7 Day Mexico City Itinerary
I’ve been seeing so many beautiful posts lately on my Instagram feed from Mexico City, which has me reminiscing on my trip there three years ago. Mexico is so much more beyond all those pretty resorts in Tulum, Cancun, etc. The capital city is full of so much vibrant colors, culture, and amazing people! I remember when I was going to Mexico, a few people were concerned about my safety, especially since I was going to be solo most of the time. During my week there, I never felt I was in danger (just always make sure to follow basic precautions). For this reason, I wanted to share with you all my 7 day Mexico City itinerary if you’re spending a week in the capital. I wanted to experience the most I could, as it was my first time in Mexico, so this includes day trips to other nearby cities. If you have any more suggestions on what to do in Mexico City, feel free to comment!
Day 1: After arriving in Mexico City, take a chill day to do some light exploring. Depending on when you arrive, take a typical hop on/hop off bus around Mexico City, to get a sense of the neighborhoods you’ll want to explore more later in the week. You can catch the tour buses at different spots, like the Zocalo, or at the National Auditorium. I suggest going for the Turibus bus — there are other tour buses, but I felt Turibus gave the best value for the price (160 Mexican pesos for the one day tour, or $9, which includes access to all the routes).
There are a total of four routes you can take, but for a first day, I’d suggest taking the downtown tour, with 19 stops, to get more of a feel for the city. You can also connect to the other two routes at certain spots. I’ve linked the Turibus route maps here: https://www.turibus.com.mx/CircuitosPrincipales?lg=en
Since it’s only the first day, once you finish the downtown tour, connect to the Polanco/Chapultepec tour at the National Auditorium. When I was in Mexico City, I stayed in the Polanco district of the capital, a bit more upscale area of Mexico. Some call it the Beverly Hills of Mexico City. After a day of exploring on a bus, get off at the Masaryk stop, and spend the rest of the afternoon walking Avenida Presidente Masaryk — you’ll find tons of shops/boutiques, and great restaurants!
If you’re in the mood for some delicious tacos, I recommend La Casa del Pastor. You’ll get some delicious food at decent prices .. from tacos to enchiladas, you’ll get a yummy first taste of Mexico. If you arrive later in the afternoon, you can pick up some late night food here too, as it stays open pretty late. This area is also good for nightlife, so there’s still plenty to do here if you arrive into the city in the evening.
Day 2: Remember the Polanco route from the Turibus? Well today, you can spend the earlier part of your day exploring more of Polanco. Want to start the day with some shopping? Well, there are two shopping centers within walking distance of each other along Avenida Ejercito Nacional. The first and smaller one is Pabellón Polanco. (Right next to this mall is also a bowling alley, something to consider if you want something fun to do one night). This mall is nothing compared to the next one I’m about to mention, but it’s a nice build up to the rest of the day.
After checking out this shopping center, it’s time to explore one of the MANY museums around Mexico City. No seriously, I think there are hundreds of museums here, just Google museums on a map near the center of the city and you will see what I mean. Museo Soumaya, a landmark in Polanco, and just from it’s unique structure, you can see why. This museum, named after the wife of Mexican businessman, Carlos Slim, has over 60,000 works of art spanning 30 centuries. This museum is absolutely free and is open from 10:30-6:30 every day. The museum is just as amazing inside as it is outside. If you like art, you will love this museum.
After Soumaya, you can grab lunch at the next mall which I fell in love with — the Antara Fashion Hall. It’s on Avenida Ejercito Nacional as well, just a short walk from the one I mentioned before. Antara is a bit more upscale and trendy, but you can still find some good bargains. Great atmosphere and beautiful decor, definitely a must visit in Polanco (If you are taking the Turibus to get around still, there are stops on the Polanco route that stop at the Soumaya Museum as well as the Antara Shopping Mall) If you’re up for some sweets after lunch, check out Pasteleria La Esperanza, a cake shop/ bakery with all sorts of nice desserts and all the bread you can imagine. The bakery is located on Avenida Moliere, which is right across from Antara.
