On our recent trip to CDMX, my husband and I took a tour that included a trip to Mercado Jamaica,…read moreand it was an amazing experience. Mercado Jamaica is one of Mexico City's traditional public markets (it dates back to the 1950s). While it's best known as a flower market (jamaica means hibiscus), it's a market that sells everything: meat, produce, prepared foods, spices, souvenirs, and more. But it's known as the city's flower market, with flowers for sale 24/7! According to Wikipedia, there are 1,150 stands selling cut flowers, flower arrangements, ornamental plants, and more. We explored the market for a couple of hours, and it was incredible. We ate some great food (green chorizo tacos from Las Más Altas Montañas, quesadillas from Quesadillas La Chaparrita, tlacoyos made by Luci). We ate some amazing fruit (mango, guanabana, guava, and more). And we just wandered through the stands - past so many flower stands with so many gorgeous flowers! The market is so vibrant - with so many people working, shopping, exploring...! It's accessible by the metro (there's a Jamaica stop on Lines 4 and 9), so it's not difficult to visit. And it's worth it. Such a special place. I highly recommend it if you're visiting Mexico City as a great place to take in a little bit of the city's culture!

Mercado de Jamaica is a massive market south-southeast of Mexico City center. It's best known for…read moreflowers-- you'll see bundles of bouquets lining the rows, all quite fresh and stunningly cheap, as well as larger arrangements for weddings and funerals. The food section was also quite large, and this is a lovely place to taste mole, with many vendors offering samples. There are only a handful of taco stands and counters (it's more for ingredients) but the few there are draw crowds and the tacos and agua de jamaica we tried were amazing. There's also a lot of pinatas on display. We were here 10 - 11 am-ish and that seemed to be a medium-popular time; not many flower buyers but more families doing grocery shopping. I didn't get the sense that this was geared towards tourists, and we didn't run into many other English speakers, but I thought this was an excellent stop both for photography and for snacking. Come with someone who's been before if possible; we were with a local guide and his shortcuts through the maze-like space were invaluable.

Out of all the shops in Condesa, my wife's favorite is Casa Condesa. They sell household goods and…read moreware across two floors and a courtyard. Paintings, sculptures, beds, they have it all.