Mexico City thrives on excitement, history, and an abundance of activities for locals and tourists alike.
This November CDMX will become beauty central as it hosts the most beautiful women in the world for the 73rd Annual Miss Universe pageant.
Now is the best time to visit and with so many options at your disposal we’re highlighting five unique experiences exclusive to Mexico City that will make this an unforgettable travel adventure.

Xochimilco

Xochimilco dates back to 900 AD; it’s the history of Mexico through a festival of colors and a range of traditions that make it culturally unique.
This UNESCO World Heritage site is famous for its canals, floating gardens, and  trajineras (gondola-like boats) that have been the centerpiece for films, telenovelas, music videos, and magazine editorials.
Compare it  to Venice, with the difference being its Latin flavor courtesy of the mariachis, trios and other musical groups available to liven up your cruise.

In the native dialect of Nahuatl Xochimilco means ‘Field of Flowers,’ and this is a vibrant example of the ancient transportation and cultivation systems created by the Aztecs, when the Valley of Mexico was full of lakes and lagoons.
Much of the nature of Xochimilco remains today, together with cultural elements of its pre-Hispanic origins, art and colonial culture.

There’s a plethora of activities available including dining, shopping, enjoying live entertainment, and of course a trajinera tour through the canals to share with friends, family, or make it a most romantic date and reserve for 2.
Xochimilco will please all your senses with an endless array of sounds, flavors and colors. Undoubtedly one of the most interesting places to visit in Mexico City.

For more information visit: https://mexicocity.cdmx.gob.mx/venues/xochimilco-ecological-park/

Address:
Avenida Mercado 
16090 Ciudad de México, CDMX
Mexico, Xochimilco

Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

You don’t have to be religious to visit La Basilica, and regardless of theological leanings any time spent here will be good for the soul.
The spiritual awakening is undeniable, and so is the history and beauty you’ll encounter.
This is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is no wonder it’s the most visited Catholic shrine in the world, second only to the Vatican.
Located atop Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City, the shrine honors the legendary 16th-century appearance of the Virgin Mary to local peasant Juan Diego.

The Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe now consists of the original buildings, and the new basilica, built to house the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe and allow access to more visitors. 

The new building opened in 1976, and has a circular shape to symbolize the tent that housed the Ark of the Covenant on its march through the desert. It has seven entrances so parishioners can enter from multiple sides and still observe mass.

As the interior is circular the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe can be seen from everywhere inside the basilica. And for a closer look take the conveyor belt walkway under the altar.

The Basilica complex is ideal for collecting and gifting religious mementos; purchase and have them blessed on site.

For more information visit: https://virgendeguadalupe.org.mx
Address:
Plaza de las Americas 1
Col. Tepeyac Insurgentes 07050
Ciudad de Mexico, CDMX Mexico

Museo Casa de Leon Trotsky

Much is written about Casa Azul, former home to Frida Kahlo, and one of the most visited museums in Mexico City.
However, for a different piece of history yet still heavily intertwined with Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, visit the Leon Trotsky House Museum.
Trotsky is one of history’s most influential revolutionary figures. He became a refugee after being exiled from the Soviet Union for disapproving and being an ardent critic of the Stalin regime. He and wife Natalia Sedova spent some years moving through Europe, until with the help from Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, the couple arrived in Mexico City in 1937.

Life between the Trotskys and Kahlo/Rivera reads like a soap opera. For a short time both couples lived together at the Casa Azul, until Trotsky had an affair with Kahlo which ended the friendship in 1939.
It was then that the Trotskys moved to a house in the same neighborhood which is now a fascinating  museum.
Here you can track the life of Trotsky through original books and writings of his teachings, and a timeline of his travels before settling in Mexico. The house has a coffee shop, and a courtyard perfect for meditation and relaxation.

Some of the rooms in the house are decorated with the original furnishings and set up exactly as the revolutionary lived. You can also see the bullet holes of an assassination attempt, as well as the scene that recreates his assassination.

Trotsky was murdered by a Spanish Stalinist who befriended him and earned his trust until striking him from behind with a pick-axe. Museologists, historians, and specialists recreated the precise room where the event took place. The position of the chair, the papers on the table, and the library are all as they were, and the house is preserved as it was when they lived there

For more information visit:http://museotrotsky.org.mx/

Address:
AV Río Churubusco 410
Col del Carmen, Coyoacán, 04100
Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico

A Tour Of Emblematic Mercados

A tour Mexico’s City’s markets is completely out of the ordinary. The city has more than 280 Markets and there are four especially worth exploring. 

San Juan Market is among the most exotic places you’ll ever visit. Selling to upscale restaurants, here you’ll find imported provisions from all continents. But it’s the exotic meats that will prove most eccentric. Imagine tasting camel for the first time, how about a lion steak? There’s crocodile, snake, buffalo, and even tiger available for consumption.

That goes along with the more common fare of spiders, roaches and ants that can serve as your appetizer.

• 2ᵃ Calle de Ernesto Pugibet 21, Colonia Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06000 CDMX

Next stop is Jamaica Market, fun to visit since it specializes in all kinds of native and imported flowers. The aromas and colors will bring joy to your senses.

• Guillermo Prieto 45, Jamaica, Venustiano Carranza, 15800 CDMX

For a more ‘typical’ market stop by the Mercado Medellin. Located on Medellín street in Colonia Roma its known as the place to find produce and goods from other countries in Latin America, as well as dry goods, moles, and craft beers.

• Campeche 101 Colonia Roma, 06700 CDMX

Finally there’s the Ciudadela Market. Whatever traditional Mexican souvenir you want you’ll find here. Beautiful pottery, indigenous wood carvings, silver dinnerware, gold jewelry, Mayan and Aztec artifacts, classic embroidery dresses, a mariachi suit with accompanying sombrero. It’s all here.

• Balderas, esq Emilio Donde, Colonia Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06040 CDMX

Coyoacán

Coyoacán is an escape from the ordinary. There’s a reason why artists, intellectuals, and writers like Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky chose to live here. Now their homes, turned museums (Frida Kahlo’s Blue House Museum and above mentioned Leon Trotsky House Museum) have become a main attraction.

There’s so much more to this neighborhood, including cozy cafes, craft shops, kiosks selling the popular ‘nieves’ or churros, streets decorated with unique murals, the Coyoacán Market, and top tier restaurants, such as our favorite, Los Danzantes.

Bordering the south side of the central Plaza Hidalgo you’ll find the Parroquia de San Juan Bautista or Iglesia de Coyoacán. Built in 1592 it served as a former mission dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, and is one of Mexico’s oldest churches.

Its interior is simply stunning. Designed in Baroque style, it has archways and ceiling frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and the saints of the Franciscan order.

Don’t miss it.

Whether weekend or weekday the plaza comes alive with musical entertainment around the Fuente de los Coyotes, and in front of the many cafes’ outdoor seating. There are also plenty of places to relax, unwind, or shop from the street merchants.