When to go

Climate change in Mexico City is largely divisible in two macro seasons: A dry November in April and a rainy season from May to October. Spring months are usually warm and pleasant, while summer months may have heavy rains and are usually very humid. The heat excursion between night and day is quite high, with as clear as freezing nights.

History

Mexico City is the largest city in Mexico. The city was founded by Mexica (Mesoamerica Indians, also known as Aztecs) in downtown Mexico, with the name of Tenochtitlan in the year 1325.

In 1521, the Spaniards conquered the city, which became New Spain, the new political, economic, and administrative center of the territories of the Spanish Empire in America, until 1821.

Like a historic but also modern city, Mexico City has many places to discover for those who want to learn a little bit about history, culture, modern art, tasting typical foods, etc. It is among the cities with more than 150 museums in the world.

By plane

Benito Juarez International Airport

• 1 Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México (Benito Juárez Airport). Benito Juarez airport is without doubt the state's main airport, the most used by tourists and international travelers. 
• Licenciado Adolfo López Mateos Airport (IATA: TLC) (in Toluca). Situated 50 km from Mexico City in a southwest direction is an important hub for low-cost airlines operating in Mexico. In addition to international flights from Los Angeles and Oakland, this airport offers excellent connections to other Mexican cities. The sore point is the connections, which may be called non-existent, which will force you to use a taxi at an inconvenient price. 

By train

The Chihuahua - Pacific line between Chihuahua and Los Mochis is the only line running through the capital. Until 1997, the main railway station in the city (Buenavista) now stands a railway service station, Ferrocarriles Suburbanos, with trains to Cautitlan every quarter of an hour.

By bus

Mexico City is the main hub for bus connections to other Mexican cities and neighboring states. Although many travelers prefer or seek at all costs to travel by air, the bus can and in many cases certainly is the best means of transport for long distances.

The city hosts four large bus stations:

• Terminal Central Autobuses del Norte (Mexico Norte), Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas No. 4907, Cologne Magdalena de las Salinas (North), ☎ +52 55 5587 1552. All buses to/from the United States and those to/from Acapulco, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Puerto Vallarta, Monterrey, Leon, Querétaro, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Hermosillo leave this station. 
• Terminal Central Autobuses del Poniente (Observatorio or Mexico Poniente), Sur 122 y Rio Tacubaya, Del. Álvaro Obregón, Col. Real del Monte (West), ☎ +52 55 5271 4519. Station used for connections with Colima, Manzanillo, Morelia, Puerto Vallarta, Toluca, Jalisco, Michocoan and all west of the Mexican state. 
• Terminal Central del Sur (Tasqueña or Taxqueña), Av. Tasqueña 1320, Cologne Campestre Churubusco (South). Station used for connections with Acapulco, Cuernavaca, Taxco and other cities in the state of Colima, Guerrero and Morelos. This terminal is also the end line of Tren Ligero trams traveling to/from Xochimilco. 
• Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Orient (TAPO), Calzada Ignacio Zaragoza 200, Cologne 10 de Mayo Venustiano Carranza (East), ☎ +52 55 5762-5977. The station links the capital with the eastern and south-eastern parts of the country and in particular with Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Tlaxcala, Tamauliapas, Campeche, Tobasco, to the border with Guatemala. 

N.B. These are the largest and busiest stations in Mexico. Always leave at least one hour in advance if you want to arrive on time or have connections with other means of transport.

Tren Ligero in Mexico City

Mexico City is huge, but driving is not a good way to visit it at all, although the greatest attractions are scattered throughout the city. A good idea, however, is to take advantage of the website Guia Roji by looking for information about which Colonias (neighborhood) or part of the city has the attraction you're interested in. Once you get this information, it'll be easier to plan your movements.

In terms of public transport, Mexico City is very well served, and thanks to the metro, which, as you flow below the road, avoids traffic jams and congested roads, you can move comfortably. If that were not enough or if your destination was far from a metro stop, no fear; the city is literally full of private bus and shuttle companies serving in every city district, although the latter are far less reliable in terms of security.

At a higher price, of course, you can decide to take one of the thousands of taxi drivers in the city. The oldest of them are recognizable because of their typical green color; it's no coincidence that they're called verditos. Currently the official color is yellow but beyond the paint, be sure to have the license (a red card with "taxi" in it) in place - visible - and reject any unlicensed taxi offer.

