Ultimate 4 Day Mexico City Itinerary for the Perfect Weekend

Our 4 day Mexico City itinerary makes for the perfect weekend getaway; packed with city adventures, delicious food, a taste of Mexican culture, and a few museums round out the trip. We put together this trip with the help of ChatGPT, some friends and family recommendations, and finally had someone from Mexico City sign off on the trip to make sure we wouldn’t miss a thing. Mexico City is one of the most underrated cities we’ve ever visited, and our itinerary left no room for regrets!

Planning Your Trip to Mexico City

Top Things to Do in Mexico City

For a full list of the Top 20 Things to Do in Mexico City, check out our other blog post here. We also like to tag all of our destination locations in a Google Map. You can view all our Google Maps on our Travel Maps page, or check out our Mexico City map below.

Where to Stay

On the southwest side of Mexico City, you’ll find the quaint neighborhoods of La Condesa and Roma Norte, which is the ideal location to stay in Mexico City. This area has the perfect balance of coffee shops, foods, pedestrian-friendly streets, street food, parks, and proximity to tourist attractions. You’ll find plenty of hotel and Airbnb options in this area. If we ever go back, we will definitely be staying in this area again.

If you want to be a little bit removed from the bustle of the city and have a deeper cultural immersion experience, you could also look at staying in Coyoacan, the home of the Frida Kahlo museum and more delicious food. This was Sylvia’s favorite neighborhood to explore in Mexico City, so we could see the allure of staying here for a few days. However, it would require Uber rides back into the city center for a lot of the activities.

Getting Around Mexico City

Despite the travel advisories in Mexico right now, Mexico City is actually very safe for tourists, as long as you stick to pedestrian streets and don’t go wandering off creepy alley’s in the night. It’s just like any big city in the US – keep an eye on your belongings and don’t go anywhere sketchy. We didn’t run into a single issue during our long weekend.

That being said, females should avoid public transportation, and we would honestly recommend not using it at all. For longer distances, Use Ubers instead. Ubers in Mexico City are relatively affordable, especially if split between a couple of people. Our most expensive trip was $25 for a 1 hour drive to Xochimilco. The rest of the Ubers were $5-10 each.

For the majority of the trip, we actually opted to walk. Like we mentioned above, Roma Norte has a great proximity to many of the tourist locations, so if a destination was within a 30-40 minute walk, we used it as an opportunity to get in a little exercise and explore the city by foot.

Lastly, there are a decent amount of bikes for rent as an option.

Cash or Card?

Well established restaurants will take your typical credit cards, but we highly recommend bringing or pulling some cash for any itinerary in Mexico City. Street food is a must, and should be paid in cash. We recommend paying in exact cash as they’re not always enthusiastic on giving you change.

Best Time to Visit Mexico City

Much of your Mexico City itinerary should be spent outside, whether you’re exploring the neighborhoods or the ancient temples of Teotihuacan. That being said, what is the best time to visit Mexico City?

Mexico City’s rainy season is from June – August. Winter runs from Nov-Feb with slightly cooler temperatures.

Given this, the ideal time to visit is from March – May, where temperatures are mild and warm but your itinerary won’t be interrupted by non-stop downpour.

That being said, we visited in prime season of spring in May, and it still rained almost every evening, so bring a rain jacket and plan for rain!

Mexico City Itinerary

Things to Schedule Around

Before you commit to a specific schedule and start booking tours and tickets, there are a few excursions that require some planning around:

Fine Dining

Mexico City is known for it’s amazing food. If you’re open to splurging on a tasting menu at one of the Best Restaurants in the world, you should definitely make a reservation at Pujol or Quintonil. Reservations book quickly. We booked our lunch at Quintonil almost 2 months in advance for a Monday at 1pm, which was all they had left at the time. Plan ahead!

Museums are Closed on Mondays

Almost all museums, especially the top ones in Mexico City, are closed on Mondays. The only exception we found is the Soumaya museum. In general, Mexico City kind of shuts down Sunday night through Monday. So, in our itinerary, we recommend doing Teotihuacan and Xochimilco on Monday if your trip includes a Monday in the itinerary.

Museum Sundays

On Sundays, museums are free to residents and students of Mexico. Lines get crazy long and the areas get a little more packed than usual. Something to consider if you prefer a more private experience and have time to work around this.

Lucha Libre!

