DIA DE LOS MUERTOS IN MEXICO CITY

An inclusive guide to what to do and see in mexico city, and especially during dia de los muertos.

frida khalo’s house

Frida’s house is located in Coyoacan and let me tell you I am soooo glad we purchased tickets two months in advance. The line to buy tickets was incredibly long and I can only imagine how long they had to wait.

Another thing to note that I didn’t read anywhere was there was a fee to take photos. Cash payment of something like 50 pesos.

They had an area of the home decorated specifically for dia de los muertos and it was absolutely stunning. Photos just don’t do it justice.

lunch at corazon de maguey

The food was decent here. Nothing too special but it was nice and central in Coyoacan.

palacio de bellas artes

Honestly, we weren’t interested in going inside the museum and walking through it. The outside was seriously stunning and I could totally see an Instagram moment on the stairs to walk inside.

casa de loz azuelos

torre de latinoamerica

An amazing 360 degree view of Mexico City. I recommend going right before sunset so you can see it while the sun sets as well the city lights lit up.

zocalo

This area was pretty flooded. It had locals shopping at Pasteleria Ideal for Pan de Muerto and tourists shopping in nearby stores. This is the main square of the city. The Dia de Los Muertos festival was set to end here.

basilica de guadalupe

Amazing site to see. Quite the walk up to it but completely worth it. Zack left an offering at the offering statues by asking security.

dia de los muertos event @ night

Zack and I were lucky enough to have locals show us around a few hours nearly every day. This night we went to Coyoacan to the event they had in the center of the city for dia de los muertos. It was basically a huge carnival. A stage with performances, people dressed up, people doing makeup, tons of food options and even. more. people.

Pan de Muerto is said to have an orange-y taste but I didn’t taste it, it must be super subtle. It was really good nonetheless. We got it from El Jarocho, which our friends told us was classic to Coyoacan. Hot chocolate and pastries are a must!

buna cafe

Zack and I got the same thing and were decently pleased. It was a fancier place with a nice ambiance.

los piños

Los pinos was really cool to see. A few rooms were furnished as if the president was working out of it. Most of the rooms were filled with artwork, which felt a little random but it was better than empty rooms and walls. It is definietly smaller than the white house but still had its luxuries.

chapultepec park

This park is iconic and is even bigger than central park in new york. It is right up against los pinos.

oasis shopping center

Zack and I really loved this shopping center. It was really nice and had great stores. We fell a little in love at Zara and went wild, which explains why we ended up at so many shopping centers.

the sun and moon pyramids

The pyramids were sooo fun. We decided to go self-guided and it ended up being the best for us. A tour would have been more detailed and informational but we got to spend the whole time chatting with each other and enjoying our surroundings. Plus I got home and my dad said he saw a whole documentary on it anyways sooooo yea haha. Our friends also told us how they are coincidentally lined up exactly with the Egyptian pyramids as well. Tons of interesting history here. The climb and the long walk left me with sore legs for days but totally worth it. Also beware of the jumping bugs in the grassier areas, absolutely horrific.

puntarena

This place was suuuuper delicious and the atmosphere was seriously amazing. I highly reccomend. They gave free bread and a free small appetizer. So good.

angel of independence

sadly the statue was under construction during our visit but the city was covered in fun dia de los muertos artwork.

cafe de tacuba

miyana shopping center + sonora grill

Okay you guys this was the perfect date night. Sonora Grill has multiple locations and this was soooo good. We got the brisket to share and holy guacamole was it good. You get free salsas and chips to start as well as a bean dip. They prepare the brisket in front of you and it comes with fresh tortillas… can’t say enough.

mercado roma + el moro

So the churros alone were eh alright but that chocolate dipppp WOW. This specific location is in a center with a bunch of different food places to choose from.

our humble abode

I don’t mean to be cheesy but I felt like I just had to share this moment from our trip. We decided to come back to the Airbnb to just chill and work for a little while. I was sitting on the bed while Zack sat at the table. I asked him for my laptop charger and he walked over and then said ” wait, give me your phone, I want to take a picture, you look so cute. “, and this is how this photo came about.

Another amazing trip in the books for us. Forever grateful I get to travel the world with my favorite person. Thank you for the years of adventures and to many many many more! ❤️

I kept this post pretty centered around photos and minimal words. If you have any questions or things to add please leave them in the comments below! I have also left the detailed list of things we wanted to see and do while on this trip!

⭐️ see and do

Coyoacan ( Frida’s hometown)

1. Museo Frida Khalo- buy tickets in advance

2. El Jarocho – amazing hot chocolate

Centre Historico

1. Palacio de Bellas Artes ( Diego Rivera etc. artwork (35 pesos), 60 pesos/ Sunday free for Palacio)

2. Casa de los Azuelos – House of Tiles

3. Zocalo – (main square)

4. Torre Latinoamerica- 360 view at top

La Condesa/ San Angel ( european vibes )

1. nightlife places

2. El Bazaar Sabado- market open Saturdays- weekdays less busy in this area

3. Hipodromo nightclubs — Pata Negra

Roma ( hipster )

1. Cafebreria el Pendulo (airy 3 store bookstore with a rooftop bar)

Polanco ( Miguel Hidalgo, right next to Chapultepec Park)

1. Palacio de Hierro – luxury shops (not the closest to Roma or Condesa)

Zone Rosa

1. Plaza Reforma 222 – shopping mall

2. Paseo de La Reforma- strip of shops and monuments

Teotihuacan

1. Sun and Moon Pyramids

2. Hot Air Balloons ( only at 7 a.m. limited flights, booking online is expensive but you run the risk of no availability if you book there)

Other

1. Chapultepec Park ( botanical garden + more, bigger than Central Park)

2. Barragan Homes ( most famous architect in Mexico, bright beautiful colors, book in advance tours of his home or museum)

3. Chimalsitic Neighborhoods (photogenic homes)

4. La Ciudadela ( nice local market )

5. Mercado de San Juan ( fresh foods)

6. Xochimilco Gondolas (book ahead)

7. Zacatecas- cathedral buildings

🥭🥥 eat

We got to eat pan de muerto!

Centre Historico

1. Pasteleria Ideal (yummy pastries)

2. Lalo! (Pizza and margaritas)

3. Fifty mils ( nice bar)

La Condesa

1. Chiquitito cafe ( Polaroid cafe)

2. Molina el Pujol ( tortilla shop- Pujol is rest.)highly recommended

Coyoacan

1. Corazon de Maguey (bomb Mexican food + mezcal)

Roma

1. El Moro Churreria ( Roma location good for pics- churros and hot chocolate look bomb af)

2. Buna – coffe+ horchata + breakfast

3. El Morro (ice cream / churro)

4. Taqueria Orinoco – chicharron tacos best

5. El Hidalguense- rare place to find barbacoa

6. El Vilsito ( car repair shop turned al pastor place at night)

7. Pulquiera Insurgentes – rooftop bar to try pulque ( like kombucha)

Downtown Mexico

1. Azul Historico + rooftop bar – couple of locations I think

Teotihuacan

1. cave restaurant- (get a reservation!! 10 min from pyramids)

💸 tips

1. bring a raincoat/ umbrella even though it’s hot- afternoon rain

2. figure out how far things are from your airnbnb /hotels / home

3. uber everywhere- it’s pretty cheap- cheaper than taxis