A city of baroque churches, lost pyramids, and skyscrapers with renowned tv/film productions and museums. Home of shamans, politicians, and Mexican celebrities; related to icons such as Frida Kahlo, Luis Barragán and El Santo; Mexico City has a lot to offer.

Mexico city is known for its churches, food, lost pyramids plus colorful street, modern architecture and the Paseo de la Reforma. Its chaotic but charming, rustic yet exclusive, antique and contemporary at the same time. Within the art world it plays a huge role in the handcrafts and academia spheres; and outside of it, it’s important in the latin entertainment, culinary and archeology worlds. Many iconic artist, writers, architects, celebrities and directors have emerged from this city. Think of: Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Sorjuana Ines De La Cruz, Octavio Paz, Luis Barragán, Ricardo Lagorreta, María Félix, Eugenio Derbez, Alfonso Cuarón or Alejandro González Iñarritu. There’s a lot to check out but if you only have a limited amount of time I would make sure to: visit 1 museum, eat tacos on the street, drink a mezcal in la Roma Norte, relax inside a church, walk around the Paseo de la Reforma, buy crafts at a market, see a Mexican movie/play, and take a picture in front of the Angel de La Independence and/or Zocalo. If you have more time you should try to watch a lucha libre match, cruise up and down the canals of Xóchimilco, shop around Polanco or Coyoacán, talk to a shaman and explore Tehotihucan.

Here are some recommendations of places to visit. Mexico City has 4 unesco sites: the historic center, the canals of Xochimilco, the house/studio of Luis Barragán and the UNAM, and really close you have another site, the pyramids of Teotihuacán. The city has 7 ‘Michelin restaurants’ so try to make a reservation in one of them, but the best food you will find it in the sidewalks. My top 5 museums are: Museo de Antropología for antiquities; the MUNAL for colonial art; the MUAC for contemporary art; La Casa Azul for Frida Kahlo works/life; and the Museo Soumaya for a little bit of everything. My favorite art galleries are: OMR, Kurimanzutto, GAM, Travesías Cuatro and Galeria Casa Lamm. For luxury shopping go to Avenida Presidente Masaryk or the department store Palacio de Hierro; for crafts the Mercado Artesanal de Coyoacán; for the typical brands go to any of the many malls of the city (Centro Santa Fe and Plaza Satélite are my favorite ones) and for cheaper goods La Lagunilla. Also take a chance to walk up and down Av. Álvaro Obregón, the epicenter of the bohemian Roma Norte neighborhood. Some venues to check out are Palacio de Bellas Artes for classical music; Auditorio Nacional for concerts, the Teatro Telcel for big theater productions and the Cinoteca Nacional for movies.

Here are 9 routs to explore Mexico City:

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