There are at least two important Internet services to find a taxi if your hotel doesn't have an agreement with some company:

• Buscaturuta (literally "busca tu ruta" or "find your way") which will present to you the various options available, given a starting point and an end point; these include public transport and taxis. The site is available in French, Spanish, German and English.
• Metroplex DF is a mobile app that helps orient itself in Mexico City's intricate urban transportation system. The application is free and will be very useful if you have difficulty orienting yourself.

Public transport

Metro

Metropolitan Map (2013)

The public vehicle par excellence in Mexico City is the subway, officially the "collective transport system" but simply known as the Metro. The city underground consists of 12 different lines which together form a 190 km long network capable of carrying 4.5 million people a day. For just 5 pesos you'll get a one-race ticket (but with unlimited system changes) and despite the heat and crowds you'll enjoy fast and efficient service. The trains run every two minutes or so, don't worry about checking the schedule or missing the train.

The entire network starts at 05:00 a.m. and closes at midnight during the week (Saturday, transportation starts at 06:00 and Sunday at 7:00). If you think you're going back to the hotel by midnight, make sure you have an alternative for your return.

Don't worry much about language. all the signals were for people without education, and so they use images a lot, which is a great advantage. The only wisdom you should have is to always take a subway map with you, because these are not always available only on demand to ticket offices.

prepaid card reader per meter

Among the lines, you will have to memorize the route of the line because this is the tourist line and reaches a good number of attractions including the city's historic center. You don't need to specify which station you plan to reach, since tickets are worth a trip within the metro unconditionally from the point of departure and arrival. If you don't want to buy the individual tickets, there's also the possibility of buying a prepaid pass for the subway transportation. You'll be asked when you buy it, and you can use it until your credit is exhausted. Every time you pass the paper by a player - at the entrance of the metro - the display will display your remaining credit. These cards recharge to the same boxes that they usually sell tickets.

Metrobus

Metrobus

Established in 2005, the metrobuses are part of the BRT system which operates on the main urban roads: Insurgentes, Vallejo, Cuauhtémoc and Eje 4 Sur. The price of a ticket is around 6 pesos and here too there is the possibility of buying a prepaid card from distributors. Metrobors stop every 500 meters. Although often crowded, metrobuses are an excellent alternative to the metro to move quickly to the surface.Just be careful not to occupy seats for the disabled, pregnant women and elderly, specially marked with a tag.

Tren ligero

The Tren Ligero is a service - half between train and trams - offered by the electricity transport company of Mexico City. It consists of a single line from the center to Xochimilco south of the city. The Ligero train is very popular for anyone who wants to visit Xochimilco or go to Aztec Stadium. Each trip costs $3; be careful that the ticket for the ligero train is different from the metro and not interchangeable.

By taxi

Mexico City taxi

Taxis, one of the most efficient means of moving around the city and in some ways the symbol of the city, are truly everywhere. By 2013, there were about 250,000 taxi drivers registered in the city. At relatively low prices (6 pesos minimum and 0.7 pesos per 250 meters) they will take you to every corner of the city. Prices rise by 20 percent at night (23:00-06:00) Stopping an evening taxi in fairly isolated areas is quite dangerous, and in the past there have often been episodes of "express kidnapping," an expression in which local residents describe the risk of being taken by a taxi driver who will rob you or accompany you to the nearest ATM to force you to empty your card credit. However, although such episodes are thankfully becoming increasingly rare, there are some precautions you can take. pay attention to the plate: Taxi have a license number that starts with A, B or M followed by 5 numbers. You'll find this code on a white tag with green or red edges. If you are not present, avoid boarding. Observe the presence or otherwise of the taximeter: In order to obtain authorization to practice the profession, each taxi driver must have a taximeter on board; if there's no such thing as fraud, it's very likely. At night, try to — if you can — book a radio taxi, which is those taxis that only respond to online reservations or phone reservations: they are the safest, but slightly more expensive than others. Each hotel normally has at least one telephone number from a radio-taxi company.

And finally, remember, Mexico City is huge, and the names of the streets are repeated from neighborhood to neighborhood. So make sure the taxi driver understands where you're going, maybe bring a map with you. It's not uncommon for taxi drivers to ask you for directions.

Not to lose

El Angel, Monument to Mexico's Independence

• Plaza de la Constitución. Commonly called Zócalo, in the historic center of the capital and is one of the largest squares in the world, surrounded by historic buildings of great beauty, including administrative offices and the cathedral. 
• Cathedral of Mexico City (La Catedral). The largest in North America. To describe its splendor, one need only think that an altar is made of pure solid gold. 
• Angel de la Independencia (El Angel). The site between the Viale della Reforma and Via Florencia in the colony of Zona Rosa is a monument in honor of Mexico's independence in 1810. 
• Basílica de Guadalupe One of the most sacred sites of Catholicism in the Americas, a destination for countless pilgrims, the Guadeloupe basilica is located just outside the city core of the neighborhood called La Villa de Guadalupe. 

