Mexico City

3 Day Itinerary Mexico City

When I flew into Mexico City I landed around 6:30 pm and got to the Airbnb by 7:30pm. The uber ride from the airport to the Condesa or Roma Norte neighborhood is about 30 minutes although during periods of heavy traffic it can take up to an hour. For first time visitors I would recommend staying in Roma Norte or Condesa. It is close to great food and restaurants and easy access to anywhere else you will be going.

Night 1:

As soon as we got settled in we headed to grab dinner, tacos of course! We headed straight to the famous Taqueria Orinoco. Here we got a combination of all 3 tacos(Chicharron being my favorite), potatoes, and Aqua fresca(fruit juice). The table has salas ranging from mild to super spicy. This place is a must, we even came back a second time.

After dinner what do we need to do? Grab a sweet treat. And we did that at Churreria El Moro, which was about a 5 minute walk away. We got the churros and Mexican hot chocolate to dip them in. This was a great not too sweet way to end the night.

Day1:

We had an early 4am wake up this day to head to a hot air balloon ride over the Teotihuacan pyramids. We were picked up by a driver at our Airbnb and drove about 1.5 hours to an area where we could register and use the restrooms and prepare for our day. We all got coffees and woke up a bit to look nice for the hot air balloon ride. Once we got the hot air balloon site(another 10 minute drive) they were finishing up inflating the balloons while we got some pictures.

We took some photos and then headed up into the air. This was my first time on a hot air balloon, so it was extra magical to be there at sunrise. We flew right over the famous Aztec Moon and Sun pyramids, and the guide explained a bit of history to us. After a 45 minutes ride we prepared for landed. We had a bumpy touch down but nothing crazy.

After this incredible experience we were driven to the caves near by for a traditional Mexican breakfast of Chilaquiles and Mexican coffee, which had a sweet cinnamon flavor. The breakfast wasn’t great, but the scenery was beautiful. After we finished breakfast, we were driven back to our Airbnb. Around lunch time the traffic had picked up and we got back around 2. We decided to walk to grab a light lunch of Acai bowls and enchiladas at Ojo de Agua. The chicken enchiladas were amazing as was the acai bowls and juices we all got and shared.

This was the point when everyone was crashing but if you still have energy, I recommend exploring the Friday market in Condesa with artisan goods, fruits, and specialty foods. We stopped by Jeni’s quesadilla to grab a quick snack before resting. After a much-needed nap we started getting ready for dinner at Fonda Fina. This unassuming place was one of the highlights of our weekend. They do a modern interpretation of Mexican classics. There is something for everyone here, even our pescatarian friend had plenty of options. We pretty much ordered the whole menu. Their tamarind margarita was also an amazing drink paired with all the food.

As far as night life goes we went to a few bars. I would recommend:

Casa Franca for live Jazz
Cometa Disco for dancing
Handshake Speakeasy for fun cocktails and more lowkey vibe
Gin Gin for a pre going out drink
Patrick Miller for a dancey club

Day 2:

We started off the second day by walking a block to Panederia Rosetta. I am sure you have seen this on many itineraries and let me tell you some of the the items are alright but he guava and cheese pastry make the line worth it. We got a few items, but the overwhelming favorite was the guava and cheese pastry. After you grab a pastry and coffee, head over to Chapultepec park. This green space is huge and there is o way you will be able to cover it all, but it is a great place to walk around and if you have time go to the Anthropologie Museum nestled on the northeast side of the park.

Contramar was the lunch spot we went to that had great seafood. The tuna tostadas and ceviche were favorites, as well as the whole grilled fish with red and green salsas. The strawberry meringue dessert was also exceptional.

After finishing up lunch we headed to the boat tour of Xochimilco. The uber there took about an hour and the boat tour consisted of lots of music, drinking, and dancing. The guide explained the history of the area and went into detail about all the marigolds that come from there and the significance. After a long 2 hours of making micheladas, drinking, and little eating we were ready to uber back to the Airbnb for a much-needed rest. After we rested were headed back to Tacos Orinoco for a quick dinner and some street vendor elote before calling it a night.

Day 3:

I started day 3 with a morning run which was going well until I was completely winded 1 mile in only to remember Mexico City is over a mile above sea level. But never the less the beautiful trees and shade made is a great place to get in a quick run.

After the group got ready, we started our final day which was all about eating! Today we opted to do a self-guided food tour which I put together with recommendations from popular spots around the city. We started with coffee at a local spot and then headed to Jagueria Caro for some fresh fruit juices. The group favorites were guava with milk and orange and passion fruit juice.

After the juices we headed to Odette for some baked goods. Here we got a variety of pastries including a Ferrero Rocher croissant, matcha cookie, and some other laminated croissant.

And what would a trip to Mexico City be without birria tacos. So we headed to Birria La China.

Between all this eating and drinking we did walk abound the beautiful Parque Mexico and took some pictures.

One last pit stop at Tacos del Valle was also needed to try their bone marrow salsa and tacos which was PHENOMINAL.

We decided to do some shopping, so we headed to La Merced Market. This place was a maze that had so many little booths with home goods, clothes, jewelry, food, trinkets, and everything in between. This is the place you want to do any shopping.

After heading back and freshening up we had dinner at Azul Historico. This was in the historical district of Mexico and was in the courtyard of a beautiful old building. This is where you come for a fancy upscale dinner. The food honestly wasn’t our favorite, but the ambiance and drinks were some of the best.

Later that night I took an uber back to the airport to head ack to NYC.

Transport:

Overall our group mainly walked and used Uber. Although Mexico City does have a good metro system, most things we did were close by and we had a large group, so it made sense to just take a car.

Dining and Drinks: All my recommendations are listed below:

Bakeries:

Restaurants: