Can you imagine a place with incredible colonial Spaniard architecture, with lots of people, tons of museums, and Aztec pyramids? Well, you can find that and so much more at the historical center of México City.
You can find ANYTHING here: from a fancy hotel to yarns or fabric, a cool lamp, enamelware, and party ornaments. This area of the city is huge, some of the streets are dedicated to a particular subject, for example, you can find “the bridal shops street”, “the textiles street”, “the lamps street”, etc. These very particular streets are crazy: crowded with street vendors yelling out loud and ladies hitting you with their wagons filled with their shopping (sorry! I’m one of those). Some other streets are more tourist-friendly: just a little bit less crowded but still filled with the Mexican chaotic vibe surrounded by museums and historic places to visit.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT?
FOOD
- Good places to eat, some of them are Mexican classic dinner places like “Sanborns de Los Azulejos” or “Casa de Toño” and some places are super fancy like “Limosneros”.
- As it is a commercial area, you will find lots of fast-food restaurants.
- All kinds of bars, you can get a fancy cocktail at the “Downtown hotel” rooftop or a cheap bucket of beers at a sketchy bar.
CONNECTIVITY
- Traffic is terrible, most of the public demonstrations end here, so it is very common to find some streets and public transport stations closed.
- There are several Subway and Metrobus stations.
- 1 hour walk to Roma Norte / Condesa.
- 1 hour and a half walk to Polanco.
- Ecobici is easy to find.
SAFETY AND SURROUNDINGS
- It is better for you to stay close to Zocalo and Bellas Artes.
- it feels safe during the day but at night some of the streets are very dark, so you have to be very careful.
- During the day, just like any big city, you have to be careful in crowded places, some streets are the favorite ones for pickpockets.
- As long as you stay in the touristy area, you’ll be fine.
SERVICES
- Lots of banks and money exchange services.
- Ecobici stations.
- Lots of stores, restaurants, and coffee shops.
- No supermarkets nearby.
- Churches. Lots of them.
CONS
- Super crowded with a lot of traffic.
- There are not as many trees as in the rest of the city so it can be very warm and dusty during the day.
- Loud. VERY loud.
- Kind of smelly when it rains.
- Homeless people area.
- Insecure, from one street to another it completely changes. Avoid walking the empty dark streets at night.
PROS
- You would be staying at one of the most important places where American (yes, the whole continent) History took place.
- The buildings are stunning.
- There are lots of museums and places to visit.
- A magical place with a unique vibe.
- Very eclectic area.
EXTRA TIPS
- Stay here just 2 days, it is totally worth it; then you can move and stay the rest of your trip at Roma, Condesa or Polanco so you can live an enjoy these areas with a different perspective.
- If you decided to follow the previous tip, stay there on weekdays, as there are even more people visiting the area on weekends
- Be ready to walk a lot and enjoy the view, walking is the best way to fall in love with this area.
- Don’t bring all your belongings while you’re visiting, there are a lot of ATMs in the area, so don’t bring too much cash.
- Big cameras are ok, just be careful.