UNAM Library

• University League. The university university university, or "university city", is the main campus of UNAM, the autonomous national university of Mexico, the main educational center of the country. UNAM is one of the world's largest and most famous universities with about 270,000 students every six months and since 2007 it has been a UNESCO heritage site. 
• Coyoacán. Artistic district of the capital, home of Frida Kahlo, Leon Trotsky, and Diego Rivera, to name but a few. 
• Plaza Garibaldi-Mariachi. This square, much loved by tourists, is surrounded by cafeterias and restaurants, and is the traditional display site of many local groups. Many of the musicians who perform here are Jalisco Mariacs in traditional costume. During the concerts, many street vendors of lemonade and granite staged a rally. It's impossible to define a complete visit to Mexico if you haven't seen one of these shows by sipping a Mexican lemonade. 
• Ciudadela market. Cudela is a typical capital market where cultural groups from all over the country go to sell or exchange their artifacts with other groups or sell them to tourists and curious people. 
• Alameda and Paseo de la Reforma. Paseo de la Reforma ("Reform Avenue") and a 12 km long avenue ending in a huge park. The name recalls President Benito Juarez's "liberal reforms." 
• Cineteca Nacional (National Film Archive). With its four screening halls, its rich archive and its cafeterias, home to numerous events, has been the first national cinema center. 
• Latin American Tower.   9:00-22:00. More than 180 meters high, this tower will give you breathtaking eyes on the entire city and surrounding area. 
• Mayor Tower. Even taller than Latin America, this tower is the largest in the entire Latin American continent. Breathtaking scent. 
• National American cemetery.   open on weekdays. The cemetery is the resting place for about 750 unknown soldiers who fought the last American-Mexican war between 1846 and 1848. In addition to the soldiers, 840 American civilians are buried here. 

Parks

Trajineras at Xochimilco

• 1 Chapultepec Park (Paseo de la Reforma). A site in the center of the city, this 6.0 km² large park is home to many attractions, including a zoo and is home to some important museums. 
• Xochimilco. Xochimilco, in addition to being a neighborhood in the capital, is famous for its enormous system of watercourses and flower gardens, which goes back to the Aztec period. He is in the southern part of the city and is loved by tourists for his trip to trajineras (heavily lit tourist boats). On board these boats often they perform groups of mariachi or they organize small bars with fresh drinks. Since 1987, Xochimilco has been a UNESCO heritage site, protected as one of the few pre - Hispanic testimonies in Mexico City. 
• Parque Mexico and Parque España. These two adjacent parks, located in the Condesa colony; surrounded by cafeterias, they are occasionally open - air events. 
• Viveros de Coyoacán. This vast green space, once composed of private property and farmland has now become public and is much loved by joggers or simply wants to enjoy a walk immersed in green. 

