A lady with purple hair walks along the part of Paseo de la Reforma that cuts through Chapultepec Park in Mexico City.

Travel Guide to Mexico City: 6 Trendy Neighbourhoods to Explore

As the largest city in North America, planning a visit to Mexico City can get overwhelming. This travel guide to Mexico City covers six vibrant neighbourhoods that I enjoyed exploring. From iconic monuments, world-class museums, and the hidden gems in between, I hope this post inspires you take the leap and be able navigate the Mexican capital with confidence.

Because of its nickname “The City of Palaces”, Mexico City had always captured my imagination and was high on my bucket list. I dreamt of taking a stroll on the Zócalo (the main square) and visiting many of the (rumoured) 200 museums within the city.

Bellas Artes building in Mexico City. — The Bellas Artes building is a Mexico City icon.

My dream became a reality when I visited CDMX (acronym for Ciudad de México) to celebrate Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead). The Día de Muertos festivities dominated my Mexico City itinerary. I also didn’t expect to meet some pretty awesome people while there. I ended up abandoning my original plans and doing a couple day trips with them. In the end, I only had my last Monday in the country to cross off as many items on my CDMX wish list.

Related: The Top 5 Things to Know About Day of the Dead in Mixquic, Mexico

What I didn’t expect: MOST museums and public buildings on the Zócalo are closed on Mondays! Despite my disappointment, I remained determined to make the most of my time in CDMX. I was in freaking Mexico City!

Because I was constantly revising my plans, I admittedly didn’t explore the city in the most efficient way. But this is precisely why I am writing this post. In this travel guide to Mexico City, I cover six of my favourite CDMX neighbourhoods to explore with suggestions for things to see and do in each.

Watercolour drawing of Mexico City’s trendiest neighbourhoods. — My rough sketch on the geography of each *colonia.*

Travel Guide to Mexico City’s Trendiest Colonias

Map courtesy of Wanderlog, the best trip planner app on iOS and Android

Centro Histórico

Centro Histórico WAS Mexico City up until the 1900s. After the Mexican Revolution, the city grew rapidly and the urban sprawl spilled westward. Today, Centro Histórico is the historic centre of CDMX. It is here where you will find the famous Zócalo – the main square in central Mexico City.

Centro Histórico roughly correlates to where the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan once stood. The Aztecs founded Tenochtitlan on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. It was the grandest city in all of Mesoamerica and rivaled many European cities. By the time the Spanish arrived, a sophisticated system of canals and causeways served thousands of residents that lived in and near Tenochtitlan. There were great towers and buildings built out of masonry coming out of the lake that the Spaniards questioned whether the city was a dream…

… so naturally, the Spaniard razed the entire city and founded CDMX on Tenochtitlan’s ruins.

A woman walks through a crowd and colonial buildings near the Zocalo in the Centro Historico neighbourhood of Mexico City. — Notice how the buildings are leaning in. Mexico City has been slowly sinking for centuries because it was built on an old lake bed.

For centuries, the political, economic and social life of Mexico City unfolded from the Zócalo area. The cityscape changed as the 16th century saw a boom of churches and then an 18th century craze to build the most opulent homes. The concentration of opulent churches and homes found in this area earned CDMX its nickname “The City of Palaces”. Any Centro street is a trip back in time!

A shot of the Zocalo in Mexico city taken from the interior of the Metropolitan Cathedral. — This pic captures the very layered history of Mexico City: Aztec dancers on the square, with Porfirio era buildings in the background, all captured from the Metropolitan Cathedral.

This travel guide to Mexico City is for those who have limited time in the city. It only covers my highlights. More comprehensive guides on Centro Histórico are available.

Points of interest:

Templo Mayor – are the ruins of the main temple of the Mexica peoples (aka the Aztecs). Throughout the neighborhood, you can find traces of the old Aztec capital destroyed by the conquistadors. Templo Mayor is a dedicated archaeological site to CDMX before the Spanish conquest.

