48 hours in Mexico City: What to Do, Eat & See!

Top 3 Areas You need to Visit

Mexico city is ranked 12th largest city in the world and to discover it from corner to corner, you’ll need plenty more than 48 hours. I prioritized 3 of the best areas to visit if you have limited time, with plenty of options in each one.

Roma: Where all things pretty, cute lattes and lovely places are, this Colonia is the most popular and hub to bars, restaurants, and stores in the city. Roma is divided in two: Roma Norte and Roma Sur, and here’s where I spent most of my time.Condesa: This opulent side of the city gives all the posh vibes with tons of parks, designer boutiques and spectacular patios, and you can bet I walked all the pretty streets and sipped all the drinks outdoors.Coyoacan: Vibrant, Bohemian and home to Frida Kahlo, Coyoacan is an obligatory stop in your next visit to Mexico City.

Cool Places To See: What To Do

Mexico City’s design heritage is absolutely breathtaking and you feel this everywhere you go. Colour is in every corner and they embrace this in their culture, the way they created buildings, city centers, patios, pretty much the entire city. The weather was perfect to let you walk and walk all the colonias, and quirky little streets, grabbing snacks along the way and stopping in a few wonderful spots as:- Luis Barragan Casa Gilardi: This colourful property is the last masterpiece of the well-known architect Barragan, completed in 1976. His last project was designed as a bachelor home where colour plays a vital part, with bold hues both indoors and outdoors. You can visit this house by booking a tour here.- Hotel CondesaDF: A stunning hotel in the heart of Roma Condesa, filled with bold turquoise walls, vintage accents and a glamorous patio where you can stop for some drinks and lilttle snacks if you’re strolling around this neighborhood.- Cafebreria El Pendulo: Escaping from the busy streets and noise, we stopped at this bookstore, a must in Roma. Three floors full of books (and a lot of Mexican goodies) and a coffee shop area and a terraza upstairs.- Bosque de Chapultepec: If you want to breathe, walk, and relax all the green of the city, it’s a must.- Plaza de las Tres Culturas: located in the historical heart of the city, this spot still holds pyramid from the Mesoamerican past and the Spanish influence in the country. It’s impressive to see the remainings next to a modern structure, that represents Mexico hoy. 
– Mercado de Artesanias La Ciudadela: and suddenly, my heart skipped a beat as soon as I came in this colourful, eclectic and incredible market. Everything handmade by local artisans, at La Ciudadela you’ll be charmed with blankets, pompoms, local pottery, crafts and textiles so unique, you might bring a lot back home. 
– House of Tiles: La casa de los azulejos, is a classic blue, white and yellow tiled building with all the Portuguese influence and a facade that is intact since the 18th century. This palace is a sample of what historic Mexico is all about. 

Good Places to Eat, All the Yummy Food

– Churreria El Moro: YES people, Mexico means CHURROS! and this spot was the one I stumbled upon my first visit. They have several locations in the city, all full of blue and white tiles, an incredible branding, a menu you’ll cry for and super friendly staff. Don’t leave without a Consuelo ( a mini-churro sandwich filled with ice cream, in three flavours).
– Mercado Roma: This popular food hall is home to pretty much everything you need to try in Roma. You’ll see a lot of local vendors (including el moro), and it’s absolutely perfect to grab something on the go while discovering the area. 
– Motin: This little pink place was a perfect spot to grab some drinks and small bites. We loved the chicken and waffles and homemade Micheladas (that are pretty much everywhereeee you go in Mexico city.).
– Ocho Tres Cinco: Bring some wipes, because you’ll cry with the most delicious Venezuelan street food menu in CDMX. If you haven’t tried yet Venezuelan food, my favourites here were: Empanadas (any of them), Mandocas, Tequenos, Hamburguesas and Aguita e’ sapo. You can’t leave without the best cortadito coffee, ever. I mean it. 
– Boicot Cafe: A caffeinated stop at Condesa with a funky interior, serving breakfast (all day), sweets and delicious coffee. 
– Taqueria Orinoco: we had tacos in several places but this one was THE best one. The al pastor was perfectly juicy, meaty and fresh. I still can’t get over the home sauces of every taqueria, I wish I had enough suitcases to bring them all back home.
– Tacos and tamales in the street: I know, I know, fine dining options were pretty much across the entire city, but you can’t leave without trying a real taco experience. My friends got me a tamale with chicken and green salsa from a vendor in the street and up to date, it is the best I’ve had in my entire life. So don’t be surprised you might have the best taco in one of these little spots. 
– Fine dining options: Even though I didn’t have time to visit, Pujol and Quintonil are both in my list for my next visit.

Local Tips While in Mexico

– Uber is your best bet! With our currency exchange, it was the best way to move in such a busy city.- Most of the people only talk Spanish, you’ll find some help in English but my advice is to plan way in advance your itinerary.- The local currency is Pesos and you can exchange at the airport. I used my credit cards everywhere except local markets where cash is a must.- You can walk everywhere and I felt pretty safe in every area we visited, even at night.- You’ll need a lot of wipes in your purse, the food is absolutely INSANE (good), and as of me, you’ll stain all your outfits. The salsa verde is heaven.- Weather is a charm, it rains a lot during summer, so your best months to visit are February, March, and April.- If you’re planning to visit the pyramids and Xochimilco, you need a full day for each of them.- Food and drinks are really affordable in general.