Panorama of the Zócalo with the Cathedral, the giant flag and the National Palace
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Mexico City in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 4.9 km on foot
  • 16 stops
  • Audio guide

With two days you can finally leave the centre: one day for the Zócalo–Alameda axis with two big museums and legends after dark, the other for Mexica and colonial history with the afternoon in Coyoacán. The pace is demanding, but it is a very full plan for a first trip, with well-chosen meals.

Day 1Murals, museums and a night of legends

In the morning, “From the Zócalo to the Alameda”: the Zócalo, Iturbide Palace, Torre Latinoamericana and Bellas Artes, finishing at the Juárez Hemicycle. Have chiles en nogada at the Hostería de Santo Domingo, then give the free afternoon to two museums: the Diego Rivera Mural Museum, next to the Alameda, and, by metro or ride-hailing, the Anthropology Museum in Chapultepec. Be back in time for “Legends of Colonial Mexico”, from the House of Tiles to the Hospital de Jesús, and have suadero tacos for dinner.

  1. Morning

    From the Zócalo to the Alameda: Mexico City Highlights

    Mixed · 1.6 km · 1 h 30 min

    1. Zócalo (Plaza de la Constitución)The square named after a pedestal with no statue, and still Mexico's great living room.
    2. Iturbide PalaceA baroque wedding present from whose balcony the first emperor of independent Mexico was acclaimed.
    3. Torre LatinoamericanaThe 1956 skyscraper that floats on a lake and came through three major earthquakes unscathed.
    4. Postal PalaceA post office that looks like a Venetian palace, with bronze staircases cast in Florence.
    5. Palace of Fine Arts (Bellas Artes)Begun Art Nouveau, finished Art Deco, thirty years in the making: Mexico's great cultural stage.
    6. Alameda Central and the Juárez HemicycleThe oldest public park in the Americas, with a past of bonfires and a white marble tribute to Juárez.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Chiles en nogada at Hostería de Santo Domingo. Belisario Domínguez 72, Centro Histórico

  3. Afternoon

    Diego Rivera Mural Museum

    A gallery built around “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central”, Rivera's great 1947 mural. It stands beside the Alameda, so it is the ideal stop right after Bellas Artes.

    Directions

    National Museum of Anthropology

    The country's best museum on pre-Hispanic cultures, with the Sun Stone and the Mexica and Maya halls. Allow two hours, check the closing day and return to the centre by metro or ride-hailing.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Legends of Colonial Mexico: Tiles, Witches and Hidden Bones

    Mysteries & legends · 2.1 km · 1 h 45 min

    1. House of Tiles (Casa de los Azulejos)A palace clad in ceramic, a son who wanted to prove his father wrong and a real murder on the staircase.
    2. Palace of the InquisitionThe seat of the Holy Office, with its diagonal doorway, and the prisoner who, legend says, escaped on a ship she drew.
    3. Metropolitan CathedralA church sinking into a lake and a dark Christ that, tradition says, absorbed a poison.
    4. Calle de Don Juan Manuel"What time is it?" "Eleven." "Lucky you, to know the hour of your death": colonial Mexico's darkest legend.
    5. Hospital and Church of Jesús NazarenoThe hospital Cortés founded holds his bones, hidden in 1823 and found again in 1946.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Suadero and al pastor tacos at Taquería Los Cocuyos. Bolívar 56, Centro Histórico

Day 2Tenochtitlan and Frida's house

Give the morning to “From Tenochtitlan to the Capital of New Spain”: Santo Domingo, San Ildefonso, Templo Mayor, the National Palace and the Cathedral. It is the shortest route, so there's no rush. For lunch, churros and chocolate at El Moro, then head south to Coyoacán, which asks for an unhurried afternoon: Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul and, at leisure, the squares and market of the neighbourhood. Book the museum ticket ahead and wear comfortable shoes.

  1. Morning

    From Tenochtitlan to the Capital of New Spain

    History · 1.2 km · 1 h 30 min

    1. Plaza de Santo DomingoThe square where faith, taxes and censorship lived side by side, and where scribes still prepare paperwork under the arches.
    2. Antiguo Colegio de San IldefonsoA 16th-century Jesuit college where, in 1922, painters swapped the easel for the scaffold.
    3. Templo MayorThe great temple of Tenochtitlan, dismantled in 1521 and rediscovered in 1978 by electricity workers.
    4. National PalaceFrom Moctezuma's palace to the viceroys' and the presidents': five hundred years of power on the same block.
    5. Metropolitan CathedralAlmost three centuries in the making: a façade you read from bottom to top, from Renaissance to Neoclassical.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Churros and chocolate at Churrería El Moro. Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 42, Centro Histórico

  3. Afternoon

    Frida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul)

    The house where the painter was born and died, now a museum, with her studio, kitchen and garden. Tickets often sell out: book online well ahead and arrive a few minutes before your slot.

    Directions

    Coyoacán

    A neighbourhood of cobbled streets and colonial houses, with Plaza Hidalgo, the Jardín Centenario and a market for trying tostadas. Stroll without hurry before or after the Casa Azul.

    Directions

The map

Mexico City in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Mexico City in 2 days

  • Book Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul online and check which day museums close (many rest on Mondays) before deciding what to do on which day.
  • Distances between the centre, Chapultepec and Coyoacán are long: use the metro or ride-hailing, and avoid the morning and evening rush hours.
  • The altitude (about 2,240 m) tires you more than it seems: carry water, wear sunscreen and don't overload the second day with stops.

Questions

Mexico City in 2 days: your questions

Is two days enough for Mexico City?

For a first trip, yes: the historic centre, one major museum and Coyoacán. Xochimilco, the pyramids of Teotihuacán, the Roma district and Chapultepec Castle get left out. If you can, add a third day.

How far do you walk in two days?

The routes add up to about 4.9 km: 3.7 on day one (highlights and mysteries) and 1.2 on day two (history). Add what you walk inside the museums and around Coyoacán, which is quite a bit.

Is the Anthropology Museum worth it?

Yes, it is one of the best in Latin America and really explains what you will later see at Templo Mayor. Two hours covers the main things; on a two-day plan, head straight for the Mexica and Maya halls.

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