Questions concerning our 6 day stay in Mexico City
 

We are spending 5 full days in Mexico City (after spending 3 days in Puebla).This is our first trip to Mexico and I have a few questions regarding the best way to tailor our 5 days in Mexico City. We arrive on a Friday from Puebla and fly out of MEX on the following Thursday, giving us Saturday through Wednesday to explore.

I know most museums are closed on Monday so we will go to the pyramids outside the city on Monday. We love visiting museums, but I have heard that the museums are very crowded on Sundays because they are free for Mexicans. Is there a place or museum that we could visit on Sunday to avoid the crowds, short of the boat ride on the canal ,which doesn't seem all that interesting to me? I've read that on Sundays one should plan on going to a paid museum/venue which is not free to Mexicans, but I do not know any specifics of this recommendation.

Also, if we take a taxi called by our hotel to Coyocan to the Freda K museum, how can we get a safe taxi to return us to our hotel in the zocalo? Would the museum call a taxi for us? How difficult is it to take a metro back to our hotel in the zocalo? We've used public transportation in many big cities, but I am unfamiliar with Mexico City subways. We have never used uber and don't want to in Mexico City

I've gotten great advice on hotels in Mexico City and Puebla, and I'm hoping to get equally useful information concerning the above questions. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

I took the subway everywhere we visited and found it easy to navigate although be prepared for crowds. We took the subway to Coyoacan for the Freda Kahlo Museum although I remember it was a bit of a walk. Definitely try to spend some time walking around after the Kahlo Museum; this was our favorite neighborhood in Mexico City. Some of the details escape me at the moment but you can click on my username for my trip report on my visit to the city in 2015.

Hi tripplanner001-I just read your fabulous trip report on your 5 days in Mexico City. We plan on doing many of the same things you did.

I asked a question on your TR regarding your use of taxis, and if you did anything in particular to make sure they were safe when you hailed them on the street. I'd be happy to use a combination of taxis and public transportation if I knew what to look for when using a taxi not called by my hotel.

Shelley, I replied to you on the other thread, but in case you see this first, I remember that we only took marked taxis and they are usually parked in front of hotels and major tourist attractions. There may have been one or two instances in which we had to walk a block or wait a few minutes, but marked taxis were not hard to find.

WE hire a driver arranged through our Hotel (The Majestic) to drop us off at various locations of interest arranging for a pick up at a set time. That way the driver can pick up other fares not having to wait for us. This seems to work well
Now some days such as trips to the Pyramids we kept him all day.

We took a regular taxi from the FK museum. You might get the museum people to call a radio cab for you but I would not depend on that.

But let's say you plan to walk around Coyoacan after the museum visit. Then if you are squeamish about taking a street taxi (we took them many times, in fact, almost always) you might have some luck asking a person in the restaurant to call one for you. Offer to let them use your cell phone. And if not at the restaurant, I'd bet a passerby would do this--use your judgement about who you ask.

We did not use the Metro much as it is not always convenient to a destination, or to a starting point.

And please: Make sure you have a map or directions to show a taxi driver. the one we took TO the Kahlo museum had no idea where it was and all I could say was "en Coyoacan."

This is from my trip report here, from two years ago:



When coming from the airport......."Make sure to have the address of your hotel, not just the name. The same is true of sights. It is not enough to ask the driver to take you to Hotel Las Alcobas in Polanco, or to the Frida Kahlo House in Coyoacan. You need the exact address, preferably with the cross streets. Even better, bring a map that you have looked at beforehand so you know at least a vague idea of the route. While these cautions may be less true of “hotel” or sito taxis, we almost always (with the exception of the ride from the airport and a few rides after dark) used street taxis. We saw no GPSs in any taxi and most drivers do not speak any English. Nor will they offer to phone their base to ask directions, so prepare to spend some time riding around while the driver works out your ultimate destination. I will add here that I speak fluent Spanish and am at least vaguely familiar with the general outline of the city; newcomers with no Spanish skills should pay extra attention to my words of advice, above."


