If you’re looking for the perfect itinerary for 3 days Mexico City (especially if you’re a foodie!) this is it. Whether you’ve got 3 days or 7 days, your adventurous spirit will be filled to the brim with tacos, sopas, Frida Kahlo, vibrant culture and of course plenty of tequila, mezcal and margaritas. Usually my travel posts are geared towards trips with kids. This one is a little less kid-friendly since I went with all adults, but there’s still some ideas you could take that are great for kids. Maybe just hold off on the tequila tastings (lol)!
I lived near Mexico City as an exchange student when I was in middle school and still have a sense memory of smelling the magnificent homemade blue corn tortillas being made by my host family. Part of my drive to go back to visit a city I love is the cuisine. From the moles, to aguachiles, tacos el pastor, chilaquiles and more I couldn’t wait to get back!
I did my full research before asking my culinary friends their top spots and even a local culinary genius as our walking guide to tour us around as we stuffed our faces with a variety of tacos from breakfast all the way to dinner in CMDX (the name commonly used in Mexico City better known as Ciudad de Mexico).
Helpful Tips for a Mexico City Trip:
Before we get into the three day itinerary, I wanted to answer some commonly asked questions I got about visiting Mexico city.
Best Time of Year to Visit CDMX:
Luckily, the temperature in Mexico City is mild year round (although November-February can be chilly at night and June-September a bit more rainy) making it a perfect spot for a quick family trip, a culinary and cultural trip with friends or a romantic getaway. We visited at the end of January with day time temperatures in the low 70’s and sunny and in the high 40’s at night. Make sure to wear layers and carry a backpack to store your sweater or jacket, so you can go from day to night and of course comfy shoes as it’s a total walking city.
Elevation in Mexico City:
CMDX is 7349 feet above sea level which is comparable to Denver, so if you have an issues with elevation, make sure to pack anti nausea medication and drink plenty of water while there. Luckily, no one in our group got sick out entire trip, but it’s something to keep in mind!
Getting Around Mexico City:
Like any big city, there are several modes of transportation. We found Uber to be the easiest and quite affordable compared to other large cities (it’s generally around $5 to get from one part of CMDX to the other side). We found walking to be the best way to see the city. Every day we clocked over 10,000 steps touring all of the sites. If you want to feel like a local you can jump on the metro which is very clean and inexpensive (under $1 per ride).
Where to Stay:
Mexico City has some of the most charming hotels you’ve seen. When looking for a hotel, I looked in 3 of my favorite neighborhoods which are all beautiful, chic and charming: Polanco, Roma and La Condesa. Right next to the Parque Mexico, we chose the Condesa DF which is centrally located, incredibly safe and has a gorgeous rooftop bar and restaurant plus a delicious breakfast buffet that was included in the price of our room. There are plenty of AirBnB’s, chain or boutique hotels, so make sure to look in your price range and read views from other recent travelers to Mexico City.
Safety in Mexico City:
I have been asked endlessly “was Mexico City safe”, “did you drink the water or get sick”, “was the city dirty”? Sadly, the city gets a bad wrap. We experienced none of these things and ate the fruit, drank bottled water, walked around at night and felt like the city was very clean (due to recent regulations in the city to keep it pristine). Like in any large city, be aware of your surroundings, but Mexico City is lovely and safe!
Tickets and Reservations:
I can’t stress enough the importance of booking restaurant reservations ahead of time, buying tickets to museums weeks in advance if possible and showing up to dinner reservations at the appropriate time. On our first night we were 18 minutes late to a dinner reservation and were told we would need to wait 90 minutes for another table as they were fully booked. Luckily there was a stylish bar to relax at while we waited, but it was a good lesson in leaving early to beat the traffic!
Mexico City Three Day Itinerary:
This three day Mexico City itinerary is a foodies dream! We basically ate our way through this city. It has some of the best food in the world!
Day 1: Check-In and Dinner at Rosetta
As we arrived in the afternoon and had a 30 minute drive into Mexico City from the international airport, we needed to quickly check in, drop our bags and change before dinner at what is considered to be one of the premiere restaurants in Mexico City, Rosetta. Not only is the building and decor breathtaking, but the food matched the over all experience. Rosetta was the “fanciest” restaurant we visited as I wanted to keep our culinary activities as low key and local as possible. If you’re looking for other upscale restaurants try Pujol, Quintonil or Amaya.
After a long dinner filled with Kampachi con verduras en escabeche y hueva de trucha, Tártara de betabel al pastor, tamales, Gnocchi de papa con huitlacoche y verduras de la milpa, Codornices con farro y duraznos, Extraviado con hoja santa y frijoles and Hierbas frescas con helado de romero y aceite de oliva, we rolled ourselves back to our hotel for a long sleep!
Day 2: Guided Taco Crawl, Churros and Contramar
We wanted to cover as much ground as possible in Mexico City and have the best taco crawl and cultural experience ever (as we knew our time was limited), so we decided on a private food tour with @gabyrenterian who several culinary friends recommended. Not only is Gaby a knowledgeable food writer and social gastronomist, but she intimately knows some of the most dynamic local street food vendors and chefs creating food that you only dream about.
After coffee in our hotel, Gaby met us at 10:30am to head to the Mercado de Jamaica which is the largest flower and food market in the city. There we strolled the football stadium sized market feasting on Gordita (filled with chicharron), Huarache (triangle shape filled with beans), cheese and chicken quesadillas and Taco de chorizo verde at our first stop. We walked all over the flower market drooling over fields of tulips, roses, sunflowers and every stemmed beauty you can imagine at a fraction of the price you would pay in the United States.