Museums

Square of three cultures

Chapultepec Castle

Ruins of Templo Mayor

Museum Frida Kahlo

• National Anthropology Museum. A site in the Chapultepec neighborhood is one of the most beautiful museums in the world, hosted in a beautiful opera by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez. The museum has the largest collection of sculptures, artifacts and jewels from Mexican preispanic cultures and it takes several hours to visit it all. 
• Square of three cultures (Plaza de las tres culturas). The Plaza de las Tres Culturas or Plaza de Tlatelolco is a square located in the center of Mexico City, and its name comes from the fact that the buildings surrounding it come from three different stages in the history of Mexico: modern, pre-Columbian and colonial. 
• Museum of Modern Art. Site in the Chapultepec neighborhood, the museum hosts the works of Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo 
• Dolores Olmedo Museum. In the middle of Xochimilco you have this beautiful museum, former residence of a philanthropist who collected the works of his friend Diego Rivera here. Today, the museum hosts at least 137 works in Rivera and 25 paintings of Frida Kahlo. No less beautiful is the garden of the museum. 
• Museum of Fine Arts (Palacio de Bellas Artes). The museum is located in the historical center, and by itself would be worth a visit as far as architecture and interior are concerned with Art Deco. 
• Rufino Tamayo Museum. Host the work of the homonymous painter; It's in the Chapultepec neighborhood. 
• Museum José Luis Cuevas. Also located in the historic center, the museum hosts a thousand works, all made by the famous novice artist José Cuevas. 
• Museum of History in Chapultepec Castle. With its nineteen rooms in Chapultepec Castle, the museum illustrates Mexico's history and the great changes between the pre and post-Columbian period. The museum also has some very precious manuscripts. 
• Papalote (Children's Museum). Do you have children? Take them without hesitation to this beautiful museum in the neighborhood of Chapultepec. Tinted and child-friendly, the museum offers many interactive educational pathways for small and large. 
• Universum (University Museum). The museum is located in the Coyoacán neighborhood, where it collects scientific material from UNAM, the largest university in Latin America. 
• Mural Diego Rivera House. This little museum in the historical center contains many wall pieces of the famous Diego Rivera. 
• Zocalo. A site in the historic center, the palace is home to some of the best works of Diego Rivera. You'll need to show an identification document to get in. 
• San Idelfonso Museum. The museum center has some wonderful frescoes in addition to interesting temporary exhibitions. 
• Franz Meyer Museum. The museum for photography and design, which houses exhibitions mainly of a temporary nature in addition to a collection of works by Franz Meyer. 
• City Museum. It is the civic museum, which hosts collections about the history of the Mexican capital. 
• Templo Mayor (Zocalo). This is where the museum stands today, in the historic center, an archeological complex of exceptional value was found in 1970, with testimonies from the Aztec empire. The Mayor Temple is the best place to know the history of this ancient civilization. 
• San Carlos Museum. The museum is dedicated to an exceptional collection of paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries. 
• National Art Museum. The collections of this state museum range from the sixteenth century to the twentieth century. 
• National History Museum. The museum, in the neighborhood of Chapultepec, illustrates Mexico's history starting with the Spanish conquest. 
• Frida Kahlo Museum. The museum is in Coyoacán and is also called Casa Azul. It was Frida Kahlo's house from birth to death and today is home to a large part of his works. 
• Anahuacalli Museum. In the neighborhood of Coyoacán we meet this impressive collection of elements of Mayan architecture as well as works from the Aztec period of Diego Rivera. There are also some early Colombian sculptures. 
• Leon Trotsky Museum. In Coyoacán we also find the house-museum of Trotsky, where the famous Soviet politician lived the last year and a half of his life before being murdered by Stalin. 

NASCAR race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world. this means a myriad of possibilities for any traveler and especially for any wallet. The main attractions for the tourist are all concentrated in the historic center and near the park of Chapultepec, but it would be nice to think of a visit to beautiful Xochimilco.

• Independence of Mexico.   September 15th. Every year, on the evening of September 15 at the Square of the Constitution, the President of Mexico (or replacing the Mayor of Mexico City) greets the crowd shouting "Long live Mexico." The entire central neighborhood is richly decorated and full of lights and there is a curious mixture of Mexican patriotism and festive atmosphere. Not to lose if you're in town right now. 
• Independence Party.   September 16th. On the morning of September 16, from the reform avenue to the city's main square, there was a huge military parade attended by about 30,000 police men and women from the army to the police, air force and navy. 
• Day of the Dead.   November 1-2. Mexico is one of the few countries in the world that celebrates this festivity dedicated to the dead with parades and visits to cemeteries, and all graves are vividly decorated with flowers and other objects. It is not a macabre festival or a sad atmosphere. Instead, people celebrate these days by exchanging candy in the shape of skulls or by consuming a delicious type of bread called "Bread of the Dead." Don't miss a visit to the local market to buy these lecturers or take a break to watch these picturesque processions at the cemetery. 
• Wise Day.   January 6th. On January 6th, unlike the Italian Befana, in Mexico it is the Kings (referred to here as "The Three Wise Men") who bring gifts - usually confectionery - to children. 

Mexico City does not lack places, sometimes even the most unthinkable, to shop. You'll find them for every taste and pocket, from neighborhood supermarkets to big shopping malls. Over the weekend, street markets and artists and artisans from all over the country arrive in some areas of the city.

And especially in the center, you'll find a large number of ethnic shops of all kinds: From Japanese to Korean, Arab and so on. You will have to walk every now and then paying attention to the side of the streets and the possibilities of doing business will certainly not be lacking.

