My Travel Bucket List: Mexico City

5 Tips For Getting the Most Out of Your Trip

People find it odd that despite being born in Mexico, there is so much of it that I haven’t seen.

I keep telling them that the reason I haven’t explored much is that whenever I went back home, I was essentially visiting my grandmothers’ houses. And if your grandmothers are anything like mine, then you know they can’t let go. It was bad enough that they had to share my family with each other. They couldn’t bear the thought of sharing us with the rest of the country! So my venturing around Mexico was limited to our small hometown with the occasional excursion to the surrounding areas.

However, as I’ve gotten older, I have made the decision to explore more. My first venture out of my hometown on my own was my visit to San Miguel de Allende. This year, after a friend of mine convinced me (though it didn’t take much), I decided to explore some of Mexico City.

If you’re planning on visiting Mexico City, I recommend you do it. Don’t worry about wether or not you’re fluent in Spanish or if you’ll know how to navigate such a huge city, I promise it will be fine.

Tip 1: Use Uber

My phone plan worked, so I didn’t need a separate sim card or a hotspot, and this made it so much easier to do everything. Uber worked everywhere and it made everything feel safer when you’re traveling around. There are parts of Mexico City that can be sketchy, and public transportation is notoriously unsafe for women, so knowing I could hop into an Uber and track that we were headed the right way put a lot of my worries at ease, it also made my mom feel better about my venturing out into a city she had last been to in the 80’s.

Now I normally advise people to do as the locals do, but don’t tempt fate and choose to “splurge” on Uber. A smart traveler is a safe traveler, and you won’t win any traveling points by getting yourself into an unsafe situation. I’m sure public transportation is safer for men, but I’ve heard one too many stories about buses and trains in Mexico City. Even as someone who is used to taking the NYC subway I still opted for Uber. (Note, no this is not an Uber advertisement, just someone trying to make sure you’re safe.)

Tip 2: Don’t worry about pesos!

Another tip for Mexico City is: don’t worry about having the right currency! While Mexico City uses the Mexican peso, plastic works just fine in most places. There will be times when you need cash, for that, I suggest you use the ATM machines at a bank to take money out that way. The exchange rate was much better at most ATM machines than in currency exchange houses. Those were usually $1-2 pesos cheaper than what my bank paid me. My friend had a different bank and he found the same thing to be true.

If you plan on visiting markets, the canals of Xochimilco, smaller hole in the wall restaurants or street vendors, or if you want to leave tips, then make sure you get cash. But for everything else, a card is safe to use and you get better bang for your buck, literally. I saw Square machines throughout different shops, you’ll be fine.

Tip 3: Book a free walking tour!

If you want to get your bearings in such a massive city and learn more about the culture, I suggest you book a free walking tour. I absolutely loved the one we went on. I was dubious at first, but I enjoyed the heck out of it. Our guide was knowledgeable and we saw a lot more than I could’ve seen on my own. The tour is free, you just tip what feels right at the end.

Tip 4: Explore the neighborhoods

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While we had an itinerary all set for what we were going to do, it was great to also leave a lot of exploring time. Some of my favorite experiences happened when we decided to just walk around the neighborhoods. Of course, we were walking in the relatively safe neighborhoods of Roma, and Coyoacan. But if you know you’re in a safe area, I recommend you walk and explore. The picture-worthy spots are plentiful!

Tip 5: Treat yourself to world-class cuisine

While the street food in Mexico is mouthwatering scrumptious, Mexico City also offers world-class cuisine. In fact 7 of the Top 50 Restaurants in Latin America are located in this bustling metropolis. If you’ve ever wanted to treat yourself to fine-dining, I recommend you do it here. As a New Yorker, there are many fine dining options, but they are also more expensive than I want to pay. But I was able to treat myself to not one, but two different restaurants and they were some of the best meals I’ve had for a fraction of the price. Seriously, do it. You won’t regret it. However, I do recommend you make reservations before you travel there.

I hope these tips can make your travel to Mexico City as magical as it was for me. Let me know if I’ve missed out any other important tips for first–timers down below.