Going to Mexico City for the first time as an adult meant that just about everything I was going to…read moreexperience was going to be new. Going to Castillo de Chapultepec was definitely one of those things. Visiting this historic place was not even on my radar, if not for the wife's insistence that visiting this place was a "non-negotiable" -- I probably would've skipped it. I'm so glad I didn't as I would say after my visit to the Anthropology museum, also located in Chapultepec, this was my second most favorite spot I visited on my wonderful trip to Mexico City. The castle is located at a top of a pretty decent hill in Chapultepec, so be prepared to walk a bit to get to the castle. The fee to get into the museum is pretty low, it's about 210 pesos/$12 USD for foreign visitors and about half of that cost for locals.On Sundays locals get in for free. They have a pretty strict bag policy as backpacks aren't allowed, though they do provide lockers at the entrance for 10 pesos for rent. Now let's talk about the castle inside. It's amazing. It's so full of art pieces from so many famous Mexican artists. It has many famous Mexican historic murals. It is also full of many Mexican historic decorative art pieces from the 19th century. What I think I liked the most is the vast amount of beautifully crafted stained glass throughout the castle. It's breathtaking. The pure history of this castle is just out of this world. The hill the castle was built on was sacred to the Aztecs. This was the residence for Emperor Maximilian. Many presidents of Mexico called this castle home. It has served as a military academy and was the site to one of the most famous battles in Mexican history, Ninos Heroes. For a short time it was even an observatory. Those are just some of the many fascinating facts you learn while visiting this incredible historic place. There is so much history, art, architecture and culture packed into Castillo de Chapultepec that it's almost impossible to take it all in during one visit. I went because my wife insisted. I left wondering why I had never put this place on my radar in the first place. No trip to Mexico City would be complete without a visit to Castillo de Chapultepec.

Worth putting on your itinerary for CDMX. Love the architecture of this beautiful castle. The…read moreentrance de for foreigner is $210 pesos (~$10 USD). You can pay at the kiosk and not have to wait in line. To get to the castle, you will have to walk to the top of the hill. CDMX has a much higher elevation than where we're from so you feel altitude sickness particularly when walking up the steps. Recommend to bring some shades as it does get hot when the sun is out. Amazing views, overlooking the city. You can take your time exploring the inside of the castle and the garden area. It wasn't too crowded when we were here or didn't feel like it since it's pretty big.

This museum is really not impressive The only thing was the…read morestaircase that they only allow you to take the picture on your way. Cost about $5 US not expensive but for me not worth it. Every description is in Spanish. The materials of the museum weren't good. I didn't learn much after the museum visit If you want to take the photo of the grand staircase for your social media then the $5 will worth it.

It's fun to learn about postal service every country has one. This building is historical and…read moreinteresting that is worth seeing. They have a lot of old equipment and stamps plus some other things to see.

The Ángel de la Independencia is one of the most iconic landmarks of Mexico City, representing…read moreMexico's independence from Spain. It's a tall column with a gold statue of the Greek goddess Nike on top. It's located in the middle of a roundabout of Paseo de la Reforma, one of the city's most popular streets. There are steps at the base and you'll often find people just sitting there hanging out.

An icon of the city and a truly must see-I mean really would you leave NYC without seeing the…read moreStatue of Liberty or leave Paris with visiting the Eiffel Tower?Well you can't leave Mexico City without visiting this beautiful statue. It's located pretty close to Chapultepec Park,in fact you can see the statue from the main entrance to the park-it's a short walk to this statue. When you get to the park they direct traffic so that pedestrians can walk up to the statue and sit on the steps below it,be sure to follow traffic laws though as it's a crazy busy intersection and would hate for anyone to get hit by a car trying to get to the statue. That's all-if u find yourself in Mexico City-get yourself to this statue-it's a beauty.

