For our wedding anniversary we flew down to Mexico City for a 3 day long weekend to get our first taste of the country and all it has to offer.
Who we flew to Mexico City
After researching online flight specials and airlines, we booked a flight and hotel package with Expedia, which saved us a money by bundling the flights and hotel together. The airline we choose to fly with was Volaris. Our experience with Volaris was not an enjoyable one unfortunately.
The plane was delayed out of Los Angeles by over an hour which made us very tired passengers as we booked a red eye flight. The comfort on the plane was not good, no leg room what so ever and no drink/food service offered. Our flight home was just as bad, we had a late gate change which then made us have to rush to the correct gate, then boarded onto a bus to be taken to the plane, which was then delayed but made up time in the air.
How to get to downtown Mexico City
There are a few different options you use to travel to/from the airport to downtown Mexico City. We opted for 2 different ways of travel. On arrival we caught an Uber from the airport to our hotel in the historic center, which was quick and easy. The ride cost approx US $11 and took about 20 minutes with traffic. To get back to the airport we decided to take the metro, we caught it from the historic center, it took 3 trains to get there which were easy to navigate with the signs. The metro costs 5 pesos per person which is about .30 cents, definitely the more affordable option to use.
Places to visit in the Historic Center
As we were staying in the historic center, we were able to walk to all the main sights, everything was within 10 to 15 minute walk from our hotel. The first stop we made was Zocalo, which is the main plaza, it provides views of the National Palace and Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral (a grand roman catholic cathedral).
From here we walked across the plaza to the Templo Mayo Musuem which is an archaeological museum featuring ruins and artifacts from the Aztec civilization, entry cost is 75 pesos per adult which is approximately USD$4.
Tip: If planning to visit any archaeological sites or museums, make sure to visit Tuesday to Sunday, as they are closed on Mondays,
Next we followed the main shopping mall to the end which finishes across from Alameda Central, the city’s oldest park featuring a marble monument commemorating the former Mexican president and it’s a nice place for you to sit in the shade and people watch.
Places to dine:
We spent a bit of time sampling the local cuisine from tacos to churros. Below are few places I recommend trying out, whilst your in the historic center area.
Taquería Los Cocuyos: Awesome street taco vendor, limited seating on the side walk. Offers different meat options, and you add your own salsa depending on how hot you like.
Cemitas Poblanas: Great place for a quick lunch bite offering the traditional cemita poblana (bread roll with choice of meat/salad fillings)
El Moro: The best place to go to try Churros, (Mexican donuts). They have being serving Churros at this location since 1935.
El Mayor: Rooftop restaurant serving Mexican food offering views over Zocalo and Templor Mayo, its a bit expensive but the views are worth it.
Tip: Make sure if you a paying cash to ask for a receipt with your change, as we had one waiter short change us and we had to ask for a receipt then we were given more change back.
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