Mexico City Travel Forum

hello, I will stay a total of 5 days in Mexico city, I would like to spend 3 days in Mexico city and then take 2 day trips.
One will be Teotihuacán

what other day trip would you suggest? Mostly I am interested in culture-architecture for this trip. I'd love to go somewhere reachable by bus

thanks in advance

I believe the best place to imbibe culture would be the National Museum of Anthropology, right at the Bosque de Chapultepec. At a leisurely pace, you could spend practically the better part of the day there. And it's definitely accessible by bus, subway or sitio cab.

thank u for the prompt reply, what else could I do, like something outdoor? visit a nice old village with churches and stuff? I love taking pics

Well, as for architecture just head for the Zocalo, the plaza with the giant Mexican flag. Around it are buildings worth looking around in: the Palacio to see the murals by Diego Rivera, and the Catedral and see how much the floor is sinking as well as climb up the belfry. If you want to see another famous church, on the way to/from Teotihuacan, drop by the Basilica de Guadalupe which houses the sacred image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The latter can also be reached by Metro, which is far cheaper and faster than a cab (that's what we did).

thanks:-) what about this place called Taxco? since it's not my first time in mexico city, I'd love to see some more outside the city, that is what I mean, but I am not sure the weather conditions or timing will allow me to do that

Sorry, haven't been to Taxco. I'll leave it to others to answer that or suggest other things. Anyway, have fun!

anyway, thank u for your kind replies :-)

Look back a few topics and you will find a number of posts comparing day trips to Taxco and Puebla from Mexico City. I my opinion Taxco is a better day trip than Puebla because it is so much smaller --you can see it all in a day although spending the evening would be romantic. There is a lot more to see in Puebla, but although many people make it a day trip, In my opinion there is way too much to see and do for a single day.

Tlaxcala might be an alternative, but it is a pretty quiet town with a lot less tourist interest (fewer shops, fewer tourists, fewer attractions). It could be combined with a visit to a nearby set of ruins with dramatic Mayan styled frescos, or a visit to the un-restored pyramids of Cholula near Puebla.

I like Queretaro which is also only a couple hours outside Mexico City, but Guanajuato is certainly a more dramatic, picturesque and concentrated destination. Unfortunately it probably would take you closer to three hours to get there, so that is 6 hours travel for a day trip. Certainly worth getting going early in the morning and returning late at night, but perhaps too much travel time.
Have a great visit.

thanks so much, i will check all these places on internet and see which one I'll peak :-)

great great great

Addendum: I do agree with the earlier poster that suggested that while in Mexico City a day visit to the Museo de Antropologia is to be highly recommended. It is one of the great museums of the world. You do run the risk of cultural overload and your visit may be a bit short to spend a whole day inside a museum, but you would not forget it and not regret it.

Perhaps if I woke up to a gray, cloudy, miserable day (rare though this might be) in Mexico City during my first visit, I would chose a day at the museum. Of course, I believe you will return to Mexico City for another visit sometime so it is not a question of seeing everything in 5 days-- this is just not possible.

Opps. I forgot to mention that national museums are closed on Mondays.

It's been 20+ years since I was there, but on the architectural side of your trip, the mosiacs at the University of Mexico were really beautiful.

Also, a short drive (and absolutely faboulous food) might be Cuernavaca. It's only about 45 minutes. We were fortunate enough to be staying with friends who lived in Mexico City and had a summer/vacation home in Cuernavaca. This link has more info than I can give you, so you may want to check it out: http://www.tourbymexico.com/morelos/cvca/cvca.htm

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

thank u cascokat :-)

hello there again,
thanks for all of your tips. I have visited Taxco which I have found wonderful, Cochula, Peubla, the pyramides and the Xochimilco park
i had a wonderful time and everything has been doable without any stress

thanks so much again