Mexico City is one of those places you either really want to go to or you are really petrified of, last year when we got a whirl at Netflix’s new show about it, it suddenly shifted drastically towards it being a glamorous place everyone wanted to go to (at least with my friend circles).
The more I researched the city, the more I realized that all of the iconic places that illustrate Mexican culture where all 30 miles away from Mexico City, so I did what I know how to do best, I bought some tickets, found a nice hotel and found myself on a flight to the city.
The days, hours, minutes and seconds leading up to the trip, where probably some of the scariest, most anxiety-filled moments of my year – filled with lots of Googling.
The day of the trip started off like any other traveling day, trying to get ready in a comfy, yet stylish attire that won’t annoy TSA and packing our last minute items.
And then the adventure began. Our traveling began driving from the San Diego metropolitan area to the south of the border, where we crossed by foot through a very cool bridge/area called the Cross border Xpress. If you haven’t heard about this place, I don’t blame you, we hadn’t either.
It is a connecting area that takes you from the United States to the Tijuana Airport without actually having to drive to Mexico and wonder your way to the airport. It is super clean, safe and even has a Starbucks lol.
Having only traveled a couple of times through Tijuana, I was very impressed by this area along with the airport itself. Did I mention everyone spoke English at the airport? And the plane too?
If you have never traveled to the city, I highly recommend giving flying through Tijuana a shot if you live close enough. It will save you some $$$$ and increase your taco budget 😉
Landing at Mexico City was a trip. As you are descending all you can see for miles are hundreds of thousands of little colorful houses stacking every hill in the horizon, it was breathtaking!
In order, here was our itinerary for our trip, which was based on all of the recommendations I found on other blogs along with what some friends and locals recommended! I will be writing individual blogs with even more information and tips on what to do if you do visit any of these places, so be on the lookout for that!
- Polanco
- The Historic Center
- El Zocalo
- The Angel of Independence
- Bosque de Chapultepec
- El Castillo de Chapultepec
- Xochimilco
- Teotihuacan
Some general tips for your trip, are as follows:
Yelp Sucks
Ok, this isn’t much of a tip, but I quickly found that Mexicans do not really spend their days leaving reviews on Yelp. TripAdvisor actually had a lot more reviews for restaurants along with Google Reviews. As a rule of thumb, if you are a foreigner, I highly recommend eating at some of the nicer restaurants to avoid any sort stomach revenge from happening to you. Polanco, Condesa and Roma are very safe and highly recommended!
Avoid Drinking Tap Water
This includes ice. Avoid ice cream, unless from a high-end place, and brush your teeth with bottled water whenever possible. Be on the lookout for little grocery stores or 7eleven to stock up on water to avoid getting ripped off by the hotels. The hotel we stayed at in Polanco actually charged up 5 dollars for a tiny bottle of water.
Do not be scared of the language
Believe it or not, most people will speak English. This includes drivers!
Dress Up!
Locals have a great sense of style in Mexico City, to be sure to dress up and have fun when going out for cocktails and dinner!
UBER
I was told many scary stories from locals about taxis, buses etc. So to stay safe, just Uber everywhere. Prices are surprisingly cheap. We actually took a few Uber rides that lasted hours and were less than 15 dollars!
Make time for breakfast
Breakfast in Mexico City will forever have my heart. I loved every single place I had breakfast in and loved how every place made breakfast a 3 course meal. At most restaurants you are instantly greeting with either a selection of freshly baked Mexican breads, fruit, yogurt or delicious craft coffees to start your meal, which is so nice, and honestly I am confused as to why we don’t do that in the states.
Eat lots of chilaquiles
Ok, this is technically still breakfast. But please, do yourself a favor and order as many chilaquiles as you can!!!!
