A colorful mural in the center of Mexico City
You will realize, when you see it from the window of the plane, that the statistics do not lie: with 2,000 square kilometers of extension and 25 million inhabitants , Mexico City overwhelms. How are you going to get to know it in its entirety on a scale of just 24 hours?
The answer is easy: you're not going to do it It is impossible to visit the Mexican capital in one day, so get used to the idea that you are not going to be able to and draw an itinerary calculated to the millimeter to take advantage of every second you have available. Ready? Ahead.
The Zócalo, your starting point
9 o'clock. Start your visit where it all began: at the Plinth , neuralgic and historical center of Mexico City.
This was the origin of both the Aztec and Spanish empires, symbolized in the Metropolitan Cathedral, monument to the Catholic faith of New Spain, and the Templo Mayor, the ruins of the most important temple of ancient Tenochtitlan , who coexist today side by side.
Palace of Fine Arts
A few steps away is the National Palace , seat of government; the Alameda and Fine Arts, home to several murals of Diego Rivera ; and the Torre Latinoamericana, once the tallest building in Latin America.
The streets behind the Zócalo they are a hive of local life in their maze of shops, selling everything from light bulbs to suitcases.
13:30 . Continuing south along the Paseo de la Reforma , almost reaching the Hidalgo metro, is the Monument to the Revolution , memory of the uprising against the Porfirian dictatorship in 1910.
The Monument has a viewpoint at the top with views towards the Plinth and the Paseo de la Reforma that is worth experiencing, as well as a detailed museum on the Mexican Revolution and the evolution of the country's politics to the present day.
the brewery
2:30 p.m. Enter to Paseo de la Reforma , and take a deep breath. With its tree-lined flanks and its squares with statues (the Angel of Independence and the Diana the Huntress , for example), it seems incredible that this is one of the busiest avenues in the Americas.
Go walking slowly, but without pause, because hunger is pressing, and the Rio Lerma Street, parallel to Reforma, calls with its multiple offers: tacos in The Chinampa , steak in the Quebracho , ceviche in the brewery … Or you can also cross Reforma, and try the seafood of From sea to sea , the tacos al pastor of The Tizoncito or the potato flautas of Tony's House .
**Order the coffee for a paper cup in a ** Cielito Querido **** (the Mexican version of the green mermaid) and wear it, there is no time to lose: the museums await us.
4:30 p.m. In the second city in the world with the most museums (after London) , how to choose? Difficult task, without a doubt... Here we give you two ideas, because leaving him alone in one is an impossible mission.
Anthropology National Museum
Option one: many people will tell you that if you can only visit one museum in Mexico City, make sure it is the one Anthropology Museum .
Proposing to see this entire museum could result in you missing your connection at the airport, so if you decide on this tour of the Mexico history (since the arrival of the Mexica, through the Aztec empire, the glory of Tenochtitlán and the Spanish arrival ), choose before entering which specific rooms you want to visit. You will have to leave the rest for the next visit (which there will be, there will be).
A piece of advice, if you decide on this museum, buy the ticket online because queues go around the block.
Entrance of the Frida Kahlo Museum
Option two: if yours is surrealism and contemporary history, after a quick trip by subway (or taxi, if you prefer to see the city go by) Coyoacán awaits you, and in it, the Frida Kahlo Museum.
The blue House, as it is popularly known, deceives on the outside, but it is easy to spend several hours exploring the ancient rooms of Frida and Diego , and philosophize about life, death and revolution from one of the garden benches.
8:00 p.m. As soon as the sun goes down, head to the quintessential nightlife district in the old DF. The Countess , rising stronger than ever after the September 2017 earthquake, she welcomes you with open arms and a "chela" (cold beer. Dare with a different dinner, like the chilaquiles pizza from black dog or a flank steak with chili in the ** Bodeguita del Medio **.
If you have been left wanting more Historical Center, the gastronomic legend that is Tacuba Coffee awaits you
If their walls could talk, they would tell you gossip about politicians and singers, or would they give details of what Diego Rivera ate at his wedding with his first wife. But since they can't, focus on tasting their traditional Mexican menu, which will ask for your full attention.
Too many options? Don't be overwhelmed: this first visit is just to make your mouth water. **Mexico City has, as you have seen, much more to offer. You will come back. **
Café Tacuba, an emblem of the city