24 hours in Mexico City

I absolutely loved Mexico City and was really surprised to, much to my shame. In advance I’d heard of the traffic, pollution, even the fact it’s a dangerous city, however everything I experienced was in direct contrast to what I’d heard.

The city IS big, varying between 20-23 million depending on whom you ask (to compare London is 8.5 million) , however , maybe I was lucky but I didn’t experience too much gridlocked non moving traffic compared to the likes of other large cities I’ve recently experienced – my transfer from the airport to a city centre hotel took a very manageable 40 minutes. Parts of the city are dirty and rundown, yet this does not tell the whole story – as in other cities , poverty coexists alongside extreme wealth (witness the neighbourhood of Polanco – Mexico City’s answer to Beverly Hills). It’s also worth noting I never once felt unsafe – I could have been lucky but in comparison to other large cities it does not feel particularly intimidating; obviously all due care should be taken as in any large city.

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As I only had 24 hours I decided that there was no possible way I could see EVERYTHING so concentrated on visiting some interesting local areas and just hanging out ; much as I would in my own hometown of London on a weekend. I really enjoyed the neighbourhoods of Condesa and Roma which are next to each other. Condesa is a young, cool area catering to media professionals with quirky shops, bars and cafes. Roma has some amazing vintage shops (we found one, Goodbye Folk which makes amazing handmade leather shoes!) with a very European feel to it; much greener and leafier than we’d anticipated with lovely boulevards, trees and buildings – lots of charm. We stumbled across an amazing new bar/ restaurant which had just opened her ‘Blanco Colima’ which boasted breathtaking interiors in a fabulous colonial style mansion – seriously cool and we were devastated to discover this right at the last minute; however I have a feeling that is Mexico City for you – hidden treasures everywhere only some of which you’ll experience at any given moment! We also enjoyed a few rooftop cocktails in Hotel Condesa which is a bit of an institution around these parts.

Shopping is great in Mexico city and we headed to La Cuidadela located right near the Centro Historico. This market (there are many others) is wonderful for silver jewellery, glassware, textiles and traditional Mexican handicrafts like the day of the dead skulls. I could be wrong but it didn’t feel like bartering was massively popular here, but no matter as the prices are incredibly reasonable.

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One thing to bare in mind is this IS a Spanish speaking city and you can’t be as lazy as a native English speaker as you would in other parts of the world – a phrase book is a must, however everyone is extremely friendly and helpful.

I only had 24 hours, but should you have more time you will want to take in the nearby ruins of Teotihuacan (an hour out of the city) , explore some of the many museums and art galleries (this is a very important creative centre in Latin America – both Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera hail from here as well as renowned film directors such as Alfonso Cuaran), and head out to many more of the cities differing districts.

In short, I absolutely loved it and as someone who travels frequently it felt great to be surprised by a destination and I would not hesitate to go back, it is 100% worth another visit.

 

Text with permission of Wish hr partner, Quintessentially Lifestyle.
Quintessentially

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