Note: Templo Mayor is closed on Mondays.

Metropolitan Cathedral – the oldest cathedral in the Americas. It was built over top the sacred precinct of the Aztecs which includes Templo Mayor.

A shot of the Metropolitan Cathedral exterior from the Zocalo in the Centro Historico neighbourhood of Mexico City. — The Metropolitan Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in the Americas. This structure in particular has been sinking for hundreds of years.

History of Mexico mural in the Palacio Nacional – or Palacio Nacional is a government building that dominates the eastern side of the Zócalo. The conquistadors built the Palacio over the ruins of the former palaces of the Aztec rulers, using many of the original building materials from Moctezuma II’s palace. In the main stairwell of the Palacio Nacional is the History of Mexico mural by Diego Rivera. This epic mural traces Mexico’s history from ancient to current times.

Note: this building is closed to the public on Mondays. You can find many Diego Rivera murals throughout the neighborhood and they are free of charge! Looking for these murals is another great way to explore the city.

This is ONE portion of Diego Rivera’s epic mural at the Palacio Nacional. Source: WikiCommons

Torre Latinoamericana – the world’s first major skyscraper successfully built on highly active seismic zone. It survived an 8.1 magnitude earthquake without damage. On its 44th floor, you can find Mexico’s highest observation deck.

Torre Latinoamericana in Mexico City. Photo by Gabo Romay on Unsplash

Zone Rosa

Directly west of Centro Histórico is the Zona Rosa neighbourhood. Here you can find the centre of CDMX’s gay community and Little Korea (‘Pequeño Seúl’ en español). The Angel of Independence, CDMX’s most recognizable landmark, is located here. Zona Rosa is popular for its vibrant nightlife, restaurants, and luxury hotels.

Points of Interest:

Angel of Independence – is a monument to celebrate Mexico’s first 100 years of independence from Spanish rule. A mausoleum at the base of El Angel inters heroes of Mexican Independence. By a very special permit, you can climb to the top of the monument.

Angel of Independence in Mexico City — Torre Latinoamericana in Mexico City. Photo by Gabo Romay on Unsplash

Roma

South of Zona Rosa and west of Centro Historico is the Roma neighbourhood. In the early 19th century, this area was a residential area for wealthy people who wanted to get away from the deterioration of the city centre. The streets and houses were designed and built based on European styles which gave the neighbourhood a very unique character.

Many of the wealthy moved out to more modern neighbourhoods in the 1950s and the old mansions of Roma fell to disrepair. Modern, multi-use buildings replaced many mansions, altering the character of the neighborhood. Between the 1950s and 1990s, Roma started to decline from its former upscale glory. In the 2000s, it had a revival as a bohemian neighbourhood attracting artisanal businesses back in the area. These businesses attracted young writers, artists, and hipsters back to the neighbourhood and rent started to rise.

The fountain with the David statue in Plaza Rio de Janeiro, Roma Norte neighbourhood of Mexico City. — Plaza Rio de Janeiro in the middle of the Colonia Roma. Famed for its replica of the David statue, you can also see the best examples of the colonia’s architecture from this vantage point.

While Roma is seen as the grittier counterpart of the Condesa neighbourhood, it is known as the centre of hipster culture. It also rivals the Polanco colonia as the center of Mexico City gastronomy scene. The neighbourhood has an exciting nightlife, plenty of charming cafes, as well as bars and restaurants. There have also been efforts in restoring the colonia back to its aristocratic and upscale glory.

A woman with purple hair stands in front of an ivy-covered wall in the Roma neighbourhood of Mexico City. — I couldn’t resist taking a photo at this ivy-covered wall at Mexico City’s hipster neighbourhood. I was hiding meat drippings on my shirt with my hair in this pic. Do not miss out on the great food if you’re ever in Colonia Roma.

