México City, México
The oldest capital in the Americas, still sinking and still rising
Mexico City is the largest city in North America and one of the great cities of the world, some 22 million people on a drained lakebed at 2,240 metres. It is more beautiful, safer and better fed than its reputation, and harder work than any of its rivals.
The Mexica founded Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco in 1325, and by the time Cortés arrived in 1519 it was one of the largest cities on earth, with causeways, aqueducts and a temple precinct whose ruins now sit beside the cathedral. The Spanish razed it in 1521 and built their capital on the rubble, draining the lake over the following centuries — which is why the old churches lean and the centre sinks by centimetres a year. Independence came in 1821, the Americans occupied the city in 1847, the French installed an emperor in the 1860s, and the Revolution of 1910–20 made it the seat of the one-party state that ran Mexico for seventy years. The 1968 Olympics, the 1985 earthquake and the democratic opening of the 1990s shaped the modern city, which has been governed by the left since 1997.
The city is sixteen boroughs (alcaldías), and the metropolitan area spills far into the State of Mexico. The Centro Histórico around the Zócalo — the cathedral, the National Palace, the Templo Mayor — is the core; Paseo de la Reforma runs south-west from it past the Angel of Independence and the glass towers to Chapultepec, the park that holds the castle, the anthropology museum and the zoo. Roma and Condesa, south of Reforma, are the art-deco, tree-lined café neighbourhoods that visitors now think of as the city; Polanco, north of the park, is the money. Coyoacán and San Ángel to the south are colonial villages swallowed by the city, with Frida Kahlo's house and the university campus beyond. Santa Fe is the corporate district on the western edge; the vast east and north — Iztapalapa, Ecatepec — are where most people live and where visitors rarely go.
The food is the best reason to come: tacos al pastor at midnight, tlacoyos from a street griddle, the markets (La Merced, San Juan, Jamaica), cantinas with free botanas, and a fine-dining scene — Pujol, Quintonil — that ranks among the world's best. There are more museums than almost anywhere, from the anthropology museum to the Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the murals of Rivera and Orozco are on public walls. Lucha libre at Arena México on a Friday night and football — Club América and Cruz Azul at the Estadio Azteca, which opened the 2026 World Cup — are the popular passions, and the Diablos Rojos play baseball in a handsome new stadium. Sundays close Reforma to cars, and Day of the Dead at the start of November has become a genuine city-wide spectacle. It is loud, dense and courteous in ways that surprise.
The hard parts are real. The altitude and the air quality (worst in the dry winter) take a week to adjust to; the traffic is among the worst in the world; earthquakes are a fact of life, with a public alarm and drills every 19 September. Crime is concentrated and mostly avoidable — pickpockets on the Metro, and the usual advice about which areas and which taxis — and the central neighbourhoods are safer than most visitors expect. Water shortages, subsidence and the gulf between Polanco and the periphery are the structural problems; rents in Roma and Condesa have risen sharply with remote workers, and locals resent it. What it offers is a capital of extraordinary depth — Aztec, colonial, modernist and contemporary on the same block — with spring-like weather most of the year and prices that remain low by the standard of any comparable city.
Where People Live
Centro Histórico
The Zócalo, the cathedral, the Templo Mayor, the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the pedestrian Calle Madero: loud and vivid by day, quieter after dark. The city's first and still its grandest square.
Roma Norte & Roma Sur
Art-nouveau and deco mansions, the cafés and galleries of Álvaro Obregón, mezcalerías and the best mid-range restaurants — and the neighbourhood the remote workers moved into.
Condesa & Hipódromo
Parque México and Parque España, the elliptical Avenida Amsterdam, dog walkers and brunch under the jacarandas. Leafy, expensive and the easiest place in the city to live.
Polanco
Avenida Masaryk's luxury shops, the Soumaya and Jumex museums, the embassies and the best-known restaurants. Old money and newer money, north of Chapultepec.
Coyoacán
The colonial plaza and market, Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul and the Trotsky house, weekend crowds and street food. Villagey, artistic and family territory in the south.
San Ángel & Ciudad Universitaria
Cobbled streets and the Saturday Bazar Sábado art market, then UNAM's UNESCO-listed campus with its Olympic stadium, murals and cultural centre.
Juárez & Zona Rosa
The Reforma office corridor, the gay district around Calle Génova, the Korean restaurants of Florencia and the cocktail bars that spilled over from Roma.