La Fuente de Cibeles (The Fountain of Cybele) is a bronze statue at the center of a traffic circle…read morein Roma Norte (where where Oaxaca, Durango, Medellín and El Oro streets converge). The statue - a replica of the fountain located in the Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid - was installed in Roma in 1980 and is a symbol of brotherhood between Spain and Mexico. We met a walking tour in front of the fountain last week and arrived a bit early to take in the sight of it. It's quite beautiful with gorgeous landscaping around its base. It's not a bad place to sit on a bench and people watch, and it's worth walking a few minutes out of your way to see it! One of CDMX's many fountains, monument, and statues that are worth a visit!

This marvelous fountain is definitely something to check out if you are new to the city. I came…read morehere today and was amazed at its grandjure. Ot was pretty interesting to read that it took a couple of sculptures 15 years to produce this work of art. It appears to be a lion drawn carriage with a famous person riding at the top. It's also obvious to see that the city has put a lot of effort into maintaining the sculpture that is at least 25 feet tall. The landscape surrounding the fountain, as well as, the park surrounding have been kept up very well. I did not see very many places for visitors to sit however. Moreover, there are not a lot of tress, so bring your sunblock. The circle to access the park and fountain is also very busy with cars, and there is no real marked crosswalk, so be careful because the cars don't slow down. I would characterize this monument as a must-see!

As I'm watching the World Cup from my cozy confines back in Sacramento-I see the FIFA Fanfest in…read moreMexico City happening at the Zocalo with over 50k fans packed in the Zocalo watching on big screens their beloved home team Mexico open the World Cup 2026. During my visit to Mexico City earlier this year,I really enjoyed visiting the Zocalo.Its kind of Mexico City's version of Times Square in that it's used as a central location for many events that happen in the city-While also housing the Capital Building where the Mexican President works at on a daily basis. It also houses one of the most historic cathedrals in all of Mexico City.This church is a true must visit for anyone who spends any time in Mexico City. There are also many restaurants and bars surrounding the Zocalo-though be warned,it's pretty much a tourist trap and you will be price gouged at most of those restaurants in the Zocalo area. I remember during my trip we visited the Zocalo almost every day and the trippy part was how much it changed day to day.That trait also reminded me of Time Square-You go to bed with it looking one way and wake up and it's something else-that happens a lot at the Zocalo. Two really good memories standout about the Zocalo during my visit,The first was I got to witness firsthand the ceremony of the military taking the huge Mexican Flag down that is located in the center of the Zocalo-It's like a whole ceremony that is used to take it down each evening and felt very lucky to have been there at the right time to witness it.The ceremony starts at 6pm local time each evening-it's pretty awesome.Its free to attend and I highly recommend it. The second memory I had was I was at the Zocalo the morning that Shakira was giving her free concert at the Zocalo in Mexico City-so I got to witness for a few days watching them setup for the concert and it was a massive project-the concert later that evening set an attendance record for the Zocalo as an estimated 400k people were in attendance for the free concert. That's the kid of things that randomly happen at the Zocalo-it's a very special place and a must-visit for anyone visiting the beautiful Mexico City.

The square itself is amazing, and the history is even more so. And while the square is a great…read moreplace to walk around and there is always something happing, it's great to go to the walking street and check out all the shops. But the people watching is the best. There are many souvenir shops around and it's worth going into the churches. One could easily spend a couple of hours here, more if you find a bar and have a nice, cool drink.

The museum was OK nothing amazing The inside of the Palacio…read morewasnt impressive neither. The outside was under renovation for FIFA event so it looks horrible It has a lot of modern art works. I personally didn't like it too much.

So when planning this trip to Mexico City-the wifey kept saying how she wanted to make sure we went…read moreto some Bellas Artes place that I had never heard of-so on our 1st unplanned day of the trip-I grabbed an Uber and we headed straight for Palacio de Bellas Artes. As soon as I saw the place I could instantly see why she was so excited.This place is a gorgeous majestic building. It's located right next to a very large park,Alameda Central and very close to the Zocalo. It's a very busy part of town-so be prepared for crowds outside of the building. Once inside it's a lot less crowded and this beautiful building is just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. One thing I did not know about this beautiful art museum is that it is also Mexico City's most famous performing arts center as well. My wife told me about a very famous Juan Gabriel concert that was held there in the 90s.Through the years most of the most famous artists in Mexico have performed at Bellas Artes. Today we are here for the art as this is Mexico City's most famous art museum and after walking thru all 4 floors of the museum,one can definitely see why. Diego Rivera's most famous murals are housed in this museum and they are truly breathtaking.I truly felt proud of my Mexican heritage upon seeing these amazing works of art. Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros have many of their most famous pieces at this museum as well. Anyone looking for Frida Kahlo work though will be disappointed as her work is not permanently featured at this museum. Cost for admission to this museum is 95 Pesos Tuesday thru Saturday and free admission for everyone on Sundays.They are closed on Mondays. In closing,I 100% recommend all visitors to the amazing Mexico City's must make Palacio De Bellas Artes a must-visit destination.It is truly a gem of the city and one of the most memorable experiences the city has to offer.

If you are a Diego Riviera fan this is a must see while you're in Mexico City! At the Palacio…read moreNational you will see his largest and most comprehensive collection of murals. if I remember my tour guides speech correctly, this has 100 of his murals that took him five years of his life. Each mural depicts different ways of life at that time. The murals themselves are studied. All the colors of muted but vibrant. The colors are not vegetable that is, but actual oil put onto wet plaster. As a plaster dried, it locked in the color which has remained all these years. The interiors have multiple courtyards that are very relaxing. .. it is a very peaceful place. If you want or plan to see all the murals, I suggest you plan for at least a few hours. There's multiple levels and as I mentioned at least 100 murals of Diego's alone, as well as multiple other murals done by others.

An absolute must to see the amazing and jaw dropping work of Diego Rivera. You'll need to make…read morereservations for a mandatory guided tour.

This 44 floor office building has an observation deck on the top which cost 220 Pesos which gives…read moreyou a 360 view of the city. You take an elevator to the 37th floor then take another one up to the top or if you dont want to wait you can take the stairs. BUT if you want the same or similar views for free you can just go to the restaurant which i belive is on the 39th or 40th floor. So instead of buying tickets to go to the observation deck you can just say you're going to the restaurant. Of course the prices are a little elevated but just think that you'd be spending 220 pesos per person just to go to the observation deck. So just get a drink and maybe a dessert or something. The view is really nice and you can just relax and enjoy. We had a tres leches cake which swimming in sauce, very spongy and wet and also had a layer of whipped cream, delicious! We also got the mango ice cream, it was quite a large scoop and came on top of some sort of cookie or granola crumble. It was creamy and had a nice mango flavor, most of all refreshing. But most of all you're there for the view. We went there on our last day before leaving for the airport so we were in sort of a rush. So we asked for our check multiple times but they are used to people taking their time and just enjoying the view. So we just got up and paid at the register before we left.

This is certainly a great way to see the city from above. You get 360 degree views from either…read morebehind glass or a fence a floor above. Think the Empire State Building, Space Needle, etc. If you are being a tourist and want nice views for sunset or during the date, go for it. Of course they offer up charges for a photo and a simulator thing. There is a small snack bar at the top if you need refreshments once you get up there.

Area in close walking distance to the Frida Kahlo Museum, and the renowned churro place…read more We left the hotel early, got dropped off with one hour before our ticket admitting us in so we walked to a Panera that Doc spotted on the ride there. We entered a church, had lunch in the area and did some shopping. Doc bought a bracelet I liked from a vendor and a T-shirt from a man across the street from the museum for me. I bought some bracelets and pouches from a man on the street. He could speak English and said his family was Aztec. He made the bracelets and his grandmother made the pouches. Many locals with their dogs and tourists were enjoying the nice warm weather. We saw people being blessed with special smoke or sage. Many shops and eateries on nice streets. There was one two story restaurant that looked very pretty and romantic with couples eating on the outdoor balcony.

Fun, lively area! Came on a Sunday and there were tons of people outs and about…read more Pros: -many restaurants to choose from -vendors galore where you can buy souvenirs -there are a few free Wi-Fi spots in this area -we saw performers dancing near the church Cons: -none