If you still have energy to do some more exploring after a day of shopping, make your way down to the city center to get a preview of your next day. The historic center of Mexico City is the heart of this city. You will feel all the energy with the hustle and bustle of the people. It’s like being in the Mexican New York City. Enjoy the evening with a walk around the park in front of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the iconic building in the Mexico City Historic District. For a better view, go up into the Torre Latinoamericana (the skyscraper which was one of the few buildings that withstood the 1985 earthquake without damage). There’s a cafe in the building with a nice view of Bellas Artes, as well as an observation deck further up.
Day 3: No Mexico City itinerary would be complete without spending the day in the Historic Center. This is the heart of the city. You can stop by to see Palacio de Bellas Artes by day, and then walk on over to the pedestrian only street of Avenida Madero. You’ll find plenty of shops and restaurants down this street, and this will take you up to the Zocalo, the main square of the city.
You will also find the National Palace as well as the Supreme Court. This are reminded me of St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy. So, if you’ve been there, you will know how busy it is. The Mexico City Zocalo is no different. I was there on International Children’s Day, so the whole square was full with fun activities for kids and their families. No matter when you go though, I’m sure you will feel the vibrant culture of this city.
After exploring the main square, head on over to La Ciudadela, a popular artisan market where you can find lots of art, textiles and handmade goods. After some souvenir shopping, walk over to the Monument to the Revolution, which commemorates the Mexican Revolution. A lot of locals gather here, as it’s a large open plaza, so you do lots of people watching here. There’s also an observation deck at the top of the monument to check out. Under the monument, you can head on down to the museum, which gives a lot of information on Mexican history and the Revolution and how it came to be.
If you’re here for sunset, the monument becomes illuminated with lots of colorful lights too! Another cool monument you’ll want to check out today is the Angel of Independence (about a 25 minute walk from the Monument to the Revolution) a monument/ victory column built to commemorate the centennial of the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence.
After a day full of walking and learning about Mexican history, head back to freshen up and prepare for dinner. I usually like to keep my expenses at a minimum when I’m traveling, but if you’re in the mood to splurge on a nice evening, check out Sir Winston Churchill’s, a fancy restaurant in the Polanco district. When you Google this restaurant, you will see four dollar signs, but for the experience, I’d say it’s totally worth it. As soon as you enter, it’s like you’ve been transported to England, literally. Even the waiters are dressed the part. The food is a perfect blend of British cuisine with Mexican flavor. I’m not sure if there was a dress code, but I would definitely dress semi formal here.
Day 4: Time to venture out. Take a day trip to Xochilmilco & Coyoacan. These two cities are like the Burano of Mexico City. If you’ve been, Burano is a vibrant, colorful island in the Venetian Lagoon. Xochilmilco and Coyoacan are no different. I used Expedia and Viator for my day tours, both of which offer reasonably priced tours out of Mexico City. For $59, book the Xochimilco and Coyoacan tour, which also includes admission to the Frida Kahlo Museum. By now, you are probably familiar with the National Auditorium (from your Day 1 tour bus tour), so you can meet up with the rest of your tour here. Other pick up locations include the Reforma Hotel and Palacio de Bellas Artes.
You will start off the tour in Xochimilco, the “place of flowers,” and you’ll take a ride on the famous, colorful trajineras, Mexico’s version of the gondola. Afterwards, you’ll head over to Coyoacan to see the famous “Blue House,” where Frida Kahlo lived. While you can’t take photos inside, you will have plenty of photo op chances outside of the house. The entire city of Coyoacan is super bright and colorful, a must see! (If you decide to not book a tour through Expedia, you can also access Coyoacan through Turibus, one of the four routes I mentioned before passes through this area.) You’ll also have a chance to explore the market here in Coyoacan, where you can grab some great food made by the locals. At the end of tour, you will also get to explore the campus of the National University.