There were aisles and aisles of food and flowers before coming upon a row of people cooking pots of Esquites (cooked corn). We had a trio of mushroom, chorizo and a spicy corn mixture all placed in corn husk boats. Next up was a mole paste tasting from San Pedro Actopans made from pecans, peanuts or almonds (mole almendrado, mole poblano and pipian) based on Guajillo Chile. They were sweet enough to eat on their own, so I bought two bags full to take home as gifts for our kids. Alongside the moles were a variety of dried chilis that are a must if you’re visiting the mercado.
From there we walked around the Palacio Nacional (the national palace which is the official residence for the president of Mexico) to what appeared to be a simple cafe, but Itacate del Mar at Circulo Mexicano is so much more. After a small locally made tequila and mezcal tasting, we had some of the best food we tasted in Mexico City including: torta de camaron con huevo, aguacate y salsa macha (a shrimp torta), tostadas, sopas and luscious horchata with espresso. We walked through the city admiring the historical buildings before stopping by Dulceria de Celaya, founded in 1874, which is one of the oldest sweets shops in the world. My friends and I all shared one of their famous large crunchy funnel cake type pastry topped with cajeta which is a caramelized goat’s milk that tastes similar to Dulce de Leche. Then, we walked through Chinatown with the rainbow colored umbrellas hanging overhead and stopped for a traditional Paloma in one of the oldest cantinas in CDMX before devouring our last street-side taqueria with mouthwatering thinly sliced brisket.
When you walk along the streets of Mexico City you can’t help but stumble upon panaderia after panaderia (aka local bakery). The smell of fresh breads flows onto the street outside and begs you to walk in to fill up a tray with fresh out of the oven concha, breads, cookies, pastries and jello style treats which are a local favorite.
Our last stop of the day with Gaby was to watch churros being made at Churreria El Moro which several of my foodie friends recommended for the best churros around. After watching the dough be made, shaped into churros, fried and then tossed into different sugar mixtures, we crushed plates full and plunged them into chocolate and cajeta sauces. With full bellies we again, rolled ourselves back to our hotel for a quick siesta before tossing on our loosest clothes to dive into what friends told me was a must eat dinner at Contramar.
The Roma neighborhood and a few restaurants in the area have last seating at 8pm, so make a reservation and arrive well before to enjoy a spectacular meal. At Contramar, we couldn’t resist trying the spicy margaritas, tuna tostadas, whole fish with green and red sauce, shrimp aguachile, burrata with fried egg, french fries and pancetta, and nopale (cactus) salad. Then for dessert, flourless chocolate cake and a fig cheesecake which I was dubious about but turned out to the most inspiring dessert on our trip!
Day 3: Frida Kahlo Museum and… More Food
After a light breakfast of fresh fruit and eggs at our hotel we took an Uber to the Frida Kahlo Museum. Ticket sales open online a month before, so make sure to get them ahead of time as they sell out quickly. The museum is located in the home she lived in for most of her life with her family and husband, Diego Rivera. If you’re coming to CDMX it’s not to be missed as it tells her incredible life story sharing her art, incredible fashionsense and tragic life story.
From there we walked all over Coyoacan including a visit to the Marcade de Coyoacán, the local food and farmers market with local textiles sold here as well. Gaby had recommended Casa de los Tacos which was the perfect spot for tacos Irene (pescado, cameron a la plancha, cebolla y guacamole), taco Gobernador, Sopecitos mixtos, Pe giro de res Al horno, homemade guacamole and our favorite Jabal en barbacoa (made with wild boar). We wandered the area in and out of outdoor markets before jumping in a taxi to head to Molino El Pujol, the bakery for the famous Pujol restaurant. We heard the churros were a must taste and they didn’t disappoint. Two super crunchy churros were placed in front of the four of us with bowls of chocolate and cajeta which we enjoyed on the sidewalk patio on the sunniest, yet cool day.
Next door we couldn’t resist popping into Saint Panaderia for their insane homemade breads including empanada Mandana, Dona fresa and rol de canela. As we walked home, we popped into a Casa Mandarine, a women’s, children’s and housewares shop featuring a variety of Mexican designers.
For dinner we went to the trendy restaurant with magnificent food in an outdoor warehouse in Roma called Campobaja. As we walked into the restaurant, everything looked so incredible on the tables that we decided on the tuna tostadas, a dozen oysters, hamachi crudo, tiradito, creamy black beans with queso, large grilled prawns and our favorite dish of the night, calamari with roast garlic cloves to spread on toast in a chili sauce. Well, after our bedtimes, we decided to go to the spectacular roof garden on top of our hotel to take in the view before falling asleep.
Day 4: Travel Day
For our last day in Mexico City, we decided to all sleep in and enjoy the hotel and its cozy beds before a simple breakfast and two hours walking around the city. Just being there and taking in the sights was all we needed before flying back to LA.
Our 3-day adventure in Mexico City was a culinary and cultural delight. From the bustling markets to the museums, each experience enriched our understanding and appreciation of this vibrant city! I can’t wait to bring the kids to Mexico City to do it all again! Leave a comment if you have any questions about Mexico City, and check out my Instagram for some highlights from my trip!
