"Mexico City is the city that has been continuously inhabited for 700 years — and has never stopped reinventing itself."
Mexico City is one of the great cities of the world — a metropolis of 22 million people built on the ruins of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán, where ancient pyramids sit beneath colonial cathedrals, and where the world's finest taco stands operate within walking distance of restaurants ranked among the best on earth. It is a city of extraordinary contradictions: chaotic and elegant, ancient and relentlessly contemporary, overwhelming and deeply intimate. The traveller who arrives expecting a stopover leaves planning a return.
The city is best understood through its neighbourhoods. Polanco is the address of choice for luxury hotels and the finest restaurants; La Condesa and La Roma are where the city's creative class lives, works, and eats; Coyoacán is the colonial village that the city absorbed but never quite tamed; the Centro Histórico is where the city's 700-year history is most legible. A week is the minimum; two weeks is better. The food alone justifies the trip.
"Pujol's mole madre — aged over 1,000 days, and the most extraordinary dish in the Americas."
TastesOf Editorial
At a Glance
What Not to Miss
The Dining Scene
Mexico City has quietly become one of the world's great dining capitals — a city where ancient Mesoamerican ingredients meet contemporary technique, and where the best meal you'll eat might cost $8 at a market stall or $200 at a tasting counter. Pujol, consistently ranked among the world's top restaurants, is the benchmark — chef Enrique Olvera's mole madre, aged for over 1,000 days, is one of the most extraordinary dishes in the world. Quintonil, Contramar, and Rosetta round out a dining scene that rivals any city on earth.
The Neighbourhoods
Mexico City rewards the traveller who walks. Polanco is the city's most elegant quarter — tree-lined boulevards, luxury hotels, and the finest restaurants in the city. La Condesa and La Roma are the creative heart — art nouveau architecture, independent bookshops, mezcalerías, and the best coffee in the city. Coyoacán is Frida Kahlo's neighbourhood — cobblestone streets, a colonial plaza, and the Casa Azul museum. The Centro Histórico is the city's ancient core — the Zócalo, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the ruins of the Aztec Templo Mayor, all within walking distance.
The Museo Nacional de Antropología
The greatest museum in Latin America — a vast collection of pre-Columbian artefacts spanning 3,000 years of Mesoamerican civilisation. The Aztec Sun Stone, the jade mask of Pakal, and the reconstructed murals of Teotihuacán are among the most extraordinary objects in the world. Allow a full day; the museum is larger and richer than it appears.
Teotihuacán
An hour northeast of the city, the ancient city of Teotihuacán — once the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas — is one of the great archaeological sites in the world. The Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Avenue of the Dead are best experienced at dawn, before the crowds arrive and the heat builds. Hire a private guide; the context transforms the experience.
The Markets
Mexico City's markets are among the finest in the world. The Mercado de Jamaica is the city's flower market — an overwhelming, fragrant spectacle of marigolds, roses, and tropical blooms. The Mercado de San Juan is the city's gourmet market — imported cheeses, fresh seafood, and the finest charcuterie in Mexico. The Mercado de la Merced is the city's largest traditional market — a labyrinth of spices, dried chillies, and street food that has no equal.
Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera
Mexico City is the city of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera — two of the 20th century's most extraordinary artists, whose work and lives are inseparable from the city itself. The Casa Azul in Coyoacán is Kahlo's birthplace and studio, now a museum of extraordinary intimacy. Rivera's murals in the Palacio Nacional — depicting the entire history of Mexico — are among the greatest works of public art in the world.
Where to Stay
Las Alcobas
Luxury BoutiqueThe finest boutique hotel in Polanco — 35 rooms of extraordinary restraint and elegance, with a spa, a rooftop terrace, and a restaurant (Anatol) that is one of the best in the neighbourhood. The most coveted small hotel address in Mexico City.
Four Seasons Mexico City
LuxuryA beautifully positioned hotel on the Paseo de la Reforma, with rooms overlooking a private courtyard garden that is one of the most tranquil spaces in the city. The spa, the pool, and the Reforma 500 restaurant make this the most complete luxury hotel in Mexico City.
Condesa DF
Design HotelA converted 1928 art deco building in the heart of La Condesa — a triangular atrium, a rooftop terrace with views across the neighbourhood, and a restaurant that draws the city's creative class. The most atmospheric hotel in Mexico City.
The Verdict
One of the world's great cities — eat at Pujol, walk every neighbourhood, and never leave without visiting Teotihuacán at dawn.