Introduction
Distrito Federal, the thriving capital, couldn't be more different from the Mexico regularly appearing on the evening news abroad. The city of 21 million remains largely free of the violence that has engulfed too many other towns and cities. And with public transportation expanding, air pollution decreasing, the police force modernising and a parade of new restaurants, shops, galleries and a museum, it's getting even more fun for visitors.
More from Mexico City PDF VersionEssentials
- Ask around for the best nearby open-air markets and taco stands.
- Keep small bills handy. Shopkeepers don’t like giving change for more than a 50- or 100-peso note.
- Lunch, beginning at 14.00 or 15.00 and often lasting hours, is the main meal of the day, and many restaurants are closed for dinner.
- Express kidnappings (secuestros express), in which your taxi driver robs you, do happen, so don’t hail a cab on the street; call a service or find a stand (un sitio).
Two-hour tour
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Check out the Soumaya, Carlos Slim's new museum
303 Boulevard Miguel de Cervantes, Saavedra, Col. Ampliacion Granada
+52 55 5616 3731
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Zocalo and cathedral
Col. Centro
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Museo Soumaya
Plaza Loreto, Av Revolucion y Rio Magdalena, Col. Tizapán
+52 55 5616 3761
Hotels
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Hotel Brick
Orizaba 95, Col. Roma Norte
+ 52 55 5525 1100
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Hotel Presidente Intercontinental
218 Campos Eliseos, Col. Chapultepec Polanco
+ 52 55 5327 7700
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The Four Seasons
500 Paseo de la Reforma, Col. Juárez
+ 52 55 5230 1818
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Dining
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Frutos Prohibidos y Otros Placeres
244-B Amsterdam, Col. Condesa
+ 52 55 5264 5808
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Lobby Restaurant at Hotel Habita
201 Av. Presidente Masaryk, Col. Polanco
+ 52 55 5282 3100
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Contramar
200 Durango (just off Fuente de Cibeles) Col. Roma
+ 52 55 5514 9217
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El Cardenal
215 Avenida de las Palmas, Col. Lomas de Chapultepec
+ 52 55 2623 0401
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Primos
168 Michoacán, Col. Condesa
+ 52 55 5256 0950
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Senses
189 Campos Eliseos, Col. Polanco
+ 52 55 5980 1578
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Bros
226 Lope de Vega, Col. Polanco
+ 52 55 5250 1325
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Los Danzantes
12 Plaza Jardín Centenario, Col. Coyoacán
+ 52 55 5554 1213
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Lampuga
Ometusco 1 (corner of Nuevo Leon), Col. Hipódromo Condesa
+ 52 55 5286 6942
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Biko
407 Av. Presidente Masaryk, Col. Polanco
+ 52 55 5282 2064
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La Terraza at Hotel
Condesa DF 102 Avenida Veracruz, Col. Condesa
+ 52 55 5241 2600
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VIP room at Pasaje America
7 Cinco de Mayo, Col. Centro
+ 52 55 5521 4375
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Café Toscano
Orizaba 42, Col. Roma
+ 52 55 5533 5444
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Rosetta
Colima 166, Col. Roma
+ 52 55 5533 7804
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Félix
64 Alvaro Obregon, Col. Roma Norte
+ 52 55 5264 0318
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El Casino Español
Isabel la Católica 31, Col. Centro
+52 55 5521 8894
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M.N. Roy
186 Mérida, Col. Roma Norte
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Shopping
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Design from the Galería Mexicana de Diseño
13 Anatole France, Col. Polanco
+ 52 55 5280 3709
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Mexican toys from Jugaré
84 Alfonso Reyes, Col. Hipodromo Condesa
+ 52 55 5211 7280
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Erotic prints and antiques by Sexe by Accident
49 Alvaro Obregon, Col. Roma
+ 52 55 5511 1312
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Transport
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Metro — Cheap and efficient. A one-way trip costs 3 pesos ($0.24/€0.18)
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Metrobus — A bus rapid transit system that runs along Avenida de los Insurgentes. Access is with a pre-paid smart card.
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Servitaxi — Plentiful and cheap. Don’t hail them from the street.
+ 52 55 3626 9800
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Fitness
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Qi
317 Amsterdam, Col. Condesa
+ 52 55 5574 5095
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Viveros de Coyoacán — El Sope, a 2km running track in the huge Bosque de Chapultepec (in the second section of Chapultepec Park near the Lago Mayor).
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Pilates in la Condesa
Pilates Condesa, Amsterdam 282 esq. Sonora
+ 52 5564 3344
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