Trip report: 5 days in Mexico City, plus Teotihuacan!
 

My mother and I spent a wonderful 7 days in Mexico, accidentally landing there at the start of Semana Santa and leaving the day before Easter. We had a terrific time and came back with lots of good tips and info I wanted to share with the Fodor's board.

We packed a lot into 6 or 7 days, so I'm dividing the trip up into 2 reports; this one is just on Mexico City. I'll start with all of the logistical stuff, then get into the daily things we did.


<b>HOTEL</b>: We stayed at Casa Comtesse in La Condesa; it was fine, but we wouldn't go back. The house is beautiful but the accommodations are a bit thoughtless. Our room, El Ambar, was small and *very* stuffy, with no window screen so ventilation was poor. One pillow each, no TV, no fan, no towel rails in the bathroom, few hangers, etc. We hoped for a B&B that felt like staying at someone's home, which this did. Unfortunately, it felt like we were intruding in someone's home. The owner was mots unwelcoming.

Breakfasts were great-- good food made to order, plus you shared the meal with other guests, which was really pleasant (and educational). But overall, for $80/night, it was not worth it. Plus it is understaffed so there was often no one to ask for basic information about the city, no concierge help, etc. If we go back to D.F., as we hope to, we'll try for the Red Tree House.

<b>AIRPORT TRANSFERS:</b> Transportation in Mexico City is always user-friendly. Getting an authorized taxi from the airport was a cinch. The Sitio 300 "Taxis autorizados" stand is bright yellow and right outside the exit from customs/baggage claim, just look for the ground transportation signs to find it. You pay in advance at the stand (there's an ATM close by, which i used), so it's all very reassuring and efficient. I think it was 130 pesos to our hotel in La Condesa.

<b>TRANSPORTATION:</b> At least for us NYers, getting around the D.F. on the metro was a snap. It takes time, because the city is huge, but it's cheap and easy. For longer trips, ie to Xochimilco, we just took taxis, which did cost an arm and a leg, but saved time and hassle.

<b>FOOD:</b> Please, try the street food. Some of the best meals we had were from vendors near the entrance to the Patriotismo metro station. I'm a vegetarian and I was able to partake; my mother the meat-lover had an even richer experience. Some of our other favorite meals were at Taqueria el Califa in Condesa, and Sanborn's in el Centro at the Casa de los Azulejos (more on both to follow).

One piece of advice: try to get to an ATM at a bank branch that's open, so you can go in and get change. The ATMs will give you huge 500 and 200 peso bills, which almost NO ONE will accept. Vendors often have trouble changing 100 peso bills, let alone anything higher.

The following sections will be about the fun stuff we did-- promise I'll try to keep it brief!

Great Start of a report. Anxious for more.

More please :D

Great start to this report! I'm glad you enjoyed Mexico City, and I am looking forward to hearing more.

I am interested in hearing more about Mexico City. I have wanted to go esp. for the historical "downtown" area. We go to the Cancun area frequently and hear from our drivers that they left Mexico City because it takes so long to get from place to place with all the traffic. They also mention poor air quality. I never considered the metro and would be a little apprehensive about it (but then I am apprehensive in NYC on the metro). I hope you will give more of a detailed report on what you did there. Looking forward to the rest of your report.

Thanks for the replies! Continuing with the report....

<b>Day 1:</b> After a late flight we arrived at Casa Comtesse at about 10pm. As the cabbie took out our luggage, I rang the doorbell. No one answered. I rang again, and again, and again, but there was no way into the hotel. My mom and I were terrified at this point and begged the cabbie to stay and to use his cell phone to call the owner; ultimately we paid him 100 pesos to stay with us for 20 minutes and as tip. Finally the hotel receptionist— who had gone out to dinner— came and let us in. A frightening adventure for our first night!


<b>Day 2:</b> Spent the day at Palacio Nacional gaping in awe at Diego Rivera’s murals, visiting the Templo Mayor, and fighting our way through the crowded Zocalo (worse than Times Square!). That evening we went to see the Ballet Folklorico, performed at the Museo Nacional de Antropologia. It was THE single best thing we did in Mexico. The Ballet is a professional troupe that performs traditional dances from various cultures throughout Mexico. They have unbelievable energy, and the music is cheerful, mixed with rhythmic stomping, delightful storytelling, and stunning costumes. Joyful, flawless, and fun. Well worth the $80 we paid (tickets purchased at Bellas Artes in Alameda).

