48 Hours in Mexico City

Mexico City surprised me! I guess it was the impressions I had from the news, or the people worried about me traveling there, but what I found exceeded all of my expectations. The neighbourhood where the hotel was located was very clean and very safe. The Centro Historico and Chapultapec Park were both very busy, but also very clean and seemed safe too.

I actually spent 4 nights( 3.5 days) in Mexico City, but I was working one full day so only had 2 full days of touring.

Reforma Neighbourhood

I chose the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel in the Reforma neighbourhood. Upon landing at Mexico City’s Benito Juarez International Airport a taxi to the hotel cost $45(US) and took 45 minutes to drive the 10km. According to the driver, the ride could take anywhere from 25 minutes (very early morning) to 2 hours long (after 3pm). The Sheraton looked like any Canadian or American 5 star hotel, but with exceptionally friendly staff and service levels (wth tipping of course). 

The neighbourhood also had a Hilton, Marriott, Ritz Carlton and higher end Mexican branded hotels as well. The nightly room rate ranged from $136 to $163 (US) varying on each of the nights. The benefits of this neighbourhood were the close walking distance to Chapultapec Park and the many restaurant options within a few blocks. I did have travel companions on day one, but I felt very safe eating out on my own on days two and three.

Side Note: The two days of walking tours below were provided by a guide that in not licensed in Mexico but is a Canadian that lives there during the winter. I met Francois on a bus tour in Montreal with my mom in November 2023 and after talking discovered he also gives tours in other cities including NYC, Boston, Washington DC and has just started private tours in Mexico City. If anyone is travelling and wants more info, let me know.

Centro Historico

The historic center of Mexico City, Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México, is the central neighbourhood in Mexico City. The area is focused on the Zócalo (or main plaza) and includes many historic buildings, main pedestrian streets and a large Park named Alameda. The Zocalo is the largest plaza in Latin America. It can hold up to nearly 100,000 people. It and the buildings that surround the plaza were very impressive. 

We spent about 5 hours (15,000 steps) with one cocktail break exploring the neighbourhood. The highlights included Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico which opened as a department store in 1899, the National Palace, which is the official office and residence of the current president and Madero Avenue a historically and geographically significant pedestrian thoroughfare. During our tour we experienced both a large protest and an earthquake siren that required us to leave Madero Avenue a bit earlier than planned. (We did not feel any earthquake).

Bosque de Chapultapec

Chapultapec Park is the largest urban park in the Western Hemisphere. Yup…larger than Stanley Park in Vancouver by 1/2 (which, by the way, is about 1/5 larger than Central Park in NYC).

A 5-hour walk (25,000 steps) covered only about 1/3 of the park included about an hour in Chapultapec Castle which is only one of two royal palaces in North America. The first section of the park also included Lake Chapultapec, a botanical garden, Los Pinos (the former office and residence of the President) and many historically significant fountains, monuments and artifacts. At least another full day would have been needed to see the rest of the park and visit the Museum of Archeology.

Best Tacos Ever!

Apparently there are alot of terrific taquerias in Mexico City so you likley cannot go wrong, but after day one we visited La Chinampa Reforma which was only a block from the Sheraton. Our guide did the ordering the first time but it was so good I figured out how to order myself and went back for lunch the third day.

Spanish Speaking City

Keep in mind that Mexico City is not a typical tourist destination. The hotel was filled with business people more than tourists, and while the staff at the hotel spoke very good English most of the people outside of the hotel did not.

I keep trying to make the time to learn Spanish, with no success. However, the muy poquito espanol that I do know, did come in handy. I also had the Google translate app on my phone and used it often.

Keep Traveling

Next time I have the opportunity to pass through Mexico City I will definitely stay for another 3 or 4 days. You don’t have to be location independent to see the world. It just helps. Sometimes it is complicated and sometimes it’s not…but it is ALWAYS worth