🌮 Mexico City: Where History, Tacos, and Chaos Collide (In the Best Way Possible)
History, markets, and midnight tacos: this is how you do Mexico City.
Mexico City (CDMX if you want to sound like a cool local) is one of the biggest cities in the world, but don’t let the size intimidate you. This is a place made for exploring on foot and by metro (if you’re not afraid to squeeze into a subway car and keep your hand on your wallet.) The energy is nonstop: Aztec ruins and colonial cathedrals shadowed by glass towers, street tacos sizzling well after midnight, neighborhoods where one block feels Parisian and the next feels futuristic.
Ignore the outdated warnings and the reputation for danger and chaos; yes, it’s messy, yes there’s crime like any big city, but it’s also one of the most rewarding urban adventures you’ll ever have. Skip the fear. Lean into the layers. This is one of the world’s great urban adventures.
Street Food Is Religion
CDMX runs on street food. Tacos al pastor carved from vertical spits, quesadillas stuffed with huitlacoche (corn fungus, trust me…it’s delicious), steaming tamales, and even late-night “danger dogs” wrapped in bacon. (Yes, hot dogs wrapped in bacon and deep-fried…you’ll never look at “Mexican food” the same way again. The rule? Follow the crowds. If locals are queued up, get in line…it’s very likely you’ve found gold.
Markets That Hit All Five Senses
San Juan is famous for the adventurous stuff (chapulines, escamoles, even exotic meats). For an everyday feast, try Mercado de Medellín: fruit, moles, seafood, and fondas serving unforgettable lunches on plastic stools.
Chapultepec: The Green Lung of CDMX
Bigger than Central Park, Bosque de Chapultepec is weekend life at its very essence: vendors, families, and shade for days. Climb to the castle for history and city views, then wander lakes and paths below.
History Everywhere
CDMX sits atop the ancient city of Tenochtitlán. You can stand at Templo Mayor downtown, then dive deep at the National Museum of Anthropology…a must for understanding Mexico’s civilizations. I’m very very much not a museum person, and even I was so fascinated I spent more than three hours here…definitely a museum record for me. Leave time for Diego Rivera murals at the Palacio Nacional if schedules align.
Beyond the Usual
Balance the colonial core with a look at modern CDMX in the suburban business neighborhood of Santa Fe. Coffee shops, malls, and high-rises. Then swing to Coyoacán for weekend plazas and the Frida Kahlo House (La Casa Azul)—lines are long, but the insight into her life is worth it.
👉 Just a few blocks away is the Leon Trotsky Museum, the fortified house where the exiled Russian revolutionary lived his last years…and where he met his brutal end in 1940, assassinated with an ice axe. The rooms are preserved almost as he left them, turning the visit into both history and crime scene.
5 Tips to Make Your Mexico City Trip Count
🌮 Eat fearlessly. If locals are lined up, join them. Your best taco bets are probably un-Googleable.
🚇 Ride the Metro. Fast and cheap; just stay alert for pickpockets and keep bags zipped. A real insight into how the city works and lives.
🖼️ Prioritize the big three. National Museum of Anthropology, Frida Kahlo House, and Chapultepec Castle.
🛍️ Do a food tour. Sabores Mexico layers stories over snacks; San Juan market is a highlight…come hungry!
☕ Neighborhood hop. Roma/Condesa for cafés, Centro for history, Coyoacán for weekends, Santa Fe for the future-facing city.
Also: get out of the city for a day! Some great day hikes in the mountains, and a day trip to Cholula or Puebla is a good call.