Mexico City Travel Guide

For history buffs and destination travelers there can be no authentic Mexican trip without a Mexico City vacation.  As the largest metropolis in North America, Mexico City rest in a valley flanked by two guardian volcanoes - Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. Once known as the City of Palaces, this ancient city is rich with historical and religious architecture. A Mexico City vacation is sure to include a viewing of artifacts worthy of Indiana Jones at the National Museum of Archeology. Afterward? Succumb to one of the city’s many culinary delights, choosing between the quiet strumming of a mariachi band or the pulse quickening beat of a night club. 

Airports and Ground Transportation

Discount airfare to Mexico City is available from a number of airlines worldwide. You’ll touch down at Mexico City International Airport (known locally as Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México or AICM). The main Gateway to Mexico, and indeed to Latin America, this airport is also sometimes referred to as Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX).  Cheap airfare to Mexico City from Los Angeles (LAX) is available on half a dozen carriers with prices as low as $440 round trip on Continental Airlines. Discount airfare to Mexico City is also available on Continental Airlines from San Francisco (SFO); fares start at about $550.  From Chicago, you can fly Delta Airlines, scoring cheap fares to Mexico City from about $500. Delta also offers discount airfare to Mexico City from New York (JFK). Buy early and pay as little as $573. Aeromexico, Mexico’s largest air carrier, offers discount air fare to Mexico City from many major US cities of origin, although they often cannot match the flexibility and price of US Airlines.

The airport is big and bustling, a confluence of many cultures, so please allow time and patience. After you’ve made your way through customs, you can be shuttled to your hotel via taxi. Mexico City has a team of safe, licensed taxis known as Transportacion Terrestre. They are easy to recognize – they are white and yellow and have black airplane logos on their doors. Before leaving the airport, be sure to buy a ticket for your taxi travel at a marked counter inside the airport.  Look, or ask for, “Taxi Seguro” and you’ll be directed to purchase a ticket. The airport is located in a troubled part of the city, so don’t leave the airport without having first secured your ground transportation.

Best Times to Go, Best Things to Do

A Mexico City vacation has an undeniable draw for those interested in Latin American culture and history. Most of your vacation activities will center on exploring the past, and how it intersects with today’s Mexico. For those interested in pre-Colonial history, there are dozens of Aztec ruins to investigate and tours to help you understand them. A visit to the Museo del Templo Mayor will also satisfy. Religious history aficionados will be thrilled with a visit to the Basilica de Santa Maria de Guadalupe. With its six churches and a famous religious icon you’ll get a taste of Roman Catholic Mexico. More interested in visual arts? Try the Frieda Kahlo Museum or one of several museums of indigenous arts. For fun, take a ride on the canals, Xochimilco. There are floating musicians, trinket-sellers, flower vendors and food offerings to amuse and delight you during your two hour float. Or cheer on a Lucha Libre!

Hotels and Lodging

The safest, most convenient accommodations in Mexico City are well-known hotels and resorts.  Mexican outposts of familiar US chains, such as the JW Marriott Mexico City, the Sheraton Centro Historica Hotel and the Embassy Suites are good bets. That way, you get the familiarity of a hotel chain you’ve relied on married with warm Mexican hospitality. The Emporio Reforma, a genteel, local hotel with all the comforts of home and more, is also a fine option for your Mexico City vacation. Each of these, like Mexico City itself, is a fine architectural and cultural treasure certain to enhance your stay.