Mexico City 🇲🇽 - Part 2
The long-due second part of our CDMX trip. We explored a few of the nicer neighborhoods, Coyocan, Polanco, Roma Nte, and La Condesa. Also visited Chapultepec Park (the “Central Park” of Mexico City) and the impressive Chapultepec Castle.
map
itinerary
highlights
gallery
Day 1 Itinerary
Places visited: Coyoacán - Parroquia San Juan Bautista - Mercado Artesanal mexicano - Mercado de Coyoacán - Los Danzantes
Coyoacán
Coyocan has an artistic feel to it (after all this was the neighborhood Frida Kahlo was born and lived in).
Parroquia San Juan Bautista
Mercado Artesanal mexicano
On the side of the Coyocan Zocola, we found this artisan market for local crafts. The little one is really fond of the handmade Mexican doll in our Airbnb apt so I bought a few at this market. Those dolls have a cute and unique style - they all wear colorful traditional dresses and big hairs. The price at the craft market is 30-50% of what they typcially charge at touristy sites. So shop smartly while you are in CDMX 😉.
Mercado de Coyoacán
This is the market where you can get some of the best Tostadas, fresh made in front of you. But be aware there are many stalls to choose from. The most famous one is called Tostadas Coyocan and look for the sign "Las Originales" (The Original).
Los Danzantes
Another delicious margarita in Mexico City
Day 2 Itinerary
Places visited: Paseo de la Reforma - Altar a la Patria - Chapultepec Castle - Área de comida de Chapultepec tortas mabis - Bosque de Chapultepec - Luis Barragán House and Studio - FR-EE - Papalote Museo del Niño - Agua & Sal
Paseo de la Reforma
Altar a la Patria
Chapultepec Castle
It was quite a hike to get to this castle that sits on top of a hill inside the Chapultepec Park. But it was totally worth it. Not only the castle contains a wealth of art and history of the city and the country, it also provides a fantastic view of the city’s main commercial road, Paseo de la Reforma.
Área de comida de Chapultepec tortas mabis
Had planned a nice place for lunch in Polanco but it was on the other side of the park. We were so tired after all the hike to see the castle. Once you are inside this gigantic park, there is no easy way out other than walking as cars are not allowed. When we came across this outdoor food service area inside the park, we lost the will to walk further and decided to just have a simple lunch. The food was very average but we did feel recharged after the lunch.
Bosque de Chapultepec
Luis Barragán House and Studio
Arguably the most famous architect of Mexico, Luis Barragan has had quite a influence on contemporary architecture. I wouldn’t want to miss the chance to visit his former-residence-turned-museum in Mexico City. But due to poor planning - didn’t reserve tickets online in advance and was told all spaces were reserved for the day when we got there. when you reserve online, you can pick specifically an English or Spanish tour.
Although we didn’t get to go inside the museum, I took a few shots of the exterior and the street which definitely carried the Barragan-influenced style.
FR-EE Garden Cafe
We stumbled upon this little garden cafe next to Casa Luis Barragán. We thought the cafe was part of the museum but it’s actually not related. The garden is part of a architecture firm so it cleverly incorporates a few design elements here and there. We had a relaxing coffee break there.
Papalote Museo del Niño
A very impressive children’s museum but the entrance tickets are pricey. Just be mindful that there is not much stuff inside for younger kids (below 3).
Agua & Sal
Had a nice dinner at this seafood restaurant in the posh neighborhood of Polanco.
Day 3 Itinerary
Places visited: Comedor Lucerna - Roma Norte - Cafe Nin - Roma Norte - Plaza Popocatépetl - Mexico Park - Ojo de Agua - Parque España - La Condesa - Plaza de Cibeles - Contramar - Monument to the Revolution
Comedor Lucerna
Looks like a fun place to eat. When we checked online, Google showed it opens at 9am daily but when we got there around 11, the place was completely empty. The workers told us it only opens in the evening.
Roma Norte
We had an hour to kill while waiting for our table at Cafe Nin. We walked around the neighborhood, Roma Nte. There are many cute houses which makes it a much nicer neighborhood than where we stayed (historic center) but some parts still felt a bit rundown.
Cafe Nin
One of those hyped up brunch places. They try to squeeze in so many tables that you could barely walk through to your own table. We had to wait for almost an hour for our table and the food was just soso. NOT WORTH IT!
Roma Norte
Plaza Popocatépetl
Mexico Park
A neighborhood park with a big playground for kids.
Ojo de Agua
We had a nice break at this cute cafe/juice bar (it’s a chain I think?) right in front of a cute little square perfect for people watching 😎. The juices are big and delicious and all freshly made with organic ingredients.
Parque España
La Condesa
Plaza de Cibeles
This is a pretty square not far from the dinner place, Contramar. All the restaurants and bars on the square were already filled with patrons even in the early evening hours. The atmosphere of the whole square was lively. We felt like we were at the center of action.
Contramar
Multiple friends (both locals and past visitors) recommended this popular seafood restaurant in the center of the hip La Condesa neighborhood. We didn’t have a reservation but decided to show up at 5pm and try our luck. And we were lucky! They seated us right away despite being very full and we saw many people get turned away after us.
To be honest, the food was just ok. Their signature grill fish with green and red seasoning was good but we had had much better grill fish elsewhere. Overall we didn’t regret coming here for our last dinner in CDMX as we enjoyed the restaurant atmosphere.
Monument to the Revolution
This monument was right behind our Airbnb but we never noticed it until the very last night. We passed it on our way back to the apt when it was all nicely lit up in the dark . We quickly decided to get out of our Uber to check it out. You can purchase tickets to go to the top of the monument. We skipped that as there was a line. The square right around the monument was very lively with music performance and many street vendors.
