1 day in Mexico City Centro Historico (and for only £10 per person)
Coming back from our trip to Cuba (you can read all about it here), we had a chance to stop for one day in Mexico City. It was a conscious choice and I couldn’t be more excited about it (Thomas needed some convicts though…). Verdict? We can’t wait to plan another and this time longer trip to Mexico!
8:30 land in Mexico City
Our flight from Havana arrived early in the morning and all not fresh but ready, we left the airport to see the city. Hopefully, the connection with the airport and the city centre is very convenient and very frequent so there shouldn’t be any problem with that not matter what time you’re arriving.
Leaving the airport in the arrivals area you can see ticket machines from which you can buy a ticket for Metrobus line 4 leaving directly from Terminals 1 & 2 to numerous locations in the city centre.
The route airport - city has a fixed cost of 30 MXN and there’s a 10 MXN fee for the card. Now, be smarter than us and charge your card for round-trip right away if you’re planning to go back to airport the same day as it is rather tacky to charge your card afterwards in the city (it took us some walking around to find the spot for it).
Cost: 40 MXN (£1.50)
9:30 Breakfast at El Cuatro 20
Since we fell in love with the wonderful innovation of chilaquiles, there was no option we were in Mexico and not having it for breakfast. After some research of breakfast spots near Centro Historico we were on our way to Café El Popular but passing by El Cuatro 20 and noticing the menu looking as nice but much cheaper, we decided that was the place instead.
The food was very good and they had WiFi so a win-win situation.
Cost: 50 MXN (£2) for a set breakfast menu (main + fresh orange juice + hot beverage)
10:30 Zócalo
If you’re following our path, now you’re only few steps away from the famous Zócalo - the main square in central Mexico you may recognise from tourist guides and the Internet.
It is a nice spot to walk around and take a few pictures yourself, especially if you’re as lucky as were visiting 1 day after St. Valentine’s and having it decorated with flowers all over.
Cost: Nada
11:00 Church of San Francisco & Torre Latinoamerica
A short walk down West you will find yourself on a busy Avenida Francisco I. Madero with plenty of shops and several architectural highlights of Mexico, including Church of San Francisco and Torre Latinoamerica.
You can go up the tower, which apparently serves wonderful views of the city but since our budget was tight, we decided to skip this attraction and continue our walk.
Cost: Nada
11:30 Palacaio de Bellas Artes and belonging park
Just few steps away from Torre Latinoamerica there are a beautiful Palacio de Bellas Artes and its adjacent gardens, to which the entrance is free. It’s a nice short stroll in the shadow of its trees which might serve as a nice break from the heat.
Cost: Nada
12:00 Monumento a la Revolucion
Still not tired from the walk? Perfect, cause the Monumento a la Revolucion is 20 minutes away further West and is another worthwhile stop on the map of Centro Historico.
Cost: Nada
12:30 Mercado de La Ciudadela
Enough of the monuments, time for shopping (or just looking in our case)! Mercado de La Ciudadela might be the most famous destination for this and unfortunately… the most touristic one. You can see some nice pictures of the place on the Internet, but the truth is that nowadays it’s rather a trap for overpriced pseudo-Mexican goodies. Worth stopping by for a minute but don’t expect anything exceptional!
Cost: Nada, unless you get tempted and purchase some souvenirs!
13:15 Mercado de San Juan
Even though the morning chilaquiles were quite satisfying, after walking so much in Mexican heat you might start feeling a bit hungry. Our first destination on the map was Mercado de San Juan, known for some good local produce. We didn’t decide to eat there as we had the whole perfect taco hunt planned, but you can definitely find something here for yourself.
Cost: Depending if you decide to eat here, see below!
13:45 Lunch
Because by this time the chilaquiles are already only a memory and you are in the area with street food all around. Go for it.
Cost: 120 MXN for 2 (see more details here) - £2.50/person
15:00 random walk on the streets of Cnetro Historico
Because it’s just too pretty not to!
Cost: Nada
16:30 drink with a view back in Zócalo
Back at Zócalo, you’ll notice plenty of waiters inviting you to have a drink with a view over the square and since we did have some time and spare change, that’s what we decided to do. I can’t recall which place we entered exactly but I imagine the prices to be quite similar everywhere.
Cost: 25 MXN (£1)
17:30 head back to the airport
And if you’ve listened to my advice at the beginning of this post, you’re good to know. If not, you might spend some time looking for a place to recharge your transportation card…
Cost: 30 MXN
