13 Things to Do in Mexico City Historic Centre

If you’re heading to Mexico City and searching for things to do then you’re in the right place. In this blog post, you can read about the best things to do and places to see in Mexico City’s Historic Centre, an area you can’t skip on your trip to the city.

For reference, we spent 2 weeks in Mexico City and during this time we took many incredible day trips, tried a ton of Mexican food and really fell in love with the city.

If you’d like to see our Mexico City adventures then make sure to watch our YouTube playlist by clicking here. You can also check out our Mexico Playlist for more adventures.

Introducing Mexico City, the Capital City of Mexico

Probably the best way to introduce you to Mexico City is to share some crazy and fun facts about it:

1. Mexico City is both the capital and largest city of Mexico. In addition it’s also the most populous city in North America and the oldest in the Americas.
2. Mexico was actually named after Mexico City.
3. It’s located over 2,000m above sea level and actually sits on top of an old lakebed. Because of that, the city is currently sinking nearly 10 inches per year.
4. Mexico City is one of the richest cities in the world. It contributes to more than 20% of Mexico’s GDP making it one of the most important financial centres in the world.
5. The city has the largest Park in Latin America. Chapultepec Park is actually twice as big as Central park in New York City.
6. Mexico City is also home to the largest university in the world called Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). The university is also the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. 
7. It has the second largest number of museums (over 180) after London, the capital city of the UK. 
8. It has the world’s cheapest and Latin America’s largest subway system. (One ride costs only 5 MXN!)
9. In Mexico City, you can find Chapultepec Castle, the only royal castle in the Americas, as well as the largest number of palaces on the American continents.
10.  The city has not one but four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

Mexico City Travel Guide – Read This Before Your Visit

If you’re looking for answers to common questions such as where to stay, how to stay safe during your visit and how best to get around this massive capital city then make sure to check out my detailed blog post below.

The blog post includes answers to the following questions:

• Is Mexico City Safe?
• Do You Need to Speak Spanish in Mexico City?
• How To Get to Mexico City?
• Where to Stay in Mexico City?
• Best Ways to Move Around Mexico City

13 Things to Do in Mexico City’s Historic Centre

Below you’ll find famous landmarks that cover pretty much all the must see attractions within Mexico City’s Historic Centre. 

Top Tip – Try to plan your Mexico City Historic Centre tour between Tuesday and Sunday as many museums will be closed on Mondays. If you can, I also suggest aiming for a weekday to avoid massive crowds.

1. Enjoy the Views from Torre Latinoamericana

To really get a feel for just how massive the city is, start your Mexico City Historic Centre walk at Torre Latinoamericana.

The skyscraper was built in 1965 and it’s the tallest building within the Historic Centre. A bit like the Eiffel-Tower or the Empire State Building, you’ll be able to see the tower from anywhere you walk.

Did you know? – The building is actually considered a symbol of safety because it has withstood two massive earthquakes, a magnitude 8.1 in 1985 and a magnitude 7.1 in 2017. 

Your entry ticket will allow you to take the elevator all the way to the observation deck on the 44th floor for a 360-degree view over Mexico City. In addition, you can also visit its café and/or museum. 

Top Tip – I recommend visiting Torre Latinoamericana at opening time. Firstly, it’ll be less busy, but most importantly, you’ll be able to see more of the city in the morning. Later on the smog will increase and visibility won’t be as great. 

Entry Fee: 140 MXN for only the observation deck or 170 MXN that includes the museum. 

2. Admire the Tiles at Casa de los Azulejos

Casa de los Azulejos or the ‘House of Tiles’ is an 18th-century Baroque palace built by the Count of the Valle de Orizaba family. It was their residence until the 19th century. Then it was home to elite intellectuals before it became the worker’s organisation. In 1917, Sanborns restaurant chain bought the building and it still belongs to them today.

What’s unique about this building is its façade which is covered by blue, white and yellow tiles from Puebla state.

Top Tip – Make sure to walk out onto the balconies. That way you’ll get some cool views over the crowded streets of Mexico City. 

