terrace and you can arrange a massage in your room.

For Families

• AR 218 is a contemporary collection of 39 rooms and suites - complete with kitchenettes - in the beautiful and trendy La Condesa neighbourhood. Close to everything and there’s great facilities on hand.

Best B&Bs

• Pugseal Boutique B&B is a boutique B&B in the beautiful neighbourhood of Polanco. The 21 suites are huge with contemporary art, luxurious bathrooms and floor to ceiling windows. They also provide complimentary bike hire.

For Great Value

• For under £70 per night you can stay at Room Mate Valentina, a near-futuristic hotel in a very central location just off the Paseo de la Reforma. Of course you’ll find the vibrant colours of Mexico City, but you’ll also find the Aztec designs and plenty of gadgets.
• For around £80 per night you can stay at El Patio 77, a hip, eight room B&B in a grand building. Carefully renovated and decorated with antiques and stylish contemporary pieces, the eight rooms have four-poster beds and luxurious bathrooms.

For an Apartment or villa

If you’d prefer to stay in an apartment or private villa we recommend you visit our online partner booking.com.

Travel Information

• Most visitors arrive in Mexico City by air via the Benito Juarez International Airport, which is in the eastern part of the city. From there you can catch a bus or the Metro, or a taxi - this can be a slightly more complicated system than you’re expecting and involves buying a ‘taxi ticket’ from licensed vendors.
• If you want to hire a car we recommend you visit our online partner Rentalcars.
• As far as the weather is concerned, the best time to visit Mexico City is between March and May. This is when most visitors come - in winter it can be quite cold and in summer it can be quite rainy.

Still not sure?

• Contact one of our friendly Gurus for advice.