Since Lucha Libre was Satish’s favorite activity in Mexico City, we also recommend planning around this activity. The most convenient matches will be at Arena Mexico, walking distance from Roma Norte. These typically occur on Fridays and Sundays.

Rain

Even during the non peak rainy season of summer, you’ll likely run into a bit of rain in the evenings. For this reason, we planned museums in the late afternoon/evenings of our itinerary. The rain typically hits around 3-8pm in the afternoon but only last a few hours during the drier months.

Day 1 in Mexico City: Centro Historico, Street Food, to Lucha Libre

On your first day in Mexico City, we recommend taking the time to enjoy the city walking, enjoy the street food, and top the night off with some Lucha Libre (keep in mind this depends on if Lucha Libre is available on the first night of your stay). Here is how we suggest you pace your day:

Morning: Sleep in and Street Tacos!

For your first day in Mexico City, we recommend sleeping in a bit and heading out for some street food. We recommend this street food tour which can take you from La Condesa up to Zocalo, which is where we recommend spending the afternoon. Alternatively, if you prefer a DIY approach, start your morning walking to Zocalo, and stop by local street vendors for food on your way.

Afternoon

Once you reach Zocalo, the historical center of Mexico, you’ll be surrounded by historic architecture and a giant square. Spend your time walking around the square. When you’re ready, check out the Templo Mayor Museum and the Metropolitan Cathedral.

Early Dinner: Azul Historico

To avoid long wait times and needing a reservation, if you’re hungry, you can grab an early dinner at Azul Historico. If you’re not hungry yet, we recommend putting in a reservation for later in the evening. We highly recommend the tortilla soup and anything with their mole. Otherwise, everything on the menu is absolutely delicious.

Late Afternoon

After you’re finished explore the historical area, you should walk down Avenida Francisco I. Madero, a pedestrian-friendly street full of shops. You’ll follow this street to the Torre Latinoamerica – the tallest skyscraper in Mexico City. Tickets to the top are about ~$9-11 USD which we find reasonable given the views at the top. Last major stop, you’ll take a peak at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, which you’ll see from the top of the skyscraper and should walk by afterwards. The palace is stunning and has exhibits, operas, etc if you want to grab tickets for an event.

If you have extra time, you can walk through Alameda Central, the park next to the Palacio de Bellas Artes. On your way back to your hotel, you can also swing by Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela for some quick souvenir shopping.

Evening

For this evening, we recommend getting tickets to a Lucha Libre show. Head back to your hotel to freshen up before heading back out for the night. Since you may have had an early dinner, we recommend grabbing a quick churro snack. We loved Churreria El Moro. The churros are fried fresh and coated in cinnamon sugar in front of your eyes. The chocolate dip is the best, or a mix of the condensed milk and caramel.

For the grande finale of the evening, enjoy a Lucha Libre show. For a complete cultural experience, check out this tour that pairs a Lucha Libre show with a historical overview of the sport and a drink at a local tavern. Otherwise, you can grab tickets on ticketmaster to avoid the craziness of the box office at the arena.

Day 2 in Mexico City: Coyoacan to Xochimilco

Breakfast

For Day 2, there will be a lot of eating, so we recommend grabbing a light breakfast. For authentic Mexican breakfast, you can grab street breakfast tacos. These are called “tacos de canasta” or basket tacos. These are traditional breakfast street food tacos in Mexico, filled with potatoes (papas), beans (frijol), or pork (chicarron). Your best indication that you’ve found a tacos de canasta stand is a blue basket at the food stand.

Morning: Casa Azul

For the morning, grab a quick Uber to Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo’s museum. Spend a few hours here.

You NEED to get tickets in advance for this museum. They do not sell tickets at the door, and they do sell out, especially on weekends.

Lunch: Oaxacan or Tostados

For lunch, we recommend one of or both of these options: grabbing a sit-down meal at a local restaurant such as Corazon de Maguay OR heading to the local market for some tostados. We didn’t want to overeat, so we ate some street food and each grabbed a famous tostado from the Coyoacan Mercado. If you opt for the sit-down restaurant, you’ll want to order a tlayuda, which is an authentic dish from the Oaxacan region of Mexico. Essentially, it’s a “Mexican pizza” with a very crisp tortilla base and toppings.

Afternoon: Coyoacan

For the remainder of the afternoon, we recommend walking around the neighborhood of Coyoacan. You’ll find plenty of pretty streets, maybe a surprise market, some street food, and more. Make sure you try and stop by the Jardin Hidalgo for the huge Coyoacan sign, and cross the street to the Fuente de los Coyotes.