Entry Fee: Free

3. Be Blown Away by the Scale of Constitution Square

At 57,600 square metres, Mexico City’s central square – the Plaza de la Constitucion or Zocalo – is one of the world’s largest public squares. It used to be the city’s main market area until Emperor Maximilian I banned merchants and created a Parisian-style park in 1860. 

After the Mexican Revolution, the square was cleared and it’s now home to a giant Mexican flag. Today, the plaza is often used for concerts, performance arts and when we visited in December it was home to a massive Christmas fair with ice-skating rink. 

Top Tip – Due to the lack of shade, I recommend avoiding it during the hottest part of the day and time your visit earlier in the morning or later in the evening.

4. See the Murals at the National Palace

Whilst at Constitution Square, make sure to check out a few places that surround it such as the Palacio Nacional. The building is so big that it fills the entire east side of the plaza. It is used as the government building and it’s also the residence of the president.

The reason why people pay a visit to the National Palace during their Mexico City Historic Centre visit is to see Diego Rivera’s mural called ‘The History of Mexico’. 

Opening Times: Tuesday to Sunday between 9AM and 5PM.

Entry Fee: Free

5. Admire the Metropolitan Cathedral from Both Inside and Outside

The next stop on your Mexico City Historic Centre tour should be the Metropolitan Cathedral, located along the northern side of Constitution Square. 

Did you know? – The Cathedral’s full name is The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. A mouthful, right?

Catedral Metropolitana is one of the largest and also oldest cathedrals in Latin America and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. Work on the cathedral started in 1573 and finished in 1813. Needless to say that the construction involved a lot of artists, architects and both religious and government leaders that resulted in the cathedral’s mixture of three different styles: baroque, neo-classical and neo-renaissance.

The Cathedral is just as impressive on the inside as on the outside. The timeframe of its construction also allowed the cathedral to house many different ornaments, paintings, sculptures and furniture in its interior.

Entry Fee: Free (Donations are welcomed.)

6. Learn Some History at Templo Mayor

Located just behind the Cathedral is a must see place in the Historic Centre of Mexico City called Templo Mayor. As its name suggests, it used to be the main temple of the ancient Aztec capital Tenochitlan which is now Mexico City.

The structure consisted of two stepped pyramids, one dedicated to the God of War and the other to the God of Rain. The temple was a location where various events took place such as coronations and also many human sacrifices.  

Unfortunately during our visit, the museum was still closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, however their website suggests that they are now welcoming people again. Luckily we could just walk around the outside and have a look which is free of charge.

Museum Opening Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 9AM and 5PM.

Museum Entry Fee: 80 MXN 

7. Walk Around Plaza Santo Domingo

This much quieter public square is located to the north-west of Templo Mayor. It got its name in the 16th century from the church and convent that was built next to it. Most buildings are actually built in a New Spain Baroque style because due to flooding the buildings had to be rebuilt. 

The plaza has been used as the base for scribes who compose and type letters for those who are unable to do so. Nowadays it’s also known as being the place to obtain false documents.

8. Visit at Least One of Many Museums in Mexico City’s Historic Centre

As I mentioned at the start, Mexico City has hundreds of museums, so you’ll definitely find something you’re interested in. Most of them are scattered around the city, but there are quite a few located within the Historic Centre that you should consider visiting during your trip:

• Museum of Popular Art (houses a collection of Mexican folk art)
• Diego Rivera Mural Museum (houses one of the best Diego Rivera paintings)
• Museum of Memory and Tolerance (focuses on the consequences of violence in human history)
• MUNAL National Art Museum (houses a collection of Neoclassical and Renaissance Art)
• Museum of Torture (as the name suggests, houses a collection of torture instruments)
• Museum of Shoes/Footwear (houses more than 2,000 pieces of footwear including a golden pair of shoes once worn by Queen Elizabeth)

Entry Fees: Admission to these museums is varied but will cost you somewhere between 40MXN and 100MXN.

Top Tip – Museums in Mexico City will likely be closed on Mondays so time your visit on another day.

9. Eat Churros at El Moro Churerria

You can’t leave Mexico City’s Historic Centre without trying one of the best churros in the city.