Best shopping districts

Palacio de Hierro, one of the most famous shopping malls in the city

• Polanco (Miguel Hidalgo). Polanco is one of the most dynamic areas of the city with exclusive shops, boutiques and restaurants, and also very popular and well visited shopping centers. Night life is concentrated along the Avenida Mazaryk and the hotel area. 
• Altavista (District: Cuauhtémoc delegation). One of the most visited commercial routes in the San Angel area 
• Condesa. It's known as the SoHo in Mexico City because of the amount of coffee, bookshops and restaurants, art galleries and boutiques that are there, and because of the cultural and night life of the place. 
• Centro Historico, 20 de Noviecas St. If you want to enjoy a visit to the most fascinating part of the city than shopping, this is the right place. Between shopping malls and small shops, you'll find almost anything you're looking for. 
• Pino Suarez. Going down to Pino Suarez metro station, you're going to run into an open-air market and a lot of small shops that sell cheaply juvenile items. A great opportunity for a souvenir without spending a lot. 

Markets and antiques

• Mercado de Curiosidades. Site in the historical center of the city, as the name says, is a true market for curiosity, and here you will find lots of curious objects that will attract your attention. 
• Mercado Insurgentes (Pink Zone). The Mercado Insurgentes is also one of those places to go if you're looking for artisanal production objects or you're looking for something typically Mexican. 
• Bazar del Sábado. In the San Ángel neighborhood you will find this fascinating bazaar where every week local artists offer their paintings and artisanal works for sale at reasonable prices. 
• Mercado de Artesanias. Every Saturday, artists and artisans from all over Mexico gather in the Coyoacan neighborhood to sell their works to the highest bidder and to teach courses for children. 
• Plaza del Angel (Metro station: Insurgentes, calles Londres). A site in the Rosa area, this market once housed stands of artisans and mostly poor artists; today these have almost disappeared, leaving the place for expensive antiques. 
• Mercado de Alvaro Obregon (Quarter: Rome Cologne). 
• Market at the "Monument a la Mother", Paseos de la Reforma no. 42.   every sunday. 
• Mercado de Antiguedades de Cuauhtemoc (metro station: Cuauhtemoc).   Saturday 09:00-17:00. A market dedicated to antiques on a weekly basis. 

In addition to visits to monuments, museums and galleries in the capital, you might also think of cutting time for less "challenging" hobbies, and Mexico City offers many, especially related to the sports world:

Sports events and facilities

If you're a sports lover, then Mexico City won't let you down. Among the many sports practiced at different levels here, football is certainly the most popular and Mexicans are literally mad about it. So far, two FIFA World Cup winners have been hosted here. Basketball is also no less, and there are many professional basketball players coming from Mexico; In 1968, Mexico was the first Latin American country to host the Olympics, and most of the sports facilities in the city were built.

• Autodrome Hermanos Rodriguez , Río Piedad avenue (beside the Palacio de los Deportes, on line 9 of the metro), ☎ +52 55 98 33 16. Built in 1962, this car was the first route for car racing in the city and hosted F1 competitions and the Grand Prix in 1992. 

Estadio Aztec

• Estadio Aztec, Calzada de Tlalpan 3465. The site in the Ursula Coapa colony is one of the largest football stadiums in the world. It was built for the 1968 Olympics and can hold almost 100,000 viewers. The stadium is also home to a football club, the Club America, and is also used for outdoor concerts and events. 
• Estadio Olympic de Ciudad Universitaria, Viale Insurgentes Sur (Metro Line 3, Universidad station). Known simply as "Estadio de C.U.", it is located south of the city at the university campus. It can host up to 72,000 spectators and is home to the Pumas team, the official team of the Mexican national university. 
• I'm Sol. The Forum is the stadium where baseball games take place, but it rarely hosts concerts and other events. 
• Palacio de los Deportes (between Viaducto Piedad and Rio Churubusco). Meter: Ciudad Deportiva on linia 9). Built for the 1968 Olympics, it also hosts many sports gatherings, and at the occasion also circuses and exhibitions, being a stadium covered. 
• Arena Mexico. The Arena is the home of free combat encounters, one of the most popular sports among Mexicans that has also enjoyed some success among tourists in recent years. 
• Hhypodromo de las Americas (Cologne Lomas de Sotelo). It's the largest hypodrome in the region. From 10 pesos you can bet on the winning horse. Horse racing is also a much-loved sport in Mexico, and the races are very crowded. 