More to come...

@mimipam: Mexico City definitely merits a visit. It certainly does take awhile to get from one area to another, because it's so big, but you hardly even notice. And the metro is quite clean and user-friendly. (safe, too, although we never went after dark) The air quality didn't bother us a bit, and I'm asthmatic.

imelda, what was going on at the time of of your visit that made the Mexico City zocalo busier ("worse") than Times Square? Some special event must have been going on. I have been to Mexico City many times, I always stay close to the zocalo, and I have only seen the zocalo that busy during major festivals, like Day of the Dead or Independence
Day.

Glad you enjoyed the Ballet Folklorico. I agree that this a wonderful performance to experience in Mexico City.

Emd3, I can`t say what Imelda experienced, and I have not actually been to Times Square, but the Zocalo was extremely busy when I was there on a Sunday afternoon in January. There were free winter sports for kids (ice skating and sledding), and free Christmas bread being distributed. I`m not usually bothered by crowds, but I found it a bit much.

I think that was because there were the events you mentioned, WillTravel, the ice skating and sledding, etc. Unless there is something like that going on, there are usually just people walking through the area, busy but not like Times Square. That is why I asked what was going on, I wondered if there was some special event, as the one you described, happening at the time she was there.

I just reread imelda's posting and it was Semana Santa time. My guess is there were events related to Semana Santa going on in front of the cathedral at the zocalo.

We spent New Years Eve 1999 at the Majestic with a room overlooking the Zocalo. We opened our "patio" doors on our upper floor room taking in the gigantic crowds. A most spectacular experience.

My first trip to Mexico City was during Cinco de Mayo in 2000. We stayed at the Majestic, kept awake by the occasional cannon report and construction noise. The next morning, a recreation of a fort was in place, and later that morning they re-staged the battle, complete with cavalry and artillery. President Zedillo addressed the crowds from the National Palace.

Later that day the opposition parties took over the Zocalo for an immense rally. There was literally no room to spare -- humanity from edge to edge.

Finally, on Sunday, a large open air mass was held before the Cathedral. I think they said it was the first since the revolution, not sure. But again, masses of people.

By the last night I was about ready to shoot the Aztec dancers.

But we've been back several times -- love the location -- and will be back again!

The Mexico City zocalo is wonderful. I was there for Dia de Los Muertos (day of the dead) a few years ago. The whole zocalo was full of people dressed up like Catrinas, people taking part in the judged dia de los muertos bread competition, dia de los muertos altars representing each state in Mexico, then the next day there were people in traditional dress from each state filing into the cathedral for a mass-- lots of fun, incredibly colorful, and families having a great time, for two days.

It was one of the most colorful celebrations I have seen. I was glad to be at the Hotel Catedral a block behind the cathedral, as we needed the quiet after being on the zocalo. It was very different from how dia de los muertos was celebrated in Oaxaca when I was there last yr.

Emd3, thanks for posting that. I was wondering about going to Mexico during that time period, and I'm glad to hear Mexico City is a good spot to be for that.

Willtrqavel, I posted a trip report on that dia de los muertos weekend. Coyoacan was great that weekend also, lots of color for the day of the dead. I will try to dig up the report for you.

Whoops! I forgot all about this trip report a year ago. Sorry! In case anyone is still interested, I will now post the rest of it - luckily I wrote the whole thing in a Word doc last year.

<b>Day 3:</b> Monday is a tough day for tourists in Mexico City, as most of the museums are closed! We visited the Cathedral in the Zocalo. The Sagraria right next to it has an incredible facade. The Cathedral mostly impressed us by the degree to which it is tilting! Almost as bad as Pisa. We also bought some shirts and souvenirs from the vendors that line the Zocalo, who actually had great prices.

We had lunch at Sanborn’s in the <b>Casa de los Azulejos,</b> a short walk from the Zocalo. I HIGHLY recommend it; the setting is to die for. So beautiful. My mom and others disliked the food, but I thought my meatless chilaquiles were great. Afterwards we went to <b>Churreria el Moro</b> for dessert. It was the first time I had REAL, proper churros con chocolate outside of Spain. They offer 4 different types of chocolate; Spanish is the thickest and richest, almost undrinkable but best for dipping the churros, while Mexican is spicier and better for drinking. It’s not all that cheap, $5 per dish, but well worth it. Sooo good!!!