Located a few blocks to the south of Torre Latinoamericana, Churerria El Moro is without doubt one of the best places to buy churros and chocolate from. Whilst you’re waiting for your order you can watch the cooks in action as they create this naughty but super tasty dessert right in front of you.

Did you know? – Back in 1933, Francisco Iriarte emigrated to Mexico City from Spain. After realising that churros weren’t a thing in the city, he decided to introduce them to the Mexican people. He named his business ‘El Moro’, which was the nickname of another churros vendor from his hometown. Churros slowly became popular in Mexico City and his business started to grow. After his death, his family moved over to Mexico to continue his business. 

10. Enjoy a Cup of Coffee at Finca Don Porfirio

Do you enjoy coffee (or any drink for that matter) with a view? If so, then you should consider grabbing a seat at Finca Don Porfirio.

This café has become insanely popular on social media over the years because of the incredible views you can enjoy of the Palacio de Bellas Artes from its balcony. I don’t always visit or enjoy the typical ‘Insta-spots’, but I can totally see why people queue to get a seat here.

How to find the café? – It’s located on the top floor of the Sears shopping centre across from Palacio de Bellas Artes. 

Tips for visiting – The café has a row of seats where everybody wants to sit to get the best views. However, there are other tables behind where you can sit but you won’t see much. When you arrive at the café, you’ll be asked if you want to wait for a front seat or if you’re happy to sit at the back. Be prepared to wait between 20 to 30 minutes if you’re after the front seat. Trust me it’ll be worth the wait. 

11. Visit Palacio de Bellas Artes

The iconic Palace of Fine Arts is a building you most likely have seen plenty of photos of even if you’ve never been to Mexico City.

Construction of the building started in 1905. With art nouveau style on the outside and art deco on the inside, the building itself is a work of art. Inside, it features murals by Mexico’s finest artists such as Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco. It also houses sculpture and painting exhibitions. In addition, the building is also home to the National Museum of Architecture, and the National Theatre.

Opening Times: Tuesday to Sunday between 9AM and 4:45PM.

Entry Fee: 80MXN (Plus 30MXN extra if you’d like to take photos with a camera)

12. Relax at Alameda Central

Located adjacent to Palacio de Bellas Artes is Alameda Central. This public park was created in 1592 and is considered the oldest public park on the North American continent. 

It is also considered one of the primary green spaces in Mexico City and it’s often used for civic gatherings. The park is criss-crossed by many pathways and has many decorative fountains and statues. You can get a great overview of it from the observation deck of Torre Latinoamericana. 

There are many benches you can sit on to just pause and enjoy a bit of greenery in this massive concrete jungle. 

13. Watch the Sunset from Monumento a la Revolucion

Lastly, what better way to finish your tour around Mexico City’s Historic Centre than to watch the sunset from another amazing viewpoint in the city. 

Monumento a la Revolucion is – as the name suggests – a monument commemorating the Mexican Revolution. At 67m tall, it’s the tallest triumphal arch in the world. Although it’s definitely an impressive building to look at, make sure to actually visit inside, because there’s a lot to see!

To start with, the monument functions as a mausoleum for some of the most famous revolutionary figures. The monument also houses an exhibition and art gallery and the National Museum of the Revolution. In addition, there’s a cool glass elevator which runs up and down through the central axis of the building to an observation deck. From here you can get some great views of Mexico City. You can also order a drink or food here and stay up as long as you wish. Definitely the perfect way to end your city centre adventures.

Opening Times: Monday to Thursday 12PM to 8PM, Friday and Saturday 12PM to 9PM and Sunday 11AM to 8PM. 

Entry Fee: 120MXN

Final Thoughts on Things to See in Mexico City’s Historic Centre

As an outdoor and nature lover, I’d never imagined that I’d enjoy exploring such a massive city. However, Mexico City definitely surprised us and after visiting many areas of it, we realised that we could’ve easily stayed there much longer.

Have you ever been to Mexico City’s Historic Centre before? If so, how much of the area did you manage to explore and what was your favourite spot? If not, would you want to visit Mexico City? Let me know in the comments below.