Night rooms

The typical place where a Mexican in the capital would choose to go for a drink is, or at least until recently, the "wine cellar", very similar to the ones that were or are the taverns in Italy. The Cantinas of Mexico City offer a wide choice of food and drink; normally, food is free and you only pay for drinking, at fairly cheap prices when compared to American or European. However, you should realize that the cantinas are very crowded places, with groups of mariahs or groups of music entertaining the audience with traditional high-volume music, and it will be difficult to hope that you have a quiet table to drink something and to chat without being disturbed. If the traditional Cantinas do not do for you, do n't lose heart: Mexico City hosts almost infinite numbers of places to enjoy and enjoy a pleasant evening. A good idea if you're in town recently is to join a night club tour. It's organized tours where you also pay for transportation between pubs and can give you an idea of the possibilities that are there in the city. Going around alone, however, can be a bad idea, given the high concentration of robberies in the central neighborhoods.

Also in the city center are some pubs that entertain customers with a mix of rock, electronics and Latin music often in both English and Spanish. These kind of rooms close relatively late, around three or four in the morning. The pubs frequented by lovers of electro music are the most numerous and close at 8 a.m. as well. In each of these, however, you will have to show a document to prove that you are of age. You'll find a list of the locals in the articles of the individual districts, although we can already anticipate that many high-level (and even high-cost) venues are in the Zona Rosa, along with many picturesque restaurants and other good local ones. Some exclusive rooms like the Bollé Club require a minimum consumption of two bottles (costing €90 per bottle), so a good idea would be to find out in advance about where you're going to go.

With regard to discos, except for those organized very informally in small pubs, they are mostly only frequented by tourists and the costs can be very high. These include Hyde, Shine, Sense and Lomas. In some of these nightclubs, you can also pay €140 for a bottle of alcohol.

To return to the Mexican culture scene, which is fairly accessible to everyone, mention should be made of those where you can listen and dance at the rhythm of merengue, sauce, rumba or mambo. These medium-level rooms, they close at around 4 a.m. and can be a good place to have fun even if you're a novice about Latin dances.

Taco, the Mexican dish par excellence

The Merced Central Market, the best place to buy Mexican food at rock bottom prices

Even though Mexico is known for its tacos internationally, it is certainly not the only specialty that you can find on the way to the local citizens. In the capital, you'll probably find every kind of food in the world. Traditional cuisines like Italian, Polish, Greek or Argentinian are also popular in luxury restaurants in Mexico City.

In addition to some renowned restaurants, there are chains that you can trust spread across many of the city's neighborhoods. These include Vips, Toks, and the more traditional Sanborns. Most of the restaurants in the central area are very expensive (100-150 dollars per person), but if you want to enjoy some dishes while spending less money, you can rely on one of the many "comedy bullfighting", especially hot tables that are popular among workers and fairly reliable; a meal in a comedy will cost you between 30 and 60 mexican dollars.

On some streets you will also find some very popular fast food outlets that sell traditional food at a very low price, including the untiring tacos. One superb example of this type is the Taquería Aguayo in the neighborhood of Coyoacán.

Another cheap alternative is the central market premises La Merced on the pink metro line. There are plenty of meals in the Mexican kitchen at a reasonable price in stands and restaurants.

Among the typical foods to be lost, we have:

• Quesadillas — Piadines made of yellow maize, filled with cheese
• Tacos al pastor
• Tacos de tripa
• Gringas
• Enchiladas Suizas
• Enchiladas de mole
• Pozole
• Sopes
• Tortas
• Sopa de tortilla
• Chilaquiles
• Huevos Rancheros
• Arraform
• Micheladas
• Huaraches
• Alambres
• Tacos de suadero
• Tacos de canasta
• Enfrijoladas
• Tacos de barbacoa
• Migas
• Agua de Jamaica

Embassy Suites Hotel

The city has literally hundreds of hotels covering almost every price range depending on the district where you decide to stay overnight. The Rosa Zone is one of those favorite neighborhoods for tourists with medium-to-high-price hotels. Polanco and the historic center, however, are rich in hostels and cheap hotels, where the quality of the rooms is not even the best. Along the Paseo de la Reforma, there are most hotels that might interest you for a brief stay in the city.

Modest prices

• Hostel Mexico City, República de Brasil 8 (northwest corner of Catedral Metropolitana, metro Allende stop or Zócalo), +52 52 55 12 36 66, +52 55 12 77 31, @ [email protected].   140-250 pesos (8-15 euro). A convenient hostel for young travelers. In a modest, unclaimed building, you'll find a variety of convenient services: from the kitchen common to Wi fi. Breakfast included. 
• Hostel Virreyes , Calle José María Izazaga (corner of Eje Central Lázaro Cardenas, metro: Jumping of Agua, line 1 and line 8), ☎ +52 55 21 41 80.   150 pesos (€9) for the dormitories and 370 pesos (€22) for the individual. Comfortable rooms in the city center, and a short distance from one of the best markets in town, the Mercado San Juan Arcos de Belem. free Wi-Fi or alternative means that they can use their internet access at cheap prices. The hostel has a 24-hour security service. 
• Hotel Habana, Rep De Cuba No 77, ☎ +52 55 55 18 15 91. Good rooms at a pretty low price. 
• Hotel Rio de Janeiro, Rep De Brasil (near Zocalo), ☎ +52 55 551 81 591.   70 pesos (4 euro). Really cheap hotels in downtown. At rock-bottom prices (€4-5 per night) you can have a small but comfortable room with the only handicap that the bathroom shares with the other guests on the same floor. Many of the most expensive rooms (€10) also have a TV in their rooms. 

