Mexico City Safety
 

Hello

I was wondering if is safe to visit Mexico City

What safety precautions should be taken

I realize that authorized taxis must be taken from the airport, but what other precautions should a person take

Your help is greatly appreciated!!

As safe as any other big city. And safer than many. If you take the metro, go during off-peak times and watch your pockets. And be careful of clowns in Chapultepec. They will make you look like a fool.

Hi Travnick!

As Baldone says, Mexico City is safe as any other big city. Mexico City is even said as the safest place in the whole country, but well anything can happen anywhere so use common sense (don't wear too fancy or with expensive-looking jewelry/watches, keep your passport at your hotel safe, stay in tourist areas, ask your hotel staff what are the areas you should avoid...). Otherwise, it is always best to use 'sitio' cabs rather than hailing a taxi on the street. Last but not least, be careful when crossing a street, Mexican drivers are a kind of aggressive and don't respect pedestrian very well.

Laurent

I'm no expert on the DF but I would research to make sure the hotel is in a good neighborhood, so you feel comfortable where you're staying.

Hi there-we just finished serving in the Peace Corps in Mexico and I can tell you they pretty paranoid about the places they let us go, but Mexico City is considered to be on the "safe" list.

The safety guidelines they gave us were exactly what people here have given you-we definitely rode the subway but never wore expensive stuff or flashed any pricey electronics (since we didn't have any!). The neighborhoods that volunteers seemed to stay in were very central:

Polanco-which is expensive but near the major sights. Condesa is also a great neighborhood but again not too many hotel choices. My husband and I always stayed in the Zona Rosa which can be a bit seedy but there are good hotel deals there and the subway access is really good. And some friends prefer the historic center-lots of inexpensive hotels but for me it seems too dense and to many tee shirt and tourist shops.

Coyoacán is really nice too-almost like a village and good if you can find the right hotel.

We always asked our hotel or restaurant to call us a cab-which usually is a private type cab that can be kind of pricey but we preferred the peace of mind, but we also walked, took buses and metro a lot and felt very safe doing that.

I agree with baldone and PuraAdventura. Mexico City, llike any major metropolis, has its seedy sections, but they are easy to avoid. Overall, Mexico city is one of the safest (and most fun) cities I've ever been to.

As for areas to stay: Mentioned above are Coyoacan (artsy and eclectic), la Condesa (cosmopolitan and classy) and Polanco Mexico city's Beverly Hills). All nice areas and connected by the metro system. One of my favorites is Colonia Roma near Chapultepec, a quiet, leafy, yuppie neighborhood of coffee bars and bookstores.

I would agree with the Roma area as well-lots of interesting restaurants starting to spring up there as well. Here is a nice food blog for DF:

http://www.goodfoodmexicocity.com/#/offtopic/

I visited Mexico City for a few days a little less than 2 years ago and I felt safe. The sheer size and amount of people was a little overwhelming but I really enjoyed the city and would like to go back again. I stayed in the Zona Rosa at the Galeria Plaza. I was happy with both the hotel and the surrounding area.

As safe as San Francisco. Not as safe as Weaverville.
Just use normal caution.
1. Be polite to all
2. Do Not flash money.
3. Stay out of areas you do Not belong
4. Do not get drunk & wander the streets

I would add to Stewbear's list:

Do not walk through the city parks after dark. Some of the parks have subway stops on the outskirts of the parks. Be sure you know exactly where you are walking when you get off at those stops after dark. Don't get confused and walk into the parks instead of staying on the outside of the parks and getting to your destination.

And btw, I have visited Mexico City over a dozen times in the last 20 yrs, and have never ever had any scary or unsafe experience there. And I venture off the beaten path, to the Arena For luche libre, to Plaza Mexico for bullfights, lots of out of the way places. And most of those trips have been as a solo female.

Just the information I was hoping to hear. We've avoided Mexico City for at least 10 years and want to go back.
Trying to figure out a nice area to stay. If I remember correctly Coyoacán is a bit far from the museums downtown? Is that where La Casa Azul is located? We used to stay in Zona Rosa, but from reading this and other sources it seems that area has gotten a bit run down. Not familiar with Colonia Roma, but it sounds interesting. Any suggestions on where to stay there? Thanks

Yes Coyoacán is where casa azul and yes it is a bit far from the museum area around the park.

High end choices for hotels will be mostly in Polanco:

Las Alcobas Mexico is the number one hotel on tripadvisor and that is there-but it is expensive

Our friends stayed in that area and loved it but they were using sheraton or marriott points, so if that is a possibility you could consider that area

We also stay in the zona rosa at the Suites Amberes. It is on a better street in the area and super easy to the metro. We use booking.com and they run $70-$100/night dependingon month and length of stay

Casa Condesa Amatlan 84 in Condesa gets good reviews but I haven't stayed there-that neighborhood is still accessible to the museums

For Roma,for better access try to stay in Roma Norte. I know a few PC volunteers liked the Segovia-but it is pretty old, so you might look at the map on booking.com to get an idea of where the hotels are in that district. It is a pretty big area so make sure you are in the place you want to be or are close to a good subway line.

Definitely go back to DF-we love it and it is much improved over the years I think!

Esme Travels has a recent report

http://www.fodors.com/community/mexi...-this-city.cfm

We stayed at the Hilton Reforma a loved it. We used the subway, cabs, and just plain walked. Frankly, most of the safety issues are in walking on sidewalks with big holes in them and not marked off!

To see my report from a couple of years ago, click on my name and scroll down to "trip reports".

Thanks, I had read Esme travels and that got me going on a trip to MC. Surfer girl, will check out your TR.