A 10 minute walk away, you’ll also find the Plaza de la Conchita and Parque Frida Kahlo which are worth a visit. For a cool book store, check out Centro Cultural Elena Garro.

Afternoon/Dinner: Xochimilco

For the rest of the afternoon, it’s time to party at Xochimilco, the famous canal full of colorful boats. In Mexico City, the residents basically treat Xochimilco like a family part/potluck destination. Families get together to celebrate birthdays, engagements, etc and each bring a dish to share. For tourists, there are plenty of vendors on the water to sell you tacos, elotes, or michaelada.

For the best experience, we recommend booking this tour on the river. Going with a group will make the experience more fun and genuine, paired with the guide to give you the history and a quick food preparation lesson. If you’re in Mexico City with a group already, we’d recommend just showing up to the port and renting a boat for your whole group for 600 pesos/hour. Watch out for tourist traps, they will immediately try to add a stereo system, private mariachi band, and more to your package without telling you the price up front. You can always add music and food along the way.

Day 3 in Mexico City: Avenida de la Reforma, Chapultepac, National Museum of Anthropology

Breakfast/Brunch

If you don’t sleep in and you have time for a sit-down breakfast, head early over to Lalo! and get the chilaquiles. Alternatively, street food is always easily accessible, authentic, delicious, and affordable.

Mid-Day: Avenida de la Reforma and Chapultepac

If this is a Sunday for you, you’ll want to check out Avenida de la Reforma. On Sundays, the street is closed off to cars and buses and becomes a huge avenue for pedestrians, but mostly bikers. We recommend grabbing a bike and joining in on the fun! Take the bike up/down the avenue, and then drop it off in Bosque Chapultepac, a park right off the avenue that houses the famous Castle de Chapultepac.

Spend your late morning/early afternoon walking through the park, stop by Lago Menor and make your way up to the Castle, which includes some museum-like rooms, beautiful architecture, and stunning grounds. If you’re hungry, you can grab a bite to eat from a vendor in the park. Alternatively, there’s also a great Guatalajaran restaurant, El Pialadero de Guadalajara nearby. You must get their drenched tortas.

Afternoon: National Museum of Anthropology

Since it commonly rains in the late afternoon/evening, we saved a museum for the latter part of the day. It’s also conveniently right across from the Bosque Chapultepac. But, feel free to move this around your itinerary as needed.

Our only big recommendation with the National Museum of Anthropology, is that you visit it BEFORE going to Teotihuacan.

Otherwise, know that you can easily spend 2-8 hours here our of your Mexico City itinerary. There are A LOT of rooms and exhibits.

Dinner: The BEST Tacos EVER

For dinner, on at least one night if you’re staying in the Roma Norte area, we highly recommend going to Taqueria Orinoco. The line can get long, but we promise it moves fast. These are hands-down the BEST al pastor tacos we have ever had. We highly recommend getting the Gringas dinner menu item, though anything is delicious here. It was so good, we went back 2 nights in a row during our personal Mexico City itinerary. Also, it’s incredibly affordable – we spent maybe $20-25 usd for 2 people.

Day 4 in Mexico City: Teotihuacan, Soumaya, Polanco

Morning: Teotihuacan

Make a very early start to Teotihuacan. We recommend planning an 8am arrival to beat the crowds, traffic, and heat for the best experience. You need about 3-5 hours to truly experience the whole thing. 3 hours would be pushing it and would be completely without a guide. Add another few hours of time for the full experience of listening to the guide give you the history around the city and its reconstruction.

Lunch: La Gruta

Next to Teotihuacan is a restaurant inside of a cave. I will warn you, compared to the rest of Mexico City, the food is just average. Going to La Gruta is more about the experience/ambiance. If you’d rather get good food, then head back to the city and eat there. We just didn’t want to leave this off the itinerary in case you wanted it on your list!

Afternoon: Soumaya Museum

Make your way over to the Soumaya Museum for the late afternoon. Again, we save a museum every evening in case it rains.

Dinner: Polanco

For the rest of the evening and for dinner, check out the neighborhood of Polanco. If you’re interested in fine dining, this is the night to check out Pujol or Quintonil. Note that Quintonil and Pujol are closed on Sundays, so you may need to move this day around in your itinerary.

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