Average prices

• El patio 77 B&B , García Icazbalceta 77 (three blocks from the SAN COSME station on the blue line), ☎ +(52)(55)55928452, @ [email protected].   60 euros a night. Check In: 3:00, check out: 12:00. This B&B was the first to be adapted for eco-friendly consumption. He is in a 19th-century French-style palace and offers only 8 medium-quality rooms with all the main comforts. 
• Dos Casas B&B , Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz 142 (two blocks from San Cosme station), ☎ +52 558 421 70 04, @ [email protected]   €45. Located just a few blocks from the historic center, this Bed&Breakfast offers 4 mid-to-high quality rooms with free Wi-Fi and a magnificent terrace. 
• Casa Conde B&B , Gob Garcia Conde 31 (three blocks from JUANACATLAN station on line 1), @[email protected].   €60. Check In: 1:00, check out: 12:00. 
• NH Centro Histórico , Palma 42, ☎ +52 55 51301850.   €74. This hotel has the great advantage of being in the city center just a few yards away from its main attractions. As for comfort, it's a medium-to-high-quality hotel. 

High prices

• Holiday Inn Zocalo, Av Cinco De Mayo 61.   €90. Modern hotel near the historic center, small but well furnished rooms. WiFi is included in the price but many travelers have indicated that the connection does not always work. 
• Meliã México Reforma, Paseo de la Reforma, 1, ☎ +52 555 12 85 000, @[email protected].   €130 a night. Hotel in a completely renovated building in the capital's historical, cultural and financial center. 
• Hotel Rioja, Cinco de Mayo 45 (in the historic center), ☎ +52 55 21 8333.   €240 (July 2011). Check In: 7:00. Hotel of a few demands, very close to Zocalo. Spanish would be useful to you to communicate with your staff, but most of them speak English as well. 
• Four Seasons Mexico City, Paseo de la Reforma 500.   €260 a night. High - end hotels with a tropical garden and numerous bars and restaurants situated in very few steps. All rooms and hotels are organized to offer the best possible service and staff are available virtually every day. 
• JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City, Andres Bello 29.   €205. luxurious and well - furnished rooms in the beautiful neighborhood of Polanco, a few yards away from many exclusive tourist and local attractions. 
• Nikko Hotel, Campos Eliseos 204.   €175. In addition to its high quality services, the hotel is characterized by the presence of an art gallery and its proximity to some of the famous attractions in the Polanco district. 
• President Intercontinental Mexico City, Campos Eliseos 218.   EUR 175. This hotel cannot be unseen if you are in town. With its 42 stories, it dominates the city, located in an ultra-modern building with all the comforts and services of America's most modern hotels. 
• W Hotel Mexico City, Campos Eliseos 252 Mexico City 11560.   €278 a night. Hotel in a beautiful, lightweight, stylish building. Ideal for business travel. 
• The St. Regis Mexico City, Paseo de la Reforma 439 Mexico City 06500.   €350 a night. The Hotel overshadows the reformist Paseo with its 30 floors hosted in the Tower of Freedom. As far as services are concerned, it is one of the best hotels in the city to satisfy even the most ambitious customers. 
• Hotel Camino Real Polanco México , Mariano Escobedo 700, ☎ +52 55 5263 8888.   €205. Hotel located in an excellent neighborhood, near the main museums of the city. 
• Hotel Habita, President Masaryk 201.   €220. A stylish hotel in a glass building that seems to be floating in the city, located at the best part of the district of Polanco. Stylish, well-furnished and complete interior of all comfort. 
• CONDESA df, Veracruz 102.   €180. Symbol of the district of Condesa, exemplifies the entire neighborhood: elegant, funny, lively. It's hard not to be well here. 

A map of crime levels per neighborhood is available on this site.

