Mexico City - Orientation

 

An overview of the main areas of interest in Mexico City.


1. Historic Center; 2. Avenida Paseo de la Reforma; 3. Zona Rosa, Roma Norte and La Condesa; 4. Polanco; 5. Chapultepec; 6. Avenida Insurgentes Sur; 7. Coyoacán; 8. Basílica de Guadalupe. 

Historic Center


The heart of old Mexico City, home to the Zócalo, Metropolitan Cathedral, Templo Mayor, and colonial-era streets rich in history and architecture. See photos.


Avenida Paseo de la Reforma


Paseo de la Reforma is a wide avenue that runs across Mexico City, with its central stretch between the historic centre and Chapultepec lined with high-rise buildings. It is one of the business districts but it also passes Zona Rosa, an area famous for its lively atmosphere. See photos. 


Zona Rosa, Roma Norte and La Condesa

Located around and south of the central part of Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, Zona Rosa, Roma Norte and La Condesa are lively green neighbourhoods with many trendy cafés, bars and restaurants, where you hear English as much as Spanish and where a croissant costs as much as in Paris. Zona Rosa is right in the shadows of the skyscrapers and it is the main gay-friendly hub. Glorieta de los Insurgentes, a circular place with a street market, marks the border, south of it lies Roma Norte. Further south and to the east, reaching as far as Chapultepec Park, is La Condesa. See photos.


Polanco


Located right next to Chapultepec park, Polanco is the richest area in Mexico City, but as far as I am concerned, not the most appealing. On Sundays, as in many Latin American cities, some roads are closed for cars and cyclists and runners take over. See photos.


Chapultepec


Chapultepec Park is the second largest city park in Latin America, and the only royal castle in the Americas is also found here. It offers great views of the park and surrounding districts. In the park there are lakes, museums, and other places for entertainment and relaxation. It is very popular with locals and visitors alike. See photos. 


Avenida Insurgentes Sur


Avenida Insurgentes is the longest thoroughfares cutting across Mexico City, with a length of almost 30 km. Its southern stretch is lined with many skyscrapers, including the World Trade Center which offers stunning views of Mexico City. It is a nice part of the city, yet, apart from a few expats and businessmen working in this area, you don`t see any foreign faces. See more info and photos. 


Coyoacán
 

The tallest building of Mexico City stands in Coyoacán, but otherwise the neighbourhood consists mainly of one or two-storey buildings. It is a quiet, green, wealthy suburbia where many of the streets are named after European places and which indeed has a European feeling. There is a central market and street markets around it, a central square with a town house, church, restaurants and cafés, but the rest of Coyoacán is quite sleepy. A few well known people settled here, among them were Leon Trotsky and Frida Kahlo - their houses now serve as museums. See more info and hotos.


Basílica de Guadalupe


Situated north of the historic centre of Mexico City, the Basilica of Santa María de Guadalupe is the most visited church in the world after Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. There is an old and a modern basilica, and a few other churches and chapels in the religious complex. From the terraces of the Capilla del Cerrito you have far-reaching beautiful views. See more info and photos. 


Teotihuacán


Teotihuacán is outside Mexico City, but it is very easy to make a day-trip to it by public bus. At its peak, Teotihuacán was the largest city in the Americas and one of the largest in the world. You can still feel its grandeur walking its main street, the Avenue of the Dead, and marvelling at the colossal architecture. See more info and photos.

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