Day 5: Book another tour in Expedia, this time to discover Puebla and Cholula ($64) — more colorful, vibrant cities. Cholula is a UNESCO- designated center, and you’ll get to see the city’s pre-Hispanic history and colonial past through its beautiful churches and archaeological sites. After Cholula, you’ll head on over to Puebla, “the city of angels.” Another UNESCO Heritage site, you’ll find lots of beautiful tiles and frescoes in the buildings here. For lunch, you can also try a famous Mexican dish: mole (Puebla is the birthplace of this tasty dish). You’ll end your time in Puebla with some free time around the city, and this is the perfect spot for souvenir shopping, as you will have some time in the crafts market.
Day 6: I booked another tour through Expedia to Taxco and Cuernavaca ($62), two more amazing cities you should experience near Mexico City. Taxco and Cuernavaca are in Guerrero, on the way to Acapulco, and you’ll notice it’ll get warmer as you approach, so make sure to dress appropriately. Taxco, two hours away from Mexico City, is known as the silver city, as they produce a lot of silver goods here. Make sure to put some money to the side — you will find lots of beautiful silver jewelry at amazing, cheap prices! You’ll enjoy beautiful mountainous views and then you can explore the cool, narrow, cobblestone streets and the colonial buildings of the city. It’s like stepping back in time as you see all the old school beetle car taxis driving by.
After lunch, your tour continues in Cuernavaca. Unfortunately, due to lots of traffic on the way back, our time in Cuernavaca was a bit rushed, but from the short time I did spend there, there’s a lot of colonial history there to be explored and you will find another great market for souvenirs near the main square.
My tours for Days 4-6 were all booked through Expedia and were run by Amigo Tours. Of course, you will find similar tours on the site, but I recommend the ones run by Amigo Tours — the guides and drivers were super friendly and welcoming and did an amazing job at explaining all the history of the places you were in! The tours all come back in the evening, between 8-9 pm depending on the traffic, at the same pick up points.
Day 7: Last day in Mexico City! So sad! But I saved the best for last in my opinion. Hot air ballooning over Teotihuacan! I found this day tour through Viator for $208. The tour starts pretty early in the morning, but it’s for the best! You get to fly over the Teotihuacan pyramids as the sun is rising, before the crowds start coming in, and you get a unique perspective over the archaeological site. The hot air balloon ride ends with a breakfast (on the weekends) and a champagne toast.
Afterwards, you can head on over to climb up the pyramids. You have the option to pay for a guide, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Go at your own pace, lots of the history is written around the site on information boards. The reason why I liked this tour starting early at sunrise is because on the weekends, especially Sunday (free for Mexican nationals and students), you face lots of crowds climbing the pyramids as early as 10am. The sun also starts hitting you very hard at this time, so you don’t want to be stuck in a crowd in that scorching sun.
After exploring the site, you can shop for some more souvenirs at the little shops near the exit. The tour includes a drop off at your pick up hotel. You could be done exploring the site by 12pm, so after riding back into the city center, you can head over to the Chapultepec Park, which to me is very similar to Central Park in NYC. Atop of the Chapultepec Hill, you can also check out a castle turned museum, the only royal castle in the Americas.
As I’m writing this Mexico City itinerary, I’m that much more excited to go back someday. I was completely blown away by the city and its surrounding cities as well. I hope that this itinerary, which I put together based on my own experience in Mexico City in 2017, is of use to those reading this post, and that it serves as a guide for anyone visiting the capital soon.
I’m open to any suggestions that I can add to this itinerary, so if you’ve been to CDMX before and want to include anything, let me know in the comments. I am aware that there is so much more to do, like I mentioned before, there are hundreds of museums in the city, tons of restaurants, etc., so feel free to customize this itinerary to your preferences.
I also want to note that, while I did lots of walking on day 3, if you don’t want to do the same, or if you don’t want to ride the Turibus, you can take the public transportation available, like the metro. Uber is also an option available in Mexico — it’s completely safe too! I used Uber to get back home after my tours, since they got back later in the evening.
