Mexico City is truly one of the most amazing cities in the world with a mixture of both the old and new world. From the moment your plane starts to descend into this vast city with millions of inhabitants, historical locations, and wonderful scenery you know that your trip will be quite an adventure.
It’s important to always use authorized taxi’s when leaving the airport and of course make sure that your driver knows exactly where you’re going before you leave. Once in your taxi and the moment you leave the airport you are amazed at the massive amount of traffic and the seemingly non-existent traffic laws. The speed of traffic isn’t high, but the sheer volume can be stressful to some.
The “Paseo de la Reforma” is one of the major tourist and business areas in Mexico City with many high quality hotels only walking distance from great restaurants and other tourist attractions. The only problem you will have is trying to see all of these sites during your vacation time.
When you arrive at your hotel the first thing you should always do is lock up your valuables in you room safe and only take as much money as you need for the day.
One of the most popular attractions in this area is the National Museum of Anthropology. There are thousands of artifacts on display showing the history of the area and numerous items found from the many Aztec sites in the area.
Across the street from the museum is the Castillo de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Castle) which was once inhabited by Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota. It later became a Military Academy which was a prominent site in the Mexican-American war. It’s also a good idea to take the train up the hill to where the castle is located as the hill is steep. It’s important to keep in mind that Mexico City is over 7000 feet above sea level and some it difficult to breath when walking.
The Mexico City zoo is also located along Reforma is a great place to spend an afternoon, just be careful not to carry too much cash or credit cards as the children that wander around the zoo are often pickpockets.
If you want to visit a traditional Mexico market you can take a taxi to the Coyoacan market during the evening on a weekend. It’s a great place to get some cheap souvenirs to bring back home and to enjoy some traditional Mexican cuisine such as tacos al pastor. These are tacos with pork, onion and pinapple. However, make sure you are careful where you eat and that the meat is well cooked.