Mexico City is the bright, chaotic, proud, frenetic epicenter of Mexico’s culture, economy, and government.  From high end shopping and fine dining to artisan markets and street food, you can get a little bit of everything in this throbbing capital city.   No matter where you’re headed in vibrant Mexico, spending a few days in DF will give you some great experiences and a wider understanding of what the country is all about.  

To get an overview of some of the city’s most important colonias (neighborhoods), consider taking a ride on the Turibús Circuito Turístico.  This bus tour lasts about 3 hours, but you can get on and off whenever you please.  Stops are marked by red banners along Reforma, at the southwest corner of the Zócalo, by the anthropology museum and Auditorio Nacional. For a more compact tour, the Tranvia, a motorized version of an early 20th-century streetcar, runs a 45-minute loop around the Centro Historico with a live guide (in Spanish).  On weekends there are “Recorridos Dominicales” (Sunday Walks), walking tours through the city.  Routes vary each week, so ask at your hostel or check online for the week’s route and departure point.

Once you get a feel for the city, check out some cultural sites.  Start in the Centro Historico, where you can check out the Museo Nacional del Arte and the Palacio Nacional.  Also check out the Institute of Anthropology for an interesting history lesson.  Even if churches aren’t your thing, don’t miss the Catedral Metropolitana.  This grand church was originally built on top  of an Aztec temple, and sinking of the church has caused the ruins to begin to push their way through the bottom, resulting in cracks and fissures in the structure.  If churches are your thing, there are several other beautiful specimens to explore.   

For shopping in Mexico City there are of course choices across the style and price spectrum, but budget travelers will enjoy visiting the many inexpensive markets the city has to offer.  La Ciudadela is a sprawling crafts market just west of the Centro Historico, and other indigenous markets, tianguis, take place on designated days of the week.

For some uniquely Mexican entertainment, be sure to take in a few rounds of lucha libre, Mexican masked wrestling, at the Arena de Mexico or the Arena Coliseo.  Locals go crazy for it, and if you get into the fan frenzy you can take home a lucha libre mask of your favorite fighter, for sale at many downtown vendors.

Though this noisy, crowded metropolis isn’t exactly the great outdoors, you can still be active and even catch some greenery during your stay.  Bosque de Chapultepec is a large park close to the city center housing lakes, a zoo, and several excellent museums including the Museum of Anthropology.  At the top of a large hill there is the Castillo de Chapultepec, a former presidential palace, and the park also houses the current presidential residence.  For a but more of a hike, take the metro to Iztapalapa station and hike Cerro de la Estrella, an extinct volcano cone about 7 miles outside of downtown.

Mexico City has a year filled with festivals.  Christmas is followed by 3 King’s Day on January  6, and late March starts off the 3-week-long Festival de Centro Historico, with concerts from all genres, dance, and other cultural events.  Then comes Semana Santa, ending in Easter.   On Dia del Trabajo (Labor Day) there is a big unionists’ gathering and parades around the city.  Independence Day on September 16 commemorates the start of Mexico’s war for independence from Spain.  But the best festival by far happens on Dia de los Muertos, which kicks of over a week of celebrations leading up to the Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico’s national patron.

Favorable exchange rates and a slew of backpacker resources make Mexico City a great place for students, adventure travelers, and anyone else on a budget. Cheap but high-quality hostels make you wonder why you would ever stay in a hotel, as you relax in the common area, chat with other vacationers, and find travel buddies for the next leg of your trip.  Add inexpensive but delicious food, more culture than you can handle in one vacation, and the joyful vibe of the locals, and Mexico City is clearly a destination not to be missed.