Fodor's Expert Review Museo Dolores Olmedo

In Xochimilco, on the outskirts of the city, is a superb collection of paintings by Frida Kahlo and the largest private collection of works by Diego Rivera. The museum was established by Dolores Olmedo, his lifelong model, patron, and onetime mistress. The lavish display of nearly 150 pieces from his cubist, post-cubist, and mural periods hangs in a magnificent 17th-century hacienda with lovely gardens. Kahlo's paintings are in a separate, adjacent hall; however, more often than not in recent years, the museum has lent them for traveling exhibitions around the world, so check ahead to ensure they're here if this is the main reason you're visiting. Concerts and entertainment for children are presented on weekends, while gaggles of geese and strutting peacocks amble about the grounds, adding to the clamor. There is a lovely small café in a glassed-in gazebo, and a variety of compelling rotating exhibits are held in other buildings around the property. During the month of October, the museum presents one of the better Día de Muertos displays in the city. You can reach the museum by taking the metro to Tasqueña station, and then catching the light-rail to La Noria (not Xochimilco), which is a five- to seven-minute walk away. By car, it's about a 40- to 50-minute drive from El Centro, but many visitors combine a stop here with boating on the canals in Xochimilco or strolling around historic Tlalpan.