Mexico City
Aztec foundations, colonial squares, murals, markets and a food scene of rare depth.
Mexico City is a high-altitude metropolis built on the site of the Aztec capital, with the great square of the Zócalo at its heart, Spanish churches and palaces around it and the leafy districts of Roma and Condesa, Coyoacán and San Ángel spreading out from there. The pyramids of Teotihuacán stand an hour to the north.
Why go
For a capital of extraordinary depth: the Templo Mayor beside the cathedral, Diego Rivera's murals in the National Palace, the anthropology museum, Frida Kahlo's blue house, and the canals of Xochimilco on a Sunday.
And for the eating, from tacos al pastor at a corner stand to long tasting menus, with mezcal bars, markets and cantinas in between.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01The Zócalo and the historic centre
The vast square with the cathedral, the National Palace and its Rivera murals, the excavated Templo Mayor and the streets of colonial mansions, arcades and old cafés around them.
02The Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Alameda
The marble opera house with its tiled dome and murals by the Mexican masters, beside the Alameda park and the café in the House of Tiles.
03The National Museum of Anthropology
The Aztec sun stone, the Maya rooms and the whole of pre-Hispanic Mexico under one roof in Chapultepec Park, with the castle on the hill above.
04Coyoacán and the Frida Kahlo house
The colonial village of squares, markets and the blue house where Kahlo lived, with Trotsky's house nearby, in the south of the city.
05Roma and Condesa
The tree-lined art deco and art nouveau neighbourhoods of parks, cafés, galleries and the restaurants that have made the city a dining destination.
06Teotihuacán
The pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the Avenue of the Dead, an hour north, walked in the morning before the heat and the coaches; the Pyramid of the Sun can no longer be climbed, and the Moon only to its first platform.
07Xochimilco and the markets
Painted boats on the canals of the old lake with mariachis alongside, and the city's markets from La Merced to the Saturday bazaar at San Ángel.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
Roma and Condesa
The favoured base: boutique hotels and apartments among parks, cafés and restaurants.
The historic centre
Grand old hotels and restored palaces around the Zócalo; historic, busy by day and quieter at night.
Polanco
Upscale hotels, embassies and restaurants beside Chapultepec Park and the museums.
Coyoacán
Village squares and quiet streets in the south, near the Kahlo house and the university.
When to go: Mexico City
- Dry seasonNovember – February
- Sunny days, cool nights and clear skies at altitude; the Day of the Dead at the start of November fills the city with marigolds.
- SpringMarch – May
- The warmest months, with jacaranda blooming purple across the city in March and April.
- Wet seasonJune – October
- Afternoon downpours most days, usually short, with fresh mornings and green parks.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Mexico City. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- MEXBenito Juárez International
Distance from
- JFKNew York3,370 km
- LHRLondon8,910 km
- CDGParis9,200 km
- SYDSydney12,980 km
- DXBDubai14,330 km
- JNBJohannesburg14,600 km
- BOMMumbai15,640 km
- SINSingapore16,590 km
Getting around: Mexico City
The metro is extensive and simple to use, busy at peak hours; the Metrobús lines and ride-hailing cover the neighbourhoods. Traffic is heavy, and the altitude asks for a slow first day.
Roma, Condesa, Coyoacán and the centre are each walkable within themselves. A car with a driver or a tour is the usual way to Teotihuacán.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Mexico
- Currency
- MXN · Mexican Peso
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- Central Standard Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +52
The atlas
Mexico City in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Mexico City, month by month
- Jan18°
- Feb21°
- Mar23°
- Apr25°
- May25°
- Jun23°
- Jul21°
- Aug20°
- Sept19°
- Oct19°
- Nov19°
- Dec18°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: September to June.
Mean highs run from 18°C in January to 25°C in April, with about 792 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for Mexico CityModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
The model's grid cell sits about 387 m higher than the town, so real temperatures there run a little warmer than these.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBMexico City
14,330 km
17 hrs 35 mins · Estimate
From AUHMexico City
14,370 km
17 hrs 40 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Mexico City
Plan this trip: Mexico City
Open the trip builder with Mexico City already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
