6 Best Sights in Mexico

Before real estate developers established most of Roma as a fashionable residential neighborhood in the early 1900s, this small quadrant of narrow lanes thrived as an off-the-beaten-path village for centuries. Originally occupying one of the many small, low islands of massive Lake Texcoco, the area was inhabited by Mexica (aka Aztecs) well before the arrival of Spaniards. As the city and then Roma and neighboring Juárez and Doctores districts grew up around it, Romita retained a distinct—and decidedly more working-class—personality and independence. You can get some sense of what it might have looked like in the mid-20th century by watching Luis Buñuel's heart-wrenching 1950 film, Los Olvidados, which was filmed here. Romita's name is said to derive from its resemblance during the mid-1700s to a neighborhood in Rome, Italy, that was similarly rife at the time with large trees. To get a feel for the neighborhood, walk along one of its narrow lanes to Plaza Romita, a tranquil tree-shaded courtyard with park benches and a central fountain that's flanked on its eastern side by the small, 1530s Rectoria San Francisco Javier Church. The neighborhood's liveliest street, Real de Romita, has a few shops and cafés, including La Perla de la Roma, Veganísimo Loncheria, and Vocablo Café y Poesía; down another lane you'll find the headquarters of the acclaimed craft bewery, Cru Cru.

Extremely popular with Mexican families, especially as a place to stroll and people-watch on weekends, this historic and enchanting historic center laid out in the 1600s is sometimes described as what Coyoacán felt and looked like 30 years ago, before it became more of a must-see destination. Slowly but surely, Tlalpan's narrow lanes of colorful, historic houses and its charming tree-shaded hub, Plaza de la Constitución, are drawing more sizable crowds, but a visit here still feels manageable and relaxed, like you've stumbled upon a small colonial village far from the big city.

Do visit the Capilla de las Capuchinas, a few blocks away, to admire the strikingly modernist interior, which Luis Barragán completely redesigned in the late 1950s. You can also walk through the courtyard and view the interior of the imposing Parroquia de San Agustín de las Cuevas, on the east side of the plaza. Next door are a couple of good quick stops for a refreshment: historic La Jalisciense cantina for Spanish food and tortas, and an atmospheric branch of the local ice-cream chain, La Nueva Michoacana (which has been going strong since the early 1950s). If you can visit on a Sunday, you can enjoy watching locals, many of them seniors, dancing around the grand kiosco in the Plaza. Vendors sell crafts, souvenirs, and food while just a few steps south, Mercado de la Paz is a traditional market that also has plenty of food vendors. And although Tlalpan isn't flashy as a dining destination, there are a number of mostly traditional restaurants, cantinas, and food vendors on the blocks around the plaza, especially along pedestrianized Calle Guadalupe Victoria (which extends south from the plaza western's edge). Along here you'll also find the quirky but excellent Museo del Tiempo Tlalpan and the Museo de Historia de Tlalpan that, while not a must, offers free admission and gives a good overview of the neighborhood's history.

Finally, on the north side of the Plaza, the performance venue Multiforo Tlalpan often has concerts and other interesting shows—it's worth checking to see what's on. Tlalpan is in the south, easily visited in conjunction with Xochimilco, and most conveniently via Uber. But you could also save some pesos by taking the Metro to Universidad or the light rail to Huipulco, and taking much shorter Uber rides from either. Or you can take the Insurgentes Metrobus line south to the Fuentes Brotantes stop in Tlalpan Centro.

Mexico City is home to one of the world's largest and most visible LGBTQ+ communities. Although you'll find gay or very mixed hangouts all over town, the epicenter of queer nightlife and rainbow flags is the Zona Rosa district of Juárez. Within this always bustling quadrant, you'll find nearly 20 LGBTQ+ bars and clubs, a handful of sex boutiques, and dozens of other more mainstream lounges, fast-food restaurants, music clubs, and the like. On a weekend evening, Zona Rosa pulses with revelers from all walks of life, the majority under 35 or so; pedestrianized Calle Génova almost feels like the CDMX equivalent of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The more gay-frequented spots, including venerable hangouts like Kinky and Boy Bar, are predominantly along calles Amberes and Florencia south of Paseo de la Reforma, but there are a few notable exceptions—such as Baby and Rico—farther east on the Avenida Insurgentes side of the neighborhood.

Watch painters and sculptors at work in the galleries in this small district set amid bronze monuments to Poblano authors and poets. Farther down Calle 8 Norte, you can buy Talavera pottery and other local crafts from the dozens of small stores and street vendors. There are occasional weekend concerts and open-air theater performances.

Named for the fact that many of its main thoroughfares are named for noted medical doctors, the neighborhood was established in the late 1890s, right before Roma and Condesa. Home to the 42-acre campus of prestigious Hospital General de México, the famous lucha libre venue Arena México, and a number of prominent governmental buildings as well as some impressive old mansions, Doctores abounds with cantinas, bars, nightclubs, and pulquerías—some a bit dodgy, but others with increasing cachet among in-the-know locals. Doctores does have a reputation for crime, especially as you venture farther east and south; the issues are more commonly robbery and car theft than violent crime, but do exercise common sense when walking around this neighborhood, and go with friends or by Uber after dark.

It rises like a postmodern Oz or perhaps (depending on your ideas about urbanization) a Bladerunner-esque dystopia, but regardless, the district of Santa Fe looks and feels entirely distinct from the rest of Mexico City. And if you're headed to this thicket of futuristic high-rises situated about 18 km (11 miles) from the city center, there's a high probability you're going for work-related reasons. Developed in the early 2000s atop a massive garbage landfill, Santa Fe was designed emphatically with cars in mind as more of an edge city than a proper neighborhood. It's home to some interesting examples of contemporary architecture, one of the most impressive shopping malls in Latin America (Centro Santa Fe), a massive convention center (Expo Santa Fe), a slew of major corporate offices, mostly upscale chain hotels (Westin, JW Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt House, and Camino Real among them), and high-end restaurants. Many of the latter are also major chains or outposts of other restaurants located elsewhere around the city. If business brings you here or you're simply curious to check out this thoroughly posh if rather antiseptic district, do make a point of visiting Parque La Mexicana, a beautifully designed 74-acre urban green space offering a playground, skate park, dog park, running and bicycling trails, and an outdoor terrace café. Santa Fe is also relatively close to Desierto de los Leones National Park, and it's a good stepping off point for venturing farther west to the city of Toluca. To get here, driving or taking an Uber is practically a requirement, as there's no metro service and getting here by bus is time-consuming and a bit complicated for tourists. In late 2023, the new Mexico City–Toluca commuter rail finally opened its first phase (four stations in the state of Mexico), but the three Mexico City stations are expected to open by mid- to late 2024. The line will provide easier and faster access, with a stop right in the center of Santa Fe.