Points of Interest

Avenida Álvaro Obregón – is the largest street in the neighbourhood where you can enjoy the Art Nouveau and Neo-Classical architecture of the surviving, original mansions.
Mercado Roma – is a gourmet food hall offering organic and other food products for sale. There are stands where visitors can eat a variety of cuisines (pozole, tacos, tapas, hamburgers, oh my!). Some of the stands are from famous restaurants and shops outside the food hall.

Condesa

Directly west of Colonia Roma is Condesa. This area was once part of an estate belonging to a countess – hence its name. La Condesa is a very fashionable neighbourhood with plenty of shops, bars, restaurants, parks, and a trendy night life. Like its hipster counterpart (Roma), Condesa is architecturally significant to CDMX. You can find a large concentration of Art Deco buildings in this neighbourhood.

Points of Interest

Parque Mexico – a large urban park that serves as La Condesa’s cultural centre. They often hold community events here.
Avenida Ámsterdam – an elliptical avenue adjacent to Parque Mexico. Take a stroll on it to see the Art Deco and modest homes in the colonia.

Polanco

Known as the “Beverly Hills of Mexico”, Polanco is an upscale community renowned for its luxury shopping. It boasts the most Michelin star restaurants, high net-worth residents, upscale hotels, and diplomatic missions and embassies in the entire country. Polanco has one of the most desirable real estate markets in Latin America.

A woman walks on the second floor balcony of a bookstore past book-lined walls. — Not your typical shot of Polanco but my favourite CDMX bookstore can be found there. I lost hours here looking at books AND admiring the Art Nouveau building the store is housed in.

Points of Interest:

Museo Soumaya – a modern museum that was built by Carlos Slim who at the time was the world’s richest man. The museum exhibits around 66,000 pieces of art. Slim acquired the world’s largest collection of casts and sculptures by Rodin outside of France.

Pujol – is Mexico City’s best restaurant (according to Wall Street Journal). For those interested, this restaurant serves Mexican flavours but through molecular gastronomy. Pujol has ranked in Restaurant Magazine’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants for seven consecutive years.

Chapultepec

I’m finishing this travel guide to Mexico City with my favourite neighbourhood <3

Once upon a time, this area and what is now Colonia Tacubaya was a popular rural area for CDMX high society to visit and enjoy the fresh air away from the city center. Today, Bosque de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Park) dominates the neighborhood, creating an overall tranquil vibe. Its proximity to other trendy CDMX colonias such as Tacubaya, Polanco, and La Condesa makes it an ideal neighbourhood to stay in when visiting CDMX.

A woman walks through Bosque Chapultepec or Chapultepec Park in Mexico City. — Chapultepec Park in Mexico City.

Points of Interest:

Bosque de Chapultepec – one of the largest and oldest urban parks in the world. Known as the lungs of Mexico City, it is twice the size of New York City’s Central Park. The park has nine museums, restaurants, a zoo, an amusement park, and plenty of recreational green space.

Museum of Anthropology – the largest and most visited Mexican museum. It contains artifacts from pre-Colombian Mexico.

Travel tip: the museum is free for locals on Sundays and may be busier than usual. The museum is closed on Mondays.
Chapultepec Castle – home of the National Museum of Cultures. The castle was formerly a gunpowder warehouse, military academy, residence of Emperor Maximilian I and Empress Carlotta, and official residence of the President of Mexico. While the castle itself is impressive, its unparalleled views and terraces offers the best views of CDMX.

Travel tip: Chapultepec Castle is closed on Mondays.
Paseo de la Reforma – a wide avenue that runs diagonally across the neighbourhoods mentioned in this post. Emperor Maximillian I commissioned it in the 1860s, originally naming it Paseo de la Emperatriz (Promenade of the Empress). It linked Chapultepec Castle directly to the city center (modern day Centro Histórico). It was designed to rival the avenues of Europe. After Maximilian’s execution, they renamed the avenue Paseo de la Reforma. On Sundays, Reforma closes to car traffic, providing pedestrians and cyclists with an opportunity to enjoy the area between the Castle and the Zócalo.