Mexico City Guys Trip Guide

Condesa was our home base and it was charming. Tree-lined streets, art deco buildings, parks, and a great mix of cafes and restaurants. It has an easy, walkable feel that makes you want to slow down. Roma Norte is right next door and has a grittier, more creative energy — more street art, more late-night spots, more variety.

Polanco was a different world — upscale, clean, wide sidewalks, high-end shopping. It felt like a completely different city from Centro. We liked visiting for the museums and a nice lunch but it did not have the same street-level charm as Condesa.

Centro Historico is where the heavy history is. Templo Mayor, the cathedral, Palacio Postal — it is all packed into a few blocks. But it is also really crowded and parts of it smelled. Worth a full day but we were happy to head back to Condesa by evening.

The National Museum of Anthropology was the highlight of the trip for a few of us. It is genuinely one of the best museums in the world. The scale of the Aztec and Maya collections is staggering. We spent close to four hours and could have stayed longer.

Museo Soumaya in Polanco was cool — the building is architecturally bizarre and the collection inside is surprisingly deep. Free entry, which makes it an easy stop. The Rodin collection on the top floor was the standout.

Chapultepec Park is huge. We walked through a fraction of it on the way to the castle. Chapultepec Castle itself has incredible views of the city and the murals inside are worth seeing. Templo Mayor in Centro is surreal — Aztec ruins right in the middle of a modern city.

This was one of the best things we did. We booked a local tour guide who took us to a lucha libre match and it was an absolute blast. The crowd energy is unreal — families, groups of friends, everyone screaming and laughing. The wrestlers are athletic and the theatrics are genuinely entertaining.

Having a guide made it much better. They explained the traditions, helped us get good seats, and took us to a taco spot nearby afterward. Highly recommend doing it this way rather than just showing up on your own.

Centro is dense with things to see but it is also the most overwhelming part of the city. Templo Mayor is a must — the excavated Aztec temple sits right next to the Metropolitan Cathedral, which is one of the largest churches in the Americas. Palacio Postal is one of the most beautiful post offices in the world and takes five minutes to walk through.

Churros del Moro nearby is a classic stop. The churros are excellent and it has been open since the 1930s. That said, Centro was crowded, noisy, and frankly smelled in stretches. One full day here was enough.

The food alone is reason enough to go. Street tacos are as good as everyone says and we ate them constantly. Martinez was a standout — excellent cooking in a great atmosphere. Carañita was another favorite. Taverna was solid for a group dinner.

Churros del Moro in Centro is a must. The bakeries throughout Condesa and Roma are incredible and cheap — we hit a different one every morning. Coffee culture is strong with specialty shops on every other block.

La Esquina del Chilaquil gets a lot of hype but honestly we felt it was overrated. The line was long and the food did not justify the wait. Skip it and eat tacos instead.

• Martinez: one of the best meals of the trip
• Carañita: great food, worth booking ahead
• Taverna: good group dinner spot
• Churros del Moro: the original in Centro, a classic
• La Esquina del Chilaquil: overrated, not worth the wait
• Street tacos: follow the longest local line, eat often

Mexico City has an incredible nightlife scene and we barely scratched the surface. Roma and Condesa are full of rooftop bars, mezcalerias, and live music venues. The city does not start going out until late — most places do not pick up until 10 or 11 PM.

It felt safe everywhere we went at night. The energy is social and fun without being aggressive. This is a city built for going out with friends.

Uber everywhere. Cheap, fast, reliable. We never needed anything else. The altitude is noticeable on day one — drink more water than you think you need. The city felt safe the whole time. People are warm and helpful. Basic Spanish goes a long way.

We are already planning a return trip. Five days was enough for a first visit but there is so much more to see — Coyoacan, Xochimilco, the food markets, more neighborhoods to explore. This is a city that rewards repeat visits.