Santa María la Ribera & San Rafael
The Moorish kiosk in the Alameda, old Porfirian houses and theatres, and rents that have not yet caught up. The next Roma, say the estate agents, and they may be right.
Eat & drink
Parque Acacias
Restaurant
Airports
Mexico City Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX) 6.7 km to the centre
Av Capitan Carlos León S/N, Peñón de los Baños, Venustiano Carranza, 15620 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 30 airlines (AeroMéxico, Interjet (ABC Aerolineas), Volaris, Aeromar…) · direct flights to 94 destinations incl. Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, Monterrey… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 30 airlines, 94 direct destinations
- AeroMéxico AM (EMJ, 737, ERJ, Embraer 170, 737-800, Embraer 175…) · 78 routes: Acapulco, Aguascalientes*, Atlanta*, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Campeche*, Cancun, Caracas, Chicago, Chihuahua, Ciudad Del Carmen, Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Obregon*, Ciudad Victoria, Colima, Culiacan, Dallas-Fort Worth*, Del Bajio, Detroit*, Durango*, Guadalajara, Guatemala City*, Havana, Hermosillo, Houston, Huatulco*, Jalapa, La Paz*, Las Vegas, Lazard Cardenas, Lima, London, Los Angeles, Los Mochis*, Madrid, Manzanillo*, Matamoros*, Mazatlan, Merida, Mexicali … +38 more
- Interjet (ABC Aerolineas) 4O (A320, SU9) · 41 routes: Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Bogota, Campeche, Cancun, Chetumal, Chihuahua, Ciudad Del Carmen, Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Obregon, Cozumel, Culiacan, Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Havana, Hermosillo, Huatulco, La Paz, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Merida, Miami, Minatitlan, Monterrey, New York, Oaxaca, Palenque, Puerto Vallarta, Reynosa, San Antonio, San Jose, San Jose Del Cabo, Santa Ana, Tampico, Tijuana, Torreon, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Vera Cruz, Villahermosa, Zacatecas … +1 more
- Volaris Y4 (A319, A320) · 22 routes: Cancun, Chicago, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juarez, Culiacan, Denver, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, La Paz, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mazatlan, Merida, Mexicali, Monterrey, Orlando, Phoenix, Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, San Jose Del Cabo, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutierrez
- Aeromar VW (ATR, CRJ) · 18 routes: Acapulco, Austin, Ciudad Victoria, Colima, Durango, Jalapa, Lazard Cardenas, Manzanillo, Matamoros, Mcallen, Morelia, Piedras Negras, Poza Rico, Puerto Escondido, San Luis Potosi, Tepic, Vera Cruz, Zihuatanejo
- Delta Air Lines DL (737, EMJ, 737-800, A319, 757, 787…) · 16 routes: Acapulco, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Merida, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Antonio, San Francisco, Villahermosa, Washington
- Birmingham European VB (737-300) · 8 routes: Cancun, Guadalajara, Mazatlan, Monterrey, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta, Reynosa, Torreon
- United Airlines UA (A320, A319, 737-800, 737-700) · 7 routes: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Washington
- American Airlines AA (A319, 737-800, 737, MD-80, M83) · 6 routes: Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles*, Miami, Phoenix
- Alitalia AZ (737, 737-800, 747-400, 777, 787, 737-800…) · 5 routes: Atlanta*, Madrid*, Miami*, New York*, Paris*
- Avianca - Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia AV (A319, A320, 330, 737) · 5 routes: Bogota, Lima, San Jose, San Salvador, Toronto
- US Airways US (A319, 737-800, MD-80, M83) · 5 routes: Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, Phoenix
- British Airways BA (737-800, 747-400, MD-80) · 3 routes: Dallas-Fort Worth*, London, Miami*
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (737, 737-800, 74M, 737-700, 737-800) · 3 routes: Amsterdam, Atlanta*, Monterrey*
- LAN Airlines LA (767-300, 737) · 3 routes: Lima, Monterrey*, Santiago
- Air Canada AC (A319) · 2 routes: Toronto, Vancouver
- Air France AF (747-400, 74Y) · 2 routes: Atlanta, Paris
- Air New Zealand NZ (A320) · 2 routes: Los Angeles*, San Francisco*
- AirTran Airways FL (737-700) · 2 routes: San Antonio, Santa Ana
- Copa Airlines CM (737-700, 737-800) · 2 routes: Bogota*, Panama City
- Iberia Airlines IB (345, A340-600, 737-800) · 2 routes: Madrid, Miami*
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A340-600, 74H) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Munich
- Air China CA (A320, ERJ) · 1 route: Houston
- Air Europa UX (777) · 1 route: Madrid
- Alaska Airlines AS (737-800) · 1 route: Los Angeles
- Cubana de Aviación CU (A319, A320) · 1 route: Havana
- Korean Air KE (787) · 1 route: Tijuana*
- Qatar Airways QR (77X) · 1 route: Atlanta
- TAM Brazilian Airlines JJ (330) · 1 route: Sao Paulo
- Virgin Atlantic Airways VS (737-800, 737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Atlanta*
- Virgin Australia VA (737-800, 737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Atlanta*
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU) 37 km to the centre
Mexico City, MEX, MX — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather.
