Mexico City safety
 

My wife and I are thinking about traveling to Mexico City with a tour company. We would like to hear from other travelers about how safe or unsafe they have found Mexico City to be. We would also be interested in hearing from others about the best places to visit in and around the city. Finally, if you have taken a trip to Mexico City with a tour company we would appreciate hearing about your experiences/recommendations. Thank you.

It is the job of the tour company's staff/guides to keep you safe. That's part of the high cost you pay for on a tour. The other part is to take you to "the best places" without your having to do much work/research.
However, I was recently there, traveling independently as a solo female (non-Latin-looking, mid-age), and did not feel unsafe at any time while sightseeing and exploring neighborhoods. For example, I took photos with my iPhone and no one even looked.
I read and used several paper and ebook guidebooks to get familiar with the city and help plan for the trip. Suggest you do the same.

I don't find Mexico City particularly unsafe if you observe even reasonable precautions. You can walk around the busy tourist areas at night safely to visit restaurants and nightspots. You can take the subway and taxi (so long as you call one ... even with improvements, I'm not sure I'd hail one on the street).

Going with a tour group, you'll be insulated from pretty much all the issues you might have. When I went to Mexico City last I didn't feel at all unsafe and thought it was a great place, albeit with horrible horrible traffic.

The anthropology museum is one of the world's best and really not to be missed. It's hard to explain really how amazing it is. You don't want to miss the Diego Rivera murals in the Palacio Nacional and the nearby cathedral. I truly enjoyed visiting Frida Kahlo's house in Coyacan, which is an idyllic little neighborhood where you can walk and explore. It's a great place to go on a Sunday because the park will be filled with families, and there are good restaurants and a great ice cream shop right on the sqaure. And if you're interested at all in wrestling, Lucha Libre is a fun nighttime excursion.

You can take day-trips out of the city to visit pyramids and other sights. It's nice to go up in the mountains.

The city has wonderful hotels and good restaurants, and I think you'll have fun.

As a tourist, you are probably just going to be in the historical center and nearby neighborhoods (eg,Polanco, Roma, COndesa, etc). So I wouldn't worry about that. There is more crime in some of the suburbs, gangs, etc. but I can't imagine you are going there (like east of the airport, but also other areas--Tepito a NE of the historic center). I think that is where you may read about shootings around bars, etc. And a lot of that has to do with people involved in crime, although not always, there are bystanders who can get hurt. like these, although a bit old

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3404561.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/worl...icle-1.1730227

see, those weren't in the historic center, so I presume you aren't going to be hanging around dicey bars after midnight in questionable areas. I can't imagine a tour company would do that. I've only been there alone and stayed in Condesa, it was nice. I did a local day tour company to some places, but just booked the hotel and flights on my own.

We were there last year with a family of 5.

My experience is that Mexicans are very friendly, we had a very honest taxidriver (we let him be called by the hotel) who waited for us whilst I retrieve money to pay him - not sure how many in Europe would do that).

Never felt unsafe. We didn't wander much after dark though.

We got one Ipad stolen, in a resort - by a tourist.

I'd go to the pyramids in the north - about 2 hours drive ?
Teotihuacan ? always stumble on that one.

Any updates on this thread? I am getting ready to recommend Mexico City to a coworker who loves archaeology. And I am also trying (unsuccessfully it seems) to talk my spouse into going at Christmas. The exchange rate right now looks fantastic.

I spent a week there. We took lots of taxis and I took taxis alone. I never felt the least bit unsafe.

@dwdvagamundo--If you do talk her into it, stay in one of the more residential neighborhoods and not in the historic center (not unsafe, but too many homeless, including families, and more rundown looking) and she may feel more comfortable. Plenty of lovely little neighborhood posadas.

Thanks. We used to go to Mexico City often, and stayed at the Howard Johnson (Gran Hotel Ciudad) right on the Zocalo and loved it. If we were to go again, we would stay there.

We're O.K. with the homeless and rundown but not O.K. with violence and narcotraficantes, which is the main thing holding my spouse back.

I will recommend Mexico City to my colleague.

The problem I've always had with Mexico City is that when I start thinking about it, I want to return!

Agree with Samba, in that neighborhoods such Roma or Condesa are probably the more desirable places to stay. I love the historic center, but it's kinda dead in the evenings. There's a lot to be said for just walking out of a hotel in Roma and being able to grab a microbrew, good coffee, etc. Pleasant, safe strolling in the evenings along tree lined streets. The only problem is deciding where to eat. A good balance would be to spend time in both? Contrast the old with the new. Though Condesa/Roma's architecture is more art deco than modern.