Here is the full report:


http://www.fodors.com/community/mexi...bla-oaxaca.cfm

ekscrunchy-Just read your trip report and am looking forward to trying some of your recommended restaurants, especially Las Ranas in Puebla. The tacos sound fabulous. Thanks so much for the link to your TR.

I would take the subway to Coyoacan. The stop nearest the FK museum is Viveros, I believe. Viveros is a beautiful park where the trees are grown to plant around the city. You will be surprised at the appearance of the joggers that pass by, and that will be a clue as to the ethnic/class divides in Mexico. Yes, you do have to hoof it a mile or so, but it's good for you.

It's easy to get a taxi in Coyoacan,they are everywhere. Just hail one on the street. The ongoing suspicion that Mexico City taxis are "dangerous" is ridiculous. I've taken them frequently, and you will see Mexicans along with foreigners taking taxis everywhere.

Another plan might be to go there by taxi (which your hotel can arrange) and then walk to Viveros station along the beautiful Av. Francisco Sosa, and take the Metro back. Because midday traffic, even on a Sunday, can be unbearable and you might be sitting in the cab for more than hour.

Most taxis in Mexico City that I had did NOT have seat belts, and were pretty run down. I researched and apparently there is no law in Mexico that cars must have seat belts, even taxis (this was just a couple years ago), at least in the back seat. The driver usually has one, but not the passengers. Sorry, but that is dangerous. The fact that Mexicans take them is irrelevant as there were a lot of things in Mexico City that Mexicans did that I thought were not good, like the litter, filth and pollution. There is a different mentality there regarding the environment and consumer safety standards.

I did refuse one taxi that did not have seat belts, and in another, I refused to sit in the back seat without one and sat in the front seat which had one. This works if you are only one person.

Actually taking the metro from the Zocalo to the Viveros stop in Coyoacan may be the most convenient way. Then you have a very pleasant walk of 20 minutes or so to Frida Kahlo museum and also to the town center around the Jardin Centenario. Coy. is a long way from the Zocalo (Coy. used to be a separate town and then was gobbled up by Mexico City).

A good hotel near the Zocalo is the Hotel Catedral, just two blocks behind the .... (you guessed it!) Cathedral.

While you are in Coy., think about visiting the Trotsky Museum, his last home in exile (a Stalinist agent assassinated him in his study there). Trotsky was the occasional lover of Frida Kahlo. The Casa Azul is intensely moving for lovers of Mexican art (have you seen the movie "Frida"? Do.)

Re taxi or no taxi: apparently Uber is now all over Mexico City and easy to use.

Why wouldn't you use Uber?
When you mention the canals, I assume you're referring to Xochimilco? Indeed, it is very busy on the weekends but offers some hilarious insight to CDMX culture.
One Sunday option might be Chapultepec park? It will also be busy, but is spacious and again offers a glimpse of weekend life of locals. You could stroll up to the castle, see how busy it is, and if nothing else the views are excellent.
As far as taxis are concerned, the days of pirate taxis are a thing of the past. That said, there's a chance that you'd hail a taxi that is a sitio (or claims to be) that might want charge you more.

When I last was in Mexico City we used a combo of taxis, Uber and private drivers arranged by our hotel. We took a taxi to Coyoacan, to Trotsky's house. Spent the rest of the afternoon seeing the FK museum, and doing a self-guided walking tour of the area (churches, historical buildings, etc.). This was a Sunday and Coyoacan was mobbed with people enjoying the day. Talk about lively and excellent people watching I would think Chapultepec Park would also be a good Sunday activity.

Took an Uber back to our hotel in Condesa.

Traffic can be slow in the DF.

We just arrived home from our 3 nights in Puebla and 5 days in Mexico City. I want to thank all of the Fodorites who answered my questions (on this thread and one other)for their encouragement and excellent advice which made our trip wonderful. I will try to post a TR after taking care of the laundry, mail and other things that need attention.

Welcome home. Happy to hear that you had a good time and looking forward to your report.

Me, too!!