Jorge Jiménez Cantú National Airport (AZP) 23 km to the centre
Atizapán de Zaragoza, MEX, MX — Indoor waiting area, but you walk out to the aircraft to board — bring an umbrella or a coat if the forecast is poor.
Getting there by ferry
Ferry terminal
Ferry terminal · 18 km from the centre
Ferry terminal
Ferry terminal · 18 km from the centre
Local transit
Metro CDMX
Metro · Twelve-line metro, one of the largest in the world, plus Metrobús. · Fares: Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada · Airport: Metro Line 5 at Terminal Aérea
Trains & rail
Ferromex
Rail operator
Ferrovalle
Rail operator
Kansas City Southern de México
Rail operator
Línea Coahuila Durango
Rail operator
Coaches & shuttles
ADO → Oaxaca, México
About six and a half hours from the TAPO terminal. · Oaxaca, México guide →
Primera Plus
Intercity coach
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Air Charter Service
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
ExecuJet
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Flexjet
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Global Jet
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Jet Aviation
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.
Living Here
Getting about
- The Metro is twelve lines, cheap (around 5 pesos), fast and crowded — avoid the rush hours, keep valuables in front and note the women-only cars at the head of the train. The Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada card also covers the Metrobús (bus rapid transit along Insurgentes and Reforma), the Cablebús gondolas and the light rail to Xochimilco.
- Use app taxis (Uber, DiDi) or the official cabs from a sitio rank rather than hailing on the street. Ecobici bike share is extensive in the central boroughs, and Reforma is closed to cars on Sunday mornings.
- Benito Juárez airport (MEX) is in the east of the city, 30–60 minutes from the centre depending on traffic; Metrobús line 4 runs there, and the authorised taxi counters are inside the terminal. The newer Felipe Ángeles airport (NLU) is far to the north and mostly domestic.
- Walking is the way to see Roma, Condesa, the Centro and Coyoacán; the pavements are uneven and the altitude makes hills feel steeper. Allow twice the time you think for anything involving a road.
Health
- Dial 911. The private hospitals — ABC Medical Center (Observatorio and Santa Fe), Hospital Ángeles, Médica Sur — are of a high standard and expect insurance or payment; the public hospitals are overstretched. Take travel insurance that covers private care.
- Pharmacies (Farmacias del Ahorro, Guadalajara, Similares) are on every block, many with a doctor's consulting room attached for a small fee — the practical first stop for minor problems.
- Drink bottled or filtered water, go easy for the first days at altitude and carry sunscreen. Air quality is worst from February to May, and the rainy season (June to September) brings a storm most afternoons.
- Earthquake protocol is posted in every building; when the seismic alarm sounds, get out and into open ground.
Work & study
- UNAM is the largest university in Latin America and the cultural anchor of the south; the IPN, UAM, the Tec de Monterrey campus and private universities (Ibero, ITAM, Anáhuac) make it an enormous student city.
- It is the seat of the federal government, the financial and corporate capital (the stock exchange, the big banks and most multinationals' Mexican head offices) and the centre of media, film and advertising; manufacturing rings the metropolitan area.
- Remote workers on tourist entry are common in Roma and Condesa, but a temporary resident visa is needed for a longer stay, and Spanish opens the city in a way English does not.
Money & manners
- Mexican pesos; cards work in restaurants and shops, but street food, markets and small taquerías are cash, and ATMs inside bank branches are the safe ones. Tip 10–15% in restaurants, a few pesos to the supermarket bagger and the parking attendant.
- IVA (16%) is included in prices. Say 'buenos días' on entering a shop and 'provecho' to people eating; politeness is formal and expected, and a raised voice loses the argument.
- The weather is spring-like most of the year at this altitude — warm days, cool nights, a rainy season from June to September and a dry, cool, hazy winter. Bring a jacket for the evenings and an umbrella for the afternoons.