Mexico City Travel Forum

hi there

i am thinking to fly to mexico city for a couple of days, perhaps one week, and got some questions:


i want to visit a couple of places, so to be within a short distance of them; Polance, Reforma, Zocalo, Condesa?? or Chapultepec??

- is there a metro line from Mexico City Airport to downtown? otherwise, how much does it cost by taxi?
- i'm looking to stay in a budget hotel/hostel, any recommendation? bearing in mind safety issues?
- what are the areas to avoid for a woman to hang around?

cheers, amani:^)

All the areas you name are short distance (Polanco, Reforma, Zocalo, Condesa and Chapultepec) I can't tell you about metro lines,( I had never use it) But, I recommend take a taxi if you have the budget for it, for safety and and comfort. If visiting museums take in consideration that most places are closed on mondays and free entrance in Sundays, but also full. I don't recommend the Zona Rosa after night.

For safety around the city just use common sense, leave passport and valuables at safety box in hotel if possible, for a women I will highly recommend not wondering around at night alone. If possible visit Coyoacan and the piramyds of Teotihuacan.

muchas gracias ana for your prompt reply:^)

i think i've found a reasonable place in zocalo, as long as it's a touristy place, should be safe enough, right? the hotel called Catedral Hotel, and i wonder about its quality as the room rate is $40-50 a night! any idea?

and i'm a budget traveller and that's why i was wondering if i could use the metro, specially it's way far too cheap!

thanks loads for your answer ana

peace, a:^)

oops forgot to ask about the Teo pyramids...how is it possible to get there?

there is a metro line to the zocalo, but if you're carrying suitcases, not a good idea. trust me, i've done it. take a taxi instead.. not from the street right outside the airport, inside there's a stand i think. i prefer hostel moneda or hostel amigo (both owned by the same guy) than hostel cathedral.. it's a big party place and you won't sleep. but if you like staying up late drinking and listening to musicians at 2 in the morning then fine. it should only be $12-13 a night, not 50+. unless you got a single, which i dont know the price.

if you go to either hostel, they have tours to teotihuacuan pyramids.. the one i took from hostel moneda was good and included the basilica de guadalupe too. i think u can do it alone, but i'd rather go with a guided group

look at hostelworld.com and the rate is only $11 for non-HI members, don't pay $40-50. again, i'd highly recommend hostel moneda rather than catedral. even hostel amigo, even though it's farther from the centre.

for safety, don't go near the plaza where the mariachis are, garibaldi i think the name was.. i'm a guy and even i didn't feel safe there, a lot of hawkers and touts.

I don't have idea hostels, but Zocalo area is not bad and walking distance of many interesting places, just try to avoid walking thru the Park Alameda, is better you walk around it, but don't enter in it specially if alone and at night.

thank you for this, very helpful

i didn't mean Catedral the hostel, but the hotel. i think they're run by the same company/group, but the hotel is a bit more expensive ($40-$60). just wanted to make sure it's not as loud as the hostel. i don't like hostels and never stayed in one to be honest. but was a bit concerned that the hotel might be as loud!

please advise on the following hotels:
Hotel Calinda Geneve
Fiesta Inn Centro Histórico
Fiesta Americana Suites Zona Rosa
Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites World Trade Center


thanks loads again
a:^)

young hostels could be a good experience, meeting people like you,
on the other hand if you are up for the more expensive boring business, old tourist kind of hotel, well then, there is no much differnece in prices and locations, undergraund train is safe, clean, cheap way of transportation, if you are used to them.
you can take a the special and safe white cabs from the airport and phone to pick you up back.
during the day is a more secure city, just as New York, by night I would recomnend your new friends at the hostel, if u decide is the best for you.

You can get the metro from the airport, there are maps and it only costs 2 pesos.., from int'l terminal walk all the way to A terminal and you see signs, its easy. I am single female and usually stay at Reforma Avenue Hotel or Hotel Sevilla in Reforma near Zona Rosa. We were just down there and the Zocolo area at dark gets dodgy, at the hostels the foreigners are sort of marooned because downtown closes up at nite, you may feel more comfortable staying in Reforma - try Casa Gonzalez. Above all have fun! Hotel Calinda Geneve is cool... Fiesta Inn is good, stay away from World Trade as its really far. Take the turibus - its great! goes all over and you can get off and get on again, the talking tour is good too. Oh yes, find friends and do Xochimilco!

hey thanks all for this valuable info! i´m already in Ciudad de Mexico, staying at zocalo:D

any nightclubs, safe and nearby?? anyone would like to meet up? i´m staying here until tuesday afternoon

will take the turibus, sure...what is the xohm*?

gosh, the mexicans are so much fun and so the town than san francisco

hasta pronto...

cheers, a:)

I went to Mexico City twice this year. You can take either a taxi or a train (Metro) from the Airport to the City Center. A taxi will cost you 150 pesos (~15USD). Always use authorized taxi services. I might be wrong but I think there are to taxi companies that operate from the airport and they considered to be safe. Just buy your ticket at one of the official stands that can be found inside the international terminal (first floor - arrivals). Always keep your receipt and write down (or memorize) a taxi number that is required to be posted inside the car. I accidentally left my cell phone in the cab. I called the company, gave them my receipt number and a number of a taxi and my phone was returned to me the same day. If you don't have a lot of luggage, you can take a train to the city center. It will cost you 2 pesos (.20 cents). It's a very efficient public transportation system. I used it all the time. In fact, I took a cab from the airport to my hotel only once. And that was because I didn't know how safe the public transportation was in Mexico City. My experience shows that it is safe to take a metro train in Mexico City. You won't see a lot of foreigners taking it. Kids sometimes stare at you but that's all right! Don't get intimidated if you are going to be the only gringo inside the car. Watch for pickpocketers. As i said before, I used Metro all the time and didn't have any problems at all. Although, I never took it during a rush hour.
I stayed in Zona Rosa. It's really safe. Zona Rosa has a large concentration of bars, restaurants, and clubs, which means that tons of people walk there at night. I found a relatively cheap hotel (40USD) using www.octopustravel.com. It's a very small hotel but all rooms are renovated and clean. And it's about a 5 minute walk from Zona Rosa. It also has a nice but small restaurant with very reasonable prices. Zona Rosa is also known for its gay bars. You will see a lot of gay guys walking around. A fact that young guys walk holding hands probably will tell you that it's a safe area. And it's not far from all historical attractions.

thanks forest for your reply. unfortunately i just got back to work a week ago after a lovely four-day trip in mexico city

i was advised against the stay in zona rosa, and walking at night tho my friend did recommend it, so i stayed in the zocalo and that was fabulous during the day, with not many people during the eve..

shall pay mexico another visit definitely, with a longer stay...and actually i found it to be very open and progressive compared to san francisco, gay-wise speaking; i saw two women kissing in public:D! - something i've never seen in SF nor the castro!

i'm compiling and putting down my experience into my mexico pages at the moment

thanks all for all the info and responses
peace, a:^)