<b>Day 4:</b> Museum of Anthropology day. It's a gorgeous, well-done museum. It really built up our excitement for our trip to Teotihuacan the next day. In the afternoon we took a ($20) cab out to Xochimilco, which is very very far from the city center. We went to the spectacular <b>Dolores Olmedo museum</b>. Large, vibrantly green grounds, beautiful architecture, a prehispanic art collection that’s cleverly laid-out and mixed with European art pieces, and a glimpse at how she (Diego Rivera’s lover) lived. I was heartbroken to learn that the entire Frida Kahlo collection there, however, was on loan for all of 2010. But there were several great Diego pieces. She also had a surprising and lovely collection of 20th century popular art.

<b>Day 5:</b> Day trip to <b>Teotihuacan!</b> My mom and I hate bus tours, so we took the metro to Terminal del Norte, and took a public bus from Gate 8 to one of the entrances of Teotihuacan. (Autobuses Sagahun; look for the Teotihuacan sign in the terminal) Make sure to buy tickets to los Piramides de Teotihuacan. Mexican transportation systems are incredibly well-organized and efficient, and the ride was fine. We bought tamales for breakfast at the bus terminal; my first time having tamales, and they are yummy!

The pyramids open at 7am; we arrived a bit late at about 8:30. Still, the ruins were practically empty! I spotted a solitary man atop the Pyramid of the Sun – he must have really enjoyed having it all to himself.

I bought an overpriced hat at the entrance for 40 pesos (you can get them further in the park for 30 pesos, later in the day). An English-speaking guide offered a 2 hour tour for 400 pesos, but we decided against it. If you have more people to split the cost with, though, it is probably worth it. We had tons of questions as we wandered the pyramids.

Teotihuacan is awe-inspiring. The best view of the day was from the Pyramid of the Moon. You can see all of Teotihuacan in its enormity. I could really sense and appreciate the fervent, spiritual devotion that drove the Teotihuacanos to honor their gods so grandly 2,000 years ago. I also climbed the Pyramid of the Sun later on, around 11:30 or so. It was crowded by then, with long lines of people ascending the temple. And the Avenue of the Dead was filled with tourists.

For dinner, back in the city, we went to the acclaimed <b>Taqueria el Califa</b> near our hotel, which was excellent.

<b>Teotihuacan tips:</b> if you take the public bus to Teotihuacan, ask the driver where to catch the return bus. Then ask at an entrance when you’re ready to leave; they should direct you to the Autobuses Sagahun representative who can make sure you get on the right bus. Also, make sure to bring lunch with you to Teotihuacan, and water if you’re going early in the day—the vendors don’t open up until 11 or so! And please, for the love of god, bring or buy a broad-brimmed hat.

Here is a guide to taking the bus to Teotihuacan: http://www.omega.net/?p=77

Oh and PS, yes! We were there over Semana Santa, which is probably why el Zocalo was so crowded. At one point there were HUGE lines of people filing into the Cathedral to worship.

<b>Day 6:</b> Last day in Mexico City, sadly. We went to <b>Frida Kahlo’s house</b> in Coyoacan. We took public transport, which involved a pesero (public bus), which was a bit of an adventure. If you can ask for directions and ask the driver to tell you when to get off, you’ll be fine.

Coyoacan is a beautiful, upper-class neighborhood with big, colorful houses and gorgeously green main plazas. Frida’s house is a delight, an absolute treasure, and well worth the trip. You really get a sense of her rich imagination and the intensity with which she lived her life (Diego, too). There’s not that much actual art there, though there are a couple of exciting pieces.

<b>Tips:</b> We went early in the morning because we had an afternoon flight to Merida. We walked right in and had a nice, pleasant visit; as we left around 11:30 or 12 there was a huge line to get in. Also, there are lots of cabbies loitering outside the museum. We should have taken one back to the metro station, as it’s a long walk even before you reach the pesero.

That afternoon we flew out of Mexico City, thus ending our wonderful Mexico City vacation! I’m still dying to go back. Feel free to ask any questions. :-D

Imelda ...Great trip report. Thanks.

Was the Folklorico you attended the one that is held in the morning? And do you know if the evening one at Belles Artes is still performing? I didn't like the latter one as much.