Visiting Mexico City does not normally pose particular security problems. The main squares and streets are well guarded and if you move by public transport (which is highly recommended) you will avoid many of the increased risks associated mostly with the circulation of false taxis with the aim of robbing tourists.

The two major recommendations for taxis are to check the taxi license plate (there are apps for Android and Iphones that will help you do this, one of which is Taxiaviso) and to avoid taxis that do not have an official license on their front glass.

The rest are the main security measures of the big cities: Avoid flashy clothes and jewelry, keep your wallet in an internal pocket and avoid showing credit cards or other items of value for no reason. The most popular places for the pickpockets are crowded squares and metro stations.

Police

Police in Mexico are paid a third of their colleagues in the U.S. this means that they often use small bribes or bribes to round up their salary. In the most touristic places, special police forces are on duty for tourists who usually speak at least English in addition to Spanish and who are generally more reliable than regular agents.

The city government has recently set up a special office for tourists and travelers who are victims of group robbery. It's in Victoria Street 76 and you can go there if you've been robbed or raped.

In case of emergency

Type the free 066 number, which, like the 911 American, serves as a link for every emergency service (ambulances, police...).

Telephony

The international prefix for Mexico, for callers from abroad, is +52. After the area code, all Mexico City numbers have the local area code 55, followed by the 8 or 7 digit number. For non-urban calls from Mexico, the 01 area code is followed by the local area code.

To use your mobile phone, you'll need to unlock it before you leave, and as soon as you arrive you'll be able to buy a Movistar or Télcel card, known as a "chip," which is nothing more than a sim-card that will allow you to phone more advantageous loans than using your Italian or European card. These sims are prepaid for use in the city. If you move to another Mexican state, the costs may be very high for calls.

Telephone operators

There are four main companies operating in Mexico:

• Telcel: It is the most popular company in Mexico and uses a 3G and 4G network (HSPA+, HSDPA & EDGE)
• Movistar: has a decent coverage in Mexico with GSM and 3G networks
• Iusacell: GSM-based CDMA (EVDO) network with 3G and 3.5G connectivity. It has good coverage in big cities, inadvisable if you're going to visit even smaller or more remote destinations.
• Nextel: American-owned network

Internet

Mexico City has excellent Internet access if you consider the Latin American average. For example, many are Internet cafes scattered around the city with peaks in the Rosa Zone. The cost for this service varies from 10 to 20 pesos per hour. All the Internet cafes have some kind of cyber sign that makes them recognizable.

In addition, hotspots for WiFi are close to the tourist attractions and big squares. To use this connection, you must sign a prepaid contract known as Tarjeta Multifon. This service and its credentials can be found in shops in the city or by asking the office for information for tourists.

Except for the newspaper "The News" there are no other Mexican newspapers in a language other than Spanish. Many American newspapers, however, are also distributed here and can be a good starting point for informing you about what is happening in the city. The main national and local newspapers, however, include the following:

• The News
• El Universal
• Reform
• Monitor Journal
• La Jornada
• Milenium

• Oaxtepec— Oaxtepec is located a short distance from the capital and is a great place to escape from the capital's frenetic life and enjoy a bit of pleasant Mexican sea in a park that offers many opportunities for fun. The park is open only in the week, although some areas have reduced opening hours during weekends.
• Cuernavaca— located 45 km from Mexico City, Cuernavaca is the "City of eternal spring", so called because of its exceptionally mild climate throughout the year. The city is also the capital of the state of Morelos.
• Taxco— a town famous for its colonial-style buildings.
• Teotihuacan — the city is famous for its immense pre-Columbian pyramids.
• Puebla— UNESCO heritage, a historical place for the battle here fought against the French in the 1980s and a city finally famous for its exquisite cuisine. It's really worth a hike.
• Valle de Bravo— City surrounded by forests and Lake, a destination loved by all hiking and sports lovers in general.
• Pachuca— picturesque little colonial town.
• National Park Desierto de los Leones— 20 minutes by car from Mexico City you'll find yourself immersed in the forest and surrounded by the wildlife of this beautiful park. It's impossible not to taste the local kitchen.
• Tepoztlan— a small but beautiful city south of the capital, celebrates the pyramid on the top of a hill and also celebrates for one of the world's records of UFO sightings. You can believe it or not, but many of its inhabitants are certain that they have seen at least once in their lives an unidentified flying object.

• ITAItalian Embassy, Paseo de las Palmas 1994, (district: Lomas de Chapultepec), ☎ +52 55 5596 3655, fax: +52 55 5596 7710, +52